K-22 at the LGS.

I think most everyone would agree that $700 is a very good price for an all original K22 from the early 1950s in that condition. The only thing that would make it a better deal is if it still had the original box, paperwork, and implements.
 
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Thanks for all the kind words, and advice to "BUY IT." No need to worry about that, that decision has already been made. It's on hold right now, waiting for me to come back and throw a few bucks at it to put it on layaway, which will happen probably tomorrow.

It will go well with this one, a M&P 38, that I've been told is probably from 1951. It's not a K-38 Masterpiece, but it's the closest I got, at least for now. (S/N C 139XXX)

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This one also has the box, numbered to the gun. I paid about the same for it IIRC.

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I've run a few wadcutters through it and it shoots fine.
 
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K-22

Here's my 3

Model 18-3 from 1972 with factory refinish to nickel, model 17-3?from 1973 no box but in nice shape with numbered to gun magnas. And K-22 from 1950. Numbered to gun sharp shoulder magnas no box. Nice shooting gun. I used this in a .22 league and finished one season with a high score of 269.
 

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I found my K-22, #K32xx, as a forum purchase. SCS&W says it should be 1947. My 73-year-old shaky hands can't make it a bull's eye target revolver any more, but other shooters get one hole groups with any .22LR they try in it. Every one who tried it out wanted to buy it. I always say "it's not for sale". Original grips are numbered to the gun. I put the newer "old" cokes on it because they fit my hand better.
 

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Just curious, how does "put it on hold" work?
No shop around here would hold back a gun while I think about it, not without a non-refundable deposit.
 
Just curious, how does "put it on hold" work?
No shop around here would hold back a gun while I think about it, not without a non-refundable deposit.

The shop will "hold" a gun for up to three days, no money down, no charge to change my mind and not take it. Now, I assume that's a policy, but I can't swear they do it for everyone. I've never asked, but I don't think I'm THAT important to them.

Layaway is the standard 20% down, 90 days to pay it off, no interest. I've never come close to 90 days, but I buy most of what I buy on layaway.
 
Older K-22s

I found my K-22, #K32xx, as a forum purchase. SCS&W says it should be 1947. My 73-year-old shaky hands can't make it a bull's eye target revolver any more, but other shooters get one hole groups with any .22LR they try in it. Every one who tried it out wanted to buy it. I always say "it's not for sale". Original grips are numbered to the gun. I put the newer "old" cokes on it because they fit my hand better.

Congratulations on finding one of the early post war single address line K-22s. The older guns are really nice.
I have one from 1950. It has just enough wear on it so that shooting it does not lower the value.

When I received my model 18-3 as a Christmas gift in 1972 I quickly found out how much fun the K target models are to shoot. Most people at my club had the opinion that trying to shoot DA with an S&W or Colt was a waste of ammunition. But after reading a magazine article about how to shoot DA and hit I starting giving DA a try with the model 18. A local store had picked up a large supply of CIL .22 Short. It was the cheapest.22 ammunition around at the time and it worked just fine in a revolver.

After a while the action smoothed up on its own and I added a pair of smooth S&W target stocks that I reshaped slightly. It took some time and a lot of ammunition but I got to the point where I could shoot the model 18 just as well using double action as single.

I competed in an indoor .22 league from 2007 -2014 starting out with the Model 18 and moved to the 1950 K-22 during the second year. Competing against Model 41s with optical sights is sort of like racing at Daytona with a 1950 Mercury stock car, but it was fun. I shot all 3 Stages double action only and all of that DA practice really paid off. Both guns really held their own. The best score was a 259 using the K-22 with the magnas swapped out for the smooth target stocks.

You can have a lot of fun with yours just by plinking with it.
 
I don't shoot paper much, preferring tin cans and other similar targets when plinking. The best group though I've ever shot offhand was with a mod 18-3 in DA. Groups at 20yds were about 1.5"-2". I did it twice and stopped after that so as not to push my luck. Tried same day in SA and groups opened up another couple inches. I think lack of recoil allows me to focus more easily in DA.
 
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K-22

I don't shoot paper much, preferring tin cans and other similar targets when plinking. The best group though I've ever shot offhand was with a mod 18-3 in DA. Groups at 20yds were about 1.5"-2". I did it twice and stopped after that so as not to push my luck. Tried same day in SA and groups opened up another couple inches. I think lack of recoil allows me to focus more easily in DA.

I also enjoy shooting cans and any type of water filled plastic container. At 25 yards I can hit what I look at. 1 qt motor oil bottles and gallon milk jugs work the best.

The pull on my model 18-3 is about the same as my 1950 K-22. The 17-3 is a little heavier and not quite as smooth. I have a model 67 no dash and 14-3. After I get some more .38s loaded I will be taking these to the range. In the meantime I do some practice with the 22s.
 
Pre model number K-22

Here's a couple things I've learned over the years. I've never regretted buying any pre model numbered S&W. But I've regretted NOT buying quite few. Buy it and don't look back.

I bought my 1950 K-22 in 2007. I paid $475 for it and started to get buyers remorse after I took it home. That lasted until the next day when I took it to the range. The first handgun that I shot was a K-22 that was made a few years later than this one. It was my father's gun. It had a pair of non relieved walnut target stocks and a trigger shoe and there was a nice Lawrence holster and belt that went with it. There was always a box or two of Super X .22 Shorts around for some tin can shooting in the woods nearby. I was nine in the summer of 1964 when I got a chance to handle and shoot it for the first time. For some reason or another my father never really liked the gun and sold it s few years later with the target stocks still on it and the Lawrence rig thrown in.

My K-22 has the original numbered to gun sharp edge magnas. I like the gun the way it is but I may put a set of non relieved targets on it if some come my way. My 1950 K-22 brought back a whole lot of memories. The last one that I missed and still regret was another K-22 from the same era that needed some TLC but was mechanically sound. It had a set of Pachmyers but I still have the dark walnut diamond magnas from my fathers gun and they would have looked great on that gun. This was about 5 years ago and the price was $350. I did'nt move fast enough and someone got to it first.

Ever since I missed out on that K-22 I have acted more quickly whenever I see a nice S&W that is older than me.
 
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