Developed jointly by Remington and Smith & Wesson, it was to be used in the Model 53 revolver, which first appeared late in 1961.

[3] While it traced its origins to potent wildcats such as the .224 Harvey Kay-Chuk,[4] which ultimately derive from the .22 Hornet,[4] it was a bottlenecked cartridge based upon the .357 Magnum case necked down to a .22 caliber bullet, with an unusually long tapered shoulder.

By 1972, the Model 53 remained the only revolver chambered for it,[3] while Marlin in 1972 was planning a lever rifle in .22 Jet.

[3] The .22 Jet was also a factory chambering for the Thompson/Center Contender and the design allowed for it to reach its full potential, having no cylinder gap and no case setback.

[3] The 2460 ft/s (750 m/s) and 535 ft-lbf (725 J) claimed for factory test loads did not prove out in service weapons.