Here's a shooter 5 screw, serial # K 642XX that should put it around '48.



It came to me with a well worn set of refinished targets on it.



The finish is thin on all the places an old carry gun would be, used but not abused. Screws aren't buggered and it locks up well, solid old piece.

I like the high condition revolvers as well as anybody, and I have a few of those, but these old shooters are finding their way home more often than ever! I like revolvers with honest wear.
Members talk about refinishing and I'm going for the ones that look like this.

Some guys are just... different.

GF

I like it Gail! I think my old eyes would like the front sight also.

Mike, that's the second revolver in a row for me that has a orange square on the front sight...
14-1


and your right, soontobefifty eyes like that!

GF

Nice looking, well loved K-22!

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Misty

That's a fine K-22, and I think those early target stocks really enhance the Masterpiece models. I always have my eye out for '50s-era diamond targets now, and I put them on my five-screw K-Masterpieces whose magnas do not number to the gun.

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David Wilson

Nice looking K-22. Is that front sight original or aftermarket ?
I have a 1948, but with the plain fron sight. I like your sight better.

Very nice, I have a pre 17 with the same sight.

Very nice gun and you'll find it will shoot good also. I have one in the 7200 ser range and wow is it accurate. Makes me look like I know what I'm doin. Larry

I also have a k-22 from 1948 -- there must have been a bunch of them. Mine came with diamond magnas numbered to the gun but I have put a set of stags on it (keeping the magnas put away). Mine has the plain black patridge front sight. It shoots like a dream and has been a trainer for many new shooters ove the years.

2 pictures of guns and wood I like in one thread?

Man you really know how to hurt a guy.
I like the shooters too Gail, and I'm doing my best to turn all my guns into shooters.

Fifty huh? Dude, you're old.

Hello Gail
That's a nice one. I found one from 1948 that had almost No Bluing finish left on it. I decided to brighten her up a bit and sent it down to Ford's Custom refinishing in Florida. I asked for their "Master Bluing" finish to be Placed on it as I wanted to see how it would look. It is shown below now with a Little More Bling than it left the factory with... I also sent along with it, and Original Factory Mcgivern Gold bead sight, but it was for a wide rib K-22 and Horace Ford had to Mill down the extra width ribs on it to match the 1948 Narrow rib on the barrel before placing it..

WoW Hammerdown! That's a beautiful revolver!

I have a secret.... if I find "just the right" candidate, I'm gonna' send a Mod 17 to Fords for a nickel refinish on a K-22!
It's something I've always wanted.


SHUShhhh, don't tell anybody.

GF

Decent condition on that ole '48 model.

Enjoy!

Hello Gail
You "Secret" is Good with me, and rest assured, they will do it up right. I Located this S&W Model 17-2 K-22 that had been refinished in Blue and looked Horrid. It did how ever have an original set of Roper Grips on it scribed on the rear by the maker Matheis Gagne a date of 1936. I wanted the grips more so than the gun and the seller "Thought" that The grips he had on it were Herritt's, so his price was in Line for a Poorly Refinished gun with Herritt grips.

I later shot this gun at my Range and discovered it was a real tight shooter as the Target shows below with 6 rounds in it at the 20 yard line. After seeing how well it really shot, but Looking at it all messed up I felt it deserved a better finish so after a Lengthly discussion with Larna Ford the owner and Person who does all of the Nickel finishes at Ford's, I decided to have it done in a High Polished Nickel finish, as you I always wanted a Nickel K-22 and this one qualified for that. The previous Re-blue it had done to it when I bought it was so bad that Ford's had to work out all of the Very Noticeable Waves & Ripples it had and in the process of this the S&W Trade Mark was weakened badly so they Re-cut the S&W Trade Mark for me as shown.

I Certainly did not expect to see it come back the way it turned out, & I feel they do as well with their Nickel finishes as they do with their Master Bluing finishes. When it returned from Ford's with it's new Nickel finish I decided to replace the Roper's that came on it with the diamond Target grips it is shown with. The Ropers are now on my 1936 K-22 Outdoorsman revolver. Most People don't know this, but Ford's Custom Gun refinishing does their Nickel finishes for other well known refinishers as a Sub contractor job. I do know that They do all of the Magnum Research gun finishes including the 24 Karat Gold finish, and they also do all the finishes for the company called Cylinder & Slide. One nice feature they offer is they give a full Year warranty with all of their refinishing work, and I know of no other refinisher to ever offer this....

to show you what level of satisfaction Ford's go to in their Line of Business as far as their customer warranty goes, I had a friend send them a Five screw 1954 38-44 H.D. revolver for their Master Blued finish {See the Picture Link of it Below, in Ford's customer Photo's section} and he was super pleased with it when he got it back. About Two years later, he noticed that the cylinder in his gun appeared to be turning slightly Plum in color, more noticeable in direct sun light. I called down to Ford's about this and spoke with Horace Ford and told him of this color issue. Horace explained to me, that some of the Older vintage S&W handguns had a very High Nickel content in their carbon steel, and sometimes the bluing will not Penetrate the steel correctly the first time around. He was very Pleasant about this issue and then simply said, "Send it back, we will take care of it, No Problem". They redid the cylinder for him and the Match was Perfect when they were done with it. This showed me what great People they are to work with and how they stand behind their work as there was No Charge what so ever for this re-work well after their One Year warranty had expired...

Gun # 29 Picture link of the 38-44 H.D. I spoke of that Ford's did for my friend

Can't go wrong with any five screw 22. Can't have too many of them. Can't shoot them often enough. Can't.........well, you get the point.

Luv those 1948 K22's. That was also the last year you could find the single line address right?
Oh and Hammerdown, have told you this on the rimfire forum before but wow those are beautiful.

Hello Joe
I appreciate your Kind words. 1948 was the First Year for the New Four Line address. I assume there were some single line address Guns shipped in 1948 until all existing frames that S&W had on hand were used up, as S&W was not known to waste anything and unless it was a safety related design change, they used up existing supplies on hand, but 1947 was the last year for the single line address stamps...

Kurt, here's a picture of my K-22, #184XX, with one line address that shipped in March of 1948. I wasn't sure which year the single line ended. Thanks for the info!

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Misty

Hello Misty
That is a Gorgeous K-22 complete Package you have there, you should be very proud to own it ! I have Read that the order was given for the four line address by President Carl Helstrom in April of 1948. But as I said, I would be willing to bet they used up pre-Existing Frames with the Older one line address as well, so some may have shipped after April that still had the single line address stamps...

Here is another 1948 K22. I believe I have seen more 1948 guns than any other year. This gun is a bit unusual in that it has a factory bright blue finish. The high polish can be seen well in the cylinder reflection on the frame in the second photo

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John. SWCA #1586