1957 — The Beginning of the End

This article is Part V of the K-22 Masterpiece Series. The 1946 factory showcase gun began the story. The 1948 page studied production clues. The 1953 five-screw page captured the collector’s heart. This 1957 four-screw revolver closes the series by showing the last edge of the pre-Model 17 era — the beginning of the end.

The Last of the Pre-17 Guns

The First Model K-22 was named the Outdoorsman and was produced from 1931 to 1939. The name changed to Masterpiece with the Second Model in 1940, but fewer than 1,100 Second Models were made before wartime production stopped. After World War II, the Third Model K-22 Masterpiece began in 1946 and continued through 1957.

My gun is serial number K316348, making it one of the last pre-Model 17 examples. Although I did not have a factory letter when I first wrote about it, I was confident it likely shipped in 1958. The seller noted that Smith & Wesson began stamping Model 17 numbers in 1957, but this one has no Model 17 stamp.

You Don’t Name a Gun Masterpiece Unless You Can Back It Up

You do not name a gun “Masterpiece” and fail to back it up with beauty, grace, and workmanship. Smith & Wesson more than backed up the claim. A real thing of beauty — says the guy who collects mostly Colts.

If you do not understand the excitement over an old .22 revolver, you might not be a revolver person. But if you love revolvers, it is hard not to appreciate what Smith & Wesson achieved with the K-22.

Serial Number Table

The Third Model K-22 Masterpiece serial number range helps place these revolvers in context. Production began in December 1946 and ran through 1957 before the Model 17 designation took over.

4-Screw Versus 5-Screw

This 1957 gun is a four-screw gun. In 1955, Smith & Wesson dropped the fifth screw that had been located on the upper rear frame. I have no intimate knowledge of the decision-making inside the factory, but I imagine the conversation in familiar terms: an accountant asks an engineer what can be done to lower production costs, and the engineer finds a way for the side plate to stay in place without that screw.

Did this improve performance? No. Did it harm accuracy? No. In technical terms, the difference between a five-screw and a four-screw gun is simply screw count and how the side plate is retained.

The big deal is not mechanical. The big deal is what the deleted screw represents: the moment cost-saving began leaving visible fingerprints on a revolver that had been built with almost stubborn pride.

The Beginning of the End

On paper, nothing changed. The gun still shot the same. It still locked up tight. It still carried the Masterpiece name. But something had shifted.

The deletion of the fifth screw was not about performance. It was about efficiency. And once that door opened, it never closed. The mindset began moving from “how do we make the finest possible revolver?” toward “how do we make a fine revolver faster and more profitably?”

That does not make the 1957 K-22 a lesser gun. In some ways, it makes it more interesting. It is a line-in-the-sand revolver — still old enough to carry the spirit of the early post-war guns, but late enough to show where the industry was headed.

Smith & Wesson Guaranteed 1½-Inch Groups at 50 Yards

The period when these Third Model guns were made was unique. World War II had ended, young men had been exposed to firearms during military service, and target shooting had a different place in American life. The number of Olympic shooting events grew during this era, and demand for high-quality target arms was real.

Smith & Wesson was serious about producing the best gun possible. In the early days, buyers had to put their names on a waiting list to get one. That fact alone says something about the reputation of the K-22 Masterpiece.

Seller’s Description and Purchase Price

The seller described this revolver as a Smith & Wesson K-22 .22 LR with a six-inch barrel and factory gold box. Blue condition was described as a shiny 93 percent, with a few blue-loss spots, muzzle holster wear, and handling marks on the frame and cylinder. The bore was excellent, and the diamond grips were also excellent.

• Online auction winning bid: $900
• Sales tax: $92.70
• Shipping: $30
• Total purchase price: $1,023

What This Series Was Really About

This five-part series was never just about five revolvers. It was about a moment in time — when craftsmanship still mattered more than production speed, when parts were fitted by hand, and when pride in manufacturing showed up in small details.

The K-22 Masterpiece did not decline overnight. The Model 17 that followed was still a fine revolver. But by 1957, the trajectory had been set. The world was changing. Manufacturing was changing. The old way had not vanished yet, but it was already being negotiated away one small design decision at a time.

Final Thought

You can buy a new Model 17 today. It will shoot well. It will last. It will do everything it is supposed to do.

But it will never be this.

Collector Takeaway: The best versions of anything are almost always built before the world decides to make them faster, cheaper, and more efficient.

This series is complete. The 1957 K-22 closes the loop: from the first production showcase gun to the last pre-Model 17 examples, the story is really about craftsmanship, transition, and the collector’s instinct to preserve what time keeps trying to erase.

Return to the K-22 Masterpiece Series Overview →

About Greg Cook

Greg Cook writes about firearms collecting, personal history, and the stories behind interesting guns. His Army MOS was 76Y, Unit Armorer, and he brings that practical background to his collector articles.