[Nightcrawler]

Okay, I just noticed this last night. There's a strange mark on the barrel of my 25-5. I bought this gun used, and it's had a lot of use, I can see.

But on the left side of the barrel, where "Smith & Wesson" is stamped, there's sort of like a "ghost image" of the words "Smith & Wesson", a little bit to the right. You have to hold the barrel just right to see it, as the light has to reflect off of it just so. It looks like, I don't know, the barrel once had "Smith & Wesson" printed on it, but then was reblued and had "Smith & Wesson" stamped over it.

Any ideas?

[C.R.Sam]

Don't know of anybody doing factory type roll marking on the barrels.

Hence two guesses.

First pass left rollmark too light so worker did it again with slightly different register.

Or...factory rework including much buffing of barrel that took out most of the original rollmark. Factory rework usually indicated by marks on the frame. Such as a star after the ser number on bottom of grip frame. Or a date stamped on the grip frame under the grip panels. And some other indications that don't come to mind at the moment.

Sam

[Jim K]

A diamond on the bottom of the barrel is an S&W replacement part mark.

Jim