Whether it’s small game you want to dispatch or targets you want to punch, Smith & Wesson has just brought back a K-frame revolver chambered in .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire that will make the job two tons of fun.
The stainless steel 8-round Model 648 features a six-inch barrel which, when combined with an adjustable rear sight should make this one very accurate wheel gun.
Here’s their press release . . .
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. Smith & Wesson Inc. today announced that it has reintroduced the Model 648 revolver, chambered in .22 WMR. Built on Smith & Wesson’s K-frame, the stainless steel Model 648 features an eight round capacity and is designed for small game hunting and target shooting. The new Model 648 features an adjustable rear sight and patridge front sight for enhanced accuracy when shooting at longer ranges.
Jan Mladek, General Manager of Smith & Wesson and M&P brands, said, “Built on the medium K-frame, the Model 648 is back in production to satisfy the needs of handgun owners who are looking to achieve greater distance while hunting or target shooting. With a full underlug six-inch barrel and a patridge front sight, the Model 648 has been designed with features to boost accuracy at longer distances. While we currently offer .22 Magnum revolvers in both our J-frame and Classics line, we are excited to add this new .22 Magnum revolver to the modern K-frame lineup.”
The Model 648 revolver is built on a stainless steel medium K-frame and includes black synthetic finger groove grips, a black patridge front sight, and an adjustable rear sight. This new revolver features a full underlug six-inch barrel, eight round capacity, and is available with an MSRP of $749.
To learn more about the new Model 648 revolver and the complete line of Smith & Wesson firearms, click here.
Just when my toy fund was finally getting back to where it should be…another classic revolver from Smith hits the shelves…oh well, plenty of room in the safe for one more revolver. It can keep the PMR from getting lonely.
Missed opportunity. If Smith was going to bring something back, it shoulda been their 547 revolver that shoots 9MM without moon clips. The prices that good used examples bring (and the fact that you rarely ever see them resold) speaks for itself.
A 4″ version would have been good.
a jay frame model J-frame ala model 60 stainless steel would be better…3 inches…camp gun back packer
practise for her for that other J frame she uses to say ” NO NO NO NO “mac
A 22 mag seems like a great trail gun until you use it as one.
Too damned loud for me. I’ll use a 22 LR, 32 H&R, or 38 special for woods bumming.
Agreed. Used to be if I needed more than a .22 I was reaching for an old 1903 in .32ACP
I’ll approve that message.
I agree. If I need to step up my handgun from a .22lr. I’ll go .38sp or 9mm. If I need more than that, it’s .357mag. 22/38/357 will do it all with only 2 guns (except the hicap where 9mm comes in).
.22mag in a rifle on the other hand… is much more interesting
I’ve never encountered a .22 WMRF of ANY kind, rifle or revolver, that was anywhere near as accurate as a .22 LR, the .32 H&R, or .38 Special. I’m with Specialist38 on this one. However, my grandson-in-law recently introduced me to the .327 Mag., and that is one hell of an interesting round.
If I’m going to shell out the kind of money that the .22 Magnum demands, I expect to be able to hit what I aim at, not stand there with my teeth in my mouth and boat anchor in my hand while I piss and moan about how I could’ve possibly missed.
In my 50 years of experience, the .22 WMRF is a POS.
.22 mag is a good round in the right gun.
Agreed! I have a Browning T-Bolt Varmint in .22 WMR with which I routinely pop prairie dogs at 300+ yards (prone, bipod, 5×25 FFP scope w/ EBR2 reticle, Sig 2400 rangefinder). My hunting buddies use .204 Ruger and .22-250 Rem in varmint weight rifles…they have velocity and range on me but up to 250 yds it’s a race to see who gets the prairie rats first.
Bonus: I can shoot all day for about $50.
that tbolt is for me.
but dadgum they spendy.
Yes Sir, that’s true…however, the Browning fit, finish and accuracy is topnotch.
My Dad said “buy quality once rather than cr@p over and over”.
His advice has worked well with tools, cars and firearms (although, under his guidelines, I frequently have to defer immediate gratification while saving for a particular purchase).
Hillary Hole. No thanks.
My only .22WMR revolver is an H&R 649. Would love to have an S&W, but stainless steel?
I miss the deep bluing, it’s me own fault I know for being old and not having died but deep blued Smith & Wessons look much better than all that shiny stainless steel.
Well, you CAN still get AOBC revolvers (They’re not really ‘S&Ws’ any more, what with the Hillary Holes and MIM internals and dummy barrels OhMY!) that are sort of ‘blued,’ which on some (the ‘blued’ New 66 AOBC calls the ‘Classic 19’, for example) is more like anodizing than bluing, but no, they’re not the same sort of ‘blue’ that once was an attribute of a quality firearm.
Thanks to the OLD S&W building literal millions of quality revolvers in the past, you might find a Model 48 out there, somewhere–blued, .22WMR, and no holes punched in the frame for on/off key-switches, either. You get a real barrel with one of those, too. And steel internal parts. And color case-hardening.
Did I mention that they’re really ‘blued’?
What’s with all this lusting over “blued” guns?
I’m 80 and buy stainless over “blued” whenever possible. Who needs to worry about rust all the time?
PS
I LOVE my Glocks and my other “Plastic” guns!!!
PPS
ALSO LOVE my S&W STAINLESS 617 6 inch barrel 10 shot!!!
How to know if the used Colt SAA, Ruger Single Six, etc. was owned by someone who knew what he was doing. Didn’t know: the .22 WRM cylinder is installed. .22 LR cylinder is lost. Knew what he was doing: .22 LR cylinder is installed. .22 WRM cylinder was thrown away.