Old K22?

[onlysmith&wesson]

Was hoping for some help dating my K22. I have owned it 30 years, prior to that it was my Grandfathers. It is al original, diamond grips and all. The serial number is 14978. On the right side, under the cylinder and forward is the engraving note "MADE IN U.S.A." I have noticed on other K's, that at this engraving location there is additional engraving, but mine only states the "made in usa" note. It is not a collectible, I use this pistol quite a bit, I'll never part with it but am interested in the value. Thanks for any information.

 

[bower]

Your K22 appears to be an early post war model
probably a 1947 date.It's serial # should be preceded by a K.Value hard to say without pix.
The "Made In USA"stamping is indicative of early post war marking.

 

[Onomea]

I'd say, ballpark, $500.

 

[onlysmith&wesson]

Thanks, there is a "K", but it is actually there is about a 1/2" space between the "K" and the rest of the serial number with no "-". I'll see if I can get a picture posted. Thanks very much.

 

[rburg]

It doesn't need a dash, and the K is part of the serial number. Just how they did it back then.

Also, don't feel too secure in it being a 1947 production gun. The tables are pretty loose as to the dates. None of us know with any degree of certainty when guns were shipped to the customer/sporting goods store. That is the only date that is really obtainable. You can write the company historian and pay him $50 and he'll tell you where it went originally, and when.

I'm going to make a guess here, and since nobody really knows or can prove or disprove it, we can only use logic. I'm going to suggest that the number Roy originally furnished in one of his books relates more to when a gun was in production than when it shipped. Many of us have lettered our K22s (and other K series guns) only to discover the rules aren't set in stone. Guns we've assumed to have shipped in late 1946 actually went out in 1947 (examples of this are my K22s #K155 and #K166.) According to all the tables, they're 1946 guns, but they both letter as 1947. Similarly, some of the guns with serials in the K12000 to K18000s we think were 1947 guns were really 1948 shipments.

We also know that during the early postwar years returning GIs were clamoring for guns, and K22s were a really hot seller (Skeeter Skeltons writings as evidence.) Since S&W was in some financial straights at that time, its also pretty fair to assume they were shipping every completed gun as soon as they could.

S&W didn't produce or finish guns in numeric order. We all just assume they did, but Roy keeps beating on us telling us they didn't.

 

[onlysmith&wesson]

I would like to post some pic's., but can not figure out how to get permission. I have been to the permission tab and see that I don't have it, but how do I get granted?

 

[onlysmith&wesson]

Here are the pic's of my K22. Any help dating and determining approximate value is appreciated. Also thanks to the poster for the help with posting photo's.

 

[onlysmith&wesson]

oppsing view of old K22

 

[JohnK]

Ohhhh, I like that revolver.

No abuse, just honest wear, and a lot of enjoyment for someone.

 

[onlysmith&wesson]

Thanks, I own about 10 or so guns, all of which mean a lot to me. This pistol has been on my hip during spring turkey season, deer season and even on a few back packing trips. It is a great finisher for wounded, but yet to expire game. Of all my guns, this one has been with me the most over last thirty or so years. Great guns don't become great guns on unearned reputations. I have done just as much on bull frogs with this extremely accurate pistol as some friends have with 10-22's. I did not realize there was as much public respect for this pistol until recently. To me it has been a very functional and dependable piece of hunting equipment. My Grand Dad bought it in 1947-48, and 60 or so years later it is still earning its reputation.

 

[rburg]

I did not realize there was as much public respect for this pistol until recently.

There are a lot of reasons and evidence for this. Please let me recommend you find and read some of the writings of the late Skeeter Skelton. He had a love affair with the guns and did a lot to get its features out to the general public. I'm not sure it was ever much of a secret. But what Skeeter did was write in his down home style and just raved about the guns. (For another example of a budding Skeeter, read our own Charlie Sherrill.)

For a prewar tidbit, consider the first K22 came out in the early 1930s, at about 632,000 serial number. By about 682,000, they stopped production and moved to the 2nd model. And according to the factory historian, they made about 19,500 guns. Do the math, almost 40% of S&Ws most popular line, the K frames, were K22s. That was from a standing start, no warm up. Once word got out, even during the Great Depression, they were selling like hotcakes. Pretty impressive for a new product introduction.

Some of us here have become addicted to them. Not me. I've never owned much more than 3 dozen at one time, nor less than a dozen at the same time in the last 30 or so years. I'm immune to the attraction. Trust me.

 

[Art Doc]

One the best guns ever made. I was sort of keeping an eye out for one until a few months ago when I spotted this one at a local show. Not pristine by any means, but I thought it was worth the $325 I gave for it.

 

[durco]

Originally posted by rburg:

I did not realize there was as much public respect for this pistol until recently.

Some of us here have become addicted to them. Not me. I've never owned much more than 3 dozen at one time, nor less than a dozen at the same time in the last 30 or so years. I'm immune to the attraction. Trust me.

All I know is I love my K 4244. Mike

 

[j38]

S.P. That's a sweetheart - and you stole it! This one cost $425 2 years ago. It was shipped in 1948 , ... and lives exactly up to it's reputation.

Regards,

Jerry

 

[onlysmith&wesson]

See the original post and pictures that followed. I'm told that mine is 47, maybe 48. The difference I see is that yours has engraving characters in addition to "Made is USA", while mine only carries the "Made in USA".
Could this assist in dating?

 

[onlysmith&wesson]

SaxonPig, are the grips original? I haven't seen the concave relief at the top on others?
Nice Gun, you got a great deal.

 

[bower]

The sure way to date your K 22 is to get a factory letter from the S&W historian for a charge of $ 50.He will tell you where it was orginally shipped and what date.

 

[Art Doc]

The stocks are not original to the gun and are likely from the late 1950s or early 1960s.

Your gun has what collectors call the "single line address" and this was changed to the four line address in the late 1940s so yes, it does help identify the age of your gun but you already have a general idea that it's from 1947-48, right?

The only way to know for sure is to spring for the $50 letter from Mr. Jinks at S&W. You have to decide if it's worth $50 to you to know the exact date it was shipped.

 

[rburg]

Originally posted by SaxonPig:

You're alive! Welcome back.

 

[Hondo44]

There's very interesting documentation in the S&WCA Journal about what took S&W so long to produce the K22s which would seem to be an instant seller. And of course as mentioned above, they were. Well early in the century S&W thought so as well because they had a prototype made for testing about 30 years before they were produced. But it wouldn't shoot for sour apples, so it was shelved. 30 years later an employee picked it up and discivered it was bored to the wrong dimensions!! And the rest is history.

Jim
SWCA #819