brand new member here so be patient........
i'm not much of a handgun guy....

i have an opportunity to purchase what i believe is a K22....
it has a 6" pinned barrel...5 screw frame...adj rear sight...
port side of barrel reads "SMITH & WESSON"....starboard side reads ~22 LONG RIFLE CTG~......
butt is stamped K 180xxx....also cylinder and barrel flat has 180xxx....
the crane/frame area has an "H" stamped with "64xxx" underneath the H and a "5" under the 64xxx...(that's confuses me)
originally i thought it was 90% but now i'm told it's around 75%...what i would like is a 75%,90% and 100% value so as to give a fair price for it....the owner believes he still has the gold & blue box with metal-edge reinforcements and the small screwdriver....so,how much value would box&screwdriver add?
and rough date of manuf?
owner believes he purchased it new around 1949-1950 from a small grocery/hardware store in espanola,nm....(not necessary info but adds to the gun's life story)....
if this is the wrong forum for this type of ques,please move it to appropriate forum....
thanx for the priviledge of posting and joining and sorry this was so long....TIA

Excellent description.

Yes, you have a K-22 from about 53(likely).




The data inside the yoke of the older guns is mostly useless.

Welcome aboard.

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

Welcome to the Forum.

This revolver was shipped from the factory around 1952. Yes, the model is the K-22.

IMHO, value would be in the range of $300-$750, for the range of 75%-100%.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Never mind.

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VIVERE MILITARE EST

Hi, and welcome! You're in the right section. This is a K-22 Masterpiece, 1953 production. The K 180xxx is the serial number, the other numbers are factory assembly codes that have no significance except you know the yoke and frame were originally put together in this gun.

You'll get lots of opinions as to value. The box and "sight adjustment tool" add value more for a 100% than a 75% gun, which would be more a using/shooter gun than a collector's item. I'd guess about $400-450 if 75%, up to $500 or a little more if 90%, maybe $600 + if NIB? Interested to see what others think. Hope this is helpful.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Welcome to the forum. You are in the right place.

Your gun was probably shipped about 1952 or 1953. It is called a K-22 Masterpiece. S&W 22s in this line are some of the best-regarded .22 revolvers ever made by S&W or anybody else.

The percentage rating usually applies to the finish and reports the amount of the original finish remaining in good condition. This is potentially a subjective call, but in general the newer the gun looks, the better the finish condition. If you see bare metal, or pits, or rust, that's going to hold the value down.

The gun's mechanics are a separate question, Is the action tight? Is there minimal cylinder play when the gun is in full lock-up (that is, hammer down and trigger pulled all the way back)? Can the hammer be pushed out of single-action position by thumb pressure on the back of the hammer? Is the ejector rod at all bent?

K-22s in good shape are usually $500-600 guns depending on where you live in the country. Having the box and the original screwdriver makes a nice package that is worth a little more -- those 50s-era screwdrivers can sell for over $100 apiece these days. The box, if it has the gun's serial number written on the base, can also be worth some bucks.

Without handling the gun or at least seeing some good pictures, I would be hesitant to tell you what you ought to be paying. But just to get the conversation started, I would say that a functioning gun with significant loss of blue, accompanied by original box and screwdriver, might be a $550-600 set.

Others here will undoubtedly disagree in following posts.

EDITED TO ADD: Or even in preceding posts. I see a bunch of people chimed in with good information while I was composing my message.

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David Wilson

"...the owner believes he still has the gold & blue box with metal-edge reinforcements and the small screwdriver....so,how much value would box&screwdriver..."

Why don't this ever happen to me!?!

GF

gentlemen.....to all who responded..... a big thank you!
there is a ton of very interesting stuff to read here.....this will cut into my book read'n time...i ain't a hand gun guy but i love history....

Chapped Lips (interesting name, BTW) - So, you gonna buy it? What's the asking price? I paid $325 for the one below about 18 months ago. It is K159900 and shipped 12/28/52. The one you are looking at should be very similar, no?

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No life story has happy end.

I recently paid $350 for this one.

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ASA/NSA 67-71
NRA Benefactor