We haven't had a good thread on k22s in a long time. They probably have as much or more romance around them as any gun save the SAA Colts. I've owned a bunch of them, and might still have 'one' around, someplace, maybe.
I can't imagine anyone not owning one, at least. But be advised that they're addictive. Thats how we end up owning dozens of them, every variant, seeking special features, you name it. There's a lot of good reading available on the subject, with our forum here being a great resource. If the OP is serious, I'd suggest going up to the "find" tab at the top and just using "K22" as the search.
Then settle in for a day or two of reading. You won't get thru it all, but you'll get a pretty good education on the subject. For outside reading, either find old Shooting Times magazines from maybe the 1970s, or buy the books "Just Skeeter". That'll keep you laughing and reading. They're just great handguns. They've got everything going for them, and compared to other caliber guns, they're usually in better condition and cheaper.
Its not at all unusual to find one 50 years old with almost no wear. I don't understand that, because they're such good shooters. Most people suggest that the basic K frame is good for maybe 100,000 rounds before most need a tuneup. Some go significantly longer. K22s don't take the recoil beating of centerfires, but they are subject to problems due to dirty ammo and lack of good care.
I was brought up under a dictatorship that required every gun be cleaned and inspected after every shooting session. Thats why the family guns have lasted so long. It grates on my nerves to see a fine firearm left dirty for extended periods. When anyone suggests thats correct maintenance, I usually start ignoring all other things that person says or does. I know that people get away with abuse, but I don't have to like it.
Some things to look for. I always try to get an idea of how many rounds a gun has had thru it. For a k22, thousands are just a warm up. but look at the recoil shield. Thats the little circular area where the firing pin comes out of the frame when hit by the hammer. On any K22 you'll see a circular area, maybe 1/4" in diameter. When the round fires it sets back against that shield. Each cycle a very minor amount of brass transfers to the steel shield. It takes a lot of shots to make the disk look gold. Its not a problem, just an indicator of how much the gun has been fired.
Also spend some time looking at the forcing cone and the frame above it. Thats usually where a timing problem will show some evidence of being a problem. You're looking for shaved lead that hasn't been cleaned off (its a pain to do that.) More serious problems can be seen on the rear of the cylinder, where you may see firing pin hits on the metal between the charge holes.
Yes, look down the barrel, using either a bore light or a piece of white paper in the cylinder window to reflect light. Its a rare gun that shows a problem, leading, or worst, a dark ring around the barrel. You only look for that because you feel like a fool to find it after you've bought it.
