Smith and Wesson serial number search

[laytonj1]

S&W 29-3 4 inch
S/N: ADU2XXX

1984.
Based on completed Gunbroker auctions, around $600.

Jim

[RxMang17]

Just bought my first gun, a S&W 67-1 4" Stainless, Rosewood Grip. Serial #: 30K5xxx

What year is this? The grip is not original is it? (photo attached)

[laytonj1]

Rosewood Grip. Serial #: 30K5xxx

Serial numbers ran from 25K0001 in 1978 to 56K9999 in 1979.
No, the grips are not original. It would have come with walnut magnas (service grips).

Jim

[Scottgr21]

I have a 1938 38 S&W CTG with a 2" barrel (U.S. Postal Service) with serial number 52596 and was wondering if anyone has an idea of price range for this pistol? Thanks, Scott

[cbuck]

i jut picked up a smith m&p revolver with british proof marks from my lgs yesterday, i was told its dated before the model 10 came into production. serial number is 770xxx. im wondering when it would have been made. thanks in advance

[laytonj1]

I have a 1938 38 S&W CTG with a 2" barrel (U.S. Postal Service) with serial number 52596 and was wondering if anyone has an idea of price range for this pistol?

Depends on which model it is. Does it have a round butt or square butt.

serial number is 770xxx

Right about 1940/41.
A "SV" prefix would make it 1944.

Jim

[lees1911]

I have aquired what I believe is a SW Model 10 and was hoping someone with a book could check the serial number for me. It is not marked with the Mod 10 (or any other) under the swing arm so I'm thinking it is from the 40's or 50's but would like to know for sure as the serial number seems too low for that. The serial number is C8***.

Thank you for your assistance.

[mtbyrd]

I am trying to find out some information for an 80 year young lady who owns one of these. She showed it to me today and asked if I could find out some info on the gun. I immediately recognized it as a "lemon squeezer" but didn't know much more than that. I've been doing some research and have found it to be a S & W Safety Hammerless in 32 cal, 1st Model. It is nickel and in 99% condition. The serial number on the bottom of the handel is 108XX. Any help would be appreciated.

[cbuck]

model 64 D540xxx

[laytonj1]

The serial number is C8***

It is a .38 Military & Police postwar which became the model 10 when S&W began stamping model numbers around 1957.
Serial numbers ran from C1 in 1948 to C223998 in 1951. C8xxx would very likely be 1948.

S & W Safety Hammerless in 32 cal, 1st Model. It is nickel and in 99% condition. The serial number on the bottom of the handel is 108XX

There were 3 model variations running from 1888 to 1937.
1st model serial numbers ran from 1 in 1888 to 91417 in 1902.
As of 2006, value in true 98/99% would be around 600+, but I'm sure it's gone up since.

model 64 D540xxx

Serial numbers ran from D510001 in 1973 to D659901 in 1974.

Jim

[mtbyrd]

Thanks for the help with the info.

[lees1911]

Thank you laytonj1.

[Hrasvelg]

Hey everybody, my first post here and i'd like to say i feel like ive discovered a great resource. I'm writing because about a month ago i picked up a S&W model 19-3 which i payed $500 for. It was is almost mint condition and i wouldnt be surprised if i've already run more rounds through it than its previouse owner. I was wondering if anyone could help me date the gun though. its # 2K12***.

Also, does anyone know what its actual value is? at this point i have taken enough enjoyment out of it that i wouldnt mind learning if i've over paid, but it would be nice to know what its actual value would be. I'm hoping this gun lasts a lifetime. Its a four ince barrel in blued steel with the original rosewood grips. the guns finnish has nearly no wear on it at all, and it feels smooth and fast in every way.

Thanks guys and i look foreward to being a part of this community!

[rbs79]

Hey Guys - I am looking at a S&W 15-4 w/ a 2" barrel, target sights, square butt in good to very good condition (SN ACW4xxx). Two questions - any thoughts on an approximate value and what is the date of manufacture? I have a copy of the S&W catalog (3rd edition) but I don't see the prefix "ACW" referenced anywhere

[FlyFish]

Welcome to TFL. That serial number would make it 1970. A mint condition P&R (pinned and recessed, which yours is) Model 19 would fetch at least a couple hundred dollars more than you paid in this neck of the woods (eastern Massachusetts).

As you may already be aware, you'll run into conflicting reports regarding feeding a steady diet of .357 through a Model 19. Under certain conditions, it's possible to develop cracks in the bottom of the forcing cone where there's a slight flat spot on K-frame S&Ws. Some folks claim they've run thousands of full-house .357s through theirs, others claim problems from the first few shots. There must be some truth to the issue because S&W subsequently developed the slightly larger L-frame (Model 686 and similar) which avoids the need to have the flat spot.

One seemingly consistent theme is that problems are more likely with hot 100 and 125-gr loads, and if leading is allowed to develop in the forcing cone area. If you really want to shoot .357, the 158-gr loads appear to be the safest.

I have a 19-2 from 1963. These guns are becoming increasingly harder to find at anything approaching reasonable prices and replacement barrels - really the only fix for a cracked forcing cone - are also becoming scarce. My gun sees .38 Special just about exclusively, actually .38 Special loads in .357 cases, and I save the real .357s for my L- and N-frames. Others may feel that's being too careful, but as long as I have other guns that are more suited to the hotter cartridge I'll "baby" my fine old Model 19 and expect it to outlast me.

(Mods may want to move this to the revolver forum)

[laytonj1]

SN ACW4xxx

AC would fall between AB in Jan 83 and AD in Oct 83.
Now, that said, the SCSW shows the 15-4 version as running from 1977 to 1982, so....

As far as value, I usually see them in the $400 to $450 range.

Jim

[rbs79]

Thanks Jim - I had seen the range between AB and AD but I just bought a copy of the catalog and wasn't sure I had interpreted that information correctly

[sti6yr]

S&W .38 special ctg model 10-5 serial number D368xxx

everything i have read thus far indicates a year of 1967-77 however when i registered the gun the only other previous registration was 1953. It does have a tapered barrell and half moon front sight and has a square but. Any help would be greatly appreciated my father recently passed and he always was curious but never did anything about it. I know he aquired this handgun when he was a police officer in 1981 but thats all i know about it.

[FlyFish]

sti6yr - Very curious. The SN, and the Model 10-5 designation (is that in fact stamped in the yoke cutout?) definitely date the gun to 1971-72. The SN range that year was from D330001 to D420000, and the 10-5 was manufactured from 1962 to 1977, when it was replaced by the 10-7 (the 10-6 was the heavy barrel version). In fact, if it has "Mod 10" with or without a dash number stamped anywhere, the gun can't be as old as 1953 because model numbering wasn't introduced until 1957. On the other hand, the half-moon front sight was discontinued in 1952, so would not have been original on a 10-5, on indeed any Model 10.

The only thing I can think of is that the gun has had the original ramped sight replaced with the half moon, or perhaps the entire barrel has been replaced with an older (pre-'52) one. It may also be that the gun was ordered with the half-moon front sight, but I don't know if that was possible in the early '70s.

Just out of curiosity, where are you that you have to register individual guns and get to see previous registrations?

[sti6yr]

I am from PA. Please enlighten me on any way i can find out any info. Your knowledge is impressive to say the least.

I found it very interesting with the only prior registration being 1953. who knows maybe it was a typo very long ago.

I'm thinking i should pay the 50 bucks to S&W to maybe nail this down indefinately. Thoughts?

If pictures would help i will be more than happy to provide them.

This particuler S&W has a ton of sentimental value and will not be going anywhere.

I was given 3 other S&W's aswell wich i wouldnt mind discussing as well, but they can wait.

[FlyFish]

Huh, I had no idea that PA had such a law. Here in Massachusetts we have to report gun transactions to .gov, which amounts to a de facto registration, but there's no requirement to register guns that were owned prior to the reporting requirement. I'm a couple of weeks away from a long-anticipated relocation to New Hampshire, where there's none of that BS. Can't come soon enough.

Thanks for the compliment, but I'm really just a guy who happens to own "the book" - i.e., the Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson, which is a great reference that you can pick up on Amazon for short money, considering how much information it has. I don't think I can do much more with the photos, but please post them anyway - I'd like to see the gun and I'm sure others would as well.

Before you spend the $50 on a factory letter from Mr. Jinks, which still may not solve the mystery for you, you might try posting over on the S&W Forum, where the real experts hang out. They very well might have some ideas that haven't occurred to me, or perhaps carguychris might stop by with the answer.

[sti6yr]

thanks for the quick reply. i will post up some pics as soon as i can and i will post over on the S&W forums and if i find anything out i will post it up.

[b.read]

Edit: shoot! Just realized I posted a model 39 question in the revolver forum...I'm a dope.


Ahhh what the hell, a search yielded a few other 39 questions so I'll leave the post in hope some kind soul can help me out.


I'm hoping someone with a serial number book can help me out. The serial number is: 105XXX

Any idea on the age?

Thanks!

[FlyFish]

b.read - The book has much less information on semiautos than revolvers, mentioning only that SNs started at 1001 in 1954, continuing to 115000 in 1970 before switching over to an "A" prefix, and eventually switching over to the 3-letter prefix in 1984. There's some year-by-year info on the letter-prefix SNs, but that's it on the older ones.

[b.read]

Ah...I gotcha. Thanks for checking for me! I now know that it's atleast pre-70, which is more than I knew before. I'll keep poking around, there is TONS of info on this site- glad to be aboard.