Found my dad's favorite gun yesterday.

[hillman]

I was going through some of my father's things yesterday, after putting it off until I was ready to let go, and found his S&W .22 revolver in a box of his old clothes. It must have been in a dresser drawer and just all got dumped in the box without noticing it.

I was thrilled at finding this, let me tell you. I don't remember a time before he owned it, so I know he had it for probably 40+ years. As a kid, every time we went into the woods, he'd bring it along. I remember once asking him if we shouldn't bring something bigger, for bears or something. He looked at me and said "everything's got eyes, don't they?"

Anyway, it had been neglected in the South Carolina air for years while my father's health was failing. When I initially went through his guns I found my old 22 rifle and a single shot shotgun that were so rusted I didn't even try to save them but I'd really like to save this.

The inside of the barrel looks good, there is minor surface rust where the thumb would rest next to the cylinder release. The only significant problem I can see is one spot alongside the exterior of the barrel, I don't know if it shows well enough in the picture. I was wondering what you all would recommend me to do to get this fixed? Who should I take it to?

 

[whacko]

I have no idea who you take it to.

Just wanted to say it's a nice gun and the history is even better.

Enjoy

 

[Enzo]

I was going through some of my father's things yesterday, after putting it off until I was ready to let go, and found his S&W .22 revolver in a box of his old clothes. It must have been in a dresser drawer and just all got dumped in the box without noticing it.

I was thrilled at finding this, let me tell you. I don't remember a time before he owned it, so I know he had it for probably 40+ years. As a kid, every time we went into the woods, he'd bring it along. I remember once asking him if we shouldn't bring something bigger, for bears or something. He looked at me and said "everything's got eyes, don't they?"

Anyway, it had been neglected in the South Carolina air for years while my father's health was failing. When I initially went through his guns I found my old 22 rifle and a single shot shotgun that were so rusted I didn't even try to save them but I'd really like to save this.

The inside of the barrel looks good, there is minor surface rust where the thumb would rest next to the cylinder release. The only significant problem I can see is one spot alongside the exterior of the barrel, I don't know if it shows well enough in the picture. I was wondering what you all would recommend me to do to get this fixed? Who should I take it to?

I’d show it to Mike LaRocca in Worcester. He’s been a gunsmith for decades. Initially comes off as gruff but he’s a good guy.

 

[Dadstoys]

gun restoration|rust bluing|gun maintenance|gunsmithing in Natick

Over 40 years of professional gunsmithing experience, gunsmithing in Natick MA, gunsmithing services, sporting shotgun maintenance, open 7 days a week

rustbluing.com

The guy does great work.
Glad you found it.
I have several of the ones my Dad loved and treasure them.

 

[mac1911]

I would clean it up and shoot it, thats me.
maybe in honor of your dad get some nice grips and reblue or hard chrome would be nice also.

if you come across any more rusty guns you dont want let me know.

 

[FPrice]

I would advise taking it to someone like the shop referenced in post #4. Make sure that it is mechanically sound and clean up any blemishes like that one on the right side of the barrel that might cause problems later on. But don't go as far as putting any fancy finishes on it. Or even re-blueing. I would keep it as close as possible to the original condition, just aged well.

 

[richc]

What a great find! Enjoy that memory of your Dad!!!

 

[mac1911]

What a great find! Enjoy that memory of your Dad!!!

yeah , I probably do something silly like take the $300-500 you would spend on refinishing and buy some ammo, probably a few boxes of tenex and go shoot some bulls eye matches all old school!

 

[tuna]

I’d load it and call it my new hiking gun.
And make sure my son knows where to find it.

 

[Slotheadslim]

I agree the best route is to see a good known local entity. If you have a few options to think about or just want to bounce questions off of people the Smith and Wesson forum is also a great resource.

 

[dwarven1]

But don't go as far as putting any fancy finishes on it. Or even re-blueing. I would keep it as close as possible to the original condition, just aged well.

I totally disagree. This is your dad's gun, so you're never going to sell it, so you don't have to worry about resale value (which the refinishing will lower). But if you want it to look nice, then go ahead and get it refinished! That doesn't change ANYTHING about you remembering the good times with your dad; our mind's eye sees the memories.

I don't understand this fetish modern gun owners have with leaving something looking crappy and old. Refinishing was invented for a reason. I bought a 1908 Colt that had one side all speckled and crappy looking; I immediately took it over to another dealer who did refinishing (John Lippincott, Firearms Refinishing of Bellows Falls, VT) and gave him a C-note to refinish it. Looks great now. I don't care if it lost value; I wanted it because it's a cool gun, and I wanted it to look good.

So if you want it looking nice again, go find someone who specializes in refinishing (not who does it as a sideline) and go for it. And shoot it often and think of your dad when you do so.

 

[btnh6668]

thats awesome. Hope you find someone who can clean it up for you

 

[greencobra]

I don't understand this fetish modern gun owners have with leaving something looking crappy and old.

i'm with you on this but to a point. i'd leave the gun in the op's post alone, take care of the surface rust but that's as far as i'd go. if there's rust on the internals i'd do that as well....and then continue to shoot the hell out of it until i passed it along. but everyones different.

 

[1919FAN]

A little kroil and elbow grease goes a long way I've been collecting Smith's for a long time but the ones that come with a great story are priceless. Thanks for sharing .

 

[Mountain]

Great that you found it! Yeah, it still looks pretty good in the pics so I can't get a good look at the rust. I highly suggest you try some light rust removal methods before taking to a pro, unless you are already dead set on a professional refinish. Here are some good suggestions:



If the Hoppes, Flitz, and/or 0000 steel wool don't do the trick, you have only spent a couple bucks and will get good use of these materials some other time.

 

[MisterHappy]

unless it's really terrible, the "damage, " especially where his thumb rested, is history, IMO.

If you're going to carry it, as dad did....leave it.

 

[FPrice]

I totally disagree. This is your dad's gun, so you're never going to sell it, so you don't have to worry about resale value (which the refinishing will lower). But if you want it to look nice, then go ahead and get it refinished! That doesn't change ANYTHING about you remembering the good times with your dad; our mind's eye sees the memories.

I don't understand this fetish modern gun owners have with leaving something looking crappy and old. Refinishing was invented for a reason. I bought a 1908 Colt that had one side all speckled and crappy looking; I immediately took it over to another dealer who did refinishing (John Lippincott, Firearms Refinishing of Bellows Falls, VT) and gave him a C-note to refinish it. Looks great now. I don't care if it lost value; I wanted it because it's a cool gun, and I wanted it to look good.

So if you want it looking nice again, go find someone who specializes in refinishing (not who does it as a sideline) and go for it. And shoot it often and think of your dad when you do so.

What we have here is the clashing of the two different opinions (and they ARE opinions) of what to do with an old gun. Do you keep it in the condition you find it in, or do you re-make it into a brand-new looking specimen.

In Ross' case you have an older gun which has probably been mistreated and has no (known) historical provenance. In that case re-finishing may well be a reasonable action in order to increase the value. There appears to be no sentimental attachment and he may very well want to sell it in the future for whatever reason so re-finishing would make that action easier.

In the OP's situation he has a firearm which belonged to his father and may very well have attached memories of childhood, the father-son bonding, and his education into being a responsible gun-owner. There is more to this firearm than just a hunk of metal. It is a living memory.

I have a Smith & Wesson .38 Military & Police (postwar) "Pre-Model 10" which lettered to having been shipped the month I was born (Sep 1949). It is as it has aged. I prefer to keep it in that condition. Not that it has any special meaning to me other than it is as old as I am.

Long story made short: Some 5 or 6 years ago I attended a small S&W gun show in Clinton MA. The guest of honor was a Mr. Roy Jinks. A guy who has more than a passing familiarity with guns, especially Smith & Wessons of all eras. After lunch a bunch of us sat around with Mr. Jinks and were privileged to hear his thoughts on a number of subjects. One of which was collecting old firearms and worrying about their condition. He stated (in more words and much better than I can paraphrase) that, in his opinion, older guns which show signs of having been used are much more desirable than guns in perfect condition because they have more "character".

In the end, you should do what YOU want to since it is your father's gun and only you can determine what to do with it. But I do hope that you shoot it from time to time. And remember better days.

 

[yogi]

Very happy for you and best of luck getting it working again.

 

[appraiser]

K-17?

I envy you in ways I can not express.

I have looked high and low for almost 30 years now for my Dad's K-22, it had what I called "cowboy" grips on it, and I would willingly give up my left and right nut to have that weapon in my possession. The rest of his guns I never found either, his Colt snubby, his 1911, he had dozens of derringers in a box in the attic... the only one I ever wanted was that K-17.

Great find

 

[Enzo]

A few things you can do to assess the condition of the gun.

 

[jpm]

0000 steel wool and CLP or gun oil will clean up the surface rust nicely and probably take out much of that one spot too. It will not hurt the bluing! If anything it polishes it nicely. Carefully take out the screw and remove the grips so it will be easier to do the whole frame.

Do not use the chemical rust removers/neutralizers because that will remove the bluing (which is technically rust).

 

[weatherby]

I can't believe no one's said this yet.
But you don't just have a K 22
You have an outdoorsman! !!!!!


Better yet...... I think you have a 22/40
A gun that was produced for 1 year.

Do not have it refinished

 

[Junior314]

No clue on where to bring it but I am happy to hear you were able to find something to remember your dad by!

Best of luck!

 

[dwarven1]

In the end, you should do what YOU want to since it is your father's gun and only you can determine what to do with it. But I do hope that you shoot it from time to time. And remember better days.

Yup. Frosty and I do disagree on some points. But my opinions were just that - my OPINIONS. Very interesting to hear what Roy Jinks said about it, though.

Just to confuse things further... last year I got a hold of a K-22 Masterpiece 6" (Pachmayr grips, holster wear, but shoots perfectly) and a K-22 Masterpiece Magnum Rimfire version, also 6" (Model 48, nearly unfired with original box, barely has a ring around the cylinder, paperwork and even the New Jersey Pistol Purchase Permit from 1959, making this gun made in the first year that it and the cartridge were introduced).

The only things I'm doing are putting Hogue grips on them (stop screaming, please! I'm keeping the original grips.) so I can shoot them more comfortably. Yes, I know what I have. No, I'm not planning on going nuts with that Model 48 (but it WILL be shot some). But I'm not going to refinish the Model 17, even though it could use it. Why? Because I want it for what it is - one of the finest .22 revolvers out there. I really don't care if it's not pristine. And it doesn't really look that bad, anyway. Same thing for the Model 48; I debated selling it and getting a new one... but this is the original, made when S&W made the finest revolvers on the market. And since it DOES have a bit of a ring, it's not like a little shooting will devalue it further... and I'm not selling it, anyway. It'll get left to my nephew when it's time.

In the end, it's up to you, hillman. Refinish, lose some collector value but have a nicer looking pistol? Leave as is, preserving the value? We can only tell you what we think.

I agree with Frosty on his last point, though - shoot it, and think of your dad when you do. I'll add this: never sell it, and make sure it stays in the family.

 

[hillman]

I can't believe no one's said this yet.
But you don't just have a K 22
You have an outdoorsman! !!!!!


Better yet...... I think you have a 22/40
A gun that was produced for 1 year.

Do not have it refinished

I have no intention of ever selling it, but now I'm curious about that. How would I identify it?

The only thing I wanted to have fixed is that big rust bubble on the barrel, I'm not concerned with keeping value, I want it to last forever though, so my boy can have it too. I absolutely will shoot it alot also.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

 

[smokey-seven]

maybe in honor of your dad get some nice grips and reblue or hard chrome would be nice also.

Nope.... It's Dad's gun, keep it as close to original as possible. Let the next generation screw it up. Not necessary this time around unless it was well beyond a simple cleaning.

So if you want it looking nice again, go find someone who specializes in refinishing (not who does it as a sideline) and go for it.

See the above.

Do you keep it in the condition you find it in, or do you re-make it into a brand-new looking specimen.

Agreed, his choice.

0000 steel wool and CLP or gun oil will clean up the surface rust nicely

People keep saying steel wool. NOOO!!! Steel is harder than bluing, I don't care if it's well lubed and 0000. BRONZE WOOL ONLY! That's softer than steel and bluing.

 

[dwarven1]

I have no intention of ever selling it, but now I'm curious about that. How would I identify it?

Found these when I looked that up. American Rifleman article on the K-22 and Pre-K-22

 

[jpm]

People keep saying steel wool. NOOO!!! Steel is harder than bluing, I don't care if it's well lubed and 0000. BRONZE WOOL ONLY! That's softer than steel and bluing.

b.s.

 

[hillman]

Here is a better picture of the spot on the barrel. Really the only spot I'm really concerned about.

 

[hillman]

When you swing out the cylinder, the numbers 6423 are on the frame. This is not the serial number. Any idea what that is.