Smith and Wesson serial number search

Hey guys, i just bought a Never-Been-Shot little model 36, .38special, j-frame snubby

I know this is the first question most folk ask, but i cannot find an online version of "The Standard Cat. of S &W" so here goes:
Please help me date this haha!

number on bottom of the grip says: J714xx
number on the thin part at the bottom front part of cylinder: 179xx
says M-36 on frame when you pop out the cylinder so i have a vague idea of its age but "M-36" not much to go by




Im very excited about it though. I took it to the range today and pumped out 50 rounds of standard AGUILA .38 special sjhp 158gr
Really fun to shoot btw!:D
 
the_collector: J714xx would be 1969 (starting at J1) to 1970 (ending at J99999) - so probably 1970. Really unfired? I would have been tempted to leave it that way, but S&W made it to be used so I'm glad it's getting a chance to do what it was made for.
 
Unfortunately, (as my name might imply) I am not a gun collector.
So i have no idea what the gun is worth...

My Grandfather is/was the original purchaser of this gun...so i assume back in '79 :D haha I wasnt even born then. He found it when he was going through some things and he had forgotten about it.
He told me that he had carried it before, but had never fired it, i dont really know why you wouldnt fire a gun you were "packing" seems a little dumb if you ask me. But its in good shape now...at least as far as i can tell, i do plan on carrying it.

I'l post some pics of it. Although it has now shot 52 rounds, what do you all think it might be worth? I have NO idea.

And thank you very much for the info Flyfish


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I dont thing the pics really do it justice. Theyre a tad bit dark. Anyways, ill try to get more
 
Although it has now shot 52 rounds, what do you all think it might be worth?
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That's beautiful, as I guess you'd expect for a gun with only 52 rounds through it. There are a lot of Model 36s around, so even in relatively pristine condition it's not going to bring big bucks. I'd say around $500, maybe a tad more, but of course, as it was your Grandfather's gun, to you it's priceless. My father, and his father, both long since departed, were not gun owners so I have nothing comparable. If I did I wouldn't part with it for anything.
 
Thanks for the reply. I didnt think it would be worth a whole lot but $500 is more than i was expecting.

I dont plan on selling it! Its going to stay in the family, as it is worth a lot sentimentally. Thank you again Flyfish, im looking forward to reading/posting more on the forum
 
Smith and Wesson Mystery

A friend of mine has a chromed Smith and Wesson revolver which I believe is a model 60, 38 special.

The serial number on the bottom of the handle frame is: WBLP15xx.

I understand that S&W doesn't make 8 digit serial #'s.

The S&W logo is clearly stamped on the side, so I know it's authentic.

Any ideas?

Did somebody add their initials to the Serial #?

Could the true serial # be P15xx?

Thanks!
 
A mystery indeed. The Model 60 is a stainless gun, so wouldn't be "chromed" though it could have been polished to look like it (while I suppose it would be possible to have a gun chrome plated, nickel is the material usually used - not on stainless, of course, and S&W doesn't chrome plate guns at the factory). Modern S&W serial numbers are of the form AAAXXXX, where the "A"s are letters and the "X"s are numerals, so "WBLP" is not a correct prefix and although they used to use various single-letter prefixes over the years, "P" is not one of them.

S&W made many special runs of various models , usually for law enforcement organizations, and stamped them to indicate such, e.g., "CRPD" for the Conrail Police Dept., "PXPD" for the Phoenix (AZ) Police Dept., etc.), but these stampings were on the side and not incorporated into the serial number. There is no mention of a "WBLP" special run in SCSW.

"BLP15XX" would be a valid serial number, from around 1992-93, but that means the "W" would have been added. I would think it would be relatively easy to determine if that's the case. I'd also think that BATFE would consider that to be defacing the serial number, with all the potential pain that could bring to the owner, regardless of who did the defacing.

The Model 60 was introduced nearly a decade after S&W started assigning numbers rather than names to its guns, so the model number should be clearly stamped inside the yoke cutout.
 
I inherited a Model 37 from my grandfather. It was his carry gun after he was promoted to Detective.
SN 739Jxx Would love to know around the time this gun was made and any other info someone can give. Thanks
 
I inherited a Model 37 from my grandfather. It was his carry gun after he was promoted to Detective.
SN 739Jxx Would love to know around the time this gun was made and any other info someone can give.
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The Model 37 was introduced in 1951 as the Chiefs Special Airweight prior to the introduction of model numbering in 1957. It's essentially the alloy-frame version of the Model 36. Yours dates from the 1971-72 so-called "wandering J" period - the "J" appeared in different locations within the serial number - just prior to then, and for the next decade or so after, it was always the first character. Production ended in 2006.
 
Standard Catalogue

The book is a trove of good info on anything S&W ever made.There is one for Colt also.The serial # info is also in the Colt catalogue.
It's worth the price if you collect either make of firearm.
 
S&W production date

I recently bought a S&W .38 special revolver from a friend and i would like to know its age. double action, blued, 6" bbl, there are no model numbers on it serial number is 4444XX
 
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Not a revolver but can anyone give me some pointers on a year for a 4506 with prefix TDN or VJL?
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The info in SCSW on serial numbers for autos is a bit thin, but it looks like TDN would be 1988-89 and VJL would be around 1998, maybe 1999. That pretty much brackets the years that the 4506 was produced ('88 - '99)
 
Anyone have a manufacture year/month for a nearly new Model 22-4, serial #DAY85xx? My SCSW is too old to list it.
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I have the 3rd Edition, which I believe is the latest, and the list of SNs ends at CTA (except for some odds 'n' ends used for specific models), corresponding to October of 2004. I'd guess that DAY is 2005, but that's just a guess.
 
Hey guys. I have owned a model 29 for about 25 years and am looking for age as I pass on to other family members. It's a model 29-2 with the 8-3/8 barrel, pinned and recessed with the target hammer and trigger. Serial starts as N498xxx. Any help is greatly appreciated about this soon to be family heirloom.
 
knightsh: Your 29-2 dates from 1978. I have one exactly like it, just a few years older, N314xxx from 1975. They really are magnificent guns.
 
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