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S&W Hand Ejectors: 1896 to 1961 All 5-Screw & Vintage 4-Screw SWING-OUT Cylinder REVOLVERS, and the 35 Autos and 32 Autos


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  #1  
Old 01-20-2022, 01:46 AM
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My late grandfather, a WW2 veteran and post-war businessman, had a number of minty firearms that accompanied him on occasional shooting trips to the Western high desert near where he lived the bulk of his life after the war. My father described going shooting with him and recalled a particularly nice S&W .22LR revolver his then-new father-in-law would bring along.

I, unfortunately, never got a chance to shoot with my grandfather, but he did tell me that his guns would one day be passed down to me “when he was done with them.”

As things go, the guns never made it to me; I suspect other relatives had a hand in that and, frankly, it’s neither here nor there, as I’d take my grandfather back for a day or even an hour over any gun he might have wished me to have.

The notion of that .22 stuck with me over time. Both he and my father had referred to it as a “K-22,” and, in time, I came to understand that designation. Such it was that, when an opportunity to acquire a 1947-era K-22 came about, I was happy to be able to do so. No box, no papers, just a nice little time-capsule of a gun that has gone to the range with me almost every range-trip since. It seems to me like this would be in the vein of my grandfather’s revolver. It has become part of a sort of a personal “revolver renaissance” that I’ve experienced over the last couple of years, and continues to help me hone the wonder that is DA revolver shooting. (As an aside, I’ve fired maybe six rounds SA through this gun - I stick with DA just like I do with my centerfire revolvers).

Apologies for the lengthy ramble here - pictures attached.
Last edited by SixgunFife; 01-20-2022 at 01:47 AM.
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Old 01-20-2022, 08:33 AM
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Very nice K-22 Masterpiece! And a well told story. I’m glad it brings back good memories of your family.
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Old 01-20-2022, 08:52 AM
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Beautiful revolver!..they shoot great, that one will bring you memories for a long time
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Old 01-20-2022, 09:23 AM
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Very nice K-22 Masterpiece! And a well told story. I’m glad it brings back good memories of your family.
Thank you!
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Old 01-20-2022, 09:23 AM
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Beautiful revolver!..they shoot great, that one will bring you memories for a long time
Thank you!
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Old 01-20-2022, 09:47 AM
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What a great way to pay tribute to your grandfather.
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Old 01-20-2022, 09:59 AM
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Good looking K22, and good story. I think a lot of us have had similar stories. In my own case, it was my Grandpa's surplus RR 1911, which we often shot together when he was shooting age. In his last years, it "disappeared" because one of his daughters thought it was unsafe to be in the house with him. Of course once a gun disappears under circumstances like that I imagine very few ever return. So it goes.
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Old 01-20-2022, 10:31 AM
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These older Smith's are indeed a time capsule and that this K22 provides a link to your Grandfather makes it all the better. I never knew my Grandfather but when I take his 1905 M&P target to the range it's like he's there with me. I also have my little brothers Ruger target pistol that he never got and that feeling of him being with me is also there. When you pass it along to your children and they take it shooting you will also be there with them.
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Old 01-20-2022, 10:39 AM
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Great story and a tribute to your grandfather! I know that you'll enjoy that K-22 for many years to come, and hopefully you'll get to pass it down through the family. I have one from 1948 and it's a very accurate and dependable shooter...it'll go to one of my sons in a few years.
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Old 01-20-2022, 10:49 AM
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Thanks so much, all!
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Old 01-20-2022, 11:40 AM
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Great story and a beautiful K-22. My greatest joys these days (gun related) are handling and shooting my K-22's from the 1930's, 40's, 50's and 60's!

And the many memories they bring - my brother is in the process of handing down our Dad's old double barrelled 16 ga (from the 50's) to my son. So cool.
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Old 01-20-2022, 12:39 PM
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Just for fun, a couple more images of the K-22 posed alongside another favorite S&W, a 5-inch 27-2 (the latter of which I purchased from a fellow member of this Forum!)

Both guns were a touch dirty when these pics were taken.
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File Type: jpg 1A96FC48-1CCD-4A31-982F-8B6B04406668.jpg (143.4 KB, 27 views)
File Type: jpg A6F21436-5D58-4AEE-A68F-7997FC8ADFA8.jpg (105.8 KB, 16 views)
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Old 01-20-2022, 06:47 PM
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SixgunFife, great guns and love your story! Since you didn't mention it, you might not have had this problem, but a good many K22's are ammo sensitive. Some brands can be "sticky" when trying to eject the empty shells, especially after shooting a lot without cleaning. The lucky ones seem to shoot all day without any problems.
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Old 01-21-2022, 12:21 AM
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SixgunFife, great guns and love your story! Since you didn't mention it, you might not have had this problem, but a good many K22's are ammo sensitive. Some brands can be "sticky" when trying to eject the empty shells, especially after shooting a lot without cleaning. The lucky ones seem to shoot all day without any problems.
Larry
Hey thank you for that info! I have tended to let this gun run a good bit longer than I’d allow a centerfire gun to ride between cleanings, and have had that sticky-ness only rarely, thankfully!
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Old 01-21-2022, 12:25 AM
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Nice memories, nice gun, nice write up about both.
Keep on enjoying both!
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Old 01-21-2022, 12:26 AM
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Congrats and thanks for sharing!!
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