New Member Seeking Advice - S&W .22 Revolver

D

Deere_Man

Inactive
All,

New member here - excited to be on board. I have a .22 Smith and Wesson revolver that an older gentlemen gave me as payment consideration on a car. The gentlemen bought the gun new several years ago but did not take care of it. When I got it it had rust on it that had pitted into the gun in a few spots and thin finish in others from living many years in a holster without being cared for. The finish of the trigger and hammer also suffer The gun shoots fantastic but it is a nightmare to care far in terms of preventing additional rust and at the end of the day call it a personality flaw I don't like having a gun in this condition in my safe. I'm trying to teachmy kids to shoot and the constant maintenance this gun requires doesn't make it the best for the task.

I wanted to get the gun re-blued and give it the best restoration that I could. I'm thinking this gun has value and if so I don't want to do something detrimental to it. If that's the case it may be better to sell to a collector and get something more suited to the task.Looking for some good advice from experts on what to do. Serial number is K 1689xx

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Unlikely S&W will rework a gun this old.

If pitted there is no repair. Pitting is forever.

If mine I either live with it and shoot it or sell it. You can spend $250 to refinish it and wind up with a pitted, refinished gun worth $350.
 
The gentlemen bought the gun new several years ago but did not take care of it.
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The gentleman bought the gun new quite a bit more than several years ago.

That is a K-22 Combat Masterpiece, also known as the Pre-Model 18. The serial number says it was made in 1952, and the five screw frame confirms that.

If it was mine I would remove the rust by very light rubbing with bronze wool and very thin oil. Then I would keep it oiled to prevent further rust. That is all I would do, I would not attempt to refinish it. I have lots of old guns with worn finishes, does not bother me a bit. Regarding the finish on the hammer and the trigger, they were never blued, so don't be expecting them to be. Smith and Wesson case hardened their triggers and hammers, they were never blued or nickel plated.
 
Collectors often look for guns in original condition so a refinish would hurt any collector value it would have. Since its original condition is not very good, a collector might pass on it.

The K-22s are usually very good shooters. If your gun is in good mechanical condition (such as no pitting in the bore or chambers). You might try selling to someone who can appreciate a good "shooter".

You might try the Smith & Wesson forum or the Rimfire Central website.

I love the K frames and would like a Model 18 to add to the stable (I don't collect guns, I own guns that I enjoy shooting) but like you I'd prefer to avoid guns in sad cosmetic condition.
 
Fine steel wool and oil applied to the rusted areas should remove active rust and, with normal oiling, inhibit further rusting. As for rebluing, I agree that a good gun deserves a quality hot salt reblue job, as done by a professional.

Jim
 
Thanks all for the info so far. I knew it was old but didn't quite suspect that old! Would those other forums be the best source of determining the fair value so I can make the best decision for me?
 
Value in that gun can be divided between "collector value" and "shooter value". Since it has been neglected, the collector value is significantly diminished. Therefore, you are left with shooter value. That is the value someone would pay to own that gun AND actually shoot it as opposed to someone who would buy it just to stash in the safe.

I just did a quick search of completed auctions on Gunbroker and found actual sales (not just listings) of K-22's going any where from about $450 all the way up to over $1600. Obviously, the wide range is due to a combination of condition and rarity.
 
I'd just clean it up and shoot it. Won't have to worry about any dings or dents.
It can always be sold later.
 
Fords can do amazing work...

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I purchased this model 19 for a song. For obvious reasons.

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But it took them over a year to get the work done. Which wouldn't have been a problem if they had been up front about the waiting time.

As to values - it's like restoring an old car. You probably won't get the money back out of it unless you do the work yourself.
 
That is a really good looking model 19!

I essentially don't have anything in this gun. It wouldn't hurt to put $200 in it. I just didn't want to kill the value if it happened to be something rare. Mechanically is solid and it shoots great!
 
They can fill and buff and replace the logo and lettering. They do fantastic work, they just are a bit disorganized sometimes.

This 19 isn't worth what I put in it, but is my version of a Bar-B-Que gun.
 
You have one of the premier revolvers made after WWII. I would follow the suggestion posted above and lightly remove the rust with bronze wool and oil. Put a coat of paste wax on it and then shoot it.

I have a Model 15-2 that I bought mostly to rescue it from the previous owner who had absolutely NO clue how to take care of a gun. I have struggled off and on over whether I should refinish it or not, currently the "leave it alone" voice is winning. It is now my truck gun and I leave it in a holster under the seat.

If I spend money to get it refinished, It will no doubt languish in my safe along with the other guns I have that are too nice to shoot.


I prefer to think of it as having "character", rather than "beat to s**t"
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You cannot win with the collectors and speculators on this one.
Leave it alone and it is too rough.
A nice reblue is still a reblue.

Keep it clean and shoot it as is, or pretty it up to suit yourself, it is your gun and will be a long time getting to be worth a lot of money either way.
 
If you have the time, you can also take an NRA summer gunsmithing program and learn to do it yourself. I did one back in the '80s and my partner couldn't believe that his former duty weapon looked brand new.

Since then I've learned to express blue. It's easy and can be done at home. However, it's all in the polish.
 
The problem I see is the pitting getting into the lettering, and that is hard to impossible to get rid of, even for an experienced refinisher. Sometimes, you'll have to leave a small amount of pitting to not ruin the lettering, and that is a must as far as value goes.

This is one of those guns that I think would not lose value with rebluing, but not gain it either. However, if it is done correctly, you would have something close to a new looking gun, similar to the one in the photo above.

Have you checked the bore for any rusting? If its has, then that will really knock the worth of it. If its clean, then it has a good value, still, even with the external rust.

I use 0000 steel wool and 3 in 1 oil. Just lightly rub the pitted area with the oil and wool, until the rust cleans up, and then clean and oil the entire gun. You might take a stiff bristled tooth brush and oil to the pitting too.
 
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