New to the forum and to firearms in general. Please excuse any mistakes I may make in terminology.

Today I purchased what was described as a 1955 S&W Model 17 K22 6" 5 screw. When I got home I did some further research, in particular in this forum. Y'all seem to really know your stuff.

I think this piece was misrepresented, though not intentionally, and that I may have as a result paid more than the guns value.

I believe it is in fact a 4 screw, pinned and recessed. The serial number is K396610 as shown on the butt and the yoke. Model 17 is stamped on the yoke with no dash after. Hopefully I have posted the photos correctly.

Can someone tell me if I have identified this piece correctly and possibly provide the date and value?

Thanks kindly.

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	Lt Side.jpg (93.0 KB, 160 views)
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Welcome! You have the ID correct, either a K-22 Masterpiece or more commonly called a model 17. The serial number puts it in 1960 and it is a 4-screw (no upper sideplate screw). The boxes for these were printed with a 1955 date on the lid so that may have been the origin of this.

It appears nice and a $650 price or so would be about right in the current market. Enjoy!

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I wouldn't feel bad about paying $750 for it.

As already stated, this is a Model 17 K-22 Masterpiece, serialized in 1960.

Inside the box, the date of April, 1955, is associated with the adoption of the warranty and liability statements that are printed there. The date has nothing whatever to do with the date of the gun packaged in the box. That date remained in the boxes well into the Bangor Punta era (at least into the 1970s).

A price between $650 and $750 would be perfectly reasonable for this revolver.

JP

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

K396610
K3977xx shipped in 3/60. You got your money's worth.

Welcome to the FORUM! The truth should be when you get it to the range. I purchased a 17-2 in the beginning of July. (1964 gun) It is accurate, and functions quite well. You should have the same experience. Bob

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Welcome to the forum.
Being new to firearms a model 17 is a great gun to learn on.
One other thing I noticed is the Grips wouldn't be the original ones.
At that time they would have had a diamond around the screw hole.

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Paul
S&WCA #2726

Thanks kindly all who replied. I appreciate you taking the time.

There was no box or anything else with this piece. Just a decent padded canvas case. I've bought a few piece from this person and have been paying top of the range. I usually am a serious haggler. My mother had a black belt in shopping. But I have paid full asking mostly due to very nice condition, not being familiar with the market and trusting what I have been told. This gun does appear to be in very good condition. The blueing is nice. No rust. Just a couple of scratches and everything operates very smoothly. Unfortunately in this case I paid pretty much twice the value y'all have quoted. I'll be getting back to the guy and see what he has to say.

Thanks again.

I'm not very objective as I am a K-22 lover but I think you did just fine. Nice looking revolver.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

Seriously? You think that he did just fine paying $1300 ?!

I didn't realize he paid that much. For some reason I thought it was in 600-700 range.

Must be getting tired.

I would not have paid that much but I do own a K-22 so I don't have the urge to have that first one.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065

Spoke with the seller. Apparently he's not that familiar with vintage guns and was misinformed himself and also paid too much. He's going to take it back. Good news is I'll get the money back. Bad news is I was really looking forward to shooting it. It's a lovely piece that I enjoyed just having around. It looks and feels like what a gun should be.

It's good that he's working with you. They made plenty of these and it won't be hard to find another one this nice for half of what you paid. Start a thread in the WTB section here on the forum. There's a good chance you'll find what your looking for. But always post pictures here on the forum when you find one you like. These folks will tell you if it's a deal or not.

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Get off my lawn!

Don't feel bad. At least the seller gave your money back. Some wouldn't have.

I guarantee you can find one just as nice in the price range mentioned above, and if you're patient and diligent, you might even sneak up on one at a real bargain price.

Hang around here and learn all you can and you'll know what to pursue - and, what to avoid!

Mark

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S&W Forum Member #721

So the seller phoned me tonight. He's still mortified at the situation. Offered me a couple of options if I wanted to keep the gun. Throw in another gun and some cash. That sort of thing. In the end we settled on a fairly substantial partial refund so I'm going to keep it.

Having paid too much himself he's loosing money and I'm paying perhaps a little over the odds but I figure if I bought the gun from a shop there'd be tax and if I bought it online there'd be a transfer fee plus shipping so I think net I'm not far off. Saves me time and effort hunting around for another one. Bottom line, not the best deal I ever made but I'm good with it.

Someone mentioned the grips not being original. Should have had the diamond. Since this is a 1960 and I understand they discontinued the diamond in '68 that's probably true. I had a look to see what a set of original grips might cost and damn, that's some money. There was a nice set for nearly $400 and a bit of a chewed up set for around $100. How much would non-original vs original affect the value? I see new repros but they look like new repros.

I love vintage stuff in general but this is a new field. I've always found forums like this one to be excellent sources of information and enjoy educating myself. Appreciate all the help.

Welcome to the forums from the Wiregrass! While the diamond magnas have risen in value over the last few years, I haven't seen any approach $400 unless they were pre-war. But, I also haven't been in the market for them either. Target stocks that enclose the entire grip frame tend to be a little more valuable, particularly some of the early targets. Substituting period correct magna stocks will make the package slightly more valuable but won't take it to what it might sell for with original stocks that number to the gun. So, IMO, you could put magnas or targets on it and be correct. My preference is targets because they are more comfortable for me to shoot. YMMV. At any rate, you should be able to find decent magnas for around $200 or less and targets between $150 and $300. You'll just have to haunt eBay and gunbroker until you find your set.

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Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

Welcome to the forum.

Prices for the various S&W models will vary from state to state. The other things that buyers and sellers don't always take into consideration is what comes with the gun. The gun is shipped from the factory in a box numbered to the gun. It wears stocks numbered to the gun. It normally comes with some form of paperwork explaining the workings and if a target model a sight adjustment tool (SAT) or screw driver to adjust said target sights.

This package is what all guns should start at price wise. After taking these items into consideration, CONDITION of the firearm is the next most important issue. The difference in 99% condition and 90% condition can be 100's of dollars.

Unfortunately, over time and perhaps due to the internet, individual guns have sold for what the whole original package should have brought and the waters have muddied.

The books offering price suggestions rarely stipulate whether they are just for the gun or if they are for the package.

SO, all that said, when looking to purchase a S&W, one should consider things like, is the original box included and numbered to the gun?, are the stocks correct (diamond or not) and numbered to the gun?, is the SAT included and correct for the vintage?, is there any paperwork included?

Sold separately, all of these items have value. No box could lower the price from $50 to $1,000 in some cases. Wrong stocks $100 to $500ish but originals will probably never be found so the gun even with correct type will NEVER be original. No SAT $25 to $1,000. No paperwork $25 to $100.

So if you look at the asking price and make corrections for these items, you can see what the real value might be.

Then you can begin looking at the condition starting with NIB and working backwards.

All in all, prices are all over the board but as long as folks continue to buy at prices that reflect what the whole package should sell for, sellers will continue pricing that way.

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James Redfield
LM #497

Not to get too off topic, but the statement above is really true, even more so in that "other" gun company's community.

I've said this time and time again, buyers have the majority of power when it comes to price and transactions. Refuse to pay ridiculous asking prices, and sellers will quit asking ridiculous prices if they want to sell and do business. When buyers submit and open their wallets no matter what because they just have to have that gun to show off, it really hurts the community as a whole. Again, refer to that "other" side of the fence because this is what happened.

However, some folks just can't understand this fact.

Beautiful revolver, that's one I would like to find and acquire before I am too old to shoot it. :-)

Fair warning to the OP, hanging around this forum will cost you dearly. These old Smiths are habit forming and we love to help you spend YOUR money.

Have a blessed day,

Leon