Can anyone here help me date and identify an old family S&W?

[Ridge Runner]

The revovler looks alot like the one pictured at the top of the forum page.

It is a .22 LR and is a five screw. The barrel is pinned and the SN on it is 6390XX. The barrel is 6' and on the inside frame and cylinder arm it has "4421". The cylinder also has a matching serial number to the gun.

The rear sight is adjustable and original to the gun and the front white dot sight looks just like the revovler pictured above.

It was used by a family game warden in Maine. It was his "duty gun." I have been told that he "ordered it special from S&W in the early 30's. He wanted a .22 caliber on a 38 frame." At least that is what my wife's father says.

Can anyone please help me date this revovler? What model is it?

It is in really rough shape and needs to be worked on, but it should clean up nicely. I want to restore it and keep it in the family.

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Muley Gil]

You have a Model K22 Outdoorsman, which probably shipped in 1931-32.

 

[Ridge Runner]

What can you tell me about the gun? Anything special about it...other than it being a S&W of course!!

 

[Ridge Runner]

What can you tell me about the gun? Anything special about it...other than it being a S&W of course!!

It does have a humpback hammer like the one in the picture above...is that unique in anyway?

 

[P&R Fan]

If you can, post a picture. All we can tell you is the approximate date of manufacture from the serial number. If you want to know more, a factory letter may help.
Unless it is in REALLY bad shape I would not have it re-blued. That will seriously affect collector value, and, at least for me, would alter something that was in the family. All those dings have a story. Now if they could only talk.
Clean it up, post some pics and then shoot the heck out of it. They're a lot of fun.
Jim

 

[Muley Gil]

It was the first true heavy frame .22 revolver built by S&W and set the standard for .22 Long Rifle wheel guns.

The previous .22 Long Rifle revolver that Smith built was on the I frame, similar to but a bit smaller that todays Chief Special. The K22 was a great improvement.

 

[Ridge Runner]

Can anyone recommend wood grips for it? What style and kind should I get? Are reproductions available? I would love to find replacement grips like the ones above for it.

 

[Ridge Runner]

If you can, post a picture. All we can tell you is the approximate date of manufacture from the serial number. If you want to know more, a factory letter may help.
Unless it is in REALLY bad shape I would not have it re-blued. That will seriously affect collector value, and, at least for me, would alter something that was in the family. All those dings have a story. Now if they could only talk.
Clean it up, post some pics and then shoot the heck out of it. They're a lot of fun.
Jim

The rust has really began to freckle all over it. Recomendations on how to clean up the rust without damaging it even more? The rust is my main concern.

It has been in a leather holster for 25+ years and it shows. The muzzle wear goes up 75% of the barrel and the top frame, cylinder and triggerguard have a white frosting all over every edge. The ejector rod is practically white.

The gun has not been cleaned since it was last shot. I can not imagine how long ago that was.

The trigger is also HORRIBLE on it. I think the insides need a lot of TLC.

 

[Muley Gil]

The grips shown on revolver at the top of the page are pre WW II Magnas and are very pricey, probably as much as a reblue would cost.

I would check either here in the Forum classifieds, or maybe ebay, or even your local gunshops, for a set of post WW II K frame diamond Magnas. Much cheaper, and they feel about the same in the hand.

Get some bronze wool and a good gun oil and clean up the exterior. Unless you have the correct gunsmithing screwdrivers, and have been inside a Smith revolver before, I would recommend you take it to a gunsmith for a good cleaning.

 

[Ridge Runner]

The grips shown on revolver at the top of the page are pre WW II Magnas and are very pricey, probably as much as a reblue would cost.

I would check either here in the Forum classifieds, or maybe ebay, or even your local gunshops, for a set of post WW II K frame diamond Magnas. Much cheaper, and they feel about the same in the hand.

Get some bronze wool and a good gun oil and clean up the exterior. Unless you have the correct gunsmithing screwdrivers, and have been inside a Smith revolver before, I would recommend you take it to a gunsmith for a good cleaning.

I shot a bunch of CLP inside of the hammer and that seemed to fix the trigger problem. It leaked out for awhile, but now the trigger is fantastic. I had a pair of old grips from a 686 and they fit great. I scubbed and oiled the gun and although it sill is really worn, it looks alot better.

I will be taking it out this weekend to see how it shoots.

 

[fat tom]

The grips you want are pre-war K-frame service grips like the ones on this revolver. A decent set will run you somewhere in the neighborhood of $150.

f.t.

 

[Smithhound]

Where abouts do you live? I noticed the 'Ridge Runner' name and if you live anywhere near SE Tenn I would be glad to meet you somewhere to take a look at it, disassemble it and give it a cleaning, also show you how. It's not difficult once you've done it, that was the great thing about the 5 screw models, they were made to maintain. With the proper tools etc. it would make a great difference. I'd love to help you out with it if your near this area. If you can take pictures and email them to me at:
[email protected]
I'll post them for you if your having trouble.
Nice to hear about a family heirloom that someone wants to treasure, too many people these days would rather trade it for something modern or just plain sell it.
Russ Donegan

 

[eshap2]

The revovler looks alot like the one pictured at the top of the forum page.

It is a .22 LR and is a five screw. The barrel is pinned and the SN on it is 6390XX. The barrel is 6' and on the inside frame and cylinder arm it has "4421". The cylinder also has a matching serial number to the gun.

The rear sight is adjustable and original to the gun and the front white dot sight looks just like the revovler pictured above.

It was used by a family game warden in Maine. It was his "duty gun." I have been told that he "ordered it special from S&W in the early 30's. He wanted a .22 caliber on a 38 frame." At least that is what my wife's father says.

Can anyone please help me date this revovler? What model is it?

It is in really rough shape and needs to be worked on, but it should clean up nicely. I want to restore it and keep it in the family.

Any help would be appreciated.

call s&w in conn and give them the info, they should be able to tell you. they have a toll free number.

 

[DCWilson]

If your K-22 Outdoorsman truly has a humpback hammer, then it is a later replacement. The HB hammer was not introduced until 1938, and your gun probably shipped in 1932.

The standard prewar hammer is so different from most postwar hammer styles that it is sometimes mistaken for a humpback hammer. The true HB has no depression on its upper surface at all, and the standard prewar hammer has a shallow depression. The ones in the picture are K-frame centerfire hammers, HB on the left and standard on the right. Your K-22 hammer would not have the firing pin, as those were frame-mounted in the I-frame and K-frame .22s that S&W produced. Other than that, the respective hammer profiles are identical.

Sounds like you have already made some headway cleaning up the gun, but some time spent going over it with fine brass wool and a good gun oil like Kroil or CorrosionX will be well worth it. If you can do a complete teardown cleaning at some point, that will help the gun too. But the interior flush you gave it sounds like it has helped immensely already.

Looking forward to the range report. Please post pics, too.