I have this K-22 Combat Masterpiece.

This little treasure came to me from a forum member a few short years ago. A copy of the S&W letter came with it and the person that requested the letter is also an active member here.
Small world. I guess the good guns don't get far away from the fold.

Anyway, this K-22 Combat Masterpiece was shipped the day after my brother was born in August of '53. And no, I don't intend to gift it to him for those that feel like goading me into it.

The box label is, of course, on a K-22 Masterpiece box. As you can see the label is correct and hasn't been modified. But, you'll notice that some enterprising soul used a black grease pencil on the other end to change the '6' to a '4'. How clever was that?

As I stated this is a treasure. You'll notice the 'proud' pins on the front sight.

The gun is in excellent condition and I am happy to have been able to put this one in my collection.

Enjoy,
bdGreen

Totally awesome.....Love the 5 screws and speed hammer.
site pins remind me of the pre model 27's as well.

Doesn't look like it's ever been used.

Don't know how folks resisted the urge for 57 years.

it hurts my eyes.

bd:

What a beautiful package. BTW, I have seen many gold boxes that were grease pen marked over on the barrel length (I have a 4" pre-27 that was marked over the 3.5" box that it shipped in) and I think that that was done at the factory, probably at the same time that the number was grease marked on the bottom of the box. At least one of the boxes that I saw was a K-22 Combat Masterpiece that shipped in a K-22 Masterpiece box.

Congrats,

__________________
Richard
Engraved S&W fan

+1 That.

You can always count on bdgreen for drop dead revolvers.

GF

Enviable revolver. I have come to believe that the OP has no guns that are NOT enviable.

I so rarely have a chance to play in the bdgreen's league that I am going to post this pic of a similar Pre-18 that I acquired a few months back from a forum member who turns up more good guns than just about anybody else.

K115589, September 1951. There's a light turn ring, so the OP's gun beats me on that one. I also don't have the HH booklet, but I have some of the other original stuff that came in the box.





There may be more .22 CMs in my future, but I don't expect ever to find one that will beat this one. Haven't lettered it yet, but I don't have any close family with a September birthday so that quandary doesn't even present itself. (Not that it would have been that much of a quandary. )

__________________
David Wilson

Bd

That gun has one of the best, if not the best, fitting side-plates that
I have seen. There is almost no line around it edges. Just a perfect
fit. When the factory got it right, they really got it right !

Regards, Mike Priwer

I have a box for a 4 inch Masterpiece coming in the mail mid-week. I was gonna' put my little mismatched gun in it and post it up.

I'm gonna' wait 'til Bruce & David's posts fall off page one before I do it now!

GF

That truly is a beauty. Thanks for sharing.

bruce, we must not have dug deep enough last year. i don't remember this one. how does it shoot? need a holster? yea, right. lee

Haven't lettered it yet, but I don't have any close family with a September birthday so that quandary doesn't even present itself. (Not that it would have been that much of a quandary.

David, aren't we close enough family? That is my birth month and birth year that you are holding with K115589. Email me for my mailing address.

Mike, thanx for noticing. This gun is as near a perfect specimen as I could hope to own. I have sent you a private mail.

Lee, good to hear from you. If you remember correctly the 'women' in our lives were getting restless. So, we had to shut down the gun show (my safe) early and get them fed. If you get back this way we can finish up. Of course we will feed them first.

bdGreen

I completely understand how an evening can get away from us looking at such things as the mighty .22.