Masterpiece Lerk Trio - Complete!

Pre-29Smith

Pre-29Smith

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For a couple of years now, give or take, I've been in search of early postwar K frame masterpiece guns with the LERK features. The K22 - serial #K190 - I was fortunate enough to acquire from a good friend and fellow forum member. The K32 - serial #K56266, which is likely the hardest to acquire, was found on Gunbroker. The K38 - serial #K4563 - I thought I'd never acquire, though I knew where one was at. After asking 1,332,973,393 times, the seller (also a good friend and forum member) caved - or just sold it to me to shut me up. The boxes on the K22 & K38 are correct, original and numbered to the revolvers. I do not believe the K32 box to be original.

I believe, according to a thread I posted when I picked up the K32, that there are 4 K32's known with this feature, and 5 K38's known. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong. I also believe this is the first time that a complete set has been introduced together.

Apologies for the photo overload, but as RKMesa so eloquently stated in one of his recent threads: "If you have more than one..."

















 
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Absolutely terrific achievement! Congratulations.

Your count agrees with mine: four known K-32s with the LERK, five known K-38s. There should be about 5000-5500 LERK K-22s.

I know a bare handful of collectors who are two-thirds of the way to a LERK Masterpiece trio, but I bet it will be a long time before the second set is successfully formed.
 
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Oh be still my racing heart!!

That threesome is fit to bring joy to the heart of any S&W revolver fancier, including me. ;) I believe you are probably right to state that such a set has not been photographed together, certainly not in recent years (say, the last 60! :eek:) You have every right to be proud of them and to show off. "It ain't bragging if you can back it up." :D

Congratulations,
Froggie
 
DCWilson said:
Absolutely terrific achievement! Congratulations.

Your count agrees with mine: four known K-32s with the LERK, five known K-38s. There should be about 5000-5500 LERK K-22s.

I know a bare handful of collectors who are two-thirds of the way to a LERK Masterpiece trio, but I bet it will be a long time before the second set is successfully formed.
Click to expand...


My statement was a direct quote from you a while back! Thanks for the insight, as always.
 
But congrats on what you have.

I was happy to have the k22/6" target, k38 /6' target and the k38 combat 4". I bought them not knowing what they were
 
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I remember not too long ago the k32/6" was $700 I just seen one for $3,200.

LERK= Large, Ejector, Rod, Knob
 
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Wow!

I can only imagine owning such an insanely bad A trio!!

QUESTION- does the k32 exist in lerk 1 line address?
 
Congratulations to you. That is quite an accomplishment. Just beautiful.
 
Morgan:

My hat's off to you. Yours is the only LERK trio that I know of - and a rather beautiful trio at that! BTW - love that you posted a bunch of photos 'cause that is about as close to a LERK K-32 as I have ever come.

DCWilson said:
I know a bare handful of collectors who are two-thirds of the way to a LERK Masterpiece trio...
Click to expand...

I'm so close...yet sooooo far. Like David, I'm 2/3's of the way there with my narrow rib trio.



Thanks for sharing,
 
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Very nice! Congratulations!

I'm 1/3rd complete on my 1 Liner "K" trio. I fear I have a VERY LONG road to haul.

Very cool!
Bob
 
DCWilson said:
Absolutely terrific achievement! Congratulations.

Your count agrees with mine: four known K-32s with the LERK, five known K-38s. There should be about 5000-5500 LERK K-22s.

I know a bare handful of collectors who are two-thirds of the way to a LERK Masterpiece trio, but I bet it will be a long time before the second set is successfully formed.
Click to expand...

David - is there a known serial number range for the K-38 LERK's. I am missing the k-38 to complete the trio!
 
The LERK K-38s known to me are K4563, K4564, K4593, K4709 and K23280. Until that last one turned up, I had suspected that all LERK K-38s would be found with serial numbers below K5000 and almost all between K4500 and K4850; we know from records that the first production order for K-38 Masterpieces was for 350 units, but we don't know their serial numbers. K4500-K4850 is just a guess on my part. Not all of these guns will be LERK specimens. Some K-38s are known from this range that have knobless ejector rods.

There are possibly some salesman samples in existence with SNs below K2500, and they may be LERK guns. There may be a few other LERK guns in the K22xxx or K23xxx range that exist only because a few more prewar parts were found in storage.

It sounds like a big jump between K4500 and K22xxx, but it's not. K-38s in the higher range were being shipped only a couple of months after the known K+four digit guns were released into the wild.
 
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This stuff is like a never ending puzzle with no definitive lines/borders. It's my understanding that the "LERK" it's self was a prewar part, and the transition from the 1 line address to the 4 line address took place early to mid 1948. Correct?

Think that's why I enjoy these revolvers so much......you never know what's going to pop up.

Bob
 
DCWilson said:
The LERK K-38s known to me are K4563, K4564, K4593, K4709 and K23280. Until that last one turned up, I had suspected that all LERK K-38s would be found with serial numbers below K5000 and almost all between K4500 and K4850; we know from records that the first production order for K-38 Masterpieces was for 350 units, but we don't know their serial numbers. K4500-K4850 is just a guess on my part. Not all of these guns will be LERK specimens. Some K-38s are known from this range that have knobless ejector rods.

There are possibly some salesman samples in existence with SNs below K2500, and they may be LERK guns. There may be a few other LERK guns in the K22xxx or K23xxx range that exist only because a few more prewar parts were found in storage.

It sounds like a big jump between K4500 and K22xxx, but it's not. K-38s in the higher range were being shipped only a couple of months after the known K+four digit guns were released into the wild.
Click to expand...

David - Thanks. I have K-38 K23338 (June 1948) but, alas, it is a non-LERK. It is my lowest numbered K-38.
 
DCWilson said:
Absolutely terrific achievement! Congratulations.

Your count agrees with mine: four known K-32s with the LERK, five known K-38s. There should be about 5000-5500 LERK K-22s.

I know a bare handful of collectors who are two-thirds of the way to a LERK Masterpiece trio, but I bet it will be a long time before the second set is successfully formed.
Click to expand...

I would agree about the time frame on another threesome showing up. That K32 has got to be a real tough one to dig out of the woodwork. Like some others here I am 2/3 there. Not even trying to put the K32 together. I don't have the time. If I can I would like to add my K-38 to the known group. It is K4562 which is among the pack. The K-22 is a low 4 digit number. That is one of the more interesting ensembles that I've seen on the forum and you have every right to show them off. About the only thing more interesting than that, outside of a gun with provenance, would be having different models in the same frame size with sequential serial numbers. That might make an interesting show and tell series Thanks for sharing those gorgeous ladies with us..
 
50 target said:
I would agree about the time frame on another threesome showing up. That K32 has got to be a real tough one to dig out of the woodwork. Like some others here I am 2/3 there. Not even trying to put the K32 together. I don't have the time. If I can I would like to add my K-38 to the known group. It is K4562 which is among the pack. The K-22 is a low 4 digit number. That is one of the more interesting ensembles that I've seen on the forum and you have every right to show them off. About the only thing more interesting than that, outside of a gun with provenance, would be having different models in the same frame size with sequential serial numbers. That might make an interesting show and tell series Thanks for sharing those gorgeous ladies with us..
Click to expand...

Thanks for mentioning K4562, but I need to ask for clarification. I have that one recorded as a knobless example rather than a LERK specimen based on post no. 17 in this thread:

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-ha...ransitional-model-k-22-dedication-thread.html

I'm hoping it really is a LERK K-38 because I'd like to think more of them exist than I have recently believed. There's no doubt it is one of the earliest Pre-14s we know about.
 
DCWilson said:
Thanks for mentioning K4562, but I need to ask for clarification. I have that one recorded as a knobless example rather than a LERK specimen based on post no. 17 in this thread:

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-ha...ransitional-model-k-22-dedication-thread.html

I'm hoping it really is a LERK K-38 because I'd like to think more of them exist than I have recently believed. There's no doubt it is one of the earliest Pre-14s we know about.
Click to expand...

David, I will dig it out of the safe in a little bit and confirm. Heck at my age the only reason I carry a DL is so at the end of the day I'll know who I am and where I live. LOL
Bob
 
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