Pictures are not the best but wondering if this could be a factory chrome job. The grip frame has 6.48 stamped on it, could the original owner have sent it in to be chromed in June of 1948? The serial number 834441 has star stamped beside it on the butt of the grips. The trigger has nice case coloring but the hammer is wrong. All numbers match including the wood grips. Just putting this out there to see what info I can get.
Could Mr. Jenks have records that would indicate a rework in 1948?






[url=https://postimg.cc/image/3uvporldh/]

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Keeping America Moving

It may be a factory nickel refinish. "6"34441 would be in the SN range for a prewar K-22 Outdoorsman, and a letter of authenticity followed by an SWHF records search may turn up the repair order. Cool gun .

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Unless it is some sort of yellow lighting, it looks like nickel to me as well. There appears to be a slight yellow cast to the finish, indicating nickel. Chrome usually shows mirror silver color. I see clear deep stamping and proper case colored hammer and trigger. Is the rework stamp '43? I bet not many guns were repaired during WWII, since the factory was so busy turning out wartime guns.

It might be interesting to get a factory letter on that K22, since factory nickel guns are seldom seen. I think the 1st Model could be had in nickel by special order. Of course, a refinish at the factory is also possible in 1943 when it was sent back. The SWHF (Historical Foundation) could have repair orders for that gun available as well.

Looks to me to be a well cared for K22. Those stocks show little use as well. I can't tell what if any difference in the appearance of the hammer from others in you pictures and a handful of pics make it almost impossible to be certain about a refinish as well.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

Great looking Outdoorsman, but I'm betting on an aftermarket refinish. S&W would never nickle plate the sights. The logo edges are a little soft from buffing before plating.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Interesting gun, may be worth the letter. H Richard correctly notes the sights, which would be odd for a factory refinish, but the extractor is blued, which is usually not the case in an aftermarket refinish. The remaining case color on the hammer and trigger is at odds with aftermarket work. The pitting on the grip frame is interesting, as the factory would have buffed/polished that in '48... but may well have occurred after that. Thanks for posting this! Please let us know if you letter it.

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50 Years of DSOTM

As noted above, most especially concerning the sights, I'm very comfortable opining there's no way this work was done at the factory----not even by an apprentice on a Monday or Friday----not even early Monday or late Friday!!

Ralph Tremaine

There were a few factory chromed K22's. Two were in a display at S&WCA in Concord a few years ago. It was done as an experimental finish and is extremely rare. Letter would be only way to authenticate. I'm in agreement with the others, it looks nickel to me. I would get letter to see what story it might tell. Nice K22, Good luck!

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PTLAPTA!

Agreed. That's the first thing I noticed . . .

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Wisdom comes thru fear . . .

At this point I haven't purchased the gun, coming here seeking knowledge to help me make the decision. Is the STAR stamp by the serial number indicate going back to factory for something?

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Keeping America Moving

Yep----something.

Check the gun for more stamps like a diamond, RP, anything on the butt-frame , cylinder, or under the barrel other than the serial number? Let us know.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

My recollection is the star indicated more than minor factory work, and placed so that the gun could not be resold as new. This would usually mean any work that would have made the gun appear new, as in a refinish.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

"Is the rework stamp '43? I bet not many guns were repaired during WWII, since the factory was so busy turning out wartime guns."

I have a 3rd model .44 Special that went back to the factory and received a 1942 stamp. I asked Roy Jinks about it and he said that the company didn't abandon its customers during the war.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

We have letters dating back to 1937, from S&W, when owner of a RM asked for a "chromium" finish, S&W replied, they do not do that.

They did, however, do some experimental 1905/4ths. Dad has 2 that letter as factory chrome in a mid 1930s SN range but shipped with 28 others in 1960 to a Dealer in NYC at a bargain price.

Very unlikely S&W would refinish in chrome. If so, it was likely ANOTHER refinish after the factory refinish.

That is one concern collectors must consider is: If the finish on a factory refurbished S&W is "the" refinish relative to the date on the frame.

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Salvatore Raimondi

The patent dates and other stampings look very good to me. If it is a refinish then it is a good one. Don't know about the front sight but the rest looks OK.

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James Redfield
LM #497

The stamp is 6.48

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Keeping America Moving

There is a diamond under the barrel by the serial number and a few more on the grip frame. I will try to get more pictures tomorrow, my problem is getting GOOD pictures of them.

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Keeping America Moving

I don’t know about the plated sight; that’s a red flag. But if you zoom in on the patent dates on the barrel, (the photo’s high resolution lets you get very close), those are indeed exceptionally crisp and pristine, and show no sign of a refinish.

As has been mentioned, we have no way of ascertaining whether the re-work was finish-related.

I think Gary has alluded to this: Shouldn’t a blued pre-war Outdoorsman have the B on the barrel flat?

Walk away. It's an ugly aftermarket nickel job. The factory wouldn't nickel the hammer, and the rear sight and the front sight blade, or roll the edges of the sideplate. Spend your money on a good gun, not this one. Even if it's dirt cheap, it will make a poor shooter with those shiny sights.

It would be interesting to know what the seller thinks it's worth.

There's no way it's a factory nickel, the over polishing, nickeled hammer, nickeled sights are all things the service department didn't do.

At best this gun is a shooter grade 0% finish gun. If you like it and its cheap, buy it, but all collector value is shot.

It does look like it was back to the service department at least once, I think I see a date stamp under there, but I can guarantee it wasn't for the nickel that is on there.

I'd say paying anything over 400 is way too much for this gun. Even then it's only worthwhile as a gun you want to shoot.

There are no strict guidelines of features to determine if a gun has been refinished or not. There are, however, strict guidelines of what is to be expected from a S&W Factory refinish.

In short, the range in quality of refinishes are vast. There are no "hard and fast" rules ... however ... .there are bargain basement refinishes and there are PROFESSIONAL, restorative quality, refinishes ... with a broad span in the percentages of quality between these 2, very different, ends of the rainbow.

A professional "restorative quality" refinish is nearly impossible to distinguish from a factory refinish.

THIS Outdoorsman is certainly not one of the restorative quality refinishes, therefore, certainly NOT a S&W Factory refinish.

While the frame and body may have been prepared fairly well, there are characteristics and features of this refinish the factory DOES NOT do. e.g. the untreated rust pocks under the stock, the nickeled (or chromed) hammer, and the rust pocks on the face of the cylinder.

While the rest of the work looks OK, the S&W logo is mildly "soft" showing it has been buffed in prep for a refinish.

I would state that ALL the collectors value on this one is gone, however, it does have value for the commercial, functional purpose it was created ... as a target gun, but who knows how much of the accuracy remains as it has been monkeyed.

If you get it cheap, take the plunge. If someone is asking anything near 1/4 the collectors value of an original finish, prewar, OD ... stay clean away.

A few hundred bucks, yes. Any more, take the money and "place it on Lucky Dan" in the 5th. (Harold Gould as Kid Twist in "The Sting, 1973)

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ANTIQUESMITHS
LM1300 SWHF425

I forgot to mention in my first post that it is "JINKS" not JENKS as to the spelling of our industrious leaders name.

As I said earlier, to me the logo and the patent dates are very strong and I have seen poorer ones on non refinished guns. The sides of the hammer and trigger look like case hardening to me.

As far as the damage under the stocks and the cylinder face, if the gun was redone in 1948, that's 60 years ago and certainly enough time for new corrosion to begin.

The real determining factor for me would be the asking price. If it's $400 then it is one thing, if it's $2,000 then I would need confirmation from Roy before making the plunge.

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James Redfield
LM #497

Thanks for checking the date, 1948 is more appropriate than '43, since during wartime, it would have been difficult to get factory repairs done.

The diamonds are supposed to be applied to parts that were replaced or repaired. If you have one on the barrel, it may have been replaced in 1948 and the whole gun would have been refinished as well.

I have a little different opinion on the refinish and think it was actually not all that bad a job if you want a shooter. I have seen many much worse, but collectors will not want a refinished gun. Many would not even be interested in a factory redone gun for their collection. It all depends on what you want to do with the gun and how much it might cost you. Personally, I would love a nickel K22 Outsoorsman's revolver to go with my blued shooters at the right price.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

I must add something to this.

A professional restoration quality re-nickel + case hardening of hammer/trigger is nearly or fully impossible to distinguish from a factory refinish. However.

No one today applies a blue to a S&W that matches the various pre-war blues that S&W used. The closest I have seen is one situation where a more matte blue is applied that is close to some of the old S&W matte blues, but is slightly different.

You can get a Winchester or Colt re-blued to look exactly like the originals, but not a S&W. If that is to change I believe many of us will be very happy, and whoever starts doing that job will see quite a lot of work on their hands. As of right now however I am unaware of anyone who does. There are shops who do a great job, but it's very distinguishable from the original jobs.

This is a big part of why I will always push anyone not to re-finish a gun, unless they have a specific vision in mind for what it will be, simply because it is original now, and will never be again...even with a good modern re-finish.

I don't see any case hardening on the hammer at all - I see a hammer that is extensively polished with very rounded edges and then nickeled.

The trigger looks case hardened yet.

Then again - pictures are deceiving and my eyes aren't what they used to be.

I'm a shooter, not a collector, but I whole-heartedly agree with this for collectible guns. I always think of something a big-time car collector said: "You can restore a car a hundred times; it's only original once."

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