Nice deal you got there Mike. I'm jealous. I like the Model 18 just a bit better than the M17 because it'll do both fun range work and works well as a camp gun too.
Does this mean you now have a "set" of the K-series?
The Model 18, as mentioned, is a 4" version of the M17, but with a different front sight. The M17 was more of a target/hunting pistol where the M18 was intended as a training pistol.
In the six-inch models, what later became the Model 17, Model 32 and Model 14 comprised the "K Series" called the K-22, K-32 and K-38 revolvers. S&W touted these as excellent training aids, starting shooters on a .22, progressing to the mild .32 centerfire (then still used at Camp Perry national matches) and finally the K-38 for serious duty work.
The Model 18 is a .22 caliber companion to the Model 15. The weight, balance and feel of each gun makes it difficult to tell them apart by touch.
S&W Model 15-3, circa 1984
Unfortunately .22 caliber M&P K-frames (Model 45 "Post Office") guns are so rare they're not shooters. The same applies for a small run of .32 M&P Revolvers made between 1948-1950. This is a shame as an M&P .22 revolver makes for a great outdoors too.
