Hello, first post here and I hope I have posted this in the correct section. This pistol has been in my family since I can remember. Im pretty sure its older than me. I 50 by the way. It does not have a model number on it like most I have seen. This in fact is the first pistol I ever shot in my life. I will try to attach some pics of it and hopefully some of you guys can tell me what it is. The serial number is 127791 and cant be read due to my poor camera work. Thank you and I have been wondering about this for years.

Oh and the numbers on the cylinder match what is on the butt plate.

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1951 K22, or a "pre Model 17"; the grips are not the originals, looks like the front sight may be modified too. Still, it's a K22, one of the very best .22LR handguns ever made, likely tack-driving accuracy as is. Nice enough shooter grade gun you have there.

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Geoff. Since 1960.

It is a pre-17 (or K-22) - meaning it is what became the M-17 but was made before S-W gave model numbers (about 1956). The serial number includes the letter "K" that preceeds the numerals. Based in the serial number, it was made about 1951.

Yours looks to be in good condition and it should be a great shooter. They are fun to shoot and 22 ammo is cheap.

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6/23/2022

Thank you so much Geoff for the information. We may well have the original grips around here somewhere I dont know but Im going to take a look for them. I have not shot it in a long time but going to soon. I dont believe in safe queens and like to shoot everything I have as much as I feel like. The gun has a lot of blueing worn off but it still feels fairly tight to me. Dad got this thing used through a trade or something way back in the 50's I think.

The original grips would look pretty much like the ones that are on the gun, except there would be an uncheckered diamond area around the screw holes.

Welcome to the forum. PMRet gave you good info. The right grip should also be serial numbered to the gun on the inside.

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John. SWCA #1586

Thank you for all the information guys its much appreciated and very interesting. I do have a question for you all though. Does it hurt the resale value of an old pistol like this if you have it re blued? Mechanically, the best I can tell, its in very good condition.

I have never been into revolvers but this has sparked my interest. I have a Ruger MK II pistol that I dearly love and have always felt it was a really good accurate 22 pistol. I wonder how this K22 will stack up? Im an old trap shooter and as expensive as everything has gotten a 22 is about all I can afford to shoot anymore! I guess I keep coming back to my first love for more reasons than one.

Most members of this forum will tell you that refinishing a gun is rarely justified. One of the common slogans here defines rebluing as a process in which you spend a couple of hundred dollars to end up with something that is worth half of what it was before you worked on it.

Collectors greatly value original finish on a gun and grade them by the amount of original finish left. A refinished gun has none of its original finish left.

Basically, any gun wears its history on its surface. At my age I deserve my scars and wrinkles, and guns do too. I would leave it alone and just do everything I could to keep it from losing any ground while in my hands.

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David Wilson

"I do have a question for you all though. Does it hurt the resale value of an old pistol like this if you have it re blued? Mechanically, the best I can tell, its in very good condition."

Why would you even consider selling "This in fact is the first pistol I ever shot in my life."????????

If you are thinking about the value of this gun after you are gone, let somebody ELSE worry about. Use the cost of the reblue, which BTW devalues the gun in the long run, to buy ammo.

I have a K22 from late 1947. It is in about the same condition, finishwise, as yours. It shoots just fine and I have no desire to reblue.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I was mearly curious how the market would look at something like this. I would not sell it at any price so I am free to do what I want anyway. I re blued an old Remington 510 rifle and Im glad I did.

By the way, I found the old grips with the serial number in the handle. Its like finding another prize. They are not in quite as good of shape as whats on it but we have them anyway. I cant wait to get it out and shoot it. Its like being a kid all over again.

Odd looking hammer spur , wouldn't ya say?

I wouldn't, because its a common "fish hook" hammer spur which is found on S&W K frame target revolvers of the period.

I have a 1948 K-22 and a M-41 with two barrels. I am sure from a ransom rest I think the M-41 would shoot better but the K-22 shoots as well in my hands and to me is more fun to shoot. Love those oldies but goodies.

That is the very 1st wide spur target hammer provided by S&W and only for the K frame targets post war up to the mid '50s. A similar shape w/o the wide spur was standard on the non-target K frames in the same period.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

I have the M18 which dates to 1967. It is basically the same as yours except for the 4" barrel. I don't worry about the loss of blueing or wear. It is a tack driver and fun to shoot. Keep it as is and enjoy it.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)