Smith & Wesson’s first bite at the .22 Magnum apple was a success with their earlier Model 648, and this new version is ripe for the picking.
It wasn’t really snowing yet, but the occasional flake drifting across a target reminded me that it could start any time. Several of us were gathered on an Idaho farm not too far west of Jackson, Wyoming. Our purpose, as magazine writers and editors, was to get some hands-on time with new guns, ammo and optics; some that wouldn’t get their official launch for four months at the SHOT Show in Vegas. One of my favorites on that brisk October morning was Smith & Wesson’s Model 648 .22 WMR revolver.
Thumbing rounds into the revolver’s cylinder took me back, way back, to my junior year in high school. That was when I got my first taste of shooting competition in the form of NRA Hunter Division Metallic Silhouette. I had become close friends with Rusty Knox, an Army Blackhawk pilot stationed at Ft. Bragg. Rusty moved his family to Fayetteville, NC, and were members of the Church of Christ where my father preached. A bond formed over the love of guns and shooting, we became fast friends even though he was twice my age. Some readers and NRA history buffs will recall Rusty’s older brother Neal Knox, who at the time was the chief lobbyist for the NRA’s Institute for Legislative Action.
A new gun club had sprung up in the Fayetteville area a couple of years before, the Crosse Creek Long Rifles, and Rusty had just joined. At his suggestion and sponsorship, I joined, too. Between working part time at J.C. Penny’s and A&T Hardware just off the Post, I was able to scrimp together club dues. It took a while, owing to minimum wage being $2.80 at the time.
Shortly after joining the gun club, Rusty talked me into shooting in the upcoming Silhouette match. I was the proud owner of a new Ruger Super Single Six .22 revolver that was convertible to .22 WMR with a cylinder swap. It was the logical, since it was the only handgun I owned. I fondly recall those matches. I was Rusty’s spotter while he shot his Colt Python, and he did the same for me shooting my 9 ½-inch barreled Ruger. I didn’t have much trouble with the chickens at 25 meters, nor the pigs at 50. Those pesky turkeys at 75 seemed harder than the Rams at 100. The “guajalote,” seemed awful skinny, and the rams had to be hit in the upper half to get them to topple over with the slight energy of a .22 WMR bullet by the time it traveled 100 meters.
Forty years later, I still shoot a revolver single-action the same way Rusty taught me: Establish the grip and keep it constant; thumb the hammer with my left thumb to keep the right hand grip constant, and focus on the front sight. Allowing for drop of the .22 WMR bullet, I was still able to ring steel with the Model 648 at 100 yards about 75 percent of the time on that cold October Idaho morning.
They’re back….
“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,” Smith & Wesson General Manager Jan Mladek said in a recent press statement. “… the Model 648 has been designed… 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.”
Collector’s Corner
The Model 648 was originally introduced in 1989 and was continuously manufactured until 1996, according to Blue Book of Gun Values. Over the past 13 years, a mint condition first-generation Model 648 has appreciated in value more than three times its initial cost.
From 2006 to 2011, these revolvers in factory condition hovered around $450. Through the 2012 to 2016 election cycle, they nearly doubled in value for both the “as new” condition as well as those in 98 percent condition. By 2017 they topped the $1,000 mark and have continued to climb. Sales of the early production models with the wooden finger-groove grips in new condition hover around the $1,400 level, while some have sold for as high as $1,700 recently.
“Over the past 15 years, a mint condition first-generation Model 648 has appreciated in value more than three times its initial cost.”
Blue Book has knocked the value down on all Model 648s to the $650 level, which is the average retail price for new guns, even though sales of the first-run models remain to sell at the higher levels.
The stainless steel K-Frame Model 648 wears a full underlug 6-inch barreled revolver chambered for .22 WMR. Early “pre-lock” 648s were fitted with 6-shot cylinders, but this newest iteration carries eight rounds.
The Model 648’s barrel and frame top strap combine to provide a long sighting radius. A Patridge front and adjustable rear sights work in unison to provide a glare-reducing sighting device that will allow the shooter to fine tune this weapon to a particular load. It may be interesting to note that this style sight is named for its inventor, E.E. Partridge, a once-famous American sportsman from the 1800s. This type of sight is synonymous with a rectangular front sight with a flat top and sides. It is designed to fit within the square notch of the rear sight with a slight amount of light to be visible to each side. In this telescopic, and electronic, and laser age we live in today it’s easy to differences and advantages of inherent in various types of iron sights. Even though the sharp edges of a Partridge-style sight isn’t as friendly or snag-free with leather holsters as other designs, it does have a distinct advantage when trying to tighten groups on targets or game.
Gun Details
This handgun’s synthetic finger groove grips aren’t an afterthought, either, when it comes to shooting accurately. The rubber grips are a change from the original wood grips on an older Model 648, but they’re finger-grooved nonetheless. These finger grooves help a shooter grip the revolver in a repeatable manner, which aids in accurate shooting, too.
The 648 is a double-action/single-action (DA/SA), with emphasis on the SA when it comes to target shooting. Used double-action, revolvers can be quite accurate in practiced hands.
Range Time
Trigger pull was measured at 4 pounds, 12 ounces in single-action mode, while it increased to 8 pounds, 3 ounces for double-action. One of the things I noticed about firing .22 WMR from this handgun was the drop in average velocity in comparison to a locking-breech semi-auto. Velocities were significantly lower with most loads tested, owing to the drop in gas pressure at the cylinder gap. The average for an 8-shot string hovered between 125 and 150 fps slower for this revolver compared to a semi-auto with most loads.
Seven factory loads were selected to fire three groups of five shots each at 25 yards. A pistol rest was used with each load tested. Velocities were recorded with an Oehler 35P chronograph set at 10 feet to capture data from 10-shot strings.
The first load was Winchester’s 35-grain jacketed hollow-point. The best group measured 2.751 inches, and the average for all groups fired opened up to 3.676 inches. This load averaged 1,390 fps.
Federal’s Game-Shok is a heavy-weight load that weights 50 grains, and is constructed as a jacketed hollow-point. The smallest group measured 1.633 inches. This load averaged 917 fps. Federal’s other 50-grain hollow-point load has a similar average velocity at 922 fps, and it managed to produce a 1.176-inch group.
The light-weight load from Federal is their 30-grain Speer TNT hollow-point. It averaged 1,512 fps. This speedy load averaged groups going 4.578 inches, while the smallest measured 3.896 inches.
Hornady’s 45-grain FTX Critical Defense load averaged 1,116 fps, and delivered in the accuracy department, too. The smallest group measured .925 inches. On average, group size went 1.830 inches.
CCI’s Maxi Mag 40-grain load has been around for a long time. I can recall shooting these loads when I was still in high school. It averaged a middle-of-the-road 1,244 fps, and its best group measured 1.813 inches. Lastly, CCI’s 35-grain A22 load averaged 1,263 fps. Its smallest group measured 1.501 inches.
Like most guns, Smith & Wesson’s Model 648 shows a preference for specific factory loads when it comes to accuracy. It can pull duty as a utility gun for small game, or plinking fun.
| Manufacturer & Type/Wt | Average Velocity | Best Group |
| Federal Game Shok/50 | 917 | 1.633 |
| Federal JHP/50 | 922 | 1.176 |
| Federal Speer TNT HP/30 | 1,512 | 3.896 |
| Winchester JHP/35 | 1,390 | 2.751 |
| Hornady Critical Defense/45 | 1,116 | 0.925 |
| CCI A22/35 | 1,263 | 1.501 |
| CCI Maxi Mag/40 | 1,244 | 1.813 |
*25 yards showing best of five 5-shot groups. Velocity measured 10 feet from muzzle with an Oehler 35P chronograph.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Manufacturer: Smith & Wesson
- Model: Model 648
- Caliber: .22 WMR
- Capacity: 8
- Barrel Length: 6″
- Overall Length: 11.1″
- Front Sight: Partridge
- Rear Sight: Adjustable
- Action: Single/Double Action
- Grip: Synthetic
- Weight: 46.2 ozs.
- Cylinder Material: Stainless Steel
- Barrel Material: Stainless Steel
- Frame Material: Stainless Steel
- MSRP: $749
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