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Old 04-06-2011, 06:18 PM
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DCWilson DCWilson is offline
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Location: Orange County, CA
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I have 364316, which shipped in October 1921. S&W didn't have a policy of shipping in serial number order, so your gun might have gone out several months earlier or later. My gun had an adventurous life, because in 1946 it went back to the factory for repair work. It emerged with a new four-inch barrel and a recessed cylinder, making it a virtual .22/32 Kit Gun, a configuration S&W didn't market as a separate model until 1936.

Until 1931 and the introduction of the K-22 Outdoorsman, the biggest .22 revolver S&W made was the .22/32 Heavy Frame Target (the model you have), originally called the .22/32 Bekeart. This model was introduced in 1911 partly at the urging of San Francisco gun store owner Phil Bekeart, who thought he could sell a lot of them. But note that in 1910 Colt had introduced a .22 target revolver, so S&W's .22/32 revolver was partly a counter-marketing move.

Yes, please let us see pics. I love .22 caliber I-frames.
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David Wilson

Last edited by DCWilson; 04-06-2011 at 10:18 PM. Reason: wrong word
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