HELP! rare s&w model 53

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porkskin

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saw today on consignment. 6' barrel k frame with box. fires 22 magnum, but the cylanders are bored fror a .22 jet. it has 6 cylanders and has "inserts" that are hollow and will hold .22 mags. target sights. asking $595.00 is this a good deal? is this a rare gun? investment?
 
I wouldn't call myself an S&W purist but the model 53 was a hot item in 1960. The price may or may not be reasonable but probably isn't far off. This was on the cover of the 1959 or 1960 Gun Digest.

However, I thought the inserts were for .22 rimfire, not .22 magnum. In fact, it may have an extra cylinder for it. The .22 Jet or whatever it was called was one of a couple of new rounds introduced around then, the other being a Colt, .256 Magnum or something like that comes to mind but I'm not sure any guns were made for the latter. They were sort of like all the current small bore hotshots.

There was a .22 Magnum target sighted K-frame as well, I believe.

It is a rare gun in any case and I shall have to do research tonight.

Anyone here remember a 3" barrel .22 Magnum J-Frame with fixed sights?
 
Here's the result of some quickie Internet research:

I must have been a couple of years early in my guess but this all happened between 1959 and 1962. A long time ago, even in my book.

The Model 53 was the only revolver chambered for the .22 Jet but Ruger had a single shot "revolver" chambered for it as well as some other hot cartridges for a handgun. There was, in fact, a .256 Magnum (Colt had nothing to do with it) but it was only chambered in a couple of single shot pistols. Both cartridges were chambered in Marlin rifles as well.

There was another interesting combination from that time period as well: the .221 Remington Fireball (I think I got the caliber correct), which was chambered in the Remington XP-100 single shot, bolt-action pistol. The pistol was very futuristic for its day and in a way, still is. It could also be called a bullpup pistol in the way it is designed.

I have seen a Model 53 but never an XP-100.
 
The odd shape of the .22 Remington Jet is said to cause cases to set back against the breechface and bind cylinder rotation unless chambers and ammo are very clean and dry. Ballistics are not as good as advertised. It is still a hot number if properly managed. $595 is cheap if the gun is in excellent condition... as most are; I don't think I have ever seen a well-used Jet.

Ruger denies ever making a Hawkeye single shot in .22 Jet or any other calibre besides .256 Winchester. Maybe there were some custom jobs before they were discontinued and got too valuable for speculation to actually shoot, much less alter.

Colt was involved with the .256 but never could make a revolver run reliably with it. There are rumors of .256 Pythons, but there are known fakes of Pythons in about any calibre that can be got in that cylinder and frame.
 
Model 53 was introduced in 1961, chambered for the .22 Jet ( a Remington round) , 15,000 were made before they turned off the water. The inserts are for .22 rimfire, not magnum. There was also a seperate .22 cylinder. ( adds 150 to value) The gun was a failure because the the 22 Jet brass would hang up in the cylinder and not eject. It's listed as NIB 800, with inserts. Rare? no, Scarce? yes. A good investment only if you put it away for a hundred years. It's a very nice firearm but theres really not anything special about the gun to make it a good long term investment. Hope that helps
 
BlueTrain, the S & W Model 650 was a six shot 3 inch heavy barrel round butt J frame made from 1983 to 1988. They called it the .22 M.R. F. Service Kit Gun.
 
rjay-thanks for the advice. i really don't need this gun and would probably have to trade a shooter to get it. me thinks i'll pass. thanks all!
 
I think the confusion here concerning the "Magnum" designation is that the "official" name for the Jet is .22 Centerfire Magnum. I believe the barrel was marked ".22 CF Magnum" but it has been too many years since I had one.
As for the "binding" problem, I can only speak from my experience and that was I never had a problem. Maybe I naturally kept my gun clean and dry.
They are a real kick to shoot. Lots of flash and bang, no recoil.
As Jim Watson said, a M53 in nice condition with inserts and box is well worth $595, but if it doesn't ring your bells, you're not missing the deal of a lifetime.

Dean
 
That information would have been useful in 2005, nearly EIGHT years ago.

There is absolutely no reason to resurrect a thread of this age to post a reply as if you were answering a question asked yesterday.
 
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