Kenneth L. Walters
Member
When was it made and it what barrel lengths? Also how hard are these to find today and what, roughly, are they going for?
22 Jet
- Thread starter Kenneth L. Walters
- Start date
Made from 1961-1974,around 15000 units in 4,6,8-3/8"
barrels. Look on Gunbroker finished auctions to see prices.
A lot of variance in price,depending on condition(barrels
can be destroyed by firing a lot of Hot factory Jet ammo),whether
or not they have a box and inserts for 22LR. Very hard to
find with xtra 22LR cylinder(Model 17 cylinders do NOT
fit this revolver).Great looking 22, I think it is the only
K frame revolver available with the barrel under lug in
8-3/8". Blue finish was the rule ,although there are some
nickel examples that are extremely rare. FYI,over the years
I have found them to be extremely accurate in 22LR even
by use of inserts,(which are difficult to use),however in the
present day with ammo scarcity and price,this may not be
so bad!
I am sure I left something out but others with
more knowledge then I will follow.Enjoy some pics. It
can be a fascinating S&W! Pete
barrels. Look on Gunbroker finished auctions to see prices.
A lot of variance in price,depending on condition(barrels
can be destroyed by firing a lot of Hot factory Jet ammo),whether
or not they have a box and inserts for 22LR. Very hard to
find with xtra 22LR cylinder(Model 17 cylinders do NOT
fit this revolver).Great looking 22, I think it is the only
K frame revolver available with the barrel under lug in
8-3/8". Blue finish was the rule ,although there are some
nickel examples that are extremely rare. FYI,over the years
I have found them to be extremely accurate in 22LR even
by use of inserts,(which are difficult to use),however in the
present day with ammo scarcity and price,this may not be
so bad!
I am sure I left something out but others withmore knowledge then I will follow.Enjoy some pics. It
can be a fascinating S&W! Pete
locodriver999
Member
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2012
- Messages
- 75
- Reaction score
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Smith & Wesson 53
I have an early Blue,no box or papers.
S/W 53 8 3/8 with the inserts Factory diamond grips.that I would like to trade for a S/W 4 inch 16 .
I have dies bullets and some virgin brass too.
I have factory ammo as well
Been looking for a nice shootable 16.
Thanks
Ron
I have an early Blue,no box or papers.
S/W 53 8 3/8 with the inserts Factory diamond grips.that I would like to trade for a S/W 4 inch 16 .
I have dies bullets and some virgin brass too.
I have factory ammo as well
Been looking for a nice shootable 16.
Thanks
Ron
A boxed gun in top condition in any barrel length with inserts and both cylinders can easily go over $2000 , maybe get close to $3000 these days. A worn M53 without box, inserts or extra cylinder will occasionally be found in the $800-900 range, but mostly you are in four-digit territory for almost any Model 53.
Six inch barrels are most common, I believe, with four inch barrels the least seen. I have a complete six-inch set and bought a loose long barrel just to have the option. I am still looking for the four inch M53 barrel. I bet that won't be cheap!
A correct .22 LR cylinder for a Model 53 is a $500 item by itself -- or was two years ago. Who knows what one would bring now. If you have a gun with only the Jet cylinder and want to shoot .22 LR, the functional but fussy inserts are your only option. Last time I looked, they were selling for about $20 each, maybe $100 for a set of six if you are lucky.
It's a fascinating revolver. Be prepared to get hooked if you acquire one.
Wear hearing protection when you shoot. Seriously. The Jet rounds are LOUD.
Six inch barrels are most common, I believe, with four inch barrels the least seen. I have a complete six-inch set and bought a loose long barrel just to have the option. I am still looking for the four inch M53 barrel. I bet that won't be cheap!
A correct .22 LR cylinder for a Model 53 is a $500 item by itself -- or was two years ago. Who knows what one would bring now. If you have a gun with only the Jet cylinder and want to shoot .22 LR, the functional but fussy inserts are your only option. Last time I looked, they were selling for about $20 each, maybe $100 for a set of six if you are lucky.
It's a fascinating revolver. Be prepared to get hooked if you acquire one.
Wear hearing protection when you shoot. Seriously. The Jet rounds are LOUD.
rburg
Absent Comrade
Wow, 4 full posts and no one has called it a cult gun...yet. 
Those of us who own Jets love them. In fact, while it really is a K22 a lot of people don't consider it as one. I'm going to guess that Jet owners are more fanatical than K22 owners. Kind of the keepers of the faith.
David did a pretty good job above with the prices and things. Lets never forget the box. My gawd do people want them and they're willing to pay big bucks to get one. Back about 20 years ago I found a beauty at a gun show. It had some flaws, but was exactly what I wanted. One of the flaws was it only had 5 inserts. I found a guy selling them at a gun show a few years later and not only did he have individual ones, he offered to toss one in if I bought a set of 6! Kind of like a dream come true. Except I was younger and even more stupid then.
So I tried the inserts and then put them away. I was going to try the 22lr cylinder but forgot to bring along a screwdriver that fit so I put it away, too. It got me down to just the gun. It makes friends, quick. I was shooting in a gravel pit when a friend drove up. Being a good guy, I asked him if he'd like to shoot it. He looked at the tiny 22 caliber bore and told me it was too small. But I told him to shoot it one time and still say that. So being open to such a dare, he did. I'd given him my muffs and I still had my plugs in my ear. Yes, you might want to wear both.
He fired it one time and started grinning. We about blew his wifes eardrums out. She's not the brightest and didn't even cover her ears. She told him if he's going to shoot that thing again, she was leaving. He smiled even more and shot it again. What he liked more than the sound was the fact he was hitting out at 100 yards. Just 2 liter soft drink bottles and old milk jugs, but it was offhand, too. If you're around one being shot, beg them to delay until dark. Then fire it one time. Its got a lot in common with a professional flash on a camera. I thought my M19 with Blue Dot was bad, but like so many things, the Jet does better.
I was really shocked last month when GF made a derogatory comment about them being useless. What it tells me is he's never owned one or shot one.
What DC says above is the truth about people wanting and needing 6 inserts and the extra cylinder. You'll never use them and will feel inadequate if you don't have them. I guess one of the weak spots in all this is the ammo. Recently its down in price. Maybe the only caliber that is. Even worse, I didn't buy any. I would buy .222 bullets or empty brass if I saw any.
My gun came to me at $700. It was too much back 20 + years ago, except that it did have 10 full boxes of ammo. That was worth $750 at the time so I got a bargain. I'm thinking Jet owners mature over time. Its only because we scrounge so much ammo we realize we'll never shoot it all. Back over the years it didn't take a lot to make me a happy camper at a gun show. Just finding bullets or brass was great. Even better was occasionally finding a partial box of ammo with the empties in the plastic.
One of my better days was at the Louisville show when poster "Memphis" showed up with a present. I'd not done anything special for him, but he handed over a 100 + loaded rounds plus some extra stuff. Even a plastic loading box, full. That was great. Hey Roger, if you still read Jet stuff, thanks again. Like an elephant, I never forget!
And now I've got to go dig in my piles of stuff. My jet supplies have never been transferred out of the cardboard boxes and into the ammo cans. It might be where the stack of .222 bullets are hiding.
Dave Keith is using an interesting solution to the bullet problem. He's got access to a machine shop and has made himself a die to squeeze .223 or .224 bullets down to .222. He bribes his grandson to run the bullets through it. I asked how hard it was to move .001 or .002 and he said its about like pulling the lever with no bullet in it. Guess that's not a lot of metal to move on a small diameter bullet. It might make Hornet bullets be of some value. We have posters here who say they prefer .223 or .224 bullets, but I'm not one of them. It messes with the brass and shows a bulge where the bullet has pushed it out.
Rule of life: Guard your Jet brass.
Those of us who own Jets love them. In fact, while it really is a K22 a lot of people don't consider it as one. I'm going to guess that Jet owners are more fanatical than K22 owners. Kind of the keepers of the faith. David did a pretty good job above with the prices and things. Lets never forget the box. My gawd do people want them and they're willing to pay big bucks to get one. Back about 20 years ago I found a beauty at a gun show. It had some flaws, but was exactly what I wanted. One of the flaws was it only had 5 inserts. I found a guy selling them at a gun show a few years later and not only did he have individual ones, he offered to toss one in if I bought a set of 6! Kind of like a dream come true. Except I was younger and even more stupid then.
So I tried the inserts and then put them away. I was going to try the 22lr cylinder but forgot to bring along a screwdriver that fit so I put it away, too. It got me down to just the gun. It makes friends, quick. I was shooting in a gravel pit when a friend drove up. Being a good guy, I asked him if he'd like to shoot it. He looked at the tiny 22 caliber bore and told me it was too small. But I told him to shoot it one time and still say that. So being open to such a dare, he did. I'd given him my muffs and I still had my plugs in my ear. Yes, you might want to wear both.
He fired it one time and started grinning. We about blew his wifes eardrums out. She's not the brightest and didn't even cover her ears. She told him if he's going to shoot that thing again, she was leaving. He smiled even more and shot it again. What he liked more than the sound was the fact he was hitting out at 100 yards. Just 2 liter soft drink bottles and old milk jugs, but it was offhand, too. If you're around one being shot, beg them to delay until dark. Then fire it one time. Its got a lot in common with a professional flash on a camera. I thought my M19 with Blue Dot was bad, but like so many things, the Jet does better.
I was really shocked last month when GF made a derogatory comment about them being useless. What it tells me is he's never owned one or shot one.
What DC says above is the truth about people wanting and needing 6 inserts and the extra cylinder. You'll never use them and will feel inadequate if you don't have them. I guess one of the weak spots in all this is the ammo. Recently its down in price. Maybe the only caliber that is. Even worse, I didn't buy any. I would buy .222 bullets or empty brass if I saw any.
My gun came to me at $700. It was too much back 20 + years ago, except that it did have 10 full boxes of ammo. That was worth $750 at the time so I got a bargain. I'm thinking Jet owners mature over time. Its only because we scrounge so much ammo we realize we'll never shoot it all. Back over the years it didn't take a lot to make me a happy camper at a gun show. Just finding bullets or brass was great. Even better was occasionally finding a partial box of ammo with the empties in the plastic.
One of my better days was at the Louisville show when poster "Memphis" showed up with a present. I'd not done anything special for him, but he handed over a 100 + loaded rounds plus some extra stuff. Even a plastic loading box, full. That was great. Hey Roger, if you still read Jet stuff, thanks again. Like an elephant, I never forget!
And now I've got to go dig in my piles of stuff. My jet supplies have never been transferred out of the cardboard boxes and into the ammo cans. It might be where the stack of .222 bullets are hiding.
Dave Keith is using an interesting solution to the bullet problem. He's got access to a machine shop and has made himself a die to squeeze .223 or .224 bullets down to .222. He bribes his grandson to run the bullets through it. I asked how hard it was to move .001 or .002 and he said its about like pulling the lever with no bullet in it. Guess that's not a lot of metal to move on a small diameter bullet. It might make Hornet bullets be of some value. We have posters here who say they prefer .223 or .224 bullets, but I'm not one of them. It messes with the brass and shows a bulge where the bullet has pushed it out.
Rule of life: Guard your Jet brass.
Big Cholla
Member
I bought my first JET in 1964 while working at the Nevada Test Site. I shot at the Security Force's shooting range. Some of the Guards were so impressed with the JET Cartridge performance that they started asking for some to carry while on duty. I don't think they ever got them. I moved to Alaska and foolishly sold the first one there before returning to the Lower 48. The one I have now was used by a Colorado Rancher as his carry gun out on the range. I can't imagine shooting a JET off any horse I was riding. The blueing is less than pristine. Should I send it to S&W for their blue job or is there someone else you guys would recommend? Big Cholla
