s & w serial number

[motorhead]

anyone got the standard catalog of smith and wesson handy? i'm trying to date a buddie's fourth model revolver. sn1436XX. i know it's pre-1899(<203K).

[hawk1]

Here is a great source for info on S&W

http://www.smith-wessonforum.com/

[motorhead]

thanx

[hawk1]

Takes a bit to get registered but once you do there are some very hardcore S&W guys that will answer your questions. Just be sure and use the search feature first. Good luck

[motorhead]

nfs, who runs this one the cia? great site once you finally get in.

[hawk1]

I can give you my login info if you need to use the site right away. Send me a PM as I'm ready to walk out the door.
Mike

[rgs1975]

nfs, who runs this one the cia? great site once you finally get in.

It's the official forum sponsored by S&W. It is a pain to get accepted but once you're in it's awesome. You simply will not find a better source for accurate S&W information. If you register I'm over there as "BlackSky".

[rivviepop]

anyone got the standard catalog of smith and wesson handy? i'm trying to date a buddie's fourth model revolver. sn1436XX. i know it's pre-1899(<203K).

Is this the .38 safety hammerless 4th model? the .38 DA 4th model and .32 DA 4th model have serial ranges that don't match, but the .38 safety hammerless 4th does. If so, the book says "Serial number range 116003 to roughly 220000 with roughly 104,000 manufactured c. 1898-1907" (p. 86).

(if you meant another model lemme know, I'm not versed in these old guys)

[motorhead]

no, it's a .38 DA, top break (not safety hammerless) ser. no. range appears to make it a 3rd mdl., my error.

[Ironchef]

It's no pain, they just take 2 days to accept your account.

[rivviepop]

no, it's a .38 DA, top break (not safety hammerless) ser. no. range appears to make it a 3rd mdl., my error.

yup, those would match as well for the .38 DA 3rd. It says: "Serial number range 119001 to 322700 with 203,700 firearms manufactured c. 1884-1895" (p. 83) so if you do straight math (I'm sure it didn't happen this way for real, but let's just do straight math) that's 18,500 per year (let's say 18,000 because of all the "special runs" which break the math) that would make your buddie's gun made around 1885-1886 or so. Based on the other footnotes it's pre-1892 for sure (264116 earliest known serial sold in 1892-1905 to American Express, Co.)

Find a copy of "SWCA Journal, 25th Anniversary reprint, Book 1" for an article by Roy Jinks on pp. 244-245. The SCSW says 800 revolvers in serial ranges 141000 and 145000 were sold to the Boston PD; that article might tell you *when* they were sold (the SCSW here doesn't) which would help pinpoint your buddies' 1436XX serial right down to the year.

[motorhead]

interesting. were the bpd guns marked?

[rivviepop]

interesting. were the bpd guns marked?

hmmm, seems nebulous the way they word it - "Reported as marked "BPD" on the backstrap" is all they say.