New to me 1951 K22 Masterpiece Pre 17

blackdeuce

blackdeuce

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I only had one 17, a 17 no dash, so I was happy to add this to the collection. Pretty clean gun.

Serial K135724 dates it to 1951, I believe. Serial on the butt of the frame, the cylinder, and barrel all match.

It has a small repair on one of the grips. I'm sure I could find a more perfect set of grips without the repair, but these are pretty nice and numbered to the gun. What are thoughts on that? Better to have a perfect set of grips, or the set numbered to the gun with a small repair?
 

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blackdeuce said:
I only had one 17, a 17 no dash, so I was happy to add this to the collection. Pretty clean gun.

Serial K135724 dates it to 1951, I believe. Serial on the butt of the frame, the cylinder, and barrel all match.

It has a small repair on one of the grips. I'm sure I could find a more perfect set of grips without the repair, but these are pretty nice and numbered to the gun. What are thoughts on that? Better to have a perfect set of grips, or the set numbered to the gun with a small repair?
Click to expand...
Nice gun. Leave the originals on it unless they interfere somehow with using it. A K frame Smith is a delight no matter the configuration.
 
For shooting, I’d want a nice Sanderson or Roper thumbrest target grip.
A Fuzzy Farrant grip would be nice, but it’s a bit later design-wise.

Any of these choices are, to me anyhow, superior choices for shooting than anything that came from the factory.

Having said that, a Tyler T-grip helps a Magna style grip tremendously.
 
My (dad's) K22 Masterpiece (Ser. # K91609) left the factory in Dec., 1950 I think. I seem to have lost my letters. I know they're in that one drawer; just need to look a little harder or send my wife downstairs to look for it.
 
That's a nice gun, is there a "B" near the serial number on the underside of the barrel?
When I had to choose between my 17-2 and my pre-17, the pre-17 stayed and the 17-2 went down the road, even though it was in nicer shape and was complete in-box. I just prefer that tapered barrel.

I have a few sets of target grips that I swap onto guns with nice original grips that I want to keep with the gun but not on the gun. If I get rid of the gun the originals go back onto the gun and the targets go back onto the shelf or onto another gun.
 
silicosys4 said:
That's a nice gun, is there a "B" near the serial number on the underside of the barrel?
When I had to choose between my 17-2 and my pre-17, the pre-17 stayed and the 17-2 went down the road, even though it was in nicer shape and was complete in-box. I just prefer that tapered barrel.

I have a few sets of target grips that I swap onto guns with nice original grips that I want to keep with the gun but not on the gun. If I get rid of the gun the originals go back onto the gun and the targets go back onto the shelf or onto another gun.
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There is no B on the underside of the barrel, just a K and the serial number. Would a B mean something?
 
As a rule, I don't invest in guns with mis matched stocks. I am a collector, and I like my guns 100% original. My first S&W was a very nice early, K22, with a 4 digit serial number and LERK. Numbered box too. Shipped 9-23-1947, which is my 5th birthday. I vote to leave your gun as shipped. Maybe changed to a set of non relieved target stocks for shooting, but keep the originals. Big Larry
 

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Nice gun and stocks, as I cannot find the repair. There is no way I would prefer non-matching stocks on that gun. While it is pre-model 17, there is no need to use it as a name. Factory had no idea it was going to introduce model numbers for guns in 1951, so it was simply a K38 Masterpiece in those years. According to Roy Jinks, your revolver was manufactured in late 1951, but could have shipped in 1952. Only a factory letter would tell you where and when gun was shipped.

Your gun is correct, there was no "B" on the barrel of Masterpiece revolvers. "B" was for Blue and used to signify what finish was to be applied to the parts during manufacture.
 
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Very nice K22 ,
Iirc the short lived plastic SW stock medalions would exist in that serial range due to brass shortages related to the Korean conflict so not as easy to replace the stocks with a correct pair.

Im guessing a member asked about it having a "B" stamp because of how shiney it looks in the two posted pics (B would indicate a special order bright blue rather than the standard satin finish of that era.)
Probably its either the lighting or it was wiped down with oil prior to being photographed and is satin blue.
 
Engine49guy said:
Very nice K22 ,
Iirc the short lived plastic SW stock medalions would exist in that serial range due to brass shortages related to the Korean conflict so not as easy to replace the stocks with a correct pair.

Im guessing a member asked about it having a "B" stamp because of how shiney it looks in the two posted pics (B would indicate a special order bright blue rather than the standard satin finish of that era.)
Probably its either the lighting or it was wiped down with oil prior to being photographed and is satin blue.
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Interesting. It has very nice bluing. Not satin bluing. I had a hard time getting photos without getting reflections on the bluing.
 
They could be ordered with bright blue, but I have a polished blue gun that still does not have a B on the barrel. Again, a letter would indicate the finish as it left the factory to authenticate your revolver or not.
 
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The B on the barrel flat was used prior to WWII, to indicate a blue finish rather than a nickel finish. S&W stopped doing that with the advent of the war. After the war, it only got the B for a relatively short time to distinguish the polished bright blue from the standard at that time of the satin blue. I'm not sure when exactly that practice ended, but it sounds like yours didn't get the B for whatever reason.
 
I do not know when that process stopped either, but it reminds me of a very good Chronology of Changes S&W done by Nahas and Supica. It did not fit in their 5th Edition, but is available online. Has many of the changes to hand ejectors we search for from time to time.

https://www.gunheritage.com/s-w-chronology-of-changes

There are other links of interest on this site as shown below as well. Click on one line and find the "Open Link button.
 
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