K-22 Masterpiece (M17) - finest ever made
Still have my receipt from 1968, when my dad made me trade off the cool Luger P'08 (which I mail-ordered* a year earlier, at age 16) for a near-mint model 17-2 K-22 Target Masterpiece (6" barrel). The price was $85 but with the Luger trade-in my total outlay was $39.05. Not bad.
(*pre Gun Control Act of 1968. Dad liked the safety of a revolver.)
re: Bright Blue - Oh yes, when you see the real thing, there's no finish like it -- it's not the common "deep blue/black" but more of a lighter blue. I got the same bright blue finish on machinist tools I'd made from stainless by polishing it to a mirror finish and then heat-bluing the part over an open gas flame. You have to watch the color transitions as the part heats up, and remove it from the heat immediately when it reaches that beautiful bright blue range.--Unfortunately it's not advisable to heat-blue gun parts since it most likely will ruin any springs, tempering or hardening - just like a knife edge will on a power grinder. I saw somewhere on the web about S&W's bright blue process and they had a specific name for it, but it also said the chemicals and handling were more hazardous than the standard hot tank bluing process so it is no longer done. May have been the same article that had old pictures of the factory polishing setup at S&W back in the day, with leather buffing wheels about 24" dia. It also talked about how it took considerable years for an employee to advance to a master polisher. (Much of the trick is to go lightly and Not polish and round off the edges of mating parts such as the side plate. When refinishing/bluing, it is best to do all sanding and polishing by hand, without power tools if possible.) Another thing is how the bluing reacts with and penetrates the metal's surface, which affects how light reflects off it and gives it an appearance of depth (refractive index). Sorry, didn't bookmark the sites at the time.
Over the 45+ years that I've had it (and dozens of other handguns and long guns), I've come to appreciate why some consider the vintage K-22 to be "the finest .22 revolver ever made." Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I also read somewhere that Elmer Keith said that if he had to survive in the wilderness and could have only one gun, he'd take a K-22.
I'm not sure what all makes a K-22 Target Masterpiece but I was very lucky that mine has the factory 3 T's -- Target Trigger, Target Hammer, and Target Stocks (plain walnut). Makes a difference!
SO, What really makes the vintage 17's so superb?
1. Accuracy is like a rifle; the limitation is the shooter not the gun. Sights are a proven classic design.
2. The balance, over-sized target grip, and point-ability are perfect (at least for my hand).
3. The action is like a fine clockworks. It works as smoothly and perfectly as it did 50 years ago.
4. The clockwork and Especially the Trigger on my gun are the closest thing to perfect I have ever encountered in any firearm,
a) let-off is extremely light and crisp (never did gauge it). yet reliably safe;
b) the wide, serrated-groove trigger also feels "so right" on the trigger finger, and diamond-checkered hammer spur is nice too;
c) it is remarkably secure when cocked in single action and the trigger is not touched. (Not that you want this condition, but I did prove this once when hiking with it holstered at my side, and apparently heavy brush caught on the hammer and cocked it. It was quite a surprise when I got back to the house and went to take off the fully-cocked gun in holster -- but it did not discharge.)
d) This is the true one-stage trigger. There is absolutely No pre-travel or creep, just that perfect crisp let-off after barely any trigger rear movement.
Also note that the Model 14 K-38 Target Masterpiece (6" barrel, vs. shorter 4" on the Mod. 15 Combat Masterpiece) is the center-fire twin to the the Model 17. As with other Smith's, the older versions such as the 17-2 are usually superior in workmanship to later and current versions ... sadly.
A vintage K-22 Masterpiece is not only an ideal all-around useful handgun ~~ it's also a symbol of when America was at it's pinnacle of greatness and leadership in producing Quality goods. But that is another story, and even longer than this one ;->0
Best wishes and good luck to all you S&W lovers. Enjoy!
