I picked up the two newest additions yesterday. The first is my Outdoorsman shooter, and you can see why it is a shooter. The spot on the left side of the barrel is hard to look at and there are a few spots to clean up, then of course there are those hideous grips that someone ruined. Underneath though the gun is excellent. The bore is perfect, the action is tight as a bank vault. I'm hoping it shoots very well. This gun if it shoots well, might be my first candidate for a refinish since everything is external. I am debating if I want the factory to do it, or someone like Bowen Arms.
The second is the K22 that serial numbers to before 1950. It has a little more holster wear than I thought, but the action is perfect and the bore is mint. The grips number to the gun, and I like the old Mershon grip adapter. (It's clean under that too). The case coloring on the hammer is the nicest I can recall seeing on a factory gun.

__________________
Vaya con Dios

Definately not a pair of safe queens. Actually , they look great. Guns were meant to be used.
(How's the bore & chambers?)

I wouldn't send them to the beauty shop. I'd take some Kroil or Hoppe's #9 , some 4-0 steel wool and shoot the heck out of them.

Nice solid shooters,

I really am starting to like those very early post war K22 Target Masterpieces.

If you cover the Patridge front site and focus on the tapered shoulder frame and the tall narrow rib barrel its more like a long barrel version of the
K22 "Combat" Masterpiece (Model 18) than the later M17.

David;

They both look like nice shooters. In my conversations with the Performance Shop (refinishing is done there), they will not refinish pre-model stamped guns due to the lack of parts availability. I can understand wanting them to look factory new, or leaving them alone.

__________________
Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Very nice pair. There's just something about finding a shooter that is mechanically prefect but cosmetically challenged, clean 'em up and go shoot 'em with no worries about scratches, dings, etc. Personally, I get just as excited about those as I do the LNIB variety, maybe even more.

Someone else loved them long ago as it was meant to be. Go out and shoot them and you will most likely then not want to refinish them. I think there perfect the way they are. You can enjoy them and not worry about harming them by use. Just my thoughts on a wonderful pair. Kyle