Pawn Shop Circuit: A K-22

My first stop on the Pawn shop circuit this morning was Dave. Dave was waiting for me. As I entered the store, he was placing a revolver in the case. He saw me meandering down the aisle and said "Smith & Wesson, .22 caliber". I quit lollygagging. When I screeched to a halt in front of Dave, he removed a Smith & Wesson 17-3 from the case. A while back, I had established a K-22 as my next Holy Grail Gun. Technically, a K-22 is a pre-1957 gun, a K framed .22 caliber Smith & Wesson without a model number.

This revolver had some muzzle wear, a smattering of oxidation, but was otherwise original. It was pinned and recessed. Unfortunately, it was not a five screw gun, and did not have diamond magnas. It came with a lined Safariland leather holster. The wheelgun locked up tight, and it checked out using Jim March's Revolver Checkout. I asked how much. Dave said "Well, it was going to be $200, but since you are a regular customer............$199." For that kind of money, who needs five screws and diamond magnas? I broke out the cash.

I had been waiting to find this revolver for quite a while. I canceled a couple of hours worth of appointments, and took the Model 17-3 to the range. Once there, I squirted a bit of CLP on the parts that mattered, and bought a box of cheap .22LR ammo. The old wheelgun performed like a champ. The trigger was excellent, and the gun had the ability to outshoot me over and over. Being able to train on that K frame double action trigger for pennies a shot is a distinct advantage.

Once home, I stripped and cleaned up the gun, and checked Supica's Catalog of Smith & Wesson. I was pleased to see that Supica called my gun the K-22 Masterpiece. My revolver would have left the factory between 1968 and 1977. I saw where Dave had priced the gun by the book again, grading this one between Good and Very Good in condition. Dave doesn't realize that the market left the price guides in the dust several years ago. I'm not telling him either!