About a month ago, I spotted this rather homely K-22 Outdoorsman on one of the auction sites. The starting price was low, it had some high shoulder post-war magnas in very good shape, a one screw rear sight, gold bead front sight AND what looked to be a factory lanyard drilled through the serial number on the butt of the gun. I had a set of correct prewar service stocks in my wood pile and every time I looked at it, it looked so lonely. I could not help myself - I bit on bidding, was the only bidder who saw some potential and it now lives in an environment where it is loved and appreciated.

It has a significant amount of honest wear, no abuse, and it is mechanically sound. It is a 1st year O/D and it shipped in April 1931. Here she is - ALL Cleaned Up and dressed in her Sunday-go-to-meeting duds:















This is the ONLY K-22 Outdoorsman that I recall seeing with a lanyard attached. I have reason to believe that it came from the factory with the lanyard, but I will be sending off a letter request to confirm. One of the other members of the forum has a lettered Target M&P K-38 that is within a few hundred serial numbers of this gun that is confirmed to have shipped in the exact same configuration as this K-22. With the exception of the caliber and front sight they could be twins... In comparing this gun to the photos of his gun, the SN stamped on the inside of the grip frame uses the same stamps and is almost identical, as is the apparent addition of the lanyard retention pin AFTER the gun was blued.

DOES ANYONE ELSE OUT THERE HAVE A PRE-WAR K-22 (or K-38 Target or K-32 Target for that matter) WITH A FACTORY CONFIRMED LANYARD INSTALLED?

UPDATE - letter received - see post 21

Thanks for your help and for letting me share.

__________________
Richard
Engraved S&W fan

Beauty. I would love to shoot that one.

Richard,

Make no mistake, you have a unique pre war Smith and a great find.

I have no doubt it's a factory lanyard ring installation. The method and the re-stamping of the s/n is precisely correct for the known factory procedure of adding a lanyard ring to a completed new gun in inventory or sent back for one.

I do not own one but have seen a K22 O w/ring, also a few other models w/ring added by the factory when new and confirmed by letter.

__________________
Jim
S&WCA #819

Rich

I got a great pair of pliers you can borrow if you want remove that pesky ring! Then all you gotta do is have a gunsmith fill the hole.

In all seriousness, that is a really unique feature for such a gun as a 22 target revolver. Putting 2+2 together, the presence of the ring could explain the wear present on the gun, in that it was holstered, or used for some type of duty or service, rather than just target practice. It may have served an unusual purpose for its original owner. I mean certainly, ordering a K-22 of any vintage with a factory lanyard is unusual, as we all know.

Hopefully the letter reveals an interesting shipping destination!

__________________
}-----Jim----->
~SWCA #2732~

Jim:

Thanks for your thoughts and insights. Wouldn't you think that if the gun went back (after it had been shipped) to get a lanyard installed that it would have been marked with a "diamond" or a "*" or a date? That is the reason that I am hopeful that it was shipped from the factory with the lanyard and that the letter will give a bit of color into the life that the gun has lived...

I was hopeful that some of other examples of K-framed target guns with lanyards would pop up as a result of this thread.

Thanks,

__________________
Richard
Engraved S&W fan

This one has a lanyard ring mounted exactly in the same fashion as a Victory Model. It did not interfere with the serial number as it is an early K-22 Masterpiece with a 4 digit number. It did not however letter with the lanyard ring. The original owner's name is known to me and he was apparently a Cavalry man in the 1st World War. Other guns that came out of his estate are also known to have had rings installed.

Here is the M&P Target referred to above . . . a near twin to this Outdoorsman.







And it did ship with the butt swivel . . . and to a rather interesting destination



Good luck on your research,

Russ

Richard,
Yes, I agree it would have a date stamp if it had gone back for installation. I didn't mean to imply yours had gone back, just meant that those that had gone back would look the same as yours. W/o a date I still believe yours originally came with it.

__________________
Jim
S&WCA #819

Mine is neither a pre-war or a target frame, buit a 4 screw 10 no dash. I am currently waiting for my letter to confirm or deny a factory "butt swivel". I do appreciate seeing the beautiful guns in this thread, and the lessons learned.

Walter:

If I am remembering correctly, there is a bit of a story of the stamp on the side plate - crossed sabers or something that was a family crest or symbol?

Thanks for your thoughts and photo of that beautiful early K-22 Masterpiece...

__________________
Richard
Engraved S&W fan

Correct, the cartouche stamped above the trigger is a set of crossed keys. It was some kind of family crest and other guns that came from the owner's estate were similarly marked. There is a Colt Match Target Woodsman in Charles Pate's US Handguns of WWII Secondary Pistols and Revolvers book from Bob Rayburn's collection that bears the mark and Mr. Pate speculated that it was the mark of a Naval Storekeeper. I communicated my findings to him. There is also a Registered Magnum listed in Tim Mullin's Magnum book that has the same mark. The original owner was a founding member of the US Benchrest Association and a retired military officer.

Was his name Dinant? The Naval Storekeeper story originated with Bob Rayburn who owned the pistol in Pate's book. It has been proven false. Dinant owned a lot of guns and stamped them all with that crossed keys symbol. IIRC it is a Mason symbol.

Regards,
Kevin Williams

__________________
Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

Yes, Paul Dinant was the gentleman who stamped the crossed keys cartouches on his guns. The Masonic connection may be correct for the symbol, or perhaps it was from an old family Coat of Arms.
Sorry for the thread hijack Mr. Mesa

No reason to be sorry. "Thread drift" is one of the great things that I love about this forum! I like to think of it like a bunch of friends sitting around a campfire, I threw out the 1st story with my original posting. Where the conversation drifts after that is anyone's guess and that is what makes it fun. It is also very educational as I often learn more from the "drift" than I do from the more "direct" responses. As a matter of fact...in this case, I think that I started the drift by wanting you to refresh my memory as to what the "stamp" on the side plate represented.

Thanks for sharing and "drifting" in this thread

__________________
Richard
Engraved S&W fan

Sorry to come late to the party, but I have moved and my toys were unavailable for a while. I have never before seen a .22 Outdoorsman with a lanyard, but here is my .38 Spl M&P target.

Bob

What's homely about that revolver? I hope to look as good when I am that age.

Bob:

Very cool gun and an interesting story regarding the other early 38 M&P Targets shipped with the lanyards. It looks as if your lanyard was placed in the rear of the grip frame so that it would not pierce the SN. When you take the grips off, does yours look like the lanyard retaining pin was inserted AFTER it was blued (as it appears on both Russ' 38 and my 22)? Also, I would expect that NO re-stamping of the serial number took place under the stocks, as the lanyard installation did NOT impact the SN stamped on the bottom of the frame. Is this correct?

Thanks for sharing,

__________________
Richard
Engraved S&W fan

Richard

That...is a great gun!

__________________
Pace

Richard,

It appears that a positioning line was scribed and the hole drilled after the frame was blued.

Bob

I'm glad it 'lettered'. Don't see many factory installations done that way.

__________________
Jim
S&WCA #819

Updated for letter:



Please note that the K22 shipped on 4/15/1931 with a "burr swivel". I think that "burr" was a typo and should have been "butt swivel" (you know the "r" being right next to the "t") consistent with Russ' and Bob's letters above. Anyway, I will interpret the letter as saying that the lanyard swivel was there when it left the factory. [EDITED: SEE CORRECTED LETTER IN POST 30 BELOW]

This is the only Outdoorsman that I am aware of that shipped with the lanyard swivel ... As always, I would love to learn of others.

All the best,

__________________
Richard
Engraved S&W fan

Richard,

Very nice to have it letter!

__________________
Mitch
SWCA 2597

Cool!!

Call Roy and he'll be happy to correct the spelling free of charge.

__________________
Jim
S&WCA #819

Richard,
Congrats on a nice and "unique" K22 OD.
Took some real knowledge and intuition to
pick that one up. Glad it has found a proper
home. I continue to enjoy your posts and
great finds.

Chuck

__________________
They hold no Quarter

Glad you found it and appreciate it. It really is a fine looking revolver.

Great gun sir.

__________________
Pace

You'll have to up-date us if the Historical foundation has anything to add. Cool shooter, Larry

Richard,
Is that it's original box that it is resting on?

__________________
Miss My Buddy crsides!!

It is "an original box", but it is not numbered to the gun.

__________________
Richard
Engraved S&W fan

Corrected Letter

__________________
Richard
Engraved S&W fan

Some of the Walford clan with Joseph Lorch.

__________________
Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

Richard,
COOL K-22!


This is interesting! I have never seen another HE with the swivel FACTORY installed anywhere but 1/10" forward of the center of the butt.
I've seen numerous guns with Factory installed swivels that were drilled through the serial number and renumbered under the left grip. I would have bet money that this swivel was post Factory.

__________________
Regards,
Lee Jarrett

I came across a Colt Police Positive .38 S&W with a factory swivel years ago in a pawn shop. Not a Police Positive fan, I like ‘em bigger, OP square butts or a NS, but it had a swivel! Had to have it.