19 cylinder conversion to 22lr mdl 53

I have been thinking about this and as I have most of my other gun projects where I want them, so, I decided to get started

As most know model 53 22lr cylinders are hard to come by and command crazy prices. You can just about buy a decent K22 for what they go for.

So, I have a recessed model 19 cylinder in my parts stash which is the same length as a model 53 cylinder. I also have a extractor star from a older K22.

Once the alignment pins were removed from the 19 cylinder the K22 star went right in and hey it fit and cycled in my model 53. I will need to trim a right hand thread rod to fit and set up a center pin.

Next, I turned some 1/2" 4140 round stock to just fit in chambers (.381) and turned the tip to .357 so it filled the throat. I also drilled in 2" with a #5 drill then run in a .222 chucking reamer




Then I did it 5 more times. Here is an interesting fact. There were small variations in the chambers. The first insert would fit in one chamber and be bit loose or tight in another. I messed around getting them each to fit tight in a hole. One I knurled the outside of a bit to tighten it up a bit more



I then cleaned them and the chambers with brake cleaner, then acetone. Then, I put each in it's hole with a liberal coat of red Locktite thread locker and used a flat faced punch to seat them.

Next I plan to stick the cylinder in my lathe and carefully flush the inserts to the cylinder. Then I will run a 22lr reamer in each so a piece of brass is flush with cylinder face. Then, I will put it in the rotary table I have mounted on my mill and use a small end mill to take the parts of inserts toward center of cylinder down to where the back of the extractor star sets so it fits right. Install star, do a clean up pass with reamer to get rid of any mill burrs. Then with brass in all the chambers match drill the cylinder to the alignment pin holes in star.

Still some opportunities to mess this up. But, doing it this way I am not actually modifying the 19 cylinder. I could get it to about 500f and knock the inserts back out, clean it up and use in a 357. In fact I believe you could make some inserts with rims like a 357 and just slip them in a model 19 cylinder that was fit to a 53. Fire 22 lr in them then remove the brass just like you do with Jet inserts.

I must be nuts because I have 5 K frame 22lr and an I frame. But it bugs me not having one for my 53 which has that nifty dual firing pin and hammer.

Steelslaver, You NEED to get in
Focus or a NEW Camera

Nice work.

Thanks for reading past suggestions and taking this on. Bet you can make some extra income should you decide to take orders.

Silver GT said:

Steelslaver, You NEED to get in
Focus or a NEW Camera

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I am not going to take a good camera in my shop. The one I use does not have a macro setting.

murphydog said:

Thanks for reading past suggestions and taking this on. Bet you can make some extra income should you decide to take orders.

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LOL. If a guy had a CNC set up to crank out the inserts maybe. I can make and sell really nice knives. But, I have been on a gun kick. Plus, there is a big difference between working on your own stuff and doing it for money

I’m mildly surprised at the varying chamber dimensions.

New reamers create larger chambers than worn reamers, but with CNC machining processes it’s the norm to center up the cylinder and then rotate it exactly 60 degrees for the same reamer to cut each of the six chambers.

Different dimension chambers suggests a process where different chambers were cut with at least 2 different reamers with differing wear.

BB57 said:

I’m mildly surprised at the varying chamber dimensions.

New reamers create larger chambers than worn reamers, but with CNC machining processes it’s the norm to center up the cylinder and then rotate it exactly 60 degrees for the same reamer to cut each of the six chambers.

Different dimension chambers suggests a process where different chambers were cut with at least 2 different reamers with differing wear.

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When cutting a bolt pattern in a mass production environment in the pre-CNC era, it was very much the custom to set up a gang-drill to drill as many holes in one go as possible. It's likely they drilled all six and the center in one go.

teletech said:

When cutting a bolt pattern in a mass production environment in the pre-CNC era, it was very much the custom to set up a gang-drill to drill as many holes in one go as possible. It's likely they drilled all six and the center in one go.

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Yes, being a recessed cylinder it was made before CNC machining. I suspect that it was gang drilled and reamed with 6 different drills and reamers. I checked with pin gauges and we are not talking .001. I would get the insert piece close to chamber size then make cuts until it would just press in. I noticed difference with first insert by trying it in every chamber. some it went right in and others it was press in.

I believe if you wanted to you could use a non recessed cylinder or even a 38 special length cylinder. Just leave enough insert sticking out for recesses on a non recessed 357 cylinder. A 22 rim is .278 and the insert is about .381 do you would have .05 of metal around rim and you could leave length sticking out on barrel end if you used a 38 cylinder. The 357 nose on inset
being set to say .004 would not let gas escape.

I have thought of making a 38 extractor in to a 22 also. Turn off the arms and part of the back of center piece then silver solder on a disk of metal. Be a major pain using real light cuts when you can buy an K22 extractor from Numerich for $55 and a blank for $4.10. The blank has no chamber cuts and you would have to file the teeth and maybe adjust headspace (gauge)

Well, the Loctite should have been close to cured this morning so, I went to work on the cylinder. First chucking it up in lathe and trimming the excess insert material front and back. When they were really close I went to a fine file to dress them smooth.

Then I used a 22lr reamer in a tap handle to ream each insert using lots of Rapid Tap oil and brake cleaner. Filled them with fired brass as I went.


Once they were all reamed, I put the cylinder in a small 3 jaw chuck I have center mounted on a rotary table for my mill bed. I used it to remove the insert material in the area the K 22 ratchet goes.



It was then a 22lr cylinder that was the same length as the rare model 53 units. I had to do a bit of tinkering. One thing was the old style ratchet took a center pin that is long on ratchet end. I had a couple, but they were all a bit short on rod end. I had figured this out yesterday. So, I polished a piece of stainless tig welding rod to slide smooth in rod, then center drilled a small piece of round stock just the under the size of the tig wire and turned it down. Then using a piece of brass with a hole in it tapped the rod into to my home made collar. I put some red loctite on rod where I wanted the collar located and left it set. So I had a handy dandy what ever length rod.

Had to trim enough off the right hand thread ejector rod that I had to get it right length, that I gave it a trip to the lathe to re knurl the tip. Some messing with the small rod spring and the cylinder functioned. Placed fired brass in every hole and drilled through holes in star and then used loctite to install the pins in new location.


Oh boy, a model 53 22 cylinder. Then, I pulled the bullets from 6 22 shells. Set the hammer deal to strike the rimfire pin. Wait what. No pops. Inspection shows the rim fire pin is striking the edge of insert. Hmmm. Dismount cylinder, put it back in rotary table and make a small relief cut at the top of each insert where pin clipped them. Try again. Pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop. Further investigation shows the rim cutting portion of my 22 reamer is a bit smaller than a S&W 22 chamber rim.

Measurement show my gap is a bit big at .012, but that is the same as with my jet cylinder. Gun has has some rounds though it and some erosion. Next step is to either replace the 6" barrel with a 4" 53 barrel I have or set the 6" back a turn which is .02777----, so I could close up the gaps to .003-.004 on both cylinders and get a new forcing cone.

Well, I couldn't stand it. Took the barrel off this morning. Tried the 4" barrel, bu,t it tightened up hard 90 degrees from top dead center. I would need to trim shoulder a bit on it. You can usually feel them begin to tighten about 1/2 a turn out. But, depending on how smooth it tuns it don't take much from as tight as you can get it by hand to perfect

But, to my thinking a 22 Jet is about velocity and you would probably loose 1550-200fps going from 6"-4". So, the 6'' barrel went to the lathe. I have a set up for this now so it wasn't long before it was close. I finished it of with fine files as it got hard about 5 degrees out. Moved pin notch forward a thread and went a little forward with flat on bottom of extension. Has to trim the tips of the ejector rods and center pins a little. Now I have .004 on Jet and .006 on 22 cylinder. Plus a brand new back of barrel face and forcing cone.

I never took a picture of the Jet barrel in lathe but uses same basic set up as this only with a piece of 10-24 all thread instead of 1/4-20 like on this larger caliber barrel. After you get the shoulder close you can also trim a bit off the barrel face till you close to the brass piece the live center rides in then just file off tiny bit of material off flush. Trim off say .018-.02 and you only have deal with a little bit to get you gap just right. If you did nick the brass all you have to do is rework it before you do another barrel

Thank you for this post. Very interesting to see the machining set ups to accomplish this.

Well, this goes to show that if you have a fair amount of miscellaneous parts, some precision machinery, and a whole bunch of skill and imagination, you can do just about anything. I am in awe!

Froggie

That's a great idea to use your runout gauge to measure the amount that you take off the barrel shoulder. (.027" per turn) I never thought of that and it would sure make easier than taking it on and off the lathe to re-screw it on the frame after every cut to see where you are. One of these days I'll upgrade my lathe to include a DRO!

Wow!!!!! That’s all I got. Wow!!! I can’t find a competent gunsmith within 75 miles and this guy is doing custom work in his garage. Just because he can.

Wow! Are you going to make a 22 magnum cylinder also? Whoa, I should not have thought that.

I have 0 22 magnums, revolvers or rifles. But a Cylmer 22WMR reamer "just" happened to show up in the mail today. I have a K22 cylinder but it is now missing its extractor. One will find its way to me though. If I make a 22 mag cylinder it will be for my model 18 and 17. Maybe a model 18 with the 4" 22 jet barrel

I took the Jet out this evening and the 22 cylinder shoots almost as well as the Jet cylinder. Oddly it seems to make groups that have a real close elevation but some horizontal spread may be 1 1/4" at 20 yrds resting barrel on a bag. Probably me. Didn't have time to set up my Ransome rest before my Thursday night shooting group showed up. I am happy with it though.

MygunisaS&Wrevolver said:

That's a great idea to use your runout gauge to measure the amount that you take off the barrel shoulder. (.027" per turn) I never thought of that and it would sure make easier than taking it on and off the lathe to re-screw it on the frame after every cut to see where you are. One of these days I'll upgrade my lathe to include a DRO!

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Using the dial indicator at an angle like that will not give you a true reading. But, if you set it up to run at 45 degrees and take .0273 x the function of 45 which is 1.4142 (0.386)you will be close. I never go all the way I always try it and in this case finished with a file because I was so close.

I have some digital linear scales on my mill. Some are similar to digital calipers with readout on scale others with a remote readout and set them up pretty easy. Others each have there own display Mounting one on the lathe carriage would be fairly easy to do. You can just run your indicator on the carriage in fact.