Range report on 1953 22/32 Target

[islandguy]

Hello,
Well, the 1953 22/32 Target that was sold to me as a Model 34 and that is registered as a Model 35 (by the RCMP) has turned out to be a huge success! My lovely wife (for whom it was purchased) has shot it (disgustingly accurately and effectively, as usual), two of my grandsons have shot it (with varying success), and I, along with a handful of other club members have shot it. The most common comment" "what a cute little pistol". Go figure! But the "cute little pistol" spits out bullets almost as accurately as its big brother, my 17-6, and it has been a real challenge, and treat, to master one-handed, D.A. shots on (used) tomato cans at 25 yds. On paper, we all have a lot of work to do to get it into decent scores at 25 yds. However, its been fun to shoot and promises to be a contender once we get some grips on it that come close to filling an adult hand. Even the grandsons (13 and 14) prefer the 17-6 for handling and shooting, but overall we are very happy with it and look forward to many years of use out of it.

 

[sandwtrader]

Model35

Congratulations on a great find. I've been looking for an early M35 or pre 35 for several years to no avail. Really great gun. If you find another one, please let us know.

 

[H Richard]

22-32 Targets are really fun, but very challenging to shoot. The skinny grips and light weight make moving it off target very easy. They are also a little picky about ammo.

 

[rboineau]

Hard to believe these little guns were once thought of as "heavy framed".

 

[islandguy]

Thanks SandWtrader!
it was a real lucky find for us. We'd been looking for any small-framed S&W with a barrel longer than 4" for my wife and just happened to see this one on a dealer site here in Canada last month. Hope you find one as nice.

 

[islandguy]

H Richard....
Yes, its a tricky one to keep on target alright. So far, it likes the Federal 745 bulk copper-plated HP, the same as my 17-6 works best with. The chambers are definitely tighter that the 17-6's, but a little thumb pressure after insertion with the HKS speedloader is all it takes to seat them. No problems with ejection so far with the Fed 745, although it is pretty tight (in and out) with CCI Blazer and Std Vel.

 

[islandguy]

rboineau...
No Kidding! Hardly what I'd consider a heavy frame. Its only 25oz compared to the 40+oz of my 17-6.