S&W year of manufacture

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What about this one. D218xxx. round butt, gold fill lettering, 2" barrel, high polish blue, pearl grips, Mass. address? Thanks gents. DM
 
There is a very thin chance that the revolver is a true .38 Special, rather then a rechambered .38-200, but given the proof marks I highly doubt it. Wouldn't hurt to have a gunsmith eyeball the chambers and see. If it was rechambered it should have a step in the chamber about 2/3 's of the way down.

Serial number D218xxx is most likely a model 10, but it could be a model 12 (Airweight) made in 1969 or 70 (most likely '69). Open the cylinder and the model should be stamped on the side of the frame, beside the back end of the barrel.
 
"Brand new" to me, and I'm doin the "Dance of Joy"!.... Mod 19-3
S/N 61K3XXX Can anyone help w/ the mfg date? TIA.

BH
 
S&W Model 36 date of manufacture?

Could someone please tell me when this Model 36 was manufactured, serial number 75983?

Thank you!
 
FourTeeFive - is there a prefix in front of that serial number? A "J" maybe?
If no prefix is present its probably a "Pre-36" from 1955-1957, is it stamped 36on the frame?
 
FourTeeFive - is there a prefix in front of that serial number? A "J" maybe?
If no prefix is present its probably a "Pre-36" from 1955-1957, is it stamped 36on the frame?
Click to expand...

No prefix that I could see. The serial number is stamped on the inside of the part that holds the cylinder when opened, and "Model 36" is stamped on the inside of the frame itself opposite that cylinder part. It is a pinned and recessed gun. Locks up pretty nice with minimal shooting wear (some holster wear) for $275 so I'm thinking of getting it.
 
That number inside of the crane may be an assembly number. Is there a serial number on the butt of the revolver (maybe under oversized grips)?
Click to expand...

Not that I saw (regular grips on the gun). The location on the "crane" is where I've seen serial numbers in the past.
 
I have a 6906 and the prefix was not listed in the scsm so I called S&W and asked very nicely and the lady told my date of manufacture very quickly. Check their website for the 800 number.
 
The first J-frame revolver made by Smith & Wesson was caled the Chief Special (pre model 36). The year was 1950, and the serial numbers started at 1 without a letter prefix. The "no-letter" series of serial numbers went from 1 to 786,544 between the years 1950 to 1969. Serial number 75,983 was made around (but not necessarily in) 1956.

However the practice of stamping a model number (in this case, mod. 36) didn't start until 1957...

So what gives?????

I will speculate, but the only way to find out for sure is to pay S&W a reasonable fee of $30.00 to have Roy Jinks, their historian, go back through the old records (which are in books, not a computer database) and find out what happened.

Anyway, S&W made and serial numbered frames in advance of building them into guns, so it's possible the frame was assembled into a revolver during 1957 or later - in which time it might have been stamped with the "mod. 36" marking.

I would expect the serial number to be stamped on the butt - as they usually were at this time. But there can always be an exception to the rule. The practice of stamping the number on the frame behind the yoke as a regular thing came much later.

The upper (4th) sideplate screw was eliminated at around serial number 75,000 and this gun may or may not have that feature.

This is another case where a photograph could be a big help...
 
I have a Model 64-3 ser#1D407** does anyone know the manufature date and also if it is worth anything also is stamped on side WSPD 651 any clues as to what PD it could be? Thannks
 
Thanks for those with books helping with this task. I am usually OK just looking up the "dash" dates you can find online, but with some, there are no dashes, like some of the J-frames.

I have a 37 that I am curious about, sn is 684XXX (six digits total). Any information about that?

Thanks,

Bryan
 
Avalanche - SCSW indicates your 64 dates to 1978-1979, it certainly is worth something, the better the condition the more its worth, but I see them go in the range of $225 - $350. No idea on WSPD but the police markings generally do not add any additional value.

Kamerer - SCSW only indicates a range of 1962 (295000) to 1969 (786544) for your Airweight, so maybe mid/late sixties?
 
I got one serial no. c 3231xx 4" barrel marked 38 s&w special ctg. pinned barrel ramped sight 5 screws 4 on side plate 1 forward of trigger no markings as to model no. just Smith and Wesson How old ? what model? I believe it's a model 10 but ????? Thanks Rick
 
Nope... it ain't a model 10. :(

But don't feel bad. No. C 323,1xx was made sometime between 1954 and '56, within a serial number range running from C 277,555 to C 402,923. The Model 10 didn't come along until 1957. The upper sideplate screw was deleated in 1955 so I suspect your revolver was made sometime in 1954 or '55.

Since it has "all its screws," collectors' eyeballs often start to spin if the gun's in good shape. :eek:

You have a winner... ;)
 
OK this thread has got me curious as to my M28 born on date. I've seen a couple of previous posts with no responses to a similar serial number.

I have a SW M28-2 Highway Patrolman, the s/n is:N951133 6" Blued

Thanks.
 
For that serial number probably 1985 -1986 according to the SCSW, but in 1982 the 28-3 was introduced elimanting the cyclinder counterbore and pinned barrels. Are you sure its a dash 2?
 
It could have been a 28-2?

According to SCSW 3rd. edition:
In 2004, a 28-2, serial #N951647 was discovered that had been a salesman's sample.
4" red-ramp, recessed cylinder. Pinned? They didn't say.

So they made at least one 28-2 in that serial number range.
Very close to it in fact.

1224.jpg
rcmodel
 
I have examined a number of Smith & Wesson revolvers, going back to the early 20th century, that had features they shouldn't have given the serial number, or lacked something they should have had but didn't. The reason was that S&W would manufacture frames and serial number them, and then make them into complete guns later. Thus because a frame has a certain number doesn't always mean it was assembled and shipped within the time frame it should have been. The only way to know for sure is to spend $30.00 and have S&W's in-house historian go back through the records to find that particular gun, and see what the book says.
 
This is what has me confused. It is stamped 28-2, it has a recessed cylinder, but the barrel is not pinned? If I get a chance this evening I'll post pics.
 
Changes weren't always made all at once so long as they had older parts to use up. Smith & Wesson were very frugal, and wasted or scrapped nothing that could be used.

In the case of your 28-2 they were installing crush-fit barrels on frames before they ran out of recessed cylinders. Also because they numbered the frames before they were assembled into guns it is not unusual to find that the serial number does not always match all of the features the dash-number indicates it should. If you really want the answer, spend $30.00 and have the gun lettered by Roy Jinks at Smith & Wesson.
 
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1984

The way I read the Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson January 1984 (ADT3000) to November 1984 (AEV-AFJ).
 
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