C.R. Sam,
It did not compute with me either. When I questioned the individual at S&W, his response was that they must have been made with left over parts from inventory. The frame is definately 36(no dash) with a pinned barrel, case colored hammer, and trigger. Is it worth exploring further? I have read about older guns shipping out of S&W, sometimes many years after they were manufactured. Could this be one?
DK.