Hi
I picked this up at a show in billings montana today.
Its is a K-22 serial number K-44XXX 1948 gun.
all matching with numbered grips about 95%.
It has a McGriven gold bead front sight, does anybody have
one of these with this sight. It looks all orginal, it has the wider
hammer that most of the early guns, but it doesn't look like it has
been changed, the screws are all good untouched.
Jim Fisher

Attached Images

IMG_3924.jpg (55.6 KB, 111 views)

I haven't seen a gold bead sight like that on a K-22, but I wish I had! I wonder if the factory did that as a special request or if the owner swapped it out after he had the gun.

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David Wilson

Jim, I had this gun for awhile. The serial number was K 229800. I never had it lettered, but it shipped in June 1955.

Chad Gripp

[IMG]

HI
Here is a close up of the front sight if is more round that the one on chads gun.
the pins look original and have not been removed.
jim

I'm like David. Wish I had one like it. I've never seen one myself.
f.t.

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South Carolina-God's country

Nice catch Jim. Surely an unusual sight combo. Is the rear a U notch? It would go well with the front sight. Larry

Jim:

I've seen a lot of K-22's, but I have never seen one with a McGivern FS. I'd have to shoot that one with sunglasses on it's soooo cool...

BTW, it also looks original to me. Thanks for the great photos.

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

Nice looking firearm! I've read lots of peopls saying that that
gold bead works really well. Maybe it's time I tried one. TACC1

Hello Jim
I have Two extra McGivern Gold Bead sight blades on hand that appear to be just like Chad's shown. It must be the earlier style{Narrow Rib base sight Blades} used had more dome to it Gold Bead like your's has...Here is some close up's of the later made S&W Factory optional McGivern Gold bead sight blade's as the Gold Bead on these appear's to be more recessed into the sight base. Hammerdown

Hammerdown, I think front sights you have pictured are referred to as a "Call Gold Bead". I think the McGivern gold bead sights more or less have a gold bead as the name suggest and the Call sights are more of a recessed gold dot, although they refer to it as a bead. Just my two cents though.It would be interesting to know if Jim's sight and mine each have a different name attached or if the name is the same and there were some subtle modifications made over the years.

Chad Gripp

Correct, those are Call beads.




I don't think there is a different name.
Somebody just gets to add an adjective-
"My bead's bigger than your bead"
"I have the biggest bead in the SWCA"

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

Hello Chad
From what I am seeing here, Jim, You self and I all Have the McGivern Gold bead sights. The Call Bead sight was flat faced with no dome to it, I have one of them on my 1936 K-22 and it's face is Dead flat no dome shape to it. If you look close at the Three McGivern Examples shown here, they are recessed into the sight base differing in their over all height. Mine being the Most Deepest recessed into It's sight base compared to your's which stick's out a little more or Jim's that seems to protrude much more but all Three are domed in appearence, and I feel they are all from different time frames as well, just different placement depth Techinic's of the gold bead were used on them, pehaps using Far less Gold in their sights...

Love the gold beads,

Have a question regarding the hole at the top of the site blades in the picture above,
Wondering what is its purpose (Imagine its a set pin or screw?)
and if the other gold bead K22's in this thread also have this hole ?

After checking the SS bead sites on two pre war OD's neither have this hole.

My k22 shipped in Sept of 1948 does not have the hole.
Jim Fisher

Mine did not have the hole either.

Chad Gripp

Hello Chad
I wonder if your Gold bead was an SDM sight ? He makes all the current Gold Bead sight blade's for S&W, and has for the past Ten years or so but his do not have the ribbed base like minem Only the upper portion of the sight blade come on his... If you scroll all the way down on the link I have provided to Scott's site you will see his Gold bead sights. Regards, Hammerdown



Gold Bead and Tactical Target

I think the hole on top came later. Perhaps a different supplier if they were made out-of-house, perhaps just using a simpler way to pin the bead.

Hammer, your beads may not be perfectly flat on the face, but the factory still considered them Call beads. By definition, a McGivern was a hemisphere that could gather light from any angle. A bead that is flush or below flush cannot do that from 90 degrees.

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

I have a 1970 k22 that i purchased from Jesse E.Harpe(tampa,fla-s&w jobber). Jim Fish at the S&W svc. center in tampa in 1976 installed the factory partridge with McGiv.gold bead. The dovetail was not drilled and was drilled after being installed.Fish did this with my k-38 also. The beads were gold and did not tarnish. I have two 27's that were a gift special ordered from smith 3 1/2 and 5 with factory installed Call gold bead,these also gold. Different story when I sent my model 25 4in .45 colt back in 1980 to smith for a Mcgivern install--it is brass.