mod 53 22lr cylinder

[happy jackson]

I have a mod 53 s/n 4k490xx w/ the 22 lr cylinder.I have read in other posts that the 22 lr cylinder is serial numbered to the gun.Mine has no number on it anywhere.Does that mean that the gun was not shipped with the extra 22 cylinder from the factory.Have had the gun for twenty something years.Gun shoots fine with both Jet and 22 cylinder.Would get it lettered or include pictures but unable to do at this time.Thanks in advance for any info on this.

 

[DCWilson]

I also have a Model 53 with an unnumbered auxiliary LR cylinder. When I lettered my revolver, I found that it had shipped with only the Jet cylinder and inserts. Thus the LR cylinder now in my box was a later acquisition by a prior owner.

I understand that 53s were supposed to go back to the factory to have an auxiliary cylinder matched to the specific revolver in which it would be installed, but I have no idea if that happened in my case. I do know that the LR cylinder, like yours, functions just fine -- doesn't throw lead to the side, times and locks up great.

 

[Tom K]

Any idea if S&W ever fitted any Model 53s with two auxiliary cylinders, one for .22LR and for .22Mag? Perhaps on special order? I can't think of any reason why it couldn't be done. That'd be a cool find.

Get right on that, would you David?

 

[feralmerril]

It could be done, but shouldnt be done. The jet and the .22lr bore is the same. The .22 wmrf AINT. It is about 2 thousants bigger. Now, the .22 wrf and the .22 wmrf is the same. I had a winchester model 90 in wrf rechambered to .22 wmrf. I also had a extra clyinder in .22 lr sent me for my s&w model 51 (.22 wmrf) to go convertable. But that was going DOWN in bullet size. Ruger went to the bigger bore when they went to the convertable single six. Thats why guys shooting 22 lr in the convertable complain about accuracy. What you are suggesting by getting a 22 wmrf clyinder is you would be squeezing the bullet down a 2 thousands too small barrel. It probley would handel it, dont know about accuracy, barrel life, leading up etc. By the way, I am also on the lookout for a model 53 clyinder in .22lr myself, as I have a one clyinder 53 with just the inserts.

 

[29-1]

I also have a Model 53 with an unnumbered auxiliary LR cylinder. When I lettered my revolver, I found that it had shipped with only the Jet cylinder and inserts. Thus the LR cylinder now in my box was a later acquisition by a prior owner.

I understand that 53s were supposed to go back to the factory to have an auxiliary cylinder matched to the specific revolver in which it would be installed, but I have no idea if that happened in my case. I do know that the LR cylinder, like yours, functions just fine -- doesn't throw lead to the side, times and locks up great.

Dave, I recall back in 1974 ordering an aux cylinder for a Jet from a S&W regional service center in Tampa, Fl and paid 35.00 for it. It was up to me to have it fitted as it shipped directly to me. There was no number stamped on the cylinder. I also have a couple of Jets now that letter without the aux cylinder yet have one lettered to the gun. Seems as if the Jet and aux cylinder can be found in various configurations.
Chuck
Chuck

 

[buckspen]

Model 53 .22 Aux Cylinders

It has been related to me by someone who should know that the early Model 53 revolvers, when originally shipped with the .22 LR cylinder, did have the aux cylinder numbered to the gun. Later guns shipped with the .22 LR cylinders were not numbered. Don't know when the numbering stopped. Originally the extra cylinders could be bought directly from S&Wand, of course, were not numbered.
I have a 1961 Model 53 that I bought with no .22 LR cylinder. I later found a correct cylinder and had a local S&W certified gunsmith fit it to my gun. Works fine. Actually, I bought 2 of the cylinders and considered having one chambered for the .22 WMRF. I asked Hamilton Bowen about doing this. He replied that he didn't think it would be a problem and quoted me a price for doing the work. The price was quite reasonable, but I've never done it. I've got other guns I can shoot the .22 WMRF in.
(Keep in mind that the Model 53 .22LR cylinder is slightly longer than the cylinders used in the Model 17, 18 and similar guns.)

- - Buckspen

 

[JudgeColt]

Buckspen, what are you doing over here in foreign territory? Oops, gave myself away too!

Like many people who are not "Jet" nuts, Mr. Bowen may not have been aware that a Model 53 bore is only .222-inch, and may have thought that surely something called a ".22 Magnum" would have a .224-inch bore like the .22WMR.

 

[DCWilson]

Any idea if S&W ever fitted any Model 53s with two auxiliary cylinders, one for .22LR and for .22Mag? Perhaps on special order? I can't think of any reason why it couldn't be done. That'd be a cool find.

Get right on that, would you David?

I have heard rumors of factory-produced .22 WMR cylinders, but the stories are always accompanied by the qualification that they were unofficial in-house products that were never intended for public release. I have seen photos of inserts that have been reamed out to take the .22 WMR ammo. I would have thought that doing so would cut through the insert walls out where they are necked down, but no; the insert's walls may be thin, but they are intact and the WMR round is clearly pushed all the way into the insert.

I guess I would expect accuracy to suffer if the oversize WMR bullets were pushed through a narrow barrel, and I imagine barrel life might be shortened if a steady diet of WMR rounds were fed through the gun. But I also imagine that a steady-diet .22 WMR shooter would buy a Model 48 anyway, and that a 53 which had to digest only a few WMR rounds every now and then would probably not be seriously affected by the limited experience.

But since I don't have a WMR-modified 53 cylinder and can't test these suspicions, I offer only the speculation.

 

[Gun-runner]

Well I'm a strong believer in if the gun can handle it there shouldn't be a problem. Everyone always talks about the bore difference between the super high pressure 22lr and ultra high pressure 22mag. It's not much and the accuracy is better shooting the 22 mag in 22lr bore than the opposite.
I have an old Contender with a 22lr barrel that has been rechambered to 22mag. No leading and no explosions over ten years of shooting and hunting with it. This thing will put 5 rounds into a dime sized group at 25 yards off the bench. No leading prblems either fo what it's worth.

 

[SuperMan]

I have a 1961 Jet that has the LR cylinder numbered to the gun...had another one just like it a few years ago and that one also had a numbered cylinder.

As to a M53 with the .22 Magnum third cylinder..I have seen one but have no clue if the second cylinder was rechambered from a LR cylinder or not.

As to it not working/dangerous...a friend bought a Model 63 .22 Long Rifle. The first time the gun was fired the brass began to split...turns out it had a Model 651 .22 Magnum cylinder. My friend bought the correct cylinder and now has a two cylinder M63. There was no problem shooting Magnums and accuracy is just as good as with the LR cylinder. As I recall the .22 LR and .22 Jet have a bore diameter of .2225. That would make it only .0015 difference... Board Member RGS also has a 63 with a Magnum cylinder installed and shoots it with no problem.

As soon as I can come up with an extra cylinder for my 53 I will be having it rechambered to .22 Magnum. I thought about keeping the second cylinder from the gun I had but since it was numbered just didn't feel right about stripping it...

Bob

 

[buckspen]

.22 LR vs .22 Magnum

I have a Freedom Arms .22 LR Silhouette revolver that is the most accurate revolver I have ever had the pleasure of shooting. I used it for several years in IHMSA competition until that died out around here. At one time, Freedom Arms offered a .22 Magnum cylinder for this gun and I had them install one. From a Ransom Rest, the gun is equally accruate with the .22 LR cylinder (CCI Pistol Match ammo) and the .22 Magnum cylinder (Winchester .22 Mag hollow points). No obvious pressure problems. I'd tell you how accurate it is, but you wouldn't believe me.

- - Buckspen

 

[s&wchad]

Did you look on the underside of the extractor for the serial number?

 

[happy jackson]

Thanks all who replied to my question about the mod 53 with the 22lr cylinder with no number on it.The gun is very accurate with the 22lr cylinder,was just curious.S&W Chad,I did look under the extractor,no number there.Thanks again to all who replied.

 

[bbtrout]

A friend who worked for a large S&W distributor during the 1970s advised that S&W did make a few model 53 cylinders chambered for the 22WMR (he had one). According to him they were never offered to the public or cataloged as a factory available item.

I have an aux. 22LR cylinder which was rechambered to 22WMR and timed for my model 53-2. The 6" revolver also has the 22 Jet and 22LR cylinders. While the revolver will easily shoot sub-1" groups off sandbags at 25 yds with all three cylinders, the 22WMR cylinder is the most accurate of the three. I have not experienced split 22WMR cases or difficult extraction with any brand of rimfire magnum ammo.

 

[M29since14]

Like many people who are not "Jet" nuts, Mr. Bowen may not have been aware that a Model 53 bore is only .222-inch, and may have thought that surely something called a ".22 Magnum" would have a .224-inch bore like the .22WMR.

As something of a Jet admirer himself, I can assure you Mr. Bowen knows about Jets - in fact, he knows quite a lot about them. He is presently in the process of working on some projects he hopes will revitalize interest in the small-caliber, centerfire cartridges (including the .22 Jet & Super Jet) in K-frame S&Ws and is developing a blank, Jet-length cylinder to use for his conversions. The same blank can be used to make a rimfire cylinder for those who need them. Since these things are of great interest to me, I am anxious to see what he comes up with!