A Most Elegant K-22, a Churchill Engraved Masterpiece

[RKmesa]

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.

 

[Imissedagain]

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.

 

[lestert357]

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!

 

[S&W ucla]

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!

 

[Model19man]

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

 

[Dennis2149]

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

 

[rct269]

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

Ralph Tremaine

 

[SS336]

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?

 

[M29since14]

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.

 

[22hipower]

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

 

[colt_saa]

Very elegant engraving job

GREAT signature

Another fine addition . . . Congratulations

 

[Speedo2]

"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

 

[Wingmaster]

That's a beautiful firearm.

 

[Flygas]

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.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

Exquisite, Richard. Simply exquisite!

 

[2152hq]

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.

 

[Fullmetaljacket]

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

 

[Llance]

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.

 

[boykinlp]

How old is Mr. Churchill?
Larry

 

[spin132]

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

Mike