Yesterday at the Colorado Collectors show(which is a great show) I stopped to chat with another SWCA member from the Denver area. We were looking at a Nickel Triple Lock that was a pretty nice gun and Karl asked me if I was seeking anything in particular. I told him I had been looking for a Pre War K-22 Outdoorsman but I had not found the "right one". He asked me if I had seen the one in a fellows glass case that was in another room that I had already walked through. I guess you can't see them all and I had missed this one. I walked to the area and found this one sitting in a case just waiting for a new owner to come along. I was surprised to see it had a gold bead front sight and one screw at the rear of the rear sight. It is nice enough to add to my collection but not too nice where I won't shoot it. This one made my day. I think it is a first year gun.

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Jim
SWCA #2246

NICE! Every blind chicken finds a kernel of corn once in a while, but Jim seems to find the whole cob and quite consistantly......

That would be good enuff to make somebody's whole week.

Ya done good.

Very nice find! It looks like these are starting to pop up everywhere. I documented a First Model which I recently found in Massachusetts of all places (in the wrong section I might add... Hanging on the Local Gun Shop Wall...).

And then, Four Seasons Firearms in Woburn, Mass listed this in their Used Guns listing:

"Smith & Wesson OUTDOORSMAN K22 .22LR 645xxx $1499.95 PRE WW2, 6 IN BBL, WOOD GRIPS"

That is a bit rich for me, plus it's a 210 mile round trip from where I live. Maybe some S&W fan in that area can take a look at it and report back.

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Frosty
S&WCA # 2816

Jim:

Congrats! For reference and book-ending your gun, 635065 shipped in June 1931 and 639380 shipped in March 1932.

Great find,

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

I forgot to ask in my post about the gold bead sight. Do we know how many were made this way or when the cut off was for the gold bead rather than the stainless bead?

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Jim
SWCA #2246

Jim, I can tell you that 637707 was shipped July 1931, so if I read your number correctly it is 167 different than mine. Would definitely be a 1st year. Mine is also a gold bead front and a single screw elevation screw, with a "U" notch rear blade.

Nice gun, has a better finish than mine.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

Jim,

Glad to see you found what you were looking for, nice one...

Regards

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Mitch
SWCA 2597

I used to keep a database of the 1st Model Outdoorsman. There is around 120 examples on it and the earliest Stainless bead I have verified is April 1932 (Serial 638,8xx) and the earliest 2 screw sight is April 1934 (Serial 646,3xx). The database has a number of examples that are prior to these numbers, but I didn't capture the dates, so........ take it for what it's worth..

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Dean
SWCA #680 SWHF #446

Jim...Nice revolver. I think the Call gold bead and Call brilliant front sight blades are fairly common on the K-22.

Bill

Jim,

That is a great early Outdoorsman, enjoy!

Al

Congrats on your find, Jim! I know you've been looking for one.
That one looks like the perfect gun - very nice and respectable condition, but not so nice as to not want to shoot.

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Rick
SWCA #2727 , SWHF #435

I found out today it shipped in August 1931.

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Jim
SWCA #2246

great find

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Cheers, Charles
SWCA #2442

Thought I'd mention mine (not trying to hijack the thread) for dating purposes. Mine is serial numbered 647731. Has SS dot front sight and two screws on rear sight.
Charlie