Smith and Wesson serial number search

[finloq]

Here we go again:



Model 10
C461xxx


Model 1905 4th Change
666xxx


M&P
C231xxx

[laytonj1]

Model 10
C461xxx
Model 1905 4th Change
666xxx
M&P
C231xxx

C461XXX = 1960.
666XXX = mid 1930's.
C231XXX = 1953.

Jim

[finloq]

Thanks Big Jim

[ncea3994]

Have a Model 686 4"
ABC4XXX
Looking for info about it.

Thanks for your help.

[Sevens]

Was made between October and January of 2002. This would be a 686-no dash and as such, it's subject to a still active factory recall unless there an "M" stamp under the serial number on the frame where the yoke meets the frame.

[ncea3994]

The seller had advised me that he carried this gun in the mid 1980's as a police duty weapon. There is a M under the serial number. Just again to confirm a Model 686. Thanks

[Bosshammer]

I just inherited a S@W model 36. It is nickel plated and has a 3 inch barrel. It is stamped MOD.36 and the serial # is 4J45xx. Can anyone tell me when this was made? Thank you.

[Barbaren]

Hi, im looking at two guns the seller claims is mod15. Both are with 6" barrel and patridge sight and adjusteable rearsight. One is stamped mod15-1 or 15-4, it is hard to tell. and has serialnumber K472635. The other one has no modelmarking on the frame when cylinder is opened but is stamped only "V". Opposite, on yoke, is stamped "G". The only number seller finds is 26108. What am i looking at here?
Norway.

[CajunBass]

I put this one on layaway yesterday, so I don't have the gun handy. It's tagged as a 10-7. The S/N given on the layaway ticket is 3058xxx. No prefix, which it seems to me it should have.

Standard Model 10. Three screw, K-Frame, 4" tapered barrel, fixed sights.

Any idea?

[laytonj1]

the serial # is 4J45xx

1971/72.

Both are with 6" barrel and patridge sight and adjusteable rearsight. One is stamped mod15-1 or 15-4, it is hard to tell. and has serialnumber K472635. The other one has no modelmarking on the frame when cylinder is opened but is stamped only "V". Opposite, on yoke, is stamped "G". The only number seller finds is 26108. What am i looking at here?

K472635 dates it to 1962.
I'll need the serial number off the other. See pic for serial number location.
The standard catalog of S&W states that the model 15 was made with 4" barrels with 5" a rare option. 6" and 8.375" barrels were not offered until 1986 (during the time that model 14's were not in production). If the 15 made in 1962 has a 6" barrel it may not be original to the gun. The other numbers are assembly/inspector numbers.

It's tagged as a 10-7. The S/N given on the layaway ticket is 3058xxx

That would not be the serial number. See pic above for SN location. A 10-7 would have a "D" for the 2nd or third digit or a three letter prefix.

Jim

[Barbaren]

Thank you Jim. This can help me to Get a good deal on a target gun. Would prefer original.

[CajunBass]

That would not be the serial number. See pic above for SN location. A 10-7 would have a "D" for the 2nd or third digit or a three letter prefix

Thanks Jim. That's what I thought. The gun has Pac's on it, and I suspect someone at the shop was too lazy to pull them off to get the right serial number and just took an assembly number off the crane. I started not to even ask, but then figured, I don't know everything.

Edited to add: Turns out it's my fault. I misread the layaway ticket. The S/N is actually 3D58724. Old eyes and faint ink.

[laytonj1]

The S/N is actually 3D58724

1978.

Jim

[MiGS_]

Blue 19-4, 2.5 Inch
#31K72xx

As always thank you!

[Sevens]

Best I can tell, that would be 1978.

[MiGS_]

Would you mind providing me all the ranges/years for 19-4's in 2.5 inch? I'm considering multiple guns.

Thanks

[Ignacio49]

Another one:

This I believe is a 38 Military and Police (or very early m10). Unfortunately I do not have pics, but the pencil barrel, extractor rod and cylinder latch are like the reference pic in the following link (taken from a post here, started by kbcraig66 on sept 19/2014):
http://thefiringline.com/forums/atta...5&d=1411144356

S/N 8272xx. No model number under the crane. 5" pencil barrel (maybe 6"). Color is blue (not Ni like the one in the reference pic).

I would like to know model of this revolver, date of manufacture, and also if it is safe to handle +P ammo.
Thanks

[Sevens]

If the serial number is indeed 8272xx with no leading alpha character, it's likely to be from the early 1940s. Supica & Nahas report 700000 to 1000000 were 1940-1945. You can do the math to try and pin down a more firm date but only a factory letter from Roy Jinks can do better.

The official model name of this would be a Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector Military & Police Model of 1905, 4th Change. We often refer to them causally as a "pre-Model 10" and a quick shortcut to the +P dilemma is that Smith & Wesson's standard answer is that all .38 Special revolvers (except for a short few that are clearly indicated) are safe for +P if and only if they are revolvers with a Model number, which S&W began in 1957 or so. So the official word from the manufacturer is that no, your revolver is not spec'd for +P ammo.

To find the barrel length, measure from the rearmost end of the barrel (as it juts through the frame to nearly contact the cylinder face) and measure from there to the muzzle end. Most likely, it is 6-inches in length as I believe the 5-inch is less common. This revolver is the single most popular handgun in the history of handguns with an estimated six million having been produced across all it's years and versions. This is the base K-frame .38 Special that has made Smith & Wesson so famous.

[Sevens]

Would you mind providing me all the ranges/years for 19-4's in 2.5 inch? I'm considering multiple guns.

The book suggests 1977 to 1982 for the dash-4 and it doesn't tell me which barrel lengths may have been available when, but please understand that S&W has a long history of using up frames and parts whenever they get around to it so attempting to get a firm date is often simply not possible. Add in the fact that they made many special order guns exactly to requested specifications for different organizations (most of them police organizations) and you are asking a question that is very difficult to give a better answer... but then again, there are MANY folks around here that could do better on this one than I could, so I hope they might chime in.

In fact, you'd have better luck if you presented this question, perhaps with a bit more detail in what you are trying to find in a new thread all it's own.

[Ignacio49]

Thank you Sevens.

[klw629]

Just joined the forum and have a 629-2 that i would like to have more info on if posable.Thanks KLW ser.number BBW 4955

[laytonj1]

ser.number BBW 4955

Looks like late 1988.
The -2 version was the start of the new yoke retention system - a big improvement IMO.

Jim

[MiGS_]

629-1 4"
AYS96xx

Thanks again!

[laytonj1]

629-1 4"
AYS96xx

1987.

Jim

[ZMBKLN]

Hello TFL!

This is my first post here... And first off I want to say what an awesome asset you guys have created here!

Lots of great information...

That being said... I was hoping for a bit of help identifying (and maybe valuing if thats not against the rules) a pistol I just acquired.

It's a Smith and Wesson Mod-15 chambered in 38 Special.

It's got blued finish, wood grips with the diamond around the fastener.

The Serial number is K 355xxx

Could somebody tell me a bit about this pistol?

Thanks in advance! I look forward to exploring some more in the future!