be sure to keep that in your family. That is the type of gun you pass down and teach your grandkids on. I have a model 17-4 with the 8-3/8" barrel and it is my absolute favorite to shoot. It is hard to miss with it, ZERO recoil, and everyone puts down their glocks and want to shoot it when they see it.
Thanks, Hickock. I've been waiting for you to showcase this gun. I'm from Sweden and I have almost jumped through the hoops to get a gun license and over here the first you can get is for a .22. And I have my heart set on a S&W model 17 because I have a revolver fetish too.
Sweet gun! 30 years from now, when everyone is firing polymer plasma laser guns, I will still be drooling over these old revolvers and lever actions. Thanks for the reviews Hickok45! A lot of us dont have access to so many firearms, but are incredibly interested in seeing them shoot and the history of some firearms in general. We appreciate you doing what you do, and I wish you good luck and happy shooting for years to come.
A lifetime quest has ended. After 38 years I finally aquired a k-22. Either they were not for sale or too expensive. Mine was made in 1948 and is in unbelievable condition. Spent $800 on it! It lives up my expectations as I put up a 3x5 steel plate at 25 yds and hit it 21 out of 24 shots first time out.Nice!
Good for you! The crazy thing is that although they are relatively expensive, they are generally within reason for the average person to buy. The hard thing I've noticed is not the price but the AVAILABILITY of them. Nobody seems to want to sell theirs. I had to search for 2 years before I found a k22 masterpiece that someone was willing to part with locally.
Back in the days I used to do a lot of target shooting with a S&W Mod.17. I've never seen a more beautiful or better built .22-caliber handgun. The finish and the bluing was so smooth it looked like black glass. The action was like greased silk and the single action trigger broke clean just where I wanted it to. An accurate piece if any. It was not a consumer product built to the dollar like most modern, especially .22-caliber weapons.
You need to checkout other S&Ws for the Outdoorsmans .38 specials also along with the HDs with fixed sights. K22 was and still is the very best of handguns for any outdoorsmen!
I have fired a friends K-22 and although it isn't the same vintage as that gun it was the sweetest 22 handgun I have ever fired. The action was a smooth as glass and it had a great trigger. I only wish I could have talked him out of it. Those revolvers make a 22 handgun feel like a real handgun if you know what I mean. Anyway, thanks for the video.
Great video, I love the .22 revolvers, I must admit, I have a few. My first one was the Ruger single six convertible.22 lr and .22 mag. Still love shooting it 40 years later.
I have a few different Smith kit guns. Some flawless and others are shooters. They made a similar version in 22 mag. I have one of those. Works of art, and enjoyable to shoot.
My father owns one of these, which he inherited of his godfather. This was the first firearm I shot in my life. Because of my job, I don´t have the time to shoot firearms, and i´m more into bows and arrows nowadays. But the day I will start shooting firearms again, it will be with this gun, so thank you very much for the reminder of some very nice memories!
Thanks Hickock! S&W revolvers from the 1930's are special. The depression was on and layoffs in the gun industry was high. I believe that S&W kept on only their best fitters and polishers in that bad time and the guns show it. One can see the difference when the new line of S&W revolvers were reintroduced in 1946. Demand was high and quality still excellent but the guns lacked that special elegance of the previous decade.
I agree!! Picked up a 1957, nice 22. 1 k. Top of barrel little rough. 6 in.. I paid to much!!! Expensive gun . Bought it at at a gun shop in New Alex. Pa. My fault!!!
Looks like pure fun! I've lusted after the K-22 Masterpiece for years, I think it'll complement my Ruger Mk. II and New Model Bearcat perfectly. I'm counting down the days till my mortgage is paid off (2 years) and then I mean to have one. It doesn't need to be a safe queen, I intend to enjoy shooting it at every opportunity.
I sold my Model 18 dash something and regretted the sale. Just this week found a 17-3 six shot six incher. Didn't blink at the price... around $800. Shooting .22 by the box load and working the trigger made my snubbie revolver accuracy shrink to fist size groups. GREAT vid
That Sir is a beautiful and well seasoned revolver. I learned handguns with a revolver. As so many people my age. They (revolvers) have been around since the 1800's. They are a proven tool.... AND the ammo is cheap and readily available. You can shoot one all day for very little money. I think this revolver like so many firearms shoots as well as the person using it. Good practice makes for good results..... Thank you sir for another wonderful video!!!! Great JOB!!
Oh but I have the Smith & Wesson Regulation Police post war in .38s&w caliber and it's a TACK driver for sure especially in the single action mode but those double action pulls are not so accurate !!! I can't miss shooting single action even with my eyes closed !!! Hahahaha !!!
You mentioned the 617 at the beginning of the video, and I had one years ago with a 6" barrel. It took two men and a boy to lift the doggone thing. It was a good shooter, but GAWD was it heavy! I'd much rather have that K-22. What a beauty!
I owned a K-17 Masterpiece in the 1980s. Target hammer, target trigger, target sights, target grips. Absolute dream! I'm just sorry I sold it in 2005...
Another great video. I have to get my pre-17 K-22 out now after watching. I can't believe what these cost now. Mine was only $150 25 years ago. It has a heavy DA pull but otherwise is excellent shooter. I have to get it out this spring. Thanks for the video
Took my 13 year old daughter shooting last weekend. It was her first time with a handgun. It was my dad’s old K-22 pre-17. She had the best time and was a pretty good shot with it.
Ya gotta love those old revolvers. Thanks for the great videos you guys continue to make. I always look forward to seeing the latest one. Keep it up, you guys are a positive image for all gun owners.
Great video ! I love the old classic videos you and John do, and nobody does it better than you Hickok! You sir are a classic as well, all of us gun cranks hit the lottery when you hit the internet. You are one of a kind and beloved more than your modest self will ever know. Thanks for everything you guys do for us.
I've got a mint 1959 Model 17 and non relieved target grips with a S&W correct holster. Beautiful guns and very well made. I was gonna get rid of it, but decided to keep it. Now I need to get me a Ruger Vaquero 45 LC.. I don't do any plastic guns myself. Just sold my Colt Combat Elite I bought new in the early 80's.
K-22 = Best pistol I've ever shot, period. In a word, smooth. Glass like smoothness of every internal rubbing surface (feels like). Most accurate fire arm I've experienced as well. I had no idea I could shoot that well ( I can dot the "i" of pepsi at 15yrds at will) If you can sight in on it, you can hit it, every time. It becomes like Dumbo's magic feather almost, feels like magic in your hand. lol $1,000.00 ? Not mine, a million, maybe,... if I really liked you. Thanks for the video! Thumbs up from a k22 fan-boy-9000 here!
This is ONE COOL piece... The very first gun I ever shot when I was all but 8-9 years old, was a K22. My goodfather had one and teached me how to use it, while he was passing on to me a lot more that just shooting skills. It hooked me up so bad, I'm still at it. :>) I then graduated to a K38 at 18 years old that I shot the hell out in central fire matches and stuff, untill the "dark side of the force" made me try semi automatics (1911 in 45ACP, 38Super and 9mm; GP35; 225; CZ75; P7M8/M11 and way down the line G17, 19 and 23 witch is my EDC to this day).
Speedloaders for tube 22's work great for loading 22 revolvers, like the s&w 617 I just bought from budsgunshop. Just load the rounds in backwards from the way you would for tube rifles and the rounds drop right into the cylinders!
I miss blued guns. Nickel plated too. It’s a shame that beautifully blued and nickel plated guns are rare these days. I know S&W has a classic line that is very beautiful. They’ll never be like the old ones though. Luckily Smith made a TON of revolvers over the last 167 years. Same deal with a pre-‘64 Winchester model 94. If you have one, you’ll know what I mean.
I had a K17 and in a moment of weakness, I traded it away. It was super accurate on extended ranges and I've been looking for another. New, they're around a thousand bucks.
Why buy a new one with the safety lock and MIM parts when you can find a used one with hand fitted, forged parts for less than $1,000? Heck if you're lucky you can even find a 5 screw model for under $1,000. I bought a 1950 k22 masterpiece in excellent condition for $800 earlier this year. Granted that was a steal, it shows that deals are out there.
@@tomsterism many variables effect value. what is the model number, the barrel length, does it have the three T's, etc. A plain jane k22 in great (95% or above) condition seems to go between $700 to around $1,000 but the sky is the limit for rarer or more desirable models.
I actually do load those. Bought a kit that even has a bullet mold and you prime them with match heads or rolls of caps. Very labor intensive but if you cant find them you can roll your own. Even if you don't have any powder you can use the rest of the match (the colored part instead of white head) and it will fire.
Great little gun. Managed to pick one up here i Sweden a couple of months ago, really good condition. Think i paid somewhere around 100USD for it, it's so hard to get handguns here so everythings dirt cheap.
I have the identical pistol . Mine was manufactured in 1953. Everything is original except grips. It still shoots great. I just asked Smith & Wesson to service it for me and they refused. They won't work on anything made before 1960! Blatant age discrimination!
Kudos to Budsgunshop and Hickok45 for the donation of thousands of dollars to a food bank. Anyone shopping at a grocery store knows, the price of groceries seems to increase daily. More people everyday line up for food from their local food bank. Good video about the old S&W .22 revolver. The companies such as Federal Ammunition, budsgunshop, and SDI help make all the good videos possible. ... In a future dictionary will be a picture of Hickok45, found with the word Gun. There will be a link to all the good gun videos by Hickok45.
Great vid I enjoy when you have the old wheel guns out. My stepfather (my parents live Viola Tennessee ) has an old clot single action 22 magnum that is a super shooter. i would love to see you do a video on something like that if you could find one.
Hey there Mr Hickok45, I honked at ya from I-65 on my way to Florida for are family spring break about 10:30 pm last night !! My boy's said who you honking at and I told them that you lived just west of where we was at........they said do you think he heard it, I said oh I'm sure he did ! lol
I probably fired over 1,000 rounds out of my grand dads M17 "Outdoorsman". All happened in the late 60's-early 70's at the local dump,at rats. Some things you just never forget. My neighbor,Mrs.Lishenring used to pay me .25 each,for killing rats along the ditch behind her house. Thanks for the flashback "45"...:-)
+Brandon Piper Maybe you can help then. I don't really get the idea behind buying a "outdoor" revolver in 22. ? I mean it isn't for self defence right? So what exactly are you shooting with that revolver? But maybe its just me..i'm german and maybe therefore everything needs to have a purpose :D
Well it's for what we call plinking. Just for fun. But when it comes down to it all self defense situations are all within a few feet of each other. I can kill or take down Any person with a 22. It's all about shot placement. Anyone who says a 22 isn't powerful enough is just wrong. Plus I can put a 22 rnd anywhere I want at 30yrds. It's dead accurate. But mostly is just a gun for fun and beginners at the range.
Personal opinion: I think the Pre War Long action DA trigger on smith and Wessons is far superior to the short action DA trigger post war. To my hand, it’s on par with the smothness of a modern (post 2019) colt DA.
I agree. The pre-war II S&W long double action was the equivalent of a 1956 Python only better. It felt like it moved on ball bearings. The lock work quality resembled that of a fine watch mechanism. The short action was developed after the war to accommodate target shooters that mostly used the SA mode and wanted a shorter lock time. It's DA mode can be nicely slicked up but it lacks the classy feel of the old long action. As you say, personal opinion.
can you review a raging bull 44 mag 8.375" barrel....I know the quality of the ruger SRH but I like the modern look of the bull....S&W has a modern revolver also but to much$..thanks for all the great videos and history of firearms. have a great one
I have a 1936 version of the outdoorsman.. it is a great gun.. all K22's shoot well. have you tried the masterpiece revolvers in .32 and .38? I had the K38 masterpiece and it shot just as well..
I have my Grandmother's from Christmas 1953 and it has a lower K serial number than yours, the posted index by S&W puts it at mid 1951 and it has 5 screws. Later then you say but they called it an outdoorsman model
For semi-automatics in the prewar era I think the game was mostly the Colt Woodsman or pre-Woodsman pistols. They are jewels. The Smiths had better single action triggers though.
Hey hickok45 I have a S&W Model 1905 .38 special that was made in 1940 and has a lanyard hole with the pin still in the frame, I installed an original Victory model lanyard ring and it fits perfect. Wondering if you ever shot one. I love mine, it's in great condition.
Oh you have to shoot out of same gun cause it fire forms. But for and extra $70.00 you can buy a resizer for 22cal. with a shell holder to use on your press.
