Winston Churchill is a name that most everyone recognizes. Gun guys love the classic photo of the WW II Prime Minister of the United Kingdom with a cigar in his mouth and a Tommy Gun in his hands. BUT there is another, slightly less famous Winston G. Churchill, a very, very talented engraver of fine firearms. For us engraved gun collectors, his work is highly praised and cherished. I recently acquired a K-22 Masterpiece that shipped from the factory in March 1953. Sometime after that, Mr. Churchill worked his magic on it. It was common for him to remove all frame roll marks, flatten the dome on the side plate screws and seamlessly mate custom grips to the guns he engraved. This gun is no exception. Although the engraving pattern covers very little of the gun, it is perfectly executed and is one of the most, if not THE most elegant engraved firearm that I own. I tried to capture some of its beauty in photos, but to be truly appreciated, it is something that you have to hold in your hands and examine with a lighted magnifying glass.

When doing a photo shoot of an engraved gun, I usually end up with about 15 photos. With this one I ended up saving almost 35. The mirror finish blue is so deep and so perfect, that you could almost dive into it and swim a few laps. So with all that said, here are a few photos for your viewing pleasure.





A few detailed photos of the engraving:

















The engraver's signature (artwork in and of itself), the barrel end, and the trigger guard:







It truly is a spectacular gun and I hope that you enjoy the photos of this Elegant Masterpiece, engraved by a Master Engraver.

[Note - I added a few detail photos of the spectacular grips in post 36 below]

And... thanks for letting me share.

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

One of the nicest ever to my eyes as it's simply Elegant.
Stock's lines are Exquisite, which is a word I only use to describe the Ladies I know dressed for opening night at the Opera.

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Have Fun/Stay Safe

Richard, I wondered if you were going to see that masterpiece, but now I can’t remember where I saw it or why I didn’t give you a heads-up on it. Anyway, it couldn’t have found a better home! Absolutely breathtaking!

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Terry Lester

In the morning dear, I shall be sober. But you shall still be engraved!

WOW! Do you have the cigar, bowler, and Thompson to go with it?

WOW!

Lusting again at the pictures, I realize another Winston did the work, lol.

Still......WOW!
And the pictures too!

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PTLAPTA!

Any idea who did the finish work? The engraving is nice too.

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S&WHF #946
S&WCA #3824

Richard, congratulations on the beautiful addition to your collection. Absolutely stunning work of art. Thanks for sharing. Best regards, Dennis

Elegant-------an entirely appropriate description

Ralph Tremaine

Stunning is the first word that came to mind, just stunning.
The detail is superb, even the grip screw on both ends has been addressed.
I will be looking at the images for a while, anybody have a cigarette? 😎

I’ve never seen an S&W with the frame roll marks removed and the flattened heads on the screws. Interesting touches with a big, visual impact. Really a beautiful revolver. Thank you for sharing it with us.

First one I've seen by Mr. Churchill. As someone said above "simply elegant." Don't think I can improve on that assessment.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

Very elegant engraving job

GREAT signature

Another fine addition . . . Congratulations

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"Acta non verba"

"Spectacular" isn't fitting; it goes well beyond that. It's not understated. It is elegant and timeless, a true masterpiece. Thanks for sharing. -S2

That's a beautiful firearm.

I have two Churchill engraved Griffin and Howe rifles. Years ago, I went to visit him in his home workshop in Vermont, a visit I won’t soon forget. He spent time working under one of my favorite engravers, the Austrian Josef Fugger, who himself worked under my other favorite, Rudolph Kornbrath. Churchill was a very talented man in many respects, somewhat of a Renaissance Man. I’ve never seen a Smith and Wesson by him— it’s amazing! Thanks for sharing.

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SWHF #691

Exquisite, Richard. Simply exquisite!

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Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

Beautiful work as would be expected.

He has used that very simple but strikingly elegant pattern on a few guns I have seen done by him.
There is as much art in the lay-out as there is in the cutting to make such sparse coverage (and I don't mean that in a negative way) become such an overwhelmingly beautiful piece.

I have a collection of pics that I took of a new production CSMCo SxS that the engraving on it was done by WC for the client. The gun was done in the same engraving style as this S&W.
The owners K-9 beautifully engraved on the bottom of the frame.
For some reason, WC did not finish a few details on the project and the maker, CSMCo sent the parts on to me and I finished it up.
To tell you the truth it was an honor to do the work.

The pics are extreme close-ups of the cuts and details,,something an engraver appreciates.
A couple of the dog of course,, the work just too beautiful to let go w/o getting a few pics of it as well.

That metal work is incredible, even before you get to the engraving.

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Hand tighten only

Not being a fan of engraving that job is perhaps the most beautifull engraving job I have ever seen.

I really like that it is so tastefully done without over doing it.

How old is Mr. Churchill?
Larry

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Miss My Buddy crsides!!

Oh my, what an opulent piece! Even the top of the thumbpiece nut is extraordinary. Thanks for sharing Richard!

Mike

viewing pleasure indeed. thanks for sharing. krs

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Too good

Richard, not only is that engraving job about as good as it gets, the photos ain't too shabby either. I know what it takes to get images like that, so of course I'm curious as to what camera and lens you use for your gun photos...

Mark

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S&W Forum Member #721

Less is more. Just stunning and clean. Really makes the guns character show along with the engravers style. Bravo!

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My Daddy was a pistol..

Beautiful. I really appreciate the bordering lines around the frame. They are just perfect and kind of set the stage for his canvas where his creativity is executed.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Beautiful. I especially like how he outlined the frame. How do you have a hand steady enough to do that?

Just unbelievably elegant. Beauty and simplicity.

I am not a collector of engraved firearms, but that one I would put out front in my collection. Elegant!

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Richard, that is a top shelf acquisition for sure. The light engraving does give it an elegant and understated look. I like the flat polished screw heads too. They add a nice touch and blend in well. A K22 is a great gun for the engraving. Congratulations on finding a Churchill engraved S&W! 👍

Very tastefully done. Thanks for posting.

Richard,
That gun could not have found a more appreciative home.
Churchill and McKenzie of the era certainly advanced engraving by not just adding art, but creating a new canvas for it to reside on.
Congratulations and thank you for sharing.
Jake

Very tasteful.

Richard,

You continue to outdo yourself. That is a gem for sure. I love the way the roll marks were removed on the frame but left on the barrel.

That idea in itself is a very nice touch and unique to that engraver.

Tom

Words just can't describe it. That's the most elegant revolver I've seen and you have the best of the best.

I can't find any more adjectives to describe this masterpiece that haven't already been said. Congrats Richard!
Fred

The steel embodiment of the phrase "tastefully engraved".

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Pisgah

The grips are one of the nicest features of the gun. They fit like they were molded to the frame and as you astutely observed, the touches on the screw and the escutcheons are extra nice. Here are a few photos of the grips, appreciating the attention to detail and extra effort Mr. Churchill took to get everything "just right".

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

Very nice. Interesting how the side plate screws were polished flat to the surface. I have never seen that before.

Bill

Very talented sculptor too!

Wow Richard,

That’s a gorgeous K22. I’m not usually drawn to engraved revolvers as I think many (K22’s, N Frames, and others) stand alone for beauty! I would think similarly to breakaway500 that less is more, and on this K22 I think that Mr Churchill did accomplish that. The engraving is so subtle that it begs you to “walk” your eyes over it to explore his work, and “find” the hidden gems that he left.

So glad you were able to add this to your collection!

Thanks for sharing it and the story behind it!

Best!
Mark

For those of you interested in learning more about Winston Churchill (the engraver), here is a link to a fun/short 2006 Forbes article about the talented engraver:

Man of Steel

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

A very interesting read, even more so as I grew up about 100 miles from Proctorsville. Given the relatively few projects he has completed you were extremely fortunate to acquire this one. Congratulations! Do you know the history of who originally commissioned it, etc. etc.?

Jeff
SWCA #1457

I'd guess early to mid 80's,,,and only a guess on my part, I never asked him.

I know he went into the USN in the mid or late 1950's.

He has had some health issues of late. That has been a quietly discussed 'secret' around the trade. I don't believe he is taking in any new projects.
He's never been one to even attempt to produce volumes of work anyway.
Just a few of the highest quality, bench time be damned.

All:

Thank you for your comments, likes and observations. I wanted to respond to the following comments on the roll mark removal and/or the perfectly flattened screw heads:

To me, the flattened screw heads, removal of roll marks, and perfect high gloss polish created a mirror surface that makes every cut of Churchill's precise engraving (scroll and line work) pop, like a ripple on the mirror of a perfectly still lake.

I have occasionally seen other engravers do similar removal of roll marks and intentionally flattened screw heads... like on this 44 Magnum, where the engraver (most likely H&H Zehner) took a different approach with chisel and hammer, creating full surface coverage of oak leaves and acorns, and more of a satin/matte finish.





... and while I would call the H&H Zehner work beautiful (and I love it), it is not nearly as elegant as the Churchill piece.

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

Agreed. Hard to top the Churchill engraving. Really a great find!

And I love the Zehner gun!! 😊

We would love to see a few photos!!!


There is at least one more out there (probably owned by a member of this forum). The one I have seen is also a K-Framed .22... but a .22 Jet - and describing it as ornately engraved would be an understatement. Here is a photo from the Guns International listing (source: Winston Churchill Engraved Smith & Wesson
--- Model 53 --- .22 Magnum & .22 Jet )



This gun (and a write up on Winston Churchill) is also featured on page 30 of American Engravers by C. Roger Bleile, 1980.

Now that's talent!!!

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

This is indeed a well engraved and beautifull firearm still I must agree with another poster, "Less Is More." There is a certain elegance in the minimal engraving of the first revolver not seen in this latest edition.

Mark:

The above photos were taken using my wife's Canon EOS 40D with a Canon Zoom Lens EF 24-70mm 1:2.8 L USM. I really don't know much about the camera, other than it takes good photos when I do my part. Below is a photo of the light box set up I use regularly, in my "back yard studio" with the light source being the bright AZ sun.



... not the most sophisticated set up, but if I do my part, get the guns wiped and polished (RenWax) the process sometimes works well and I get a few good photos of guns that I like.

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

Very nice. The statement that " the engraving pattern covers very little of the gun, it is perfectly executed" really captures what is beautiful about this gun. When I look at it I see the engraving as well as the graceful lines of this classy old revolver. I really like the side plate screw treatment as well as the wood work.

That's a beautiful piece, Richard. Congratulations! The motif really has a feminine vibe to my eye. I can think of at least two of my daughters who would go nuts for it. 👍😀

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SWCA #3356, SWHF#611