New to Forum with Question

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okc63avanti

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I am a Newbie on the forum and I am some what of a novice when it comes to firearms and all of the different calibers.

I have a S&W .38 special model 36 (Chief's Special snub nose revolver) the serial no. I found was inside the frame after opening the cylinder underneath where is says mod. 36 and the serial number is 5 digits with the first two being 57xxx. Here are my questions:

1. Does the 57 mean the year this revolver was made?

I have been firing target load .38 special with this at the range several times with no issues and the other day I picked up some ammunition and when I got home I realized it was a little different, it is Remmington UMC 125 gr JHP .38 +P.

Is it safe to shoot these rounds in my revolver?

Thanks, John
 
I can't address the SN, but...

it sounds like you have a early series revolver (when first released).
Have a mid-80's are and it have a couple of "alpha" characters in the SN, not just numbers.

I would follow the use of "+P" ammo, as the S&W website recommends against usage.

Recommend trying the 125 -135 gr standard pressure rounds thru the revolver.
 
What is the number on the bottom of the grip, that is the true serial number, regardless, no, the S&W build date is not incorporated into the serial number. The number on the crane area is only a assembly number ( other than the model number 36 ) and means nothing to the average person, only to the assembly line.
 
The number I gave was located on frame and visible when the cylinder is open. The Serial No. on the bottom of the grip is in this format.

7JXXXX with the last 4 being numbers.
 
The number hidden by the crane, visible only after hinging open the cylinder, is an assembly number, not the gun's serial number - which is (as posted above) located on the bottom of the gripframe.


.
 
You need give out more than the first two digits of the serial number to get and accurate date of production. J frame revolvers with the 7J prefix were produced between 1979 and 1981. It is hard to pin it down any further without more info.

For instance I have a model 29 that is serial numbered S200207 and I can pin the date it was produced to late 1959.
 
First, welcome to the forum!

If I were you, I wouldn't push +P rounds through your revolver. It may take them ok, but most of the older Mod36's were not designed for those pressures, so why chance it?

I would instead, find a round(assuming that you want it for self protection),that is designed to perform well with short barreled revolvers.

The older Smiths stated in the manual that + P was not to be used.

Best regards.
warwagon
 
A late 70's early 80's model can handle +p ammo. While S&W recomends against it, it wont destroy the gun. Even in a gun that may be effected by them +P's would be used as carry ammo. I'd fire a few rounds every range session just for familiarization.
 
The serial number on bottom of grip is 7J8XXX
Click to expand...

I misread your serial number earlier, for some reason I transposed the first 7. According to the SCSW, your gun was produced after 1983. The book doesn't list numbers higher than 1J18601 Sorry for the mix up. :rolleyes:
 
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