Hello,
I am brand new to this forum and this is my first post so please forgive any ignorance on my part. I have in my possession a K-22 with some interesting features. It has a fish hook short action hammer and is single action (pulling the trigger will advance the cylinder but not function the hammer). The serial number is 6610xx. Thank you so much for your help.001 (3).jpg

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003 (3).jpg

never seen one like that, cool looking hammer. as a
side note, the grips are not correct.

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George Jamison

Welcome to the forum. With that serial number, your K-22 Outdoorsman was probably shipped from the factory in 1937, possibly 1938.

The hammer has been reconfigured by someone who knew what he was doing. The spur was cut from the standard factory hammer, and a differently shaped wider spur was added. That would be an excellent hammer to use for single-action target competition.

If the double action feature does not work, it indicates to me that the double action sear was removed from the hammer at the time the hammer was modified. It is possible that you could restore the double action function by simply installing a new double action sear (you would need a pin, spring and sear for the complete installation, and you might have to have a gunsmith fit the sear precisely). If the hammer has been further modified on the part we cannot see, you might need to install a completely new hammer assembly to get both single-action and double-action functionality. You would need a 1930s era hammer; after the war the K-22 hammers have a different profile.

The wooden stocks on your gun are from many years after the gun was manufactured. The stocks we see now cannot have been made earlier than1968 based on the absence of a relieved diamond around the screw escutcheon.

Very interesting gun. Do you shoot it? How is its accuracy?

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David Wilson

I have a K-22 Outdoorsman which shipped in December, 1938 according to my S&W letter. The letter simply says that it has "checkered" stocks. The gun has pre-war magna stocks on it. Did the late first model K-22 Outdoorsman come with magnas? Or did all of them have the early non-magna stocks?

inyomono

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inyomono

I don't know that magnas were ever standard on the late production K-22 ODs, but I know that they were available. Are yours numbered to the frame? I suspect some K-22 ODs that shipped with service stocks were later upgraded with separately purchased magnas because of the design association with the high-end N-frames that were coming out with the new stock design.

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David Wilson

My magna grips are not numbered at all. However, they are pre-WWII
grips. According to the S&W letter, the gun was shipped to a police department in Virginia in 1938. My assumption is that it was to be used for training, and maybe the grips were special ordered--but all the letter says is "checkered." (The gun must not have been used much for training because is is 98%+.

inyomono

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inyomono

Another one, this shipped in 1937 and is wearing Pre-War magnas, S/N 6638XX, haven't sent for the letter but you guys make me think I should now!

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Sam
S&WHF 333 S&WCA 2198

First: I owe an apology to Rsderobertis for hi-jacking his thread. Sorry.
I didn't start out with this intention.

Second: smitholdtimer, my S&W letter simply says that my gun left the factory with "checkered" grips. So I am not sure what a S&W letter will show you, but it could be more descriptive.

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inyomono

Hello inyomono
I have a September of 1936 Outdoorsman K-22 that is wearing it's correct checked stocks as they were called and they are also called service stocks. Mine has not bene lettered but I know they are right on it a sthey have the guns serial number stamped into the rear of the right stock panel. Here is how the service stocks of that time span would have looked, I hope this helps you and the O.P. Regards, Hammerdown

I do not blame you a bit for showing off that beauty Hammerdown, very nice package, Sir! inyomono, no numbers on mine either. Could they be Original when shipped? Have heard from the experts to never say "Never".

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Sam
S&WHF 333 S&WCA 2198

Hello Sam
Thank's for the Kind words. I too have seen Non- serial-Numbered Stocks on other S&W revolver's that had not been back to the factory after they shipped out new as you say "Never say Never, with Anything S&W"...

The S&W letter for my gun shows that it was shipped to the Fredericksburg Police Department, Fredericksburg, Virginia. The gun is
98%+, and has clearly not been reworked/reblued. My guess is that the gun was ordered for target practice and had the magna stocks as a special order. The stockes fit perfectly. However, as I mentioned, the letter says only that it left the factory with "checkered" stocks. This would explain the stocks and the lack of S/N on them. But this is a guess.

inyomono

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inyomono

Hello inyomono
I have heard in the Past that several Police departments ordered Outdoorsman and Later Post-War K-22's to train new officers to load and handle a revolver. The reason for this was simple... Low recoil, Low report and very rewarding accuracy results came from all K-22s. Once the department range officer saw the new shooter's confidence rise, and felt that they were safe in Handling the revolver they switched them over to their duty weapons that were mostly fixed sighted M&P's in .38 Special caliber and most of those duty revolver's had 4" or 5" Barrels. The M&P's weighed about the same as the K-22's did and were of the same frame size as the K-22s were. In the past I have also seen other Factory History letter's that call a Guns stocks Checked Walnut stock's and in most cases this also means Service stock's like shown on my K-22 Outdoosman in my previous response. I would say if your gun left the factory with the Magna's stocks on it, the factory Letter would have said Magna checked stocks.. Just my Nickles worth here, as this information is from Many other S&W collectors that have shared it with me in the past take it for what it's worth... Hammerdown