LERK

[marlin39ab]

Hello just wondering if anyone has ever seen or know of a pre model 18 that is a LERK I know that it don't fit in the right time period for a LERK I don't own it but I know where one is. I know what a LERK is , 5 screw one liner with large ejector ball and barrel cut for the large ball. It looks like it has never been missed with (changing out the barrel for a 4 inch instead of a 6 inch). If anyone has any information about one of these please share you information . Thanks

 

[22hipower]

I think we need pictures.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

 

[murphydog]

By the time the .22 Combat Masterpiece was built the factory extractor rod was straight. With creative gunsmithing you could put one of the barrel shape-ended rods on it, but the question would be why (not that this matters to some people ).

If the rod is original to the gun, two possibilities would be it is either a pre-war K-22 Outdoorsman or an early post-war K-22 Masterpiece, with the barrel shortened to 4".

 

[rct269]

I think we need pictures.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

---------along with a serial number.

I'm thinking the bottom line is "Stranger things have happened."-----but this ain't very likely to be one of them.(!!)

The next bottom line is the same as always: We shall see what we shall see.

The very real reason for this skepticism is the presence of a LERK requires a machining operation to be performed on the barrel which was not contemplated in the production of a "pre model 18". Could it have happened? Of course-----it happened with the originals!!

As an aside, I suspect the original "LERKS" were the cause of more than a little head shaking, casting of eyes towards Heaven, and tearing out of hair on the part of the man in the man in the corner office upstairs. I keep right on suspecting the sometimes patently absurd policy of using up the old before moving on with the new was the root cause. I can hear discussions of that policy, and its unintended consequences right now. They all end with the same comment by the Boss Man: "Yeah man, but USE YOUR HEAD!!"

Ralph Tremaine

 

[RKmesa]

If I recall correctly, there are several known examples of early 4" post war K-22s that left the factory with the LERK (there are even a few 4" K-32 LERKs out there). Pre-29Smith on the forum had one. If you search hard enough you will find threads about them here on the forum. David Wilson kept a list of them for a while... If I recall correctly, they were mostly in the K7XXXX range (I remember the SNs being very high for a LERK, most of which were lower than K5700) and I believe that they lettered as K-22 Masterpieces (prior to the Combat Masterpiece designation).

Here is one that I own. It came to me with a LERK, but I am confident that it was a later add... the barrel was also probably cut down from 6" to 4" when someone added the King reflector front sight.

 

[marlin39ab]

Thanks for all the information . After looking a little more I believe that murphy dog may be correct that the barrel was cut and not replaced, the front sight does not look correct. If anyone is interested in it or would like to see pictures it is at Cabelas in the used gun section the store in scarborough ME. the lookup number is 3753338 Thanks again to all

 

[DWalt]

Is the SN known? I see no mention of one. It would necessarily need to be very low for the extractor rod to have the barrel-shaped extractor knob. I am not certain that any of the .22 CMs were shipped with barrel-shaped knobs rather than the knurled extractor rod tip, not to discount a very low probability of it happening. Additional helpful information would include whether all the SNs match, including the one stamped behind the extractor star. As others have stated, pictures would help to determine if it is a shortened barrel early K-22 Masterpiece or a .22 Combat Masterpiece. BTW , "LERK" is a fairly imprecise acronym, as there is no such thing as a corresponding SERK.

 

[4K2022]

I'm here to learn, and support newcomers to the forum. I was "taken to school" by one of the Moderators on My use of the acronym LERK this morning.
Now is a good time to mention the $200 I spent to support the forum.
I learned the importance of knurled rods!
Mushrooms are NOT lerks but they're much LARGER than barrels

Money well spent

 

[Göring's S&W]

Mushrooms are NOT lerks but they're much LARGER than barrels

That's right...those are MERKS.