S&W K22 plated

[rimfire addict]

I have had this one for a little while now and thought I had posted it here. Not sure who had it dipped, but was a fairly decent job. Must of been in bad shape as you can still see some of the pitting in certain areas.

I do not have a lot in it, picked it up for a shooter, the old target grips do not look so well either. But they serve there purpose. If I am reading my book correct, looks like this one dates 1948. Looks like it had a timing issue at one time due to the dings on the cylinder face.

 

[JP@AK]

Nearby numbers show shipping in the summer and autumn of 1948. You never asked a question, so I'm assuming that's what you were looking for.

The stocks are later.

 

[rimfire addict]

Nearby numbers show shipping in the summer and autumn of 1948. You never asked a question, so I'm assuming that's what you were looking for.

The stocks are later.

Actually I was just showing the photo's, but thanks for verifying the date and grips.

 

[wheelgun610]

Seems strange that there are only firing pin hits on four of the six chambers, and muliple hits on two of them. You usually see hits on all six chambers when there's been a timing issue on a rimfire revolver.

Mark

 

[rimfire addict]

Seems strange that there are only firing pin hits on four of the six chambers, and muliple hits on two of them. You usually see hits on all six chambers when there's been a timing issue on a rimfire revolver.

Mark

It was just a guess on my part, but thought it was strange also for the others to not be marked.

 

[JP@AK]

Hits on four out of six. I rather doubt it is a timing issue. Looks like dry firing without snap caps. Always a bad idea with a rimfire. The firing pin is hitting pretty much right where it is supposed to, but without brass there, it's hitting the cylinder where the rim of the case should be.

 

[wheelgun610]

Hits on four out of six. I rather doubt it is a timing issue. Looks like dry firing without snap caps. Always a bad idea with a rimfire. The firing pin is hitting pretty much right where it is supposed to, but without brass there, it's hitting the cylinder where the rim of the case should be.

I dunno Jack. I still say there was a timing issue at one point, and after seeing the pics on my 27" monitor, I notice another hit that I hadn't noticed earlier. I place blue dots approximately where the firing pin should've hit if it were timed correctly. And a red circle around the mark I missed seeing earlier on my 10" tablet screen.

Mark

 

[JP@AK]

Yeah. I did wonder a bit about the strikes being off center. But I can't check with any of my .22s (K, I or J) because they've never been dry fired. I thought about going out into the back yard and firing a couple to see where the firing pin hits the case. Now I don't have to.

Thanks.

 

[wheelgun610]

... I can't check with any of my .22s (K, I or J) because they've never been dry fired...

If everything is within tolerance, the firing pin shouldn't make contact with the cylinder when dry fired. I know for fact my '53 vintage K-22 has been dry fired, and without protection, but there's not a single mark on the cylinder. Sometimes I wonder if some "cowboy" tried "fanning" the hammer like an old single action on some of the K-22's we've seen posted here with firing pin hits on the cylinders.

Mark

 

[Retired W4]

Yeah. I did wonder a bit about the strikes being off center. But I can't check with any of my .22s (K, I or J) because they've never been dry fired. I thought about going out into the back yard and firing a couple to see where the firing pin hits the case. Now I don't have to.

Thanks.

Must be nice to be able to go out in the back yard and pop off a couple rounds.
(From suburban metro ATL)

 

[LPD256]

Rimfire addict-Thanks for sharing. I'm thinking you'll have a lot of good times shooting your K22. If it could talk, your gun would have 74 years worth of stories to tell. It's not as new in the correct box with paperwork, tools, and numbered grips. But it's one you can shoot, teach a kid to shoot without worrying it might get a scratch, and as far as non-experts know, might be one of one previously owned by Poncho Villa. Have fun with it.

 

[2152hq]

The cylinder was at some point skipping past the locking bolt and ending up with the chamber(s) misallaigned with the bore.

It happens a lot with the larger N frame guns when fired rapidly in DA.
But I've seen it on K and even had a Mod35 that had a very bad case of it with firing pin tatoo marks forming a dotted line circle betw the chambers.

The crushed peened in prints on the edges of the rim recesses are becasue there were no empty cases, live rounds, or snap caps in place.

The firing pin tip is supposed to strike just inside the rim recess and also not deep enough to reach the bottom of the rim recess as well.
Dry firing should not damage the chamber rim recess as pointed out.

Dry firing in general, wether a good thing or not is another issue.

When the cylinder skips past being caught and held/locked in position by the cylinder bolt, the rear face is fair game to be struck by the firingpin.
Those hits will be in a circle, it's center on the center pin, the outer edge being just inside the rim recess of each chamber at 12oclock.

So you see the partial hits on the chamber rim recesses at 11 and 1 oclock when the cylinder skips passed being locked.

Why only on 4 chambers?,,perhaps luck,,perhaps though other 2 chambers have locking notches of sufficient shape and depth to snag the fast spinning cylinder and stop and lock it in position.

With 'only' a few strikes on the back of the cylinder, perhaps the fledging Eddy McGivern at the time realized a problem and quit speed shooting practice, saving the other 2 chambers from damage.

 

[Retired W4]

Very interesting explanation. Is it possible the nickel plating is interfering with the bolt stop seating completely in certain notches?

 

[2152hq]

Very interesting explanation. Is it possible the nickel plating is interfering with the bolt stop seating completely in certain notches?

It could be.
But in this case I think the plating job was done after the damage, not before it.
If you look closely at the rear face of the cylinder pic, the area's betw the chambers have been heavily polished. Maybe filed down, & polished & buffed.
I think that was to remove the firing pin marks that they could get at that were showing betw the chambers.

That one very faint remnant circled in red remains.
If it hadn't been attempted to be polished off, the mark would be much deeper and sharper an imprint than it appears.

The blue dots representing the firingpin strike point should be moved within the rim recess itself,,not be outside of it or on the edge of the chamber recess.


Lining all those dots up again like that you can see the circle the firing pin striking points form onto the rear face of the cylinder when the cyl skips passed the locking point and stop betw chambers.