model 48 the K-22 mag masterpiece

I think we shoot what we enjoy and you can justify your chopice in a thousand ways.

I have several 48's and enjoy them all. I have several Smiths of varying caliber and enjoy them too. I don't enjoy the $ the ammo costs but it is the price I pay to have fun. so, I take my 48 6" scoped for squirrel hunting, my 29-2 6"(or 629 6") for deer, my 41's for target shooting....all have their + and -, but I enjoy them all.

I have never had a 48 that I did not find a joy to shoot, and collect, although I am missing a 48-1 6"(most elusive firearm to find) so I can not comment on that variation.

get one, shoot it, enjoy it. they are great guns.
 
Re accuracy, mine can shoot better than I can hold and I'm pretty darn good shot. Sticky cases are a reality due to powder fouling. Accuracy is better in mine with a particular brand of ammo (horse on box) and heavier bullets.
 
Hal Swiggett was of the opinion that 22 magnum out of a 6" revolver barrel was about equal to 22 lr from a rifle barrel. Elmer Keith preferred his J Frame kit gun to be chambered in 22 magnum. I like 22 magnum revolvers, semi auto pistols and lever action Winchester rifles. I like 22 lr chambered guns too. The magnum round is a good performer in most guns chambered for it. I tried a Grendel P-30 once or twice. Let's hope the Kel Tec version functions properly.
 
The only 22WRM I have is a six inch, M48. I wouldn't trade it for anything except maybe a three inch M48. I just have the hots for three inch revolvers. They are such great packing guns.

Last summer on my farm, I was knocking small rocks, 1-2 inch, off a log where I had set them up at 50 yards on a regular basis. Also, out of 2 tries, I managed to hit a 8 inch block of wood at a range of 115 yards and just missed with the other shot. It was shootin' a little to the right.

I know that's not great but for my old eyes, bifocal specs etc., figured I could take on a ground hog or such varmint out to about 100 yds.
 
Everyone should have one in all 3 flavors:

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If you don't like .22WMR send your model 48 to me and I will give it a good home.
 
...I am so happy with the .22 Magnum I went out and bought another....couldn't turn it down for $450.00...and a friend had an extra Model 17 cylinder hanging around so both are now at a local smiths being fitted...

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And in a reverse my same friend had a orphan M48 .22 Mag. cylinder so I bought it also and my 6" Model 17 is about to become a Magnum...

Now if I could just find a Model 53 LR cylinder I would have a three cylinder Model 53...

Bob

ps..although not a S&W...Magnums shoot like rifles....

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SuperMan said:
...I am so happy with the .22 Magnum I went out and bought another....couldn't turn it down for $450.00...and a friend had an extra Model 17 cylinder hanging around so both are now at a local smiths being fitted...

SW57060511006.jpg


And in a reverse my same friend had a orphan M48 .22 Mag. cylinder so I bought it also and my 6" Model 17 is about to become a Magnum...

Now if I could just find a Model 53 LR cylinder I would have a three cylinder Model 53...

Bob

ps..although not a S&W...Magnums shoot like rifles....

030806range007.jpg
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Not going to blow up,but I wouldn't fit a mag cylinder to a 17 with it's smaller bore.
 
I passed on a 4" Model 48 last week at my favorite dealer, but man that was a pretty gun. Not even a turn line that I noticed. They wanted top dollar for it and apparently got it. It was gone the next day.

I've got a couple of S/A's (Ruger and Colt) with 22 mag cylinders, but I've never fired them.
 
Bob-the model 53 cylinders are a little longer than the 48 or 17 so a 53 cylinder would not fit on your 17 or 48. This is one reason the .22lr cylinders for the 53's are so hard to find and expensive.
 
Howdy-
Saw really nice 8 3/8" 48 at a dealer last year and have not regretted purchasing it for even one second. Did I "need" the extra velocity? No. Do I own a .22 WMR rifle ( or two) that would be a "better" choice in most appropriate situations? Yes. Have I heard shooters complain about the cost of .22 WMR ammo since I started shooting back in the 1970's ? Yes. At less than $8 for 50 ( yes, it used to be less ) I guess either I'm a rube, or a whole bunch of folks still think a "brick" of .22LR that sells for more than $12 is robbery ( don't even talk about real match ammo! And those center fires are just way out of line. Used to be $17 for .357 mag 158gr jacketed soft point , 50 count.) Point is- it makes me happy; I don't much feel what I spend on feeding it should worry anyone else.:o
 
glenncal1 said:
Bob-the model 53 cylinders are a little longer than the 48 or 17 so a 53 cylinder would not fit on your 17 or 48. This is one reason the .22lr cylinders for the 53's are so hard to find and expensive.
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Yea, I know...I have had a 53 with both cylinders since 1974... Had another one back two years ago and was tempted to keep the extra cylinder but since it was numbered to the gun I just couldn't do it...so when I sold it I let the extra cylinder go with it...

As to the 17 to .22 Magnum conversion...I already did a 63 with a 651 cylinder and it shoots great... Bore diameter on the 17 is .2225 and the Magnum .224...at the low pressure both are running it should make little to no difference... a few years ago a friend bought a 63 and the cases started splitting as shoot he fired it with Long Rifle ammo...sure enough it had a 651 .22 Magnum cylinder in place... He was able to get a 63 cylinder and now also has a dual caliber gun...

Hammerdown...thanks to a member here I have set of Diamond walnut grips coming for a very reasonable price...they are worn but will look much nicer on the 4" 48 than the Combats do...

Bob
 
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Hammerdown...thanks to a member here I have set of Diamond walnut grips coming for a very reasonable price...they are worn but will look much nicer on the 4" 48 than the Combats do...

Bob
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Hello Bob
Most of my S&W's are Pre-Model revolvers and all wear Diamond Target Stocks. I like the looks and feel of them. They seem to have a slightly smaller circumference diameter than the combat and newer Non diamond stocks. The Magna style stock's are too small for me to shoot targets with accurately...;) Hammerdown
 
Revolver-time said:
Hogwash is a bit strong, no? ...
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Well, maybe. :)

The story I have heard since I was a lad is that the .22 WRFM was developed to do in a 6-inch revolver what a .22 LR does in a 20-inch rifle. From what I can tell, it pretty much does that. Whether that constitutes some sort of improvement is up to the buyer to determine, but the chronograph does not flavor its numbers.

As to accuracy, comparing anything to the best .22 LR firearms and ammunition is going to be a pretty tough go, but I do have an S&W M651 that shoots better than any other J-frame .22 I have ever seen.

I don't know about the ammunition being made thirty or more years ago, but modern .22 WRFM ammunition is excellent - leaves nothing to be desired, except maybe a better price. :D
 
Jeese of pete I am tired of hearing the whining and sniveling about ammo prices Hell I remember when I got a coke for 10 cents that now runs me 1.70 at stores. Inflation hite everything. If you can afford to shoot do it and if you can;t then read about it...but let the rest of us enjoy our passion. I just bought a Smith 48 6 inch to go with my Winchester 9422M which I also just bought. Was taking jacks and such with my 44 Spcl Rugers and Colts....and decided the 22 mag would be fun to shoot...look forward to doing so and to heck with the cost. Gasoline used to cost 31 cents a gal...now its 3.55....and so on...
 
Gila Jorge said:
Jeese of pete I am tired of hearing the whining and sniveling about ammo prices Hell I remember when I got a coke for 10 cents that now runs me 1.70 at stores. Inflation hite everything. If you can afford to shoot do it and if you can;t then read about it...but let the rest of us enjoy our passion. I just bought a Smith 48 6 inch to go with my Winchester 9422M which I also just bought. Was taking jacks and such with my 44 Spcl Rugers and Colts....and decided the 22 mag would be fun to shoot...look forward to doing so and to heck with the cost. Gasoline used to cost 31 cents a gal...now its 3.55....and so on...
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Hey!, you must be a young whipper-snapper..I remember when Coke went from a nickel to 6 cents for a 6 oz. bottle...Ya had to put the nickel in the machine first and then the penny in a separate slot and pull the handle....No twist off top..If you didn't open it at the machine, you had to use a car bumper...(if mom caught you with a church key ya probably got grounded for a week or so)...Those were the god ole days????
JIM...........................
 
S&W Model 48

What is the production history of Model 48 (from what year to what year were they made ?) and what are the various barrel lengths that they were made in...?

I would like to track one down...

Thanks,
JMV366
 
Model 48 K 22

I've got a 4" that hasn't been fired since the early 70s locked in a box somewhere. I've never tested it for accuracy or power, but I can tell you when I was a kid I could hit a gray squirrel in the head with it at 20 yards. It is a beautiful pistol and fills an adult hand well. I do recall 38 reloads as being cheaper. I haven't shot my model 10 in 40 years either. The model 10 was grandads. I'll keep that, but the Model 48 I bought my self before folks got too worried about such stuff. If anyone really wants to give it a good home email me. I'll dig it up. it's a shame to let it set. Rob
 
Bummer SaxonPig.....,mine shoots GREAT!!!!

I just got my 48 with the .22 lr cylinder only (cheap, as you might guess) a short time ago. It is not very pretty. I was worried about the ".22 mag bore diameter" and the lr cylinder. Was worried for nothing and quite the opposite.....,this old girl likes to perform!
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...that gun has some honest wear....

Since this was written I have put 48 cylinders in both a 17 and an 18...both shoot great.
 
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