New LERK K-38 comes to light

[DCWilson]

I have been informed by private correspondence that K-38 K4568 is also a LERK specimen.There is supporting photographic evidence. I have encouraged the owner to post the revolver in its own thread because of its inherent interest. In the meantime he has given me permission to go public with the serial number and fold it into the known stats of early K-38s.

The following seven LERK K-38s are known (six are K+four digit serial numbers; one, surprisingly, is a K+five).

K4563
K4564
K4566
K4568
K4593
K4709
K23280

The following six K+four digit serial number K-38s are known that do NOT have the LERK.

K4562
K4596
K4647
K4820
K4832
K4843

These last two K+four-digit revolvers have been identified as K-38s from company records, but it is not known if they have the LERK.

K4549
K4639

 

[Joed49]

No lie, a LERK? That's incredible finding a LERK!

OK, enough of the sarcasm. For us uninformed I have to ask, what is a LERK?

 

[DCWilson]

Large Ejector Rod Knob. A few thousand postwar K-22 Masterpieces were made with prewar large-knob ejector rods and are seen every so often. The K-38 Masterpiece, released about a year later, are almost exclusively found with knobless (i.e., knurled end) ejector rods. But a few were made up with leftover large knob rods (I'm guessing 200 max, maybe only a few dozen). So it's a big deal to collectors of rare variants when one turns up.

There are also LERK K-32s known, but they are astonishingly rare.

 

[SandyS]

David, you posted this while I was dragging along writing the next thread on the same revolver. Thanks for all that you and others do here to keep the rest of us interested in finding the next S&W..

 

[DCWilson]

Thank you, Sandy. And congratulations on your fine uncommon specimen of an early K-38. I'm guessing you will find it shipped in February 1948; almost all of its closest serial numbers did.

 

[Joed49]

Thanks for clearing that up. I had never heard of this before and there was no explanation, even an internet search yielded nothing.