Hello Sam, and welcome to the Forum! I guess you got your answer- your K22 Masterpiece was definitely refinished. It would have originally looked like mine (K40403, also 1948) and have been shipped in a gold box. Mine shows some honest wear, but it's an accurate shooter and a lot of fun. It also has a hair trigger so I assume it was worked on by a previous owner. Regardless of the refinish, you and your family will like taking your K22 to the range. It's a great training revolver for youngsters and women new to shooting since there is literally no recoil, and ammo is cheap. Enjoy!
K22 stainless question
- Thread starter Samuel2223
- Start date
Yes, $700 is too high for that gun. Remember that percent finish is the major factor in valuing any firearm and your revolver has 0% original finish. Worn K22 Masterpiece revolvers can be purchased for $500 and still function like new, plus will have more original finish than yours.
Outside of the collector market, it is hard to determine a value since demand will be relatively low. The K22 is one of the finest handguns S&W ever manufactured and the Masterpiece line is considered as the about best model ever made by the company. You now own the revolver and it's time to enjoy shooting it without much worry about wearing the finish.
My birthyear gun shipped in 1948.
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That's either hard chrome or electroless nickel...Welcome to the forum...Why do you not want the serial number known?......Ben
With all the hacking, scamming and deceptiveness going on these days (especially online), I think it is quite prudent to leave off the last 2 digits of the serial number. There is just no practical reason to give that info out!! Unless you are dating a very valuable gun, selling a specific famous historical gun, or trying to prove a gun belonged to a specific person during a certain time period, the last two digits won't usually mean squat - unless you are looking to pin the date down to a specific day. There is nothing at all wrong with using a serial number style like this example: 8K2644XX. Close enough for our general purposes and not specific enough for a scam job.
Bottom line is IMHO, there is just no reason for the last 2 digits to be disclosed - and it makes me sleep better at night. Just my 2 cents.
It's OK with me if others want to do that...I see no point to it, and nothing to fear from real numbers...I also know we have several members here who are tracking particular guns for databases which can benefit us all...If my use of real numbers from my guns helps them, I'm glad to be of service...But to each his/her own...
...BenVALUES--------------
Here are the prices fetched by the K-22's from my collection which was liquidated over the three years ending a year ago. Perhaps needless to say, these were original finish, high condition guns; and any comparison of these to this gun is akin to comparing apples to oranges----does not compute.
K-22 1st Model (with King Cockeyed Hammer)------$2500
K-22 1st Model-----------------------------------------$1750
K-22 2nd Model (Given/shipped to Philip B. Sharpe) $9500
K-22 3rd Model (Narrow Rib/One Line Address)------$1530
K-22 3rd Model (Narrow Rib/ Four Line Address)-----$1175
K-22 4th Model (Wide Rib)-----------------------------$950
Ralph Tremaine
Edited to add: I said "original finish", not so as re the 4th Model. This started life as a "Satin Blue" (the funky finish) gun which came to make my teeth hurt----was the first K-22 (also first/only handgun bought new (in 1956))---and given the ill effect on my teeth, and the fact I didn't know any better, I had it refinished by the factory in 1960----in Bright Blue---a VAST improvement!!
Here are the prices fetched by the K-22's from my collection which was liquidated over the three years ending a year ago. Perhaps needless to say, these were original finish, high condition guns; and any comparison of these to this gun is akin to comparing apples to oranges----does not compute.
K-22 1st Model (with King Cockeyed Hammer)------$2500
K-22 1st Model-----------------------------------------$1750
K-22 2nd Model (Given/shipped to Philip B. Sharpe) $9500
K-22 3rd Model (Narrow Rib/One Line Address)------$1530
K-22 3rd Model (Narrow Rib/ Four Line Address)-----$1175
K-22 4th Model (Wide Rib)-----------------------------$950
Ralph Tremaine
Edited to add: I said "original finish", not so as re the 4th Model. This started life as a "Satin Blue" (the funky finish) gun which came to make my teeth hurt----was the first K-22 (also first/only handgun bought new (in 1956))---and given the ill effect on my teeth, and the fact I didn't know any better, I had it refinished by the factory in 1960----in Bright Blue---a VAST improvement!!
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All stainless steel has iron in it, which is the magnetic element in the alloy. The magnetic attraction to stainless is very weak compared to a very strong attraction with steel. It is easy to tell the difference between SS and steel.
Cotis
Member
Sam,
Thank you for sharing your new acquisition with the forum. I for one really like it and do not see the hard chrome refinish as a negative, just the opposite. To me it is worth every bit what you paid for it.
Regards,
Chaz
Thank you for sharing your new acquisition with the forum. I for one really like it and do not see the hard chrome refinish as a negative, just the opposite. To me it is worth every bit what you paid for it.
Regards,
Chaz
lawandorder
Member
There is a K22 floating around that ,in a moment of poor decision making ,I let slip away. It wears an Armoloy coating and yes that destroys collectibility but makes for a very nice revolver that got heavy use.
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Samuel2223
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Welcome to the Forum OP! I believe you got a nice deal on a nice gun. Some items I've noticed and been educated about by the experts on this forum over the years that may be of interest to you about your K22 Masterpiece.
Last year I sold a 3 digit, K22, blue (K 905) that shipped in August of 1947. This date was confirmed by a Factory Letter of Authentication. It had what is known as a "one line address" on the right side of the frame.
Also last year I sold my other K22 Masterpiece, blue finish, serial number K 42372. This may be the gun that Jack (JP@AK) is referring to in his post above as it is a little higher than yours and mine was confirmed by S&W Historian as shipping in August 1948.
The 1948 gun pics below show that it had a 4 line address, high speed (aka short) action, large S&W logo on right side of frame.
These same features should be present on your gun if unaltered from original. I see one poster above spoke about yours's having a 1 line address but I cannot see that from the photos.
If you could post some more pics it would be great as we LOVE photos on this Forum!
I think you did just fine at $700. When I sold the 2 I had last year, they both went to the same collector and price realized (after shipping costs, transfer fees, etc.) was a tad less than $1,000 each.
Thanks for all of this information! I will post some more pics this evening when I get home. I believe (from what I remember) there are 4 lines in the address, but I will confirm when I get home. The finish was done really well by whoever completed that project. The revolver has a nice even finish and texture.
You might want to check your front sight, too. Some K22s of that era shipped with 1/10 front sight, but most with 1/8 inch front sights. It is also common for K22s to have tight chambers, hence sticky extraction. Maybe the hard chrome will ease that somewhat, if the chambers are coated, as I assume they are.
Hard Chrome finish
The hard chrome finishes I have seen were slightly different in color when compared to a Factory SS revolver like a 629,686,657, etc., under good LED or fluorescent (Daylight Tint)!
A question for the posters that own, or have owned, a hard chrome finished gun! Where can I get one of these finishes done to a gun today and what is the approx. cost?
jcelect
The hard chrome finishes I have seen were slightly different in color when compared to a Factory SS revolver like a 629,686,657, etc., under good LED or fluorescent (Daylight Tint)!
A question for the posters that own, or have owned, a hard chrome finished gun! Where can I get one of these finishes done to a gun today and what is the approx. cost?
jcelect
I'm not much help here, Joe...The only gun I ever sent away to be hard chromed was my old Gold Cup...Checkmate Plating in Florida did it, matted the rounds and polished the flats perfectly...unfortunately they are no longer in business and I have been unable to find out where their craftsmen may have gone...
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Mahovsky's Metalife has a good reputation and fair pricing. I'm intending to send one to him for work, just haven't gotten around to it…
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Samuel2223
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Samuel2223
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Samuel2223
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You know now that the Magna grips are definitely original...I think somebody did a nice job with the plating...
...Ben
...Ben
lawandorder
Member
Last time I looked Armoloy was still. In business. Don't know if they are still do firearms or current costs.
Metaloy in Berryville, Arkansas was coating firearms. Have not looked them up in a while so don't know their current status.
I do know how pleased with Armoloy's finish that I was. Sure was the perfect Cottonmouth eradicator , back when such activity was not illegal.
Metaloy in Berryville, Arkansas was coating firearms. Have not looked them up in a while so don't know their current status.
I do know how pleased with Armoloy's finish that I was. Sure was the perfect Cottonmouth eradicator , back when such activity was not illegal.
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Still a sweet gun IMHO
Thank you Samuel2223 for the additional pics as they really help in pinning your gun down to 1948 at minimum. Some items that show up in your newly added pics:
The right grip panel serial numbered to the gun for sure confirms that grip shipped with the gun way back when.
The ejector rod knob is what is known as "knurled" and is the same diameter as the rod, hence NOT needing the milled out (relieved) flat underneath the barrel. The pics below of my 1947 with what is known as the LERK (Large Ejector Rod Knob) show the difference to my 1948 which is like yours.
My 1947 had the one line address, yours has the 4 line address, like my 1948.
Your pic of the left side frame with grip off confirms that the S&W factory did NOT do the refinish as there is no "star" with a date code stamped.
If you really had a burning desire to find out where and when it actually shipped from S&W, and in what finish and configuration you can send for a Letter of Authentication (cost $100) but with the refinish I doubt it would be worth it as it does not have Collector status anymore.
Even so with the nice job on the plating I think you have a very nice shooter and can enjoy the heck out of that gun, and I can say that if I had seen it for $700 before you...it would be here at my place.
If you find that the cylinder charge holes are "tight", or that fired cases are hard to extract, there is a very simple fix by reaming with a Manson Finisher Cylinder Reamer very slightly. There are several posts about this easy fix over in the gunsmithing sub-forum.
Enjoy that gun........No ONE makes anything like it anymore!
Thank you Samuel2223 for the additional pics as they really help in pinning your gun down to 1948 at minimum. Some items that show up in your newly added pics:
The right grip panel serial numbered to the gun for sure confirms that grip shipped with the gun way back when.
The ejector rod knob is what is known as "knurled" and is the same diameter as the rod, hence NOT needing the milled out (relieved) flat underneath the barrel. The pics below of my 1947 with what is known as the LERK (Large Ejector Rod Knob) show the difference to my 1948 which is like yours.
My 1947 had the one line address, yours has the 4 line address, like my 1948.
Your pic of the left side frame with grip off confirms that the S&W factory did NOT do the refinish as there is no "star" with a date code stamped.
If you really had a burning desire to find out where and when it actually shipped from S&W, and in what finish and configuration you can send for a Letter of Authentication (cost $100) but with the refinish I doubt it would be worth it as it does not have Collector status anymore.
Even so with the nice job on the plating I think you have a very nice shooter and can enjoy the heck out of that gun, and I can say that if I had seen it for $700 before you...it would be here at my place.
If you find that the cylinder charge holes are "tight", or that fired cases are hard to extract, there is a very simple fix by reaming with a Manson Finisher Cylinder Reamer very slightly. There are several posts about this easy fix over in the gunsmithing sub-forum.
Enjoy that gun........No ONE makes anything like it anymore!
