Let's Discuss the Famous S&W K-22 Masterpiece

Hammer Down · 05-16-2009, 09:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWNut

I need some help on this . . . I purchased the longed-K22 recently. I believe it to be a Model 17. This baby is in beautiful shape. It has a six inch barrel. I can find no numbers inside of the yoke except for a faint part number. The serial on this one is K 311XXX. There are two screws holding the side plate on and a screw in front of the trigger guard. Also a pinned barrel. The blueing is super glossy (Almost like polished). What really mystifies me is that the trigger and hammer has this same finish. No, it isn't paint, it is the hard blue like the rest of the gun. I have never seen a finish on these parts before on a S&W. What does this denote?? The gun came without case or papers. I would appreciate some info. Thanks!

Hello SWNut
It sounds to me Like your K-22 has been refinished and that is why the Hammer & Trigger are blued. They Only came Color case Hardened in vibrant colors from the factory. It is a 1957 Model acording to my reference material it falls into this serial sequence.-K-288989--K--317822 It has Three side Plate screws as they dropped the upper side plate screw in or around 1955. It has one in front of the trigger Guard so your K-22 is called a Four screw Model. It would have come with a Matte Low Gloss Bluing finish from the factory as they did not return to High Gloss Bluing until In the Middle of the 1960 time span.In 1957 The Federal Government Mandated all Gun Manufacturers to Place model numbers on all Guns Produced so S&W chose the crane area for stamping their Model numbers and the One for the K-22 was a model 17. Yours Must be a very early 1957 Model if it is Not model stamped in the crane area. I hope this helps, Hammerdown

SWNut · 05-18-2009, 12:11 AM

Thank you, Hammer Down! So the colored hammer and trigger are sort of legitimate. Very good information. I got out a strong magnifying glass and looked inside of the crane (the part that swings out). Inside there are the numbers 22107 and in another place a letter H and then elsewhere inside the crane is the letter G. Most interesting. Thanks buddy.

Msixteen · 07-05-2009, 03:51 PM

Hammer Down,
I have a K-22 from my Grandfather.
It is the 6" model It has K 290276 on the bottom of the butt. Inside the crane on the cylinder side 80047. On the frame side of the crane it has 2 above the 80047
80047
The 7 is below the 80047
It is in great only wear is on the extractor rod.
Would like to know what year it was made and approx value?

Thanks
M16

Hammer Down · 07-05-2009, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Msixteen

Hammer Down,
I have a K-22 from my Grandfather.
It is the 6" model It has K 290276 on the bottom of the butt. Inside the crane on the cylinder side 80047. On the frame side of the crane it has 2 above the 80047
80047
The 7 is below the 80047
It is in great only wear is on the extractor rod.
Would like to know what year it was made and approx value?

Thanks
M16

Hello M16
According to the Reference material I have your serial number indicates your Grandfathers K-22 was made in 1957-K-288989--K--317822. A Value is Tough to estimate without seeing the shape of the gun, but any K-22 of that vintage should be worth at least $500.00 I would say. I hope this helps, Hammerdown

Msixteen · 07-05-2009, 05:09 PM

Thanks for the info Hammerdown.

Hammer Down · 07-06-2009, 06:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Msixteen

Thanks for the info Hammerdown.

Hello
Your Welcome. Post a Picture of it, and I can give you a more acurate account of what it is worth..Hammerdown

DJnpt · 09-05-2009, 12:19 AM

You are amazing! at your knowledge of these guns!!!!....I have Rugers and Colts (sorry!)but, my Dad passed away a few years ago and my Mom told me to to take this gun too! (he had a lot of guns.....mostly rifles and shotguns!)...we were a strong hunting family! I finally decided to scope this thing out and get it registered in my name......after googling it....I figured I should join this one and ask you.....SN# K 304XXX.....I'm assuming 1948 K-22 (6" barrel) still in showroom condition but, it has Hogue Monogrip grips and not the original!....I will never sell it because it was my Dads but, just wondering if I'm correct on the SN info?.....I can take and post pics if need be.............T

Hammer Down · 09-05-2009, 08:36 AM

Hello DJNPT
Your Fathers Revolver's serial number indicates it falls in here 1957-K-288989--K--317822. I assume it will soon become your favorite revolver as I have never seen one that was Not a tack Driver !! It should be what they call a Four Screw revolver. It should have {Three} side Plate screws and one in front of the trigger Guard making it a 4-screw. It may also have the Upper side Plate screw making 4-screws in the side plate and one in front of the trigger Guard making it a 5-Screw gun. I say this, as that time era was when they were changing over from 5 screw guns to 4 screw models and they used up existing frames on hand before switching over fully to the 4-screw configuration. It will also have the Heavier style barrel. S&W made a design change from the Narrow rib Barrels, to the wide rib barrels Post-War time frame, to make the K-22's weight the same as their counter part cousins The K-32 & K-38.

They also added a couple more ribs to the rear Part of the grip frame to bring up the total weight. The weight difference was changed as serious Target shooters during the World War II period complained that the K-22 was Lighter in nature than it's cousins and they wanted the three Master piece series revolver to weigh exactly the same so when they switched from .22 to .32 S&W Long or .38 Special caliber in the different series revolver's they would hold and feel Exactly the same. Your revolver will have the soft Glow Bluing as well. S&W switched from the Previous "Bright Blue" finish's they used Prior to World War II as a way to speed up production as the Hungry Gun buying Public wanted them quickly after the War where there was no civilian sales. This new Soft Glow Bluing allowed faster production as the final Polishing process could be skipped which Provided that rich Black style shinny Bluing on the Pre-War revolvers. This process was used as a standard finish But, {Bright Blue} could still be special ordered, Until around 1959 when they switched back to Bright Blue as a standard finish as they Noticed other Gun Manufacturers were catching up is sales due to shinny looking revolvers.

Your Gun May or May Not have a Target Hammer & Trigger. Standard triggers are .0265" in width and are serrated. The next trigger option was Semi-Target which was .0350" wide and came as Smooth Combat style. The full Target Trigger was .0500" wide and was smooth as well. The Hammer Options ran the same as The standard hammer was flat sided. The semi-Target Hammer was .320-.350" in width and the full Target Hammer would have been .0500" in width. Any combination of hammers Or Trigger's could have been ordered back then, so I have seen them with standard Triggers and Wide target hammers, or Wide Triggers and Standard Hammers. If the gun was ordered Full Target, it will Have the .0500" Full Target Hammer, .0500" Wide Target Trigger & Target Grip's which most call { Three-T's" }. For some Odd Reason, Most K-22's came with the smaller Magna Grips on them. The Magna grips got their Mane from {Magnum} as S&W felt their profile filled the hand more adding more wood material behind the trigger Guard and up high on the grip in the Horn area.

This style grip became available on The Very Rare Second series K-22's Produced for One Year being 1940, Just before all civilian sales were stopped for the war Effort. That revolver was named The First K-22 Masterpiece due to it's changes from the first series Outdoorsman series k-22 that consisted of, New larger style Micro-Click sights, shorter throw Target hammer, Trigger over travel stop and the new Magna style grips. This series is the most sought after by collectors as they made less than 1200 of them before they ceased production for the war. You front sight Blade can be one of two offered. The new offering after 1952 was the 1/10" Patridge front sight and the Previous standard height blade was 1/8". They still Offered the 1/8" as an Option after 1952 but most K-22 Post 1952 came with the shorter style 1/10" Blades.

S&W also offered some other style sight blades as The McGivern Gold Bead, The Mcall Gold Bead, and The Red Post Patridge that had a Red Plastic square bead that attracted Light mounted on the Patridge sight blade. They also used The King Gun sight Corp. for Optional front & Rear sight blades but these are seldom seen on Post-War K-22's and if they are seen the side of the sight blade will be stamped with The "King" Name.

If you are seeking the correct style grips for your revolver, they are out there used. Like I said, if you Like the smaller style grips, they will be called Magna Grip's and will have a Diamond shape right around the attachment screw hole. The Other style that I favor would be the larger style Factory target grips. These came in Walnut, Gancalo-Alves, & Rosewood and can be checkered or can be of the smooth Presentation style in any of the Mentioned wood. If they are checkerd, they will also have a Diamond around the attachmant screw as well. below is Bother style of grips I speak of to show you what to Look for out there, I hope this helps and welcome to the forum. Hammerdown

1958 Model 18 No dash with Factory Presentation Grade Checkerd targets

1947 Transitional K-22 with correct serial numbers Magna Grips on it

DJnpt · 09-05-2009, 11:03 AM

Thanks Hammer!!
Like I said....you are amazing!!
here's a couple of pics....

I will definitely be shooting this more than my .41 mag Ruger Blackhawk and Colt Python .357!!!!........these are getting pretty expensive to shoot!

Purdy · 09-05-2009, 05:48 PM

I once had a K-22 with the old "long action" I think it was a post war transition era gun. I foolishly sold it after getting a Colt Officer's Match made in the 30's. I couldn't pass the Colts up as they were a pair, one .22 and one 38 spl.

DJnpt · 09-06-2009, 11:13 AM

Hammer!......
I screwed up!......SN# 304xx.....not 304xxx

Hammer Down · 09-06-2009, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJnpt

Hammer!......
I screwed up!......SN# 304xx.....not 304xxx

Hello
That makes a difference. Yours falls into here..1948- K-18732--K-73121.. Hammerdown

DJnpt · 09-06-2009, 10:01 PM

That's what I thought!......per my original post!....sorry....

Thanks for all the help.......

DJnpt · 09-13-2009, 10:08 AM

Hey Hammer
Don't mean to bug you but, was talking to a buddy of mine and he has a k-22 he got from an Aunt about 30yrs. ago after she passed away. The number on the butt is just 6547XX...he says it has a gold bead on the front sight!...... I'm sure it's probably in the 30's...any info will be appreciated.
Thanks

Hammer Down · 09-13-2009, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJnpt

Hey Hammer
Don't mean to bug you but, was talking to a buddy of mine and he has a k-22 he got from an Aunt about 30yrs. ago after she passed away. The number on the butt is just 6547XX...he says it has a gold bead on the front sight!...... I'm sure it's probably in the 30's...any info will be appreciated.
Thanks

Hello
That serial number shows to be a first series K-22 Outdorsman made in 1931 and one of the first 500 of them built with a Call style Gold bead sight. They ceased the Gold bead sights after 500 were made and replaced the bead with a stainless one instead to cut production costs. I hope this helps, Hammerdown

DJnpt · 09-13-2009, 08:19 PM

That's kind of what I thought too! after reading the first part of your post but, wanted to get your take!....He says it is in GREAT shape and stunned when I told him what you confirmed!....he's about a hundred miles away but, I'll scope it out when I get over there for deer hunting.

Canuck Shooter · 10-09-2009, 01:53 PM

Hammerdown..First post as a newbie, and I'm sure you can be of great assistance. Just grabbed a Model 17 from a friend, everything seems to be original. S/N 41XXX on the following places( bottom of the grip frame, bottom of the barrel under the estractor, cylinder, and inside the right hand grip pannel). There does not appear to be any stamping on the yoke other than a production #. Overall it seems to be in fairly good shape, other than a minor little pitting on the cylinder. Could you please fill me in with any info you have as far as production date etc.
Thanks in Advance

Hammer Down · 10-09-2009, 09:51 PM

Hello Canuck Shooter
Great to see ya here. Your K-22 should be from 1960. It also should have a K-Prefix before the serial number. The serial number should be located on the Lower grip frame, Face of the cylinder,Back of the extractor, Up under the barrel cut out, and on the Right Rear Grip Panel. It should be model Marked in the crane area and may be a Model 17 or a 17-1 due to it's time span. It is considered a 4 screw revolver having Three in the side Plate, and one in front of the trigger Guard. It should be High Polished Blueing with a Patridge front sight being 1/10" High. It could have came with standard service style trigger and Hammer, or it may have been ordered with semi Target or full Target hammer or trigger as they came any way one wanted one, in any combination. I am Deperatly seeking a 1959 4 screw K-22 and have Yet to find one. Hammerdown

Canuck Shooter · 10-27-2009, 10:06 AM

Thanks for the feed back Hammerdown, took the grip panels off, and found 4 screws in the side plate not 3, haven't been able to locate model 17 markings anywhere, but the s/n is K-41
xxx. The hammer tang is checkered and the trigger has grooves in it, so I think it must have the target accessories. Since I've just acquired my first K-22 I'm becoming very confused with not only this model but also S&Ws serial numbering, as you've quoted in previous reponses that K-17XXX to K-71XXX fall in the 1948 era of manufacture. Please enlighten me with your expertise.

Hammer Down · 10-27-2009, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Canuck Shooter

Thanks for the feed back Hammerdown, took the grip panels off, and found 4 screws in the side plate not 3, haven't been able to locate model 17 markings anywhere, but the s/n is K-41
xxx. The hammer tang is checkered and the trigger has grooves in it, so I think it must have the target accessories. Since I've just acquired my first K-22 I'm becoming very confused with not only this model but also S&Ws serial numbering, as you've quoted in previous reponses that K-17XXX to K-71XXX fall in the 1948 era of manufacture. Please enlighten me with your expertise.

Hello
That Makes a Difference, and I made a mistake Looking up your serial number before. Your revolver left the factory in 1948 and the ones made prior to 1957 are NOT model Marked. The Guns serial number is how I determined when it left S&W. With a Serrated trigger that tells me it is the Standard service trigger, which is .0265" wide as Target Triggers did not come out Until 1950 Model Year. With Four side plate screws and one in front of the Trigger Guard it is called a Five screw revolver. These were made until 1955. Yours will have the Four Line address on the Lower right Front frame area, where Guns made prior to it will be stamped Made in U.S.A. Only In The same Location and are called Single Line Address Guns. . I hope this helps, Hammerdown

07-05-2009, 03:51 PM	#83
Msixteen Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Ohio Posts: 2	K-22 Hammer Down, I have a K-22 from my Grandfather. It is the 6" model It has K 290276 on the bottom of the butt. Inside the crane on the cylinder side 80047. On the frame side of the crane it has 2 above the 80047 80047 The 7 is below the 80047 It is in great only wear is on the extractor rod. Would like to know what year it was made and approx value? Thanks M16 Last edited by Msixteen; 07-05-2009 at 03:52 PM. Reason: add info

09-05-2009, 12:19 AM	#87
DJnpt Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 6	Hammer Down You are amazing! at your knowledge of these guns!!!!....I have Rugers and Colts (sorry!)but, my Dad passed away a few years ago and my Mom told me to to take this gun too! (he had a lot of guns.....mostly rifles and shotguns!)...we were a strong hunting family! I finally decided to scope this thing out and get it registered in my name......after googling it....I figured I should join this one and ask you.....SN# K 304XXX.....I'm assuming 1948 K-22 (6" barrel) still in showroom condition but, it has Hogue Monogrip grips and not the original!....I will never sell it because it was my Dads but, just wondering if I'm correct on the SN info?.....I can take and post pics if need be.............T

09-05-2009, 08:36 AM	#88
Hammer Down Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 343	Hello DJNPT Your Fathers Revolver's serial number indicates it falls in here 1957-K-288989--K--317822. I assume it will soon become your favorite revolver as I have never seen one that was Not a tack Driver !! It should be what they call a Four Screw revolver. It should have {Three} side Plate screws and one in front of the trigger Guard making it a 4-screw. It may also have the Upper side Plate screw making 4-screws in the side plate and one in front of the trigger Guard making it a 5-Screw gun. I say this, as that time era was when they were changing over from 5 screw guns to 4 screw models and they used up existing frames on hand before switching over fully to the 4-screw configuration. It will also have the Heavier style barrel. S&W made a design change from the Narrow rib Barrels, to the wide rib barrels Post-War time frame, to make the K-22's weight the same as their counter part cousins The K-32 & K-38. They also added a couple more ribs to the rear Part of the grip frame to bring up the total weight. The weight difference was changed as serious Target shooters during the World War II period complained that the K-22 was Lighter in nature than it's cousins and they wanted the three Master piece series revolver to weigh exactly the same so when they switched from .22 to .32 S&W Long or .38 Special caliber in the different series revolver's they would hold and feel Exactly the same. Your revolver will have the soft Glow Bluing as well. S&W switched from the Previous "Bright Blue" finish's they used Prior to World War II as a way to speed up production as the Hungry Gun buying Public wanted them quickly after the War where there was no civilian sales. This new Soft Glow Bluing allowed faster production as the final Polishing process could be skipped which Provided that rich Black style shinny Bluing on the Pre-War revolvers. This process was used as a standard finish But, {Bright Blue} could still be special ordered, Until around 1959 when they switched back to Bright Blue as a standard finish as they Noticed other Gun Manufacturers were catching up is sales due to shinny looking revolvers. Your Gun May or May Not have a Target Hammer & Trigger. Standard triggers are .0265" in width and are serrated. The next trigger option was Semi-Target which was .0350" wide and came as Smooth Combat style. The full Target Trigger was .0500" wide and was smooth as well. The Hammer Options ran the same as The standard hammer was flat sided. The semi-Target Hammer was .320-.350" in width and the full Target Hammer would have been .0500" in width. Any combination of hammers Or Trigger's could have been ordered back then, so I have seen them with standard Triggers and Wide target hammers, or Wide Triggers and Standard Hammers. If the gun was ordered Full Target, it will Have the .0500" Full Target Hammer, .0500" Wide Target Trigger & Target Grip's which most call { Three-T's" }. For some Odd Reason, Most K-22's came with the smaller Magna Grips on them. The Magna grips got their Mane from {Magnum} as S&W felt their profile filled the hand more adding more wood material behind the trigger Guard and up high on the grip in the Horn area. This style grip became available on The Very Rare Second series K-22's Produced for One Year being 1940, Just before all civilian sales were stopped for the war Effort. That revolver was named The First K-22 Masterpiece due to it's changes from the first series Outdoorsman series k-22 that consisted of, New larger style Micro-Click sights, shorter throw Target hammer, Trigger over travel stop and the new Magna style grips. This series is the most sought after by collectors as they made less than 1200 of them before they ceased production for the war. You front sight Blade can be one of two offered. The new offering after 1952 was the 1/10" Patridge front sight and the Previous standard height blade was 1/8". They still Offered the 1/8" as an Option after 1952 but most K-22 Post 1952 came with the shorter style 1/10" Blades. S&W also offered some other style sight blades as The McGivern Gold Bead, The Mcall Gold Bead, and The Red Post Patridge that had a Red Plastic square bead that attracted Light mounted on the Patridge sight blade. They also used The King Gun sight Corp. for Optional front & Rear sight blades but these are seldom seen on Post-War K-22's and if they are seen the side of the sight blade will be stamped with The "King" Name. If you are seeking the correct style grips for your revolver, they are out there used. Like I said, if you Like the smaller style grips, they will be called Magna Grip's and will have a Diamond shape right around the attachment screw hole. The Other style that I favor would be the larger style Factory target grips. These came in Walnut, Gancalo-Alves, & Rosewood and can be checkered or can be of the smooth Presentation style in any of the Mentioned wood. If they are checkerd, they will also have a Diamond around the attachmant screw as well. below is Bother style of grips I speak of to show you what to Look for out there, I hope this helps and welcome to the forum. Hammerdown 1958 Model 18 No dash with Factory Presentation Grade Checkerd targets 1947 Transitional K-22 with correct serial numbers Magna Grips on it __________________ Yeah though I Walk Through The Valley of Death, I shall fear no evil as I carry with me my S&W

09-13-2009, 10:08 AM	#94
DJnpt Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 6	Hey Hammer Don't mean to bug you but, was talking to a buddy of mine and he has a k-22 he got from an Aunt about 30yrs. ago after she passed away. The number on the butt is just 6547XX...he says it has a gold bead on the front sight!...... I'm sure it's probably in the 30's...any info will be appreciated. Thanks Last edited by DJnpt; 09-13-2009 at 10:12 AM.

10-09-2009, 09:51 PM	#98
Hammer Down Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 343	Hello Canuck Shooter Great to see ya here. Your K-22 should be from 1960. It also should have a K-Prefix before the serial number. The serial number should be located on the Lower grip frame, Face of the cylinder,Back of the extractor, Up under the barrel cut out, and on the Right Rear Grip Panel. It should be model Marked in the crane area and may be a Model 17 or a 17-1 due to it's time span. It is considered a 4 screw revolver having Three in the side Plate, and one in front of the trigger Guard. It should be High Polished Blueing with a Patridge front sight being 1/10" High. It could have came with standard service style trigger and Hammer, or it may have been ordered with semi Target or full Target hammer or trigger as they came any way one wanted one, in any combination. I am Deperatly seeking a 1959 4 screw K-22 and have Yet to find one. Hammerdown __________________ Yeah though I Walk Through The Valley of Death, I shall fear no evil as I carry with me my S&W

05-18-2009, 12:11 AM	#82
SWNut Registered User Join Date: May 2009 Posts: 3	Thank you, Hammer Down! So the colored hammer and trigger are sort of legitimate. Very good information. I got out a strong magnifying glass and looked inside of the crane (the part that swings out). Inside there are the numbers 22107 and in another place a letter H and then elsewhere inside the crane is the letter G. Most interesting. Thanks buddy.

07-05-2009, 05:09 PM	#85
Msixteen Registered User Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Ohio Posts: 2	Thanks for the info Hammerdown.

09-05-2009, 11:03 AM	#89
DJnpt Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 6	Thanks Hammer!! Like I said....you are amazing!! here's a couple of pics.... I will definitely be shooting this more than my .41 mag Ruger Blackhawk and Colt Python .357!!!!........these are getting pretty expensive to shoot!

09-05-2009, 05:48 PM	#90
Purdy Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Montana Posts: 428	I once had a K-22 with the old "long action" I think it was a post war transition era gun. I foolishly sold it after getting a Colt Officer's Match made in the 30's. I couldn't pass the Colts up as they were a pair, one .22 and one 38 spl.

09-06-2009, 11:13 AM	#91
DJnpt Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 6	Hammer!...... I screwed up!......SN# 304xx.....not 304xxx

09-06-2009, 10:01 PM	#93
DJnpt Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 6	That's what I thought!......per my original post!....sorry.... Thanks for all the help.......

09-13-2009, 08:19 PM	#96
DJnpt Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 6	That's kind of what I thought too! after reading the first part of your post but, wanted to get your take!....He says it is in GREAT shape and stunned when I told him what you confirmed!....he's about a hundred miles away but, I'll scope it out when I get over there for deer hunting.

10-09-2009, 01:53 PM	#97
Canuck Shooter Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 5	Hammerdown..First post as a newbie, and I'm sure you can be of great assistance. Just grabbed a Model 17 from a friend, everything seems to be original. S/N 41XXX on the following places( bottom of the grip frame, bottom of the barrel under the estractor, cylinder, and inside the right hand grip pannel). There does not appear to be any stamping on the yoke other than a production #. Overall it seems to be in fairly good shape, other than a minor little pitting on the cylinder. Could you please fill me in with any info you have as far as production date etc. Thanks in Advance

10-27-2009, 10:06 AM	#99
Canuck Shooter Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Posts: 5	Thanks for the feed back Hammerdown, took the grip panels off, and found 4 screws in the side plate not 3, haven't been able to locate model 17 markings anywhere, but the s/n is K-41 xxx. The hammer tang is checkered and the trigger has grooves in it, so I think it must have the target accessories. Since I've just acquired my first K-22 I'm becoming very confused with not only this model but also S&Ws serial numbering, as you've quoted in previous reponses that K-17XXX to K-71XXX fall in the 1948 era of manufacture. Please enlighten me with your expertise.