Pre War 38/44 OD with King Super Target Rib (Letter Received 11/25/24)

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This is the first KST I've acquired, hopefully not the last. It was advertised as a HD with King Super Target rib but with the grooves on the back strap and fore strap it must be an OD. Other than the King stamps on the front sight and rib there are no stamps, that I've found anyway, that would tell us who did the work.

The cockeyed hammer and trigger are jeweled and I don't know that King did that and the hammer isn't stamped either, as far as I can see anyway. It does have a notch making it a short action hammer. Forum member paplinker has some thoughts on the hammer and a link to a related previous thread. Perhaps he'll be along to share his perspective.

The stocks are interesting, especially those large gold S&W medallions, but again no indication of the maker on the insides. If anyone has thoughts on who might have made them, or anything else about the gun, please share them with us.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

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I bet that King Super Target will be a lot of fun at the range!

Seeing the hammer blown up and close now I don't think its the same work as other short action conversions I have looked at. The fact that where the notch was cut out it was also narrowed. First I have witnessed that before. The shape of the hammer does look familiar and I bet someone on here will know more.
 
I had only one KST, a drop dead gorgeous Triple Lock, but was more than impressed with the minds and skills of the folks who made it happen. Simply stated, the King folks could and would do any and everything to a handgun anybody would pay them to do, and do it with PERFECTION!!

The only mystery I never solved was when and how they evolved from a sight maker to an "anything goes" pistolsmith. It most certainly didn't happen overnight, and it may very well be that it came to be exactly as it appeared from what little I could document.

That goes like this: They were a sight maker in the early 30's----period. Then they were an anything goes (and goes with PERFECTION) pistolsmith in the later 30's. Maybe it just seemed like a good idea at the time, and they just did it----but there almost has to be a back story to explain how they went from zero to full tilt boogie in no time flat----and never missed a step!!

Ralph Tremaine
 
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Jeff:

None of my King modified guns, including 4-5 KSTs have any mark on them, other than the King roll marks on the various parts.

As for your 38/44 OD KST - I like it... a LOT!!!:D:) I have never seen anything like the hammer on that one. It looks like it may have started out as a humpback hammer with the Patent registration roll mark on the rear arch. But then it was flattened, shortened, widened, buffed and polished, with some kind of "stop" welded on the arch below the hammer spur...

Not sure about the custom grips either, but they too peg the cool meter.

The whole gun is beautiful and very interesting,

Thanks for sharing,
 
That is a very cool KST! A lot of thought and skill went into that build. Ralph posed an interesting question about the morphing of the King Sight people from simply sights to doing full custom work. Perhaps the time-frame answers the question. Depression era businesses would take on most anything to survive... that coupled with out-of-work skilled labor being available may have been all it took for the change. Just a thought...
 
Another clue to its origin (besides the grooved grip frame) will be what's left of the original front sight. If/when you remove the King rib, you'll expose what's left of the original front sight. If that stub has only two pin holes in it, it was a Heavy Duty---three holes makes it an Outdoorsman.

Yet another fairly useless bit of information from and for folks who have too much time on their hands!

Ralph Tremaine
 
Another clue to its origin (besides the grooved grip frame) will be what's left of the original front sight. If/when you remove the King rib, you'll expose what's left of the original front sight. If that stub has only two pin holes in it, it was a Heavy Duty---three holes makes it an Outdoorsman.

Yet another fairly useless bit of information from and for folks who have too much time on their hands!

Ralph Tremaine

I asked the good Dr. Jinks for a ship date and he confirmed 38/44 Outdoorsman SN 48984 shipped in December of 1936. I think that puts to rest any confusion about whether it was a HD or an OD. Thanks for the tip on the two pin versus three pin front sight difference though; learn something new here every day.

Jeff
SWCA #1457
 
That is a very cool KST! A lot of thought and skill went into that build. Ralph posed an interesting question about the morphing of the King Sight people from simply sights to doing full custom work. Perhaps the time-frame answers the question. Depression era businesses would take on most anything to survive... that coupled with out-of-work skilled labor being available may have been all it took for the change. Just a thought...

Randy,

When I first saw that notched hammer for the short action conversion it reminded me of your K22 OD with the humpback hammer and the notch for short action. I wonder how many jobbers choose that route as opposed to Kings version of the short action. That is one great gun in it's own right.
 
A very cool gun. I do not recognize any famous maker details on those grips, but they are well done as is the whole package.
I've got a Colt Official Police King Conversion, and they are amazing shooters.
 
I'd never heard of the King models until this thread. I think they're ugly looking, but I can understand the attraction.

I'm guessing this one might be valued in the $2500-3000 range?
 
I'd never heard of the King models until this thread. I think they're ugly looking, but I can understand the attraction.

I'm guessing this one might be valued in the $2500-3000 range?

As explained above, Kings started out just making sights. However, by the time they were doing the full Target ribs I think they also were doing superb action jobs. I have a Colt Shooting Master 357 with a Kings Cockeyed hammer and rear sight and the action and trigger pull are simply fantastic.
 
I'd never heard of the King models until this thread. I think they're ugly looking, but I can understand the attraction.

I'm guessing this one might be valued in the $2500-3000 range?

I have never seen a scruffy King Super Target! I'm sure they are to be found, but by in large, their condition suggests their owners took VERY good care of them.

As to values, mine, a KST Triple Lock, gave every appearance of being brand spanking new in all respects (inside and out)------and I was SMITTEN!! Its price was in the $3000 range (times 3, plus $500!!). If that suggests I'd lost all sense of values, so be it! I reckon I could find it again if circumstances warranted. On the other hand, it sold during the liquidation of my collection, and fetched $8825---so if I was nutty, its new owner was just a wee bit less nutty!

Triple Locks are routinely described these days as "cult guns". KST's are also thought of as "cult guns". Put the two together in one package and you've got whatever double cult guns should be called---and how high is UP?!!

I reckon Mr. King would be justifiably proud of himself and his lads if he could see their impact on today's lunatic fringe collectors. Another example: I had two K-22 Outdoorsman. Both were in identical condition----one had a King Cockeyed Hammer ------a $5 conversion in its day. The stock gun fetched $1750. The other went out the door for $2500---'cause the hammer was "different".

You pays your money, and you takes your pick!!

Oh! Speaking of Triple Locks: I had the KST version, and a first year 7 1/2" target. I bought it over the phone, sight unseen, from a fellow SWCA member I didn't know from Adam's house cat, who said it was the nicest one he'd ever seen---for $5250---25 years ago!! (It turned out to be the nicest one I'd ever seen too!) It also sold during the recent liquidation of my collection---for $10,000!! Now that's not indicative of a particularly good investment, but I didn't buy it as an investment---and neither did its new owner.

That's because we're both a little bit nutty!!----------and we have A LOT of good company!!

Ralph Tremaine
 
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The hammer does look like a highly modified humpback. As disturbing as grinding on one of those hammers is to me, this one turned out pretty darned amazing with the cockeyed conversion and the aggressive checkering.

Very cool gun!
 
Those stocks are beautiful! Love the large gold washed medallions. The hammer doesn't look like a King but it does look like the work was done well and it fits with the rest of the gun. Great find! Here's a picture of mine on a 1932 44 HE 2nd model.
 

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