Best Book on S&W

FLChinook · October 16, 2012, 01:15 AM

There's a sticky at the front of this forum about S&W serial numbers that has more pages than I've had hot breakfasts. At the beginning there are several references to books but no links. Mid-way down the thread, there are suggestions that people are to cheap to buy the book... but still no book is defined

OK, maybe it's there but I can't find it and I'm probably the only guy in the world who prefers to ask before looking...

Amazon lists a number:
Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson by Supica
Smith & Wesson by Jink (Kindle)
Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson 3rd (Kindle)

Hmmm, no Kindle in my house so I guess there's just one...

So what is the best book on S&W? NOT the most expensive...

I would like to have the book contain the year of manufacture for my newest (and so far only revolver) addition, a beautiful pre-27.

CajunBass · October 16, 2012, 07:16 AM

Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson by Supica & Nahas is THE go-to book for Smith & Wesson. Well worth the money.

A book won't be able to tell you exactly when your gun was manufactured, only a factory letter can do that, but it will get you in the ball park.

FLChinook · October 16, 2012, 08:56 AM

Thanks. That's what I needed to know. At $30, it's about as much as a box of premium ammo. Order placed on Amazon.

laytonj1 · October 16, 2012, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson

Make sure you get the most current edition, 3rd.

Jim

Winchester_73 · October 17, 2012, 07:20 PM

Also, the book has a lot of inaccuracies, so be careful. Its a good book overall.

Here are the known inaccuracies

http://smith-wessonforum.com/announc...th-wesson.html

drail · October 18, 2012, 09:59 AM

The problem with ALL of the books is the same. S&W will tell you that they don't have accurate numbers on models and production numbers. In the 1980s they were cranking out their "gun of the week" models so fast that Roy Jinks has stated they don't actually know how many 625-2s were built. I've seen numbers ranging from 200 to 5000 in various books. For collectors it can be a nightmare.

spacecoast · October 18, 2012, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Also, the book has a lot of inaccuracies, so be careful. Its a good book overall.

Here are the known inaccuracies

http://smith-wessonforum.com/announc...th-wesson.html

I checked my recent 3rd edition vs. the list of corrections and most corrections have been made in my copy.

sgms · October 18, 2012, 08:37 PM

Standard Catalog is also out there for some E-readers for those who want one in easy to carry form.

**Tom Servo** · October 18, 2012, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Standard Catalog is also out there for some E-readers for those who want one in easy to carry form.

I'd be curious to hear from someone with one of the ebook versions, particularly in regards to the quality of the formatting.

Nosreme · October 19, 2012, 05:51 AM

FYI one of the Standard Catalog authors lives here in Northern Virginia and, according to somebody who knows him, is hard at work on a new edition.

FLChinook · October 24, 2012, 01:17 PM

I just got the book and I'm amazed at the useful content and quality for such a reasonable cost. OK, there may be some inaccuracies known to really knowledgable shooters but just the pictures alone make the book worth the cost.

I wonder, if you already bought the hardcopy, whether you can get the e-book at a discount...

James K · October 25, 2012, 05:21 PM

The SC has the most info and the most recent info. Errors are minor, most having been corrected in the latest edition.

But IMHO, the best in-depth book is still the Neal-Jinks book Smith & Wesson 1857-1945 for the time frame it covers.

Jim

FLChinook · October 28, 2012, 08:08 PM

In looking at my SC of S&W, Supica and Nahas (3rd Edition), Appendix 4 (Model introduction by year), the pre-27 is listed as 1949. The start of the Model 27 is not given there. However, in the section on the pre-27, they give the start of the 27 as 1957. There, they also give a little more information on the years of production changes, such as the start of the "S" prefix in 1950 at S/N 75000. And they list the S/N as 172000 in 1956.

Does that mean they made roughly 97000 pre-27s between 1950 and 1956 (16000/year)? If so, there must be a lot of them still around...

Are there gaps in the S/Ns? Did S&W keep sequential S/N's during manufacture and assign them to different models as they were made?

I was kind of hoping the book would have information allowing the look-up of "year of manufacture" for any given S/N but that was wishful thinking...

laytonj1 · October 29, 2012, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Does that mean they made roughly 97000 pre-27s between 1950 and 1956

No, that serial number range was shared by all the N frames made during that time period.

BTW, serial numbers by years start on page 395.

Jim

sgms · October 29, 2012, 05:46 PM

I have the E-Reader Standard Catalog on a bottom end Sony E-Reader. It is the book from cover to last page, my only grip is my reader is slow so finding what I am looking for is also slow. But it allows me to have the standard catalog of Colt, Browning, S&W and a copy of the Flayderman's Guide in my pocket when at gun shows or just the LGS.

October 16, 2012, 01:15 AM	#1
FLChinook Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 378	Best Book on S&W There's a sticky at the front of this forum about S&W serial numbers that has more pages than I've had hot breakfasts. At the beginning there are several references to books but no links. Mid-way down the thread, there are suggestions that people are to cheap to buy the book... but still no book is defined OK, maybe it's there but I can't find it and I'm probably the only guy in the world who prefers to ask before looking... Amazon lists a number: Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson by Supica Smith & Wesson by Jink (Kindle) Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson 3rd (Kindle) Hmmm, no Kindle in my house so I guess there's just one... So what is the best book on S&W? NOT the most expensive... I would like to have the book contain the year of manufacture for my newest (and so far only revolver) addition, a beautiful pre-27.

October 16, 2012, 07:16 AM	#2
CajunBass Senior Member Join Date: May 6, 2005 Location: North Chesterfield, Virginia Posts: 4,767	Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson by Supica & Nahas is THE go-to book for Smith & Wesson. Well worth the money. A book won't be able to tell you exactly when your gun was manufactured, only a factory letter can do that, but it will get you in the ball park. __________________ For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (NKJV)

October 17, 2012, 07:20 PM	#5
Winchester_73 Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2008 Location: Pittsburgh PA Posts: 2,863	Also, the book has a lot of inaccuracies, so be careful. Its a good book overall. Here are the known inaccuracies http://smith-wessonforum.com/announc...th-wesson.html __________________ Winchester 73, the TFL user that won the west

October 16, 2012, 08:56 AM	#3
FLChinook Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 378	Thanks. That's what I needed to know. At $30, it's about as much as a box of premium ammo. Order placed on Amazon.

October 18, 2012, 09:59 AM	#6
drail Junior member Join Date: February 2, 2008 Posts: 3,150	The problem with ALL of the books is the same. S&W will tell you that they don't have accurate numbers on models and production numbers. In the 1980s they were cranking out their "gun of the week" models so fast that Roy Jinks has stated they don't actually know how many 625-2s were built. I've seen numbers ranging from 200 to 5000 in various books. For collectors it can be a nightmare.

October 18, 2012, 08:37 PM	#8
sgms Senior Member Join Date: May 30, 2010 Location: Arizona or Ohio depending Posts: 1,021	Standard Catalog is also out there for some E-readers for those who want one in easy to carry form.

October 19, 2012, 05:51 AM	#10
Nosreme Member Join Date: August 31, 2009 Posts: 22	FYI one of the Standard Catalog authors lives here in Northern Virginia and, according to somebody who knows him, is hard at work on a new edition.

October 24, 2012, 01:17 PM	#11
FLChinook Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 378	I just got the book and I'm amazed at the useful content and quality for such a reasonable cost. OK, there may be some inaccuracies known to really knowledgable shooters but just the pictures alone make the book worth the cost. I wonder, if you already bought the hardcopy, whether you can get the e-book at a discount...

October 25, 2012, 05:21 PM	#12
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	The SC has the most info and the most recent info. Errors are minor, most having been corrected in the latest edition. But IMHO, the best in-depth book is still the Neal-Jinks book Smith & Wesson 1857-1945 for the time frame it covers. Jim

October 28, 2012, 08:08 PM	#13
FLChinook Senior Member Join Date: September 9, 2012 Location: Texas Posts: 378	In looking at my SC of S&W, Supica and Nahas (3rd Edition), Appendix 4 (Model introduction by year), the pre-27 is listed as 1949. The start of the Model 27 is not given there. However, in the section on the pre-27, they give the start of the 27 as 1957. There, they also give a little more information on the years of production changes, such as the start of the "S" prefix in 1950 at S/N 75000. And they list the S/N as 172000 in 1956. Does that mean they made roughly 97000 pre-27s between 1950 and 1956 (16000/year)? If so, there must be a lot of them still around... Are there gaps in the S/Ns? Did S&W keep sequential S/N's during manufacture and assign them to different models as they were made? I was kind of hoping the book would have information allowing the look-up of "year of manufacture" for any given S/N but that was wishful thinking...

October 29, 2012, 05:46 PM	#15
sgms Senior Member Join Date: May 30, 2010 Location: Arizona or Ohio depending Posts: 1,021	I have the E-Reader Standard Catalog on a bottom end Sony E-Reader. It is the book from cover to last page, my only grip is my reader is slow so finding what I am looking for is also slow. But it allows me to have the standard catalog of Colt, Browning, S&W and a copy of the Flayderman's Guide in my pocket when at gun shows or just the LGS.