K22 and Mod. 17 "Versions"

[ctkenc]

Is there anywhere on-line that I can access to read a definition(s) of the various "Versions" of the K22's and then the Model 17's?

And hopefully, a date range when each was made .... I am "assuming" that when a new "version" came out, the production of the previous "Version" was discontinued ... right ?

For instances: I have no clue as to how a 17-6 varies from a 17-3 or what years trhe versions were produced etc.
Looking on-line at several various K22's and 17's but am clueless as to the differences and how one Version withing a Model may be preferable to me over another.

Thanks
Ken

 

[YeshuaIsa53]

I highly recommend the "Standard Catalog of Smith & Wessons", 3rd Edition, by Supica and Nahas. This includes a wealth of information for most questions. Others may spend more time with your request, but I am expected to be somewhere in fifteen minutes.

 

[fyimo]

I highly recommend the "Standard Catalog of Smith & Wessons", 3rd Edition, by Supica and Nahas. This includes a wealth of information for most questions. Others may spend more time with your request, but I am expected to be somewhere in fifteen minutes.

+1 on what he said. The Model 17 had pinned barrels through 17-4 when they this feature was dropped in 1982 so some late 17-4's do not have the pinned barrel and all Model 17's have recessed cylinder chambers.

 

[ctkenc]

Info

I'd hope WikiPedia or some resource would provide at least the basics of the info I'm looking for .... I'm a "shooter" not a "Collector" so don't really have much use for, or not that many occasions to use the Book that has been suggested.

 

[OC]

I'll give it a shot (no pun intended).
Model 14, 15, 16, 17,18, 48, 53
-1 1959 Change to LH extractor rod thread.
-2 1961 Cylinder stop changed, hole in front of trigger guard elimited.
-3 1967 Relocation of rear sight leaf screw.
-4 1977 Changed gas ring from yoke to cylinder.
-5 1982 Eliminate cylinder counterbore.

Model 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29.
-1 1960 Change to LH threads
-2 1961 See Above
-3 1982 Elimimate cylinder counterbore (magnums only)
-4 2004 Thunder Ranch 44 Special, fixed sight.
This is the info I have at hand, others may want to chime in also.

 

[ctkenc]

I'll give it a shot (no pun intended).
Model 14, 15, 16, 17,18, 48, 53
-1 1959 Change to LH extractor rod thread.
-2 1961 Cylinder stop changed, hole in front of trigger guard elimited.
-3 1967 Relocation of rear sight leaf screw.
-4 1977 Changed gas ring from yoke to cylinder.
-5 1982 Eliminate cylinder counterbore.

Model 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29.
-1 1960 Change to LH threads
-2 1961 See Above
-3 1982 Elimimate cylinder counterbore (magnums only)
-4 2004 Thunder Ranch 44 Special, fixed sight.
This is the info I have at hand, others may want to chime in also.

Thanks ,,, I;d seen this, or a version of it without date, elsewhere, and it helps, but am also hoping to find out about the 17's in Version 6... and I'd thought the K22's were available well before thse date?
Ken

 

[k22fan]

Rather than try to wring details out of my memory or copy the changes out of the SCSW, I'll atempt a practical answer. The dash 1 change to a left hand extractor rod thread is desirable because it elimanated cylinder rotation's tendency to unscrew the ejector rod. I'm not sure when the gas ring was relocated from the cylinder to the yoke but that temporarily used set up required more frequent cleaning and removal of the cylinder with each cleaning. Dash 4 moved the gas ring back to where it belongs. I'd look for a dash 4 or newer 17 for that reason and because early 17s sell for a premium that you don't need to pay for a shooter. Dash 5 eliminated the barrel pin but not the recessed charge holes. Collectors like the barrel pin and in theory using them required less barrel torque which I think is desirable, but as a practical matter non pinned barrels work fine. All but a few of the earliest dash 6s have full underlug barrels which make them heavy guns with a very different balance. You'll have to handle a full lug K22 to decide if you like the weight.

You might enjoy reading parts of the SCSW. To do that for free, just sit down in one of the big chain book stores and read out of a new one. I think it's polite to buy a cup of coffee to drink while you read, but lots of people don't.

Best Regards,
Gil

 

[ctkenc]

Rather than try to wring details out of my memory or copy the changes out of the SCSW, I'll atempt a practical answer. The dash 1 change to a left hand extractor rod thread is desirable because it elimanated cylinder rotation's tendency to unscrew the ejector rod. I'm not sure when the gas ring was relocated from the cylinder to the yoke but that temporarily used set up required more frequent cleaning and removal of the cylinder with each cleaning. Dash 4 moved the gas ring back to where it belongs. I'd look for a dash 4 or newer 17 for that reason and because early 17s sell for a premium that you don't need to pay for a shooter. Dash 5 eliminated the barrel pin but not the recessed charge holes. Collectors like the barrel pin and in theory using them required less barrel torque which I think is desirable, but as a practical matter non pinned barrels work fine. All but a few of the earliest dash 6s have full underlug barrels which make them heavy guns with a very different balance. You'll have to handle a full lug K22 to decide if you like the weight.

You might enjoy reading parts of the SCSW. To do that for free, just sit down in one of the big chain book stores and read out of a new one. I think it's polite to buy a cup of coffee to drink while you read, but lots of people don't.

Best Regards,
Gil

Thanks Gil,
that was very helpful ... I'm looking at a 17-6 and a 17-3 and from what I can understand from your message, all else being equal, I may be better served with the 17-6 as a Shooter ... did I get that right ?
ken

 

[k22fan]

Thanks Gil,
that was very helpful ... I'm looking at a 17-6 and a 17-3 and from what I can understand from your message, all else being equal, I may be better served with the 17-6 as a Shooter ... did I get that right ?
ken

I'd chose the 17-6 for less hastle with fouling causing drag on the DA pull and less work cleaning. I also like the heavier weight and the balance shifted foward. The draw back is a heavy holster weight and you can keep the dash 3 clean so take your pick.

Gil

 

[ctkenc]

I'd chose the 17-6 for less hastle with fouling causing drag on the DA pull and less work cleaning. I also like the heavier weight and the balance shifted foward. The draw back is a heavy holster weight and you can keep the dash 3 clean so take your pick.

Gil

Thanks Gil,
I don't really have access to seeing the guns other than on-line so have to ask some pretty basic questions and appreciate the advise.
Looking at a K22 which I thnk was a later K22 .... would you please advise; do the K22's have the same preference to you as the 17-6 in this discussion?
thanks
ken

 

[k22fan]

[...] Looking at a K22 which I thnk was a later K22 .... would you please advise; do the K22's have the same preference to you as the 17-6 in this discussion?
thanks
ken

I need more information to be sure what vintage the revolver you are looking at is. Like most people I use "k22" to include all .22LRs built on the K frame and that covers about 85years of production. A few people use "k22" to mean pre-17s or k22s built between WWII and the 1957 introduction of model numbers. If you are looking at a late pre-17 it will have a duller brushed blued finish and skinnier barrel and rib than all but the eariliest model number marked 17s. If it's in great shape I would expect a price premium. some collectors believe the 1950s K22s were built by better craftsmen than newer K22s but their finish contradicts that and they have the right hand ejector rod thread. K22s are all good and I'd pick one from any vintage over any other manufacturer's revolver. Price, early carry up or good timing, and condition are all as important to me as vintage.

I hope this helped a little.
Gil

Edit to add: I just got done drooling over the pre-17s in RdrBill's thread titled K22 with 1 line address. Too bad mine's so doggy I wouldn't post pictures of it even if I had a camera. Oh well, it still shoots good.

 

[YeshuaIsa53]

Be aware the 17-6 was available both with a standard barrel and a full lug, if my memory serves me well.

 

[ctkenc]

I need more information to be sure what vintage the revolver you are looking at is. Like most people I use "k22" to include all .22LRs built on the K frame and that covers about 85years of production. A few people use "k22" to mean pre-17s or k22s built between WWII and the 1957 introduction of model numbers. If you are looking at a late pre-17 it will have a duller brushed blued finish and skinnier barrel and rib than all but the eariliest model number marked 17s. If it's in great shape I would expect a price premium. some collectors believe the 1950s K22s were built by better craftsmen than newer K22s but their finish contradicts that and they have the right hand ejector rod thread. K22s are all good and I'd pick one from any vintage over any other manufacturer's revolver. Price, early carry up or good timing, and condition are all as important to me as vintage.

I hope this helped a little.
Gil

Edit to add: I just got done drooling over the pre-17s in RdrBill's thread titled K22 with 1 line address. Too bad mines so doggy I wouldn't post a pictures of it even if I had a camera. Oh well, it still shoots good.

Gil,
I ended up buying the 17-6 with Ser# BEF38XX but do not know when it was made ... can you tell from this Ser # ?
Thanks for all your help.
Ken

 

[VM]

Ken - BEF prefix should be fall of 1989

 

[ctkenc]

Ken - BEF prefix should be fall of 1989

Thank You
Ken

 

[H Richard]

I've owned two different 17-6's as well as a K22 and a 17-4. The 17-6's were both tack drivers. The objection I had was weight. With the full lug, and the small .22 hole in the barrel, it weighed a fair amount more than a 586. Try as I might I just couldn't adapt to the weight, so I traded back into a 17-4 which I still have and will shoot it until I pass it on to a grandchild. I wish I still had the k22, but in my younger days had to trade off for a Mod 41.

 

[sandygun]

I have a pre-Model 17, K-22. 6" barrel. There is no Model no. but where it should be is - 8N and below that 79088, the serial no. is K 69135. The gun is like new with only one small scratch near the grip. Could anyone tell me for sure what it is, when it was made and maybe what it is worth?

 

[fyimo]

I have a pre-Model 17, K-22. 6" barrel. There is no Model no. but where it should be is - 8N and below that 79088, the serial no. is K 69135. The gun is like new with only one small scratch near the grip. Could anyone tell me for sure what it is, when it was made and maybe what it is worth?

DOB is 1948 and it's a K22 masterpiece. The value of the revolver in the condition you state should be around $750 or more depending on where you live and the market for them in the area. These are very popular revolvers and it may go for well about the price I mentioned if there is a collector in the area that wants one.

 

[sandygun]

Thank you for your information but I do have another question.

I just looked at the other pictures of the K22 and they have a "MADE IN U.S.A." by the trigger. Mine has
"MADE IN U.S.A.
MARCAS REGISTRADAS
SMITH @ WESSON
SPRINGFIELD, MASS"
Do you know why?

 

[fyimo]

Thank you for your information but I do have another question.

I just looked at the other pictures of the K22 and they have a "MADE IN U.S.A." by the trigger. Mine has
"MADE IN U.S.A.
MARCAS REGISTRADAS
SMITH @ WESSON
SPRINGFIELD, MASS"
Do you know why?

The one line made in the USA address ended right before yours was made as in 1948 they went with the 4 line address.