Help with Modle 53

[Mdl53lover]

A few years ago I picked up a M53 with I think an 8" barrel, at a country auction. It said on the barrel 22 Magnum but would only shoot 22LR. I assumed that there must be a cylinder available for the 22 Magnum but I have not been able to find one. I have tried to remove the 22LR cylinder but can't figure how. The gun looks nearly new with some holster ware at the end of the barrel. I have nothing else with the gun and would like to learn more. I love shooting this gun and it is very accurate.
Any help would be great.

 

[cobretti]

It sounds like you are missing the .22 Jet cylinder. There never was a Magnum cylinder (I don't know why they stamped the barrel .22 Magnum). I would imagine it's much harder to find a .22 LR cylinder (they were optional) than a Jet cylinder so check Gunbroker, you might get lucky. Since you already have the .22 LR cylinder, you won't need the rimfire inserts and as you already know, in it's present configuration you can use it as as a .22 LR. The .22 Jet ammo is expensive and hard to find.

If you remove the far right screw on the right side, you can take out the crane / cylinder assembly.

 

[murphydog]

Smith & Wesson called the .22 Jet the Magnum, probably because it was based on the .357 case and to distinguish it from the .22 rimfire Magnum which was stamped ".22 W.R.M." (I think).

 

[Mdl53lover]

It sounds like you are missing the .22 Jet cylinder. There never was a Magnum cylinder (I don't know why they stamped the barrel .22 Magnum). I would imagine it's much harder to find a .22 LR cylinder (they were optional) than a Jet cylinder so check Gunbroker, you might get lucky. Since you already have the .22 LR cylinder, you won't need the rimfire inserts and as you already know, in it's present configuration you can use it as as a .22 LR. The .22 Jet ammo is expensive and hard to find.

If you remove the far right screw on the right side, you can take out the crane / cylinder assembly.

Thanks, I have the best of the two cylinders. I have heard they sell for more than I paid for the gun. I not a collector I just like to shoot this thing. I may buy .22 Jet cylinder at some point just to have it together. Is there a place where I can get an owners manual or maybe the paper work that would have come with the gun?

 

[jrm53]

You can go to gunbroker.com and look in the index and find a fellow that sells repro gun papers for the 53, this is where I got mine, their was a fellow that listed a web page on the forum that I think you could download instructions for the 53 but I cannot remember the web address. I looked and I had bookmarked the page go to GunKnowledge.com - Encyclopedia of Gun-Related Topics and look at the documents page. Jeff