My Grandpa's pistol

mattmatney · #1 08-09-2009, 05:03 PM

I was given my grandpa's pistol and i would like to know more about it. It is a double action .22 pistol. Serial # K 98546 this is stamped on the barrel and on the butt of the handle. There is another # on the inside that reads KO 352679, also on the side of the barrel reads 22 Long rifle CTG

thanks for any help
matt

gjamison · #2 08-09-2009, 05:11 PM

sounds like a k22. please post some pictures. other things that will help id the gun, how long is the barrel, what does the finish look like.

mattmatney · #3 08-09-2009, 05:16 PM

I will post pics as soon as i can. 5" blued barrel, Antlered handle( i think it's stag) 6 shot

Muley Gil · #4 08-09-2009, 05:38 PM

Welcome to the Forum.

Measure the barrel from the front of the cylinder forward to the end of the barrel. It sounds like a 6" gun, as that was standard.

mattmatney · #5 08-09-2009, 05:52 PM

you are correct sir 6" barrel

mattmatney · #6 08-09-2009, 10:58 PM

if it is a k22 which i think it is form pics i've seen. What year do you think it was made

Muley Gil · #7 08-10-2009, 07:08 PM

Although it would take a factory letter to know the shipping date for sure, it appears to be 1950.

mattmatney · #8 10-10-2011, 12:26 PM

here are the pictures i promised..... I feel like a jerk sorry!!!!

DCWilson · #9 10-10-2011, 12:33 PM

Yup, K-22 Masterpiece from 1950. Good custom stocks on it, and a trigger shoe as well. Nice one! There are a lot of people (and not all of them S&W owners) who think the postwar K-22 Masterpiece is the finest .22 revolver ever made. The prewar varieties (the company introduced the first medium-frame .22 target revolver in 1931) aren't far behind.

And welcome to the forum.

mattmatney · #10 10-10-2011, 12:33 PM

I forgot to mention there are 5 screws.

mattmatney · #11 10-10-2011, 12:47 PM

Dcwilson thanks a bunch. This pistol has been sitting in a cowboy holster for about 20 yrs. I just fired it for the first time the other day and it shoots sweet!!!!!

M29since14 · #12 10-10-2011, 12:54 PM

Well, as you probably know by now, you have a K22 and since it was your Grandpa's revolver, I hope you will always hang on to it. My Grandpa was something of a pistol shooter and helped develop my interest in handguns and shooting them. Unfortunately, when he left us, I was not able to obtain any of his firearms. The family connection to that revolver might not seem like a big deal to you, but to a lot of us, it is.

nawilson · #13 10-10-2011, 01:00 PM

Very nice pistol! I like those grips. Your Grandfather had excellent taste.

mattmatney · #14 10-10-2011, 01:11 PM

Thanks guys. I will forever hang on to this pistol. My Grandpa was the greatest man i have ever known.

I trying figure out if i should get reblued or leave it be. It has a lot of wear on the front bottom of the barrel, cylinder and trigger guard
from that holster.

nawilson · #15 10-10-2011, 01:17 PM

Your call, but I'd leave it. Figure that blued finish, even if now worn, was the same one that attracted your Grandfather and the same one he touched.

Green Frog · #16 10-10-2011, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattmatney

Thanks guys. I will forever hang on to this pistol. My Grandpa was the greatest man i have ever known.

I trying figure out if i should get reblued or leave it be. It has a lot of wear on the front bottom of the barrel, cylinder and trigger guard
from that holster.

My advice: Leave it alone!!! Keep it clean and properly oiled (and don't store it in that holster since a little moisture in that leather will cause a disaster.) It is what it is and since that is your grandfather's legacy, it should remain so... refinishing would not only hurt collector value but would in my mind go a long way toward changing it from the heirloom it is to just another refinished S&W. This is my opinion, of course and probably worth just about what you paid for it, but there it is!

Froggie

DCWilson · #17 10-10-2011, 01:19 PM

A well used and cared for gun deserves to look the way it does. Erasing its features by refinishing it would be like erasing the part of your grandfather that helped make it the way it is. For me, there are two simple rules for guns like that: never try to improve them, and let them accumulate any further character slowly.

So I would vote to leave it alone.

GyMac · #18 10-10-2011, 01:22 PM

What a great, fun gun. Those grips are fantastic.

mattmatney · #19 10-10-2011, 01:30 PM

Much appreciated fellers,
How do i remove some of the surface rust with out harming anymore of the finish???? The rust is very mild around the cylinder.

GyMac · #20 10-10-2011, 01:37 PM

I have used oil and a very light touch with fine,steel wool. Some will suggest bronze wool. It's very important to use a light touch after the oil has had a chance to work.

sonora · #21 10-12-2011, 09:39 AM

Welcome to the forum. You have a real beauty there, cherish it. As you will soon learn the 5-screw models are very desierable. You have the best of the best! What struck me was the aged Sambar stag stocks, the rich color and patina is simply stricking. The members here on rhe forum are very helpful and will inform you as to how to care for this great piece. Sonora

VaRecon · #22 10-12-2011, 10:21 AM

Great looking gun. I would shoot it enough to know it.
Then keep it for someone down the line to appreciate.
The k38 I was set to inherit was lost in a home invasion, so I can vouch firsthand for what it would mean to get a treasure like that.

crofoot629 · #23 10-12-2011, 11:07 AM

Great revolver and history.
Don’t refinish it and shoot the heck out of it. You can’t wear it out.

I have many more expensive handguns, but my 1948 K22 is my absolute favorite, and the condition is similar to your gun’s condition. I shoot it all the time.

Emory

Iggy · #24 10-12-2011, 11:34 AM

Old men and old guns earn their character and they should be respected for what they are.

PMRet · #25 10-12-2011, 11:02 PM

Your revolver shows good, honest wear acquired over many years, and I would leave it exactly as it is. As for the surface rust, use a good lubricant such as Breakfree or Kroil and Fine grade bronze wool.