Take a look at this K-22 on Cabela's Library. It appears to be an Outdoorsman or an early model Masterpiece with diamond magnas. At $699 the price is not too bad. What I find odd about it is the address line on the right side of the gun appears to be missing. Anybody else see that? Am I missing something here? Any of you see this before?
In addition, I don't have the funds to buy it right now, so if one of you are, go for it!

Cabela's -- Gun Details

That is a post war K22 five screw that has had the poopy polished out of it and reblued.

I wouldn't touch if for two hundred and fifty dollars.

bdGreen

+1

Big chunk out of the left stock too.

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"I also cook."

And look at the way the left stock fits the inner grip frame.

bdGreen

I'm not sure it's as bad as it looks. The angle of the photo is from just in front of the cylinder. A first I thought I was looking at the side of the frontstrap, but now I think it's just the frontstrap.

edit: I doubt the box is original to the gun. I'd expect a gold box for a 5 screw with a fish-hook hammer.

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"I also cook."

I saw how poorly the stocks fit but they do seem to be from the right period. I never thought of a refinish job covering the address lines, but that makes sense. Thanks for the input guys, I appreciate the education!

Did you see the Pre-war model? Item # 1034108. Has a $3700 price tag. Why so high?

The prewar K-22 Masterpiece was the successor model to the K-22 Outdoorsman. It was a limited production gun. There were barely a thousand made before production was suspended for the wartime effort. After the war the company made further changes (ribbed barrel, e.g.) and brought out the version that is more familiar to all of us.

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David Wilson

Yes, that is a K22/40 Masterpiece. It was manufactured in 1940. There were 1067 of this model produced before Smith and Wesson halted production of them to tend to the war efforts.

Has a $3700 price tag. Why so high?

Don't know why it's so high. It is not worth that price. The cylinder is plum and the stocks are bedraggled. Looking at the difference in the rich bluing of the side plate and color of the screw heads I perceive that the gun has been reblued. That could also be the reason for the plum colored cylinder.

That is a fair looking gun, but, it's not something I would pay $3,700 dollars for.

I have one of those and I didn't have to pay near that much.

bdGreen

Agree with the above...

I blew the photo up to take a look at it a little closer. I'm not sure that it is refinished. It would take a lot of buffing to remove the "made in USA" or "marcas registradas". Looks to me that it may not have been roll marked in the first place. The grips appear to be the "high horn" variety and would be appropriate on a "made in USA" gun and the wear on the grips appears to be consistent with the wear on the rest of the gun. Almost makes me want to take a drive out to Cabellas to look at it 1st hand.

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

I stand by my assessment.

The top of the side plate is reflecting light very uncharacteristically.

The S&W emblem is shallow and indistinct.

The 'one-line' is non existent. I perceive that if you had the gun in hand you would know why.

And, the stocks aren't even a 'near fit' behind the trigger guard. Either side. I have never seen wear like that and I have never seen a set of stocks shrink in that manner to be so grossly short of their intended fit.

bdGreen

Boy I am not one to claim any expertise on any Smith's. But after looking it over in a enlarged and enhanced photo. The brightness of the upper edge appears to follow through on the frame and barrel but at a different level, not on the edge. The Smith emblem is faint but I have seen them that way. The grips are not correct to the gun, that is obvious.

I think they just missed stamping the name on the lower right of the frame. A unique Smith.

John