Hello fellow enthusiasts!! This is my first post so please be patient with my two left thumb typing techniques. I was wondering if anybody has any knowledge of the model 48 S&W .22mag. I bought one second hand that looks really nice...except it is very hard to eject the spent shells even when totally cleaned. I tried a Gunsmith and he "finished" reaming the cylinder out with the thought that it wasn't done by the factory correctly to begin with. I hope that someone can shed some light on this matter!! Thanks for any input!!
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S&W Model48
- Thread starter JStone
- Start date
Mike Irwin
Staff
The Model 48 was also known as the K-22 Masterpiece Magnum Rimfire.
Came with 4, 6, or 8 3/8" barrels. An optional .22 Long Rifle cylinder was also available.
It was manufactured from 1959 to 1986.
Give me the first couple of digits of the serial number and I can pin down the year of manufacture for you.
Came with 4, 6, or 8 3/8" barrels. An optional .22 Long Rifle cylinder was also available.
It was manufactured from 1959 to 1986.
Give me the first couple of digits of the serial number and I can pin down the year of manufacture for you.
At first, ejecting the fired cases from my Model 48 was just about impossible. I had to punch the cases out individually with a stick.
So, I shipped the gun back to S&W, whose service department polished the chambers. The polish job helped a great deal. Now the gun is quite shootable, although ejection will probably never be as easy as with, say, a .38 Special.
HTH.
So, I shipped the gun back to S&W, whose service department polished the chambers. The polish job helped a great deal. Now the gun is quite shootable, although ejection will probably never be as easy as with, say, a .38 Special.
HTH.
VAdoublegunner
New member
I have one with a 6" barrel. I've had a few problem with really hard extraction, but it seems to be ammo related. My cylinder's charge holes seem to be well polished rather than rough. Certain ammo, notably the CCI stuff, seems harder to extract. It shoots Win JHPs best and delivers about 1 1/4" or sometimes better at 25 yds, so that's what I use and extraction has been fine. I tried some of the 'new' Remington stuff and it was terrible for extraction and accuracy -- I'm talking 6" groups. Seemed to have a lot of black residue along the side of the cases. Maybe try to polish up the charge holes and try some different ammo types. I think if you did have a cylinder improperly chambered for .22 LR, it would be difficult to chamber a Mag; besides the length, they are also slightly wider. Or, you could have had some goofball who shot .22 LR in it and built up some lead (and probably split many cases in the process!).
Thanks for all the input folks. I guess I am not the only one with a Mod 48 with ejection problems.
Mike I, here is the serial #96K6XXX. Let me know what you find.
Does anyone think that a decent cylinder polishing job can be done with say a Dremel type tool provided that the right size polishing tip can be had? (As in small enough) I was successful in polishing the feed ramp on a Browning Hi power using a Dremel and jewelers' rouge.
Mike I, here is the serial #96K6XXX. Let me know what you find.
Does anyone think that a decent cylinder polishing job can be done with say a Dremel type tool provided that the right size polishing tip can be had? (As in small enough) I was successful in polishing the feed ramp on a Browning Hi power using a Dremel and jewelers' rouge.
Mike Irwin
Staff
Looks like your gun was made early in 1981, as the serial number range for that year ran from 91Kxxx to 124Kxxx.
I would advise against trying to polish the cylinder with a dremel, as you could make the problem worse if you were to get one of the chambers slightly out of round.
It would be much better were you to do it by hand.
I would advise against trying to polish the cylinder with a dremel, as you could make the problem worse if you were to get one of the chambers slightly out of round.
It would be much better were you to do it by hand.
VAdoublegunner
New member
I'm also against the Dremel method. I'd use some wet/dry 600 grit paper that has been used and is worn down some (or even a finer grit if you can find it), use a little oil, wrap it around a chopstick or small dowel, and polish by hand. Your main concern is the surface rough spots, not the entire chamber. I've used this method for feed ramps and other rough cylinders with great success. Just go easy and don't overdo it. Trial and error, hopefully less error...
Thanks VA for the chopstick idea. I just got done doing a little cruising down the information superhwy and I had no luck in finding any polishing bobs that would fit anyway. I guess .22 cal is just a little too small of a hole to begin with. I found several cylinder reamers out there but knowing my heavy hand I'd be best to stay away from them..unless someone doesn't mind me practicing on their gun...but it might be a little difficult to find say .23 to .27 cal ammo after I'm done!
My personal suggestion for what to do about any S&W firearm that has a problem: ship it to the factory service department. To me, this is preferable to taking the gun to a gunsmith, and also preferable to doing the job myself. Nobody's perfect, obviously including the folks at S&W. But they know their guns better than anyone else on the planet, and over the years they've done an excellent job for me. Plus, I didn't have to hassle with the repairs myself. Finally, repairs are usually free of charge.
JMHO.
JMHO.
I am still not sure what I will do with this particular revolver. I looked at some Taurus 8 shot .22 mags' today and one can be had for about $270.00 new. They looked o.k but are just not the same as a Smith to me. I mean the mod 48 fills my hand nicely and IF it wasn't for its failure to eject spent cases is in my opinion better quality overall. Maybe its' just me but I would much rather have "Made in USA" stamped on the side then made in Brazil. I have had many single action Rugers in .22 convertible but really prefer the swing out cylinders of a D.A. Unfortunately S&W has done a dirty deed and it doesn't look like any new purchases for me from them. Any news about the latest Company from Arizona that bought them?? At least I thought I'd heard something like that. If it is true I wonder if anything good will come of it....