S&W PRE-17 BRIGHT BLUE FINISH(NEW INFO-12-28-16)

redwagon32 · #1 06-21-2010, 01:35 AM

I have a 1948 pre-17 with the S&W bright blue finish. It came to me without a box and the factory letter merely says blue finish (although I didn't think at the time to ask specifically whether there was any mention of special order bright blue.) The 1951 Gun Digest is the earliest mention I know of for special order bright blue for a K22 at about 10% added cost. I am wondering how unusual bright blue is for a K22 of this era. How much might it add to the value of a 98% revolver over the standard matte blue? The gun shows no evidence of refinishing.

New Info as of 12-28-16
Thanks to Roy Jinks-I have new info on this revolver showing that it was special ordered in bright blue and with original target grips. He reissued a letter to me upon my written request and found the new info somewhere. I have attached a photo of the new letter and of the gun showing the almost mirror brightness of the finish(one shows the reflection of my camera). Unfortunately, by the time I acquired it, the original target grips were replaced with much later ones and I won't be able to see if the original target grips were serial numbered to the gun(unlikely) or if it was shipped in a slightly larger gold box to fit the target grips.