Dating a K-22 by serial number

paplinker · #1 03-24-2015, 12:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AN7433

Hi, I just purchased a K-22 with Serial # K 115XX not sure how to get an accurate date. I am guessing mid to late 40's.

K 11153 is Dec 1947 gun for me

Tkuisis · #2 03-24-2015, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paplinker

K 11153 is Dec 1947 gun for me

K10171 is a December 23. 1947, according to my letter.

JSR III · #3 03-24-2015, 07:40 PM

Quote:

I recently picked up a very comfortable shooting revolver with a light trigger in 38 spec. It looks like it could be a K-22 but I am not finding enough info to tell and not familiar with S&W. It has Ser no 712706, model no. 47563. Can anyone tell me about it? Thanks

OK, first welcome to the forum. Secondly, when you have a question that does not involve the original posters question, it is considered bad form to add your question to an ongoing thread. In addition, folks that have already read or participated in the thread may not read your question and your results will suffer. As Jack pointed out this is referred to as "thread hijacking".

Now that we have all of that out on the table, if your gun shoots the .38 special round, it would then be called a K 38 and not a K 22. The K is the frame size and the 22 or 38 refers to the caliber.

The serial number will appear on the butt of the gun (may require that the stocks be removed) and you need to include the "K" when giving the serial number. The 47563 number that you most likely found on the frame and the yoke are assembly numbers and are only used during construction of the gun in the factory to keep fitted and mated parts together.

If your serial number from the butt of the gun is in fact 712706 or in reality K 712706, then the gun should have shipped in the later part of 1966.

I hope that helps.

AN7433 · #4 04-01-2015, 01:16 PM

Thanks everyone, for all of your help with dating my K-22. Much appreciated.

JSR III · #5 04-01-2015, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Thanks James. I apologize for the breach of protocol and lack of manners. I'm new to this and any forums - just sounded like a group of guys that knew alot about SW revolvers so I jumped in.
Thanks for the reply. Ill find the right place for my questions but so you'll know, there are no letters with any of the numbers. The 712706 is found on the butt and on the end of the cylinder.

Not a problem as that is how we learn. Since there is no K your gun is a .38 Military and Police model 1905 4th change made between 1915 and 1942. Based on the serial number I would say 1940 or 1941. Post war these guns will have an S prefix until 1948 when the C prefix started and ran to about 1967 when the D prefix began. These guns became the Model 10 around 1957 and were probably the most produced S&W of all time and used by almost every major police force in the world.