The only one - A 4" K-22 target revolver Stainless steel Model 65

Muley Gil said:
That market survey was done over 50 years ago. These were only a few stainless steel handguns available back then and they were marketed towards law enforcement. Most folks preferred blue steel back then.
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It's possible S&W decided that stainless production capacity would be better utilized with a center fire caliber. At the time all the stainless guns were very hard to find. The Model 63 did not come along until later in the 70's and they were not hard to find. My LGS had a 63 for a while and I eventually bought it for my girlfriend.

I'm still shocked they destroyed them. They could have sold them off to some distributor.
 
Well, we loosely speak of unicorns. Now we have actually seen one displayed!

Thanks for sharing this amazing revolver.

Curly

P.S. This thread should go in the "Notable Threads" index.
 
The marketing dept most likely surveyed distributors and maybe a few FFL's, they did not have anyway of really knowing what the public would want or not, distributors and false were only looking to get the few stainless guns that were already in short supply and on wait lists that were being sold at full MSRP and above, putting another gun on that list would only make their backorder pressed guns that much harder to get. without the internet the true market share of end-users was non-existent . stainless steel revolvers were the hottest new thing back then, in the 70's you needed to be on a wait list at your local ffl to get one of any cal. and barrel length,I know because I was on several wait lists for a long time. This so called survey was a total waste of time back then, probably more of a crystal ball look than anything substantial .
Oh and I was an ffl back in this time frame so I Did really know how it was, I am positive I never knew about any survey or had any Distributor ask me about my customers wants.
 
mikepriwer said:
In 1971, there was factory interest in a stainless steel version of the Model 18, a 4" K-22 target revolver. Initially, 17 revolvers were built, and model-stamped as Model 65. The first two two pictures are both sides of the gun.

View attachment 761782

View attachment 761784

The next picture shows the model number stamped in the yoke area of the frame.

View attachment 761785

The last two pictures are the factory letter.

View attachment 761786

View attachment 761787


The letter explains that this gun is an original model 65, as opposed to the later model 65 for the Oklahoma State police that is chambered in 357 and has fixed sights. No further guns like this one were ever built, and in 1978, the other 16 guns were destroyed. This is the only remaining example of an original model 65.

It's worth noting that this gun has had only 4 owners: Roy Jinks, Bill Orr, Wayne Betz, and myself.

(By it's date of manufacture, this thread probably belongs in the 1961 to 1980 section of this forum. 99% of my collection has always been prior to 1961, and so my loyalty is in the 1896 - 1961 section of the forum!)


Regards, Mike Priwer
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Wow, to think that this gun is still around and not lost to time.
 
Very interesting reading, and congratulations to Mr. Priwer on a wonderful collection specimen. However, unrelated to the letter's content (and certainly meaning no disrespect to the highly regarded Dr. Jinks), I am surely not the only reader who noticed the letter's dozen or so glaring grammatical errors. As it was an official correspondence from a nationally known business, the letter seemed to treat the English language a bit roughly, going well beyond the occasional common typo of the day. :) Not a big deal in the long run, of course, just a little surprising to see.
 
For those who may have never fired an 18... don't miss an opportunity if it arises..they are tack drivers!
 
Great gun. Stainless steel is very tough to work with, resulting in rapid wear on tools in the manufacturing process. Anyone that has tried to drill a hole in this material with standard steel bits knows how hard it was to work with. Add the fact that forging this metal must have been next to impossible in the early years of its production. Barrel installation was very tricky and plagued the industry for years with cracked frames and galled threads, as well as risking their employees safety in hand installing barrels until new processes were developed. Ultimately, the two piece barrel was introduced in the 1990s, eliminating the need to have to clock barrels. So in the early 1970s SS S&W may have decided it was more work and cost to make revolvers in SS than it was worth, in addition to not being sure the market was large enough to support production??
 
Well this could turn into a can of worms. When someone starts a thread saying “I have a stainless model 19 and need info”….. the first reply 100% of the time is “ no such thing”.
 
Thank You OP. Fabulous.

And for those who take time to add history… sure makes for interesting reading. Thanks for taking the time.
 
Well now that was strange that Smith never marketed this gun as it would have made a great backpacking gun when out fishing in the wilds or camping. I now I would have gladly bought one.
 
mikepriwer said:
GF

Looks like, but there is a key difference - this is a 4" barrel, and the 617 is 6". That is actually the difference between a Combat K-frame, and a Masterpiece K-frame.

Regards, Mike Priwer
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mikepriwer said:
GF

Looks like, but there is a key difference - this is a 4" barrel, and the 617 is 6". That is actually the difference between a Combat K-frame, and a Masterpiece K-frame.

Regards, Mike Priwer
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4" "Ashland" guns were produced.
 

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Muley Gil said:
It says right there in Dr. Roy's letter that S&W didn't think there was enough demand for a stainless K frame .22 rimfire revolver.

The bottom line is ALWAYS money.
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The Model 63 came out in late 77 so the survey must have been ongoing.
 
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