k22 questions

[ejjeff]

I am a new member to this forum. Been reading for the past few months and have learned a wealth of information. I am hoping that some of the learned people here can offer some suggestions. Have a k22 #k197xxx. It's a great shooting gun and i have owned it for maybe 10 years. When i first got it i took it to my gunsmith because it appeared well worn. He recommended replacing the hand which he did. Cocking it felt very good after this repair. Didn't shoot it much it just sat in the safe. Fast forward to a couple of months ago and i started shooting a lot more. Been only shooting single action. After maybe 50 rounds the cylinder doesn't want to rotate easily. Not one to force any piece of precision machinery i just help the cylinder turn with the other hand. I don't think its a cleaning issue. Any thoughts? Also a question on the grips. They are not original to the gun. They have the black washer and are numbered 82130 with the k also stamped in. late 70's or 80's?
Thanks for any help.

Jeff

 

[john traveler]

If your gunsmith replaced the hand, it's possible other areas of the gun need attention.

Check to see if it has excessive endshake. Check to see if the barrel-to-cylinder gap will pass a 0.006" feeler gage. With excessive endshake, the cylinder face can rub against the breech end of the barrel ("forcing cone") and make for hard cycling.

Check under the extractor for firing residue that will decrease cartridge rim-to-recoil shield clearance.

Any and all of these inspection points can cause the difficult cylinder rotation you described.

 

[H Richard]

If you're using High Velocity ammo, sometimes it can "back out" of the chambers just slightly and cause the case heads to rub on the recoil shield. Be sure to check the cylinder face for any build up as well as under the extractor star. Do you know if he cleaned it while he was replacing the hand? An accumulation of old dried oil & crud can make the gun sluggish.

 

[PMRet]

#K80130 numbers to 1949...

 

[Ernie]

K197xxx dates to 1953
K82130 is earlier, probably 1949
Remember S&W did not necessarily ship guns in numerical s/n order, so these dates are approximate.per my SCSW, but remember S&W did.
Either way, sounds like you have a nice, early K-22.

 

[ejjeff]

Thank you all for your information. I can just get .006 feeler gage in by pressing back on the cylinder.This only happens on 2 of the cylinder chambers. The other 4 vary between .004 and .005 clearance measures the same way by applying pressure to the cylinder rearward. As to the grips the 82130 is stamped to the inside of the right grip and the k is stamped just below the washer on both grips. I know pics would help but i am unable to do that at this time. I had the side plate off and he did clean the inside very well. I am using bulk high velocity ammo as i didn't think a k-frame would be ammo sensitive. Thanks again to all that replied.

Jeff

 

[Nightowl]

If you can pull the cylinder back to get the gauge to insert, then you have enshake that needs to be fixed. I'll bet that will fix your hanging cylinder too. As John said, it takes very little contact with the back of the barrel to cause difficulty in turning they cylinder.

 

[What the]

It certainly sounds like endshake,but for ****s and grins check to see if the ejector rod has backed out,if so turn it tight and try again.

 

[DCWilson]

A little more on the date: I have K196446, which shipped in December 1953. Your gun probably shipped in that same time frame, give or take a month or two. (S&W did not ship their guns in serial number order; sometimes higher-numbered units would leave the factory before guns with lower numbers.)

 

[rboineau]

I believe it was Brownell's that once sold me some specially-made thin washers that could be slipped into the cylinder pivot area to adjust end shake. Been decades 'tho, so maybe I'm disremembering.

 

[wheelgun610]

.... I am using bulk high velocity ammo as i didn't think a k-frame would be ammo sensitive. Thanks again to all that replied.

.22 LR is dirty stuff. Some is worse than others, but the combination of (externally lubed) soft lead bullets and relatively low pressure loadings, it's just the nature of the beast.

My '53 vintage K-22 in the K 189000 range absolutely hates Remington bulk ammo, but will at least tolerate the Federal bulk stuff - which is what I use for casual plinking.

What I'd recommend is to try 50 round boxes of maybe a half-dozen different brands/types to see if yours has a preference.

and, it's not just K-22's that are picky about ammo. I've got an early 50's Winchester Model 74 autoloader that will 'stovepipe' after as few as 15-20 rounds of that same Remington bulk ammo, but which will run forever on Winchester T-22. Go figure....

Testing the various brands/types of ammo is half the fun of owning/shooting rimfires.

Mark