K22 question

[Narragansett]

When were narrow ribs stopped on the K22, 1953?

Thanks

 

[Green Frog]

All of the earliest post War K-22s had the narrow rib. Then, starting about 1949 or ‘50 the heavy barrel with wider rib became available. By about the mid-‘50s the lighter barrel and narrow rib had been phased out. Notice that for at least a couple of years in there you could get either style.

Froggie

 

[Narragansett]

All of the earliest post War K-22s had the narrow rib. Then, starting about 1949 or ‘50 the heavy barrel with wider rib became available. By about the mid-‘50s the lighter barrel and narrow rib had been phased out. Notice that for at least a couple of years in there you could get either style.

Froggie

Thanks for the info. I know the K-38 narrow rib went away in mid 1949. I was just wondering about the k-22

 

[JP@AK]

I know the K-38 narrow went away in mid 1949.

Actually, that's not the case. The first K-38 Heavy Masterpiece shipped on August 19, 1948. The serial number was K66222. The first K-38 Heavy Masterpiece with a target hammer was K66198 and it didn't ship until February, 1949.

But S&W continued to make the tapered barrel variant of the K-38 Masterpiece at least through the end of 1951. The last of the tapered barrels were used up in the autumn of 1952. The K-38 Heavy Masterpiece was made concurrently with the tapered barrel version for at least three years, probably closer to four.

On the K-22 Masterpiece, the straight side barrel and wider rib was a later innovation. Keep in mind that the whole reason for introducing the K-38 Heavy Masterpiece was to bring the weight up to the same level as the K-22. Because of the smaller bore, the tapered barrel K-22 was heavier than the K-38 with the same barrel profile. The wider rib on the K-38 Heavy Masterpiece was intended to make up the difference. For that reason, the rib on the K-22 remained narrow for quite some time.

Since I don't track the K-22 with the same precision that I have paid attention to the evolution of the K-38, I can't tell you exactly when the profile changed on the K-22. But I'm quite certain that it was later than c. 1950. I tend to think it was more like 1953 or 1954. I've owned several of them from the 1940s, and some from the mid- to late-1950s, but never one from the 1950-1954 period. All I can say for sure is that the wider rib was added to the K-22 later than to the K-38.

 

[Engine49guy]

While I lost all my SW data IIRC the wider rib K22 was advertised in the 1950 AMC but they did not begin to ship until around 1954-1955, that is why you never see one in satin blue as the bright blue finish was standard by then.
On a side note the five screw wider rib varient had a relatively small window of availability, it appears around 55 and is replaced by the 4 screw by around 57 (again IIRC).

 

[RKmesa]

The only wide-rib 5-screw K-22 Masterpiece in my collection is SN K254757. It is bright blue and shipped in May 1956.

 

[larryofcc]

The only wide-rib 5-screw K-22 Masterpiece in my collection is SN K254757. It is bright blue and shipped in May 1956.

Mine is close to yours. # K 258577, 5 screw, wide rib, shipped 5-2-1956. Letter states it was shipped with a target hammer and target stocks. They are the unrelieved type. High polish blue. This revolver is a 99%er. Very hard to find. I need a box. Big Larry

 

[Engine49guy]

Mine is also in the K25xxxx range, shipped in 8/56.
It is interesting these were shipping at the same time as the then new four screw Combat Magnums.