Bought a Colt revolver and have some questions......

[Model19man]

I bought a 1911 made Colt Police Positive in 22 WRF today. It is a pretty thing, just a little wear by the muzzle on either side of the barrel. The hammer and trigger are the Colt fire blue which is pretty awesome. The stocks on it bother me, they are fake pearl "MOTS" - need to know what is right for this revolver and what it came with originally.

The other thing I am not used to - all my S&W 22 revolvers have counterbored cylinders so the rim is enclosed. This one does not - is it safe that way?

 

[DWalt]

Many years ago I owned its twin. Never had any case failures. Back then .22 WRF ammo was available and fairly easily found. Probably not so today. Near as I can remember, mine had black hard rubber grips. But it was so long ago my memory of such details is not so good. After high velocity .22 LR ammo came onto the market, it pretty much made the .22 WRF obsolete. Little ballistic advantage to using .22 WRF. The .22 WMR case is basically a lengthened .22 WRF case.

 

[Model19man]

Near as I can remember, mine had black hard rubber grips. But it was so long ago my memory of such details is not so good.

According to Wikipedia these had hard rubber grips initially and the question is which ones? There are some on eBay with a thumb rest on the LH grip panel - are those correct?

 

[MelvinWalker]

The .22 WMR case is basically a lengthened .22 WRF case.

That almost sounds like a .22 Long, which is another cartridge that is rarely used now.

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

The earlier S&W 22/32 revolvers did not have recessed cylinder chambers as well. I believe S&W started to recess for the cartridge head around 1935. Best to stay with standard velocity ammo when shooting that old Colt.
22 WRF is still available but hard to find. I saw some at the York gun show yesterday, priced a little higher than 22 WMR.

John

 

[red9]

My guess is hard rubber. The early PPTs had the rubber, later ones checkered walnut. I don't know the exact dates and there was some overlap, but the transition was sometime around when the WRF chambering was discontinued.


Bob

 

[Jim Watson]

I have seen cautions about shooting the jacketed CCI .22 WRF in "tight" Colt barrels. I see no lead or plated bullet ammo on the market now. Spot each shot on target so you don't shoot into a "squib."

 

[gwpercle]

My hard rubber grips didn't have a thumbrest ...
Black Checkered hard rubber with Colt logo cast into panels on each side . Mine were cracked , so I removed them and put them away for safe kjeeping and I replaced them with checkered walnut ... may not be correct but they look better .
Gary

 

[2152hq]

Should have Hard Rubber grips.
The style has the name COLT in an oval at the top edge of each panel.
A large 'C' encircles the grip screw escutcheon with the inner area matted.
The checkering pattern border has a stylized 2 leaf 'fleur de lis' at the top and bottom border edges.

Originals are very fragile and can be expensive if in excl condition.
Most places that sell repro grips make them in this style.

Mfg's went to recessed cylinders on rim fires around 1935 w/the intro of HS .22rf ammo.

The 22WRF was orig a BP round that came out with the Model 1890 Winchester pump rifle.
The bullet dia of the round is .228
Not the 'normal' .224 most often thought of for a .22 cal anything.
The .22Magnum does use a .224 bullet (jacketed)

Orig rounds for the .22WRF were lead bullet only.

No slouch in the pressure dept.
Modern SAAMI specs place an avg service pressure on the 22WRF at 20k psi.
The .22WMRF is rated at 24K psi

 

[Model19man]

I don't have any modern ammo for it. All of my 22 WRF is lead bullet either Winchester or Remington. I have maybe 2500 rounds so plenty for this one. I will look for the right grips on eBay thanks!

 

[Jim Watson]

As said, original hard rubber grips are fragile and expensive. I recommend reproductions made of polyurethane or other stout synthetic. Or the later walnut grip. Heck, I would just shoot it with those New Orleans Pimp Pearl Handles, Georgie Patton be hanged.

A collector here said he had loaned grips to one of the reproducers for them to make molds from. He could identify wear marks on some of the less common grips that they had had to settle for well used models.

 

[DWalt]

I remember reading about one of the repro grip makers soliciting for old grips to make molds from. They would borrow the old grips, make the mold, and send back the old grips and a new pair of repro grips to the original owner. I have a ca. 1912 Colt Army Special in excellent condition. It has the black hard rubber grips with COLT inside the oval at the top, also a Colt New Service of the pre WWI era with the same style grips. I have seen many Winchester M1890s chambered in .22 WRF, aka the .22 Remington Special. I have read they were preferred by hog butchers back then as they stunned hogs better than the original SV .22 LR loads.

 

[halfmoonclip]

For the OP, seeking grips, check with Numrich. Also, there are other mfgs that make repo grips...the names escape me at the moment. Google Numrich, and some others may come up.
Moon

 

[RebCop]

According to Wikipedia these had hard rubber grips initially and the question is which ones? There are some on eBay with a thumb rest on the LH grip panel - are those correct?

Nope the correct grips are just two hard rubber panels.

 

[chief38]

I do believe DWalt is correct - hard rubber grips.