My Mother bought these K22 and K38 Masterpieces new in the 50s when she shot bullseye competition, and she took very good care of them, she left them to me when she passed in 95, and they were still in near new condition. I let my brother borrow them, but he passed before sending them back, I had to argue with his estate for 2 1/2 months proving ownership before they would send them back, I'm happy to have them back, but the K22 grip was damaged on it's way home. Would anyone know how I can repair the grip?
Thank you

Attached Images

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	k pr.jpg (106.8 KB, 220 views)
	k22 butt.jpg (88.8 KB, 247 views)

There are one or two members of this forum who do this kind of repair, and while I haven’t used them myself, their work as pictured here seems almost magical. I’m sure someone will be on here soon with names and contact info.

My condolences on the loss of your Mother and Brother, but congratulations on being able to retain this tangible reminder of them. I was fortunate in that before his last illness my Dad passed along the old K-38i had acquired for him nearly 40 years before to be a mate to the K-22 I had bought much later. They are the kind of thing we can enjoy for what they are AND for the memories they evoke.

Froggie

My condolences for your losses, but also congratulations for getting your revolvers back home. Send a PM to DWFAN for the K22 stock repair, he does excellent work.

Those are very nice reminders of your departed mother. Every time I take my father's or grandfather's guns to the range, they bring back happy memories. I notice one has non-relieved target stocks and the other shows the "football" cut-out. If original to the guns, that would point to a set of 1950s Masterpiece revolvers. If you provide the serial numbers, we can come very close to the actual date the factory shipped the guns and don't forget that S&W Historical Society offers factory letters for those guns. The official number is on the bottom of the butt frame, but you cannot see them with target stocks. Take a strong magnifying glass and look at the rear of the cylinder for the numbers, or on the bottom flat of the barrel above the extractor rod.

As for the distress, I would personally leave it alone as it is part of the history of the set. I still regret restoring my grandfather's old doublegun when I was a teenager. Granddad told me the story where he went hunting on a rainy day and got the gun all wet. He sat it behind the wood stove to dry, but got the butt-stock too close to the stove and scorched the finish . . . you guessed it, he also told me that he forgot to unload it.

Your mother's shooting those revolvers put wear marks on the finish and stocks and the story of their travels and ultimate return to you is also part of of their history. I wonder why it is important to erase those marks since I am sure you are not going to ever sell them? That being said, DWFAN (http://smith-wessonforum.com/member.php?u=113349) and send a private message to him. He has done fine work for me.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

Yes, he does excellent work; but in order to truly appreciate it, you need to up the ante. Your repair needs are child's play for DWFAN. Let me suggest you split that panel into three or four pieces, give them a good tumble in a blender, and then send them to him. Only then will you come to know his magic----and it is magic!!

Ralph Tremaine

That's a beautiful pair of heirlooms to keep in the family and pass on to kids and grand kids with their history captured in writing to go with them.

Congrats on getting them back! How did you ever prove to the estate that they were yours? It might help the rest of us sometime. I doubt that you had a signed note from your mother or brother that they were yours, and can't think of any other proof of ownership to satisfy the estate.

I can only imagine the consternation you went thru to retrieve your own belongings. In general, not necessarily your brother, some people just don't understand the borrow concept and even sadder when it's a family member.

I only loan to those who realize that when they borrow they also take on a responsibility to return it in a timely manner and w/o having to be tracked down! I loan only to a very few who have a good track record for returning, and especially for firearms. If I have to ask for something to get it back, that's the last time I loan to that person.

Also, any items I borrow have a date borrowed and a note stating to whom they belong signed by me and kept with the item. It's for just such unforeseen circumstances as you experienced.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Hondo you hit the nail on the head. I hunted up a copy of when our Mother left them to me, and I had gotten from my brother in writing that they were and would stay my property before I let him get his fingers on them, I kept just in case he didn't want to give back, but I never dreamed they would get so close to being auctioned off to strangers. Other scuffs and wear are good memories, but those dings on the grip are from almost losing them. For icing, they required an FFL to send them back who charged me over $200, and put the first paper on them since my mother bought them new in the 50s

Talking about memories, a quick one I'll share about that K38, and remember this was the 50, early 60s. My Mother had friends who let her shoot at the LAPD range until one day the Chief was there, and they got into a competition, and she beat him, then he banned her from the range. Women didn't do that in those days, lol.

Yes she bought them new in the 50s, I found the ser # ranges, and they have them as 1955, the last of the 5 screws. The other scuffs and scratches are good memories but the dings on the grip are from almost losing them, that part I want to forget. Staying in the family I was wondering if wood putty might work or make it look worse.

Hondo you hit the nail on the head. I hunted up a copy of when our Mother left them to me, and I had gotten from my brother in writing that they were and would stay my property before I let him get his fingers on them, I kept just in case he didn't want to give back, but I never dreamed they would get so close to being auctioned off to strangers.
Like you said I had to have notes from my mother and brother, and the ser#s can't forget those. For icing, they required an dlr to send them back who charged me over 200, who put the first paper on them since my mother bought them new in the 50s

You can stop wondering about wood putty----simply forget about it, and send them to DWFAN. Actually, he uses what one might call wood putty, but he makes it from scratch---and it isn't putty---it's wood.

And if you take some "before" pictures---and take a bunch of very careful measurements so as to be able to find where the "graunches" used to be, you still won't be able to find it.

Ralph Tremaine

I dropped my K-22 out of an unzipped case on to the concrete several years back. I sent the grips to DWFan to work his magic. You can not see the ding in the grip now. He is the man!