A Humpback hammer question...

[RWJ]

Anyone have any idea as to the ratio of K-frame humpback hammers to N-frame ones? I hear the N's being referred to all the time, but not very often for the K-frames.

Bought a pre-war target with one, just wondering.

 

[bdGreen]

Bought a pre-war target with one, just wondering.

You bought a pre-war target K frame gun with a hump back hammer?
Pictures would be nice.

bdGreen

 

[CptCurl]

I have a friend who bought a K .38 Target Masterpiece with HBH about 8 months ago from Woodlawn.

In September 2014 I saw a pre-war K .22 Outdoorsman with a HBH offered on a table at OGCA.

Never owned one myself, but I think they are pretty cool. Obviously it was not a popular option, as they sold few of them.

Curl

 

[DWalt]

I don't remember the entire story but I think there was a posting here which said that K-frame HBHs could be ordered as an option or purchased separately from S&W for installation by the owner.

 

[rburg]

I've got 2 K22s (674,xxx serials) and an M&P target (684,000s serial). I've also got a lonesome K22 hammer someplace. It needs a new home, but I paid Lee $250 for it about 5 or 6 years ago. Some day I'll take it to a gun show and have thousands of people look at it and be confused as to what it is. Go figure.

 

[Rigmover]

Here is my one and only Pre K-32 1st Model 665,xxx serial range

And left the factory that way in Nov.1937

 

[jsfricks]

Here's my 1905 4th change that was ordered with a HBH by the police chief in Morganton, VA. Dec. 30, 1938.

 

[rct269]

This also doesn't answer your question, but Jinks notes approximately 24% of the Registered Magnums were ordered with the HBH.

Ralph Tremaine

 

[Brian in Oregon]

I really like humpback hammers. Wish more of my S&W's had them. Only one I have is on this K-22 outdoorsman. It's just a pleasure to cock them. Your thumb just kinda rolls with the motion.

More pics here.

 

[wheelgun610]

Here's my 1905 4th change that was ordered with a HBH by the police chief in Morganton, VA. Dec. 30, 1938.

Hmmm.... The letter actually says Morgantown, VA, but I'd bet on it being Morgantown, West Virginia. Being a native of WV, I was curious if there actually was a Morgantown VA, but a google search only turned up results for that city in WV....

Mark

 

[StrawHat]

I have a 1905 4th Change a little older than the one posted by jsfricks with a humbacked hammer and a 5"barrel. (Photographs are not loading for some reason.) Well used and a fun revolver to shoot, it shows it's age.

Kevin

 

[DWalt]

Hmmm.... The letter actually says Morgantown, VA, but I'd bet on it being Morgantown, West Virginia. Being a native of WV, I was curious if there actually was a Morgantown VA, but a google search only turned up results for that city in WV....

Mark

I am sure it was Morgantown WV, not VA,

 

[RWJ]

poor pics

Here are some poor cell phone pics. This poor thing (#696246) went back to the mother ship back in 9/75 for some work; there is a date stamp on the left grip frame, along with a boxed "R-S". The barrel has also been replaced, along with the extractor rod at the same time, as noted by the incorrect extractor rod & cutout, lack of a serial # on the flat, as well as the lack of patent dates on the top (cylinder matches serial). The grips are not original (obviously) as well. Still, I thought the humpback hammer still made it a nice package, despite its flaws. It doesn't appear to have seen much use since the work. A previous owner put his name and ssn lightly under the left grip as well,but there is nothing visible when it's dressed.

RWJ

Edit to add: Forgot to mention that it's a 5" barrel - makes a little more "unique".

You bought a pre-war target K frame gun with a hump back hammer?
Pictures would be nice.

bdGreen

 

[bdGreen]

"This poor thing (#696246) went back to the mother ship back in 9/75 for some work."

The gun appears to be, as you show, an Outdoorsman. But, your serial number is way up in the range of the K22/40 2nd Model Masterpiece.

Model K-22 Masterpiece (Prewar, K-22 2nd Model) #682404 to #696952.

Model K-22 Outdoorsman (K-22 1st Model) #632132 to #682419.

Please check the number again if you would.

Thanx,

bdGreen

 

[RWJ]

confirmed

I have double checked, and confirmed the number. In addition, there are 2 in the SWCA database in the 6963xx range and 1 in the 6964xx range which are listed as .38 1905 (4th) Targets. They must have snuck some centerfires in that range. No indication that it was ever a rimfire and converted.

 

[wheelgun610]

The gun appears to be, as you show, an Outdoorsman. But, your serial number is way up in the range of the K22/40 2nd Model Masterpiece.

Bruce, he never said his was an Outdoorsman, only that it has an HBH.

Mark

 

[bdGreen]

Thank you for the quick response.

Outdoorsman, long action, first iteration of adjustable rear sight assembly.

Masterpiece, new short action, new large screw adjustable rear sight assembly.

There were a possible fourteen thousand plus available serial numbers for the K22/40 in the range published. Only one thousand and sixty seven assembled as K22/40's. The rest were center fire revolvers.
So, how did a long action rim fire gun fall into a possibility of that serial number range.

I am baffled by the possibilities of it. Apparently there were not enough engineering changes from one to the other to preclude any possibility of that happening.
I know that others here have put standard hammers on a K22/40, but, I believe the matching triggers had to be installed with it.

This needs a resolve. Anyone?

Thanx again,

bdGreen

 

[RWJ]

not rimfire

I'm not sure where the idea this was a rimfire came from, but it's definitely a .38 spl.

 

[bdGreen]

Bruce, he never said his was an Outdoorsman, only that it has an HBH.

Mark

Thanx Mark. I guess I needed to be grounded a little on some focus points. If you have made note of most of my ramblings you have seen that K22's are a path of which I am most probable to follow.

Having said that, my last post still presents a bit of a challenge for me to understand the transition from long action to short action in that serial number range.

So, is it a rimfire or not? The pictures don't afford me a good point of argument.

Thanx again,

bdGreen

 

[bdGreen]

I'm not sure where the idea this was a rimfire came from, but it's definitely a .38 spl.

Well folks, there you go.

Thanx RWJ. I typically equate humpback hammers to K22 Outdoorsman's or Reg. Mags. My bad.

bdGreen