Smith and Wesson serial number search

no model number only number on gun is 8980.
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Did you get that number from here:
swstandard.jpg

The underside of the grip butt is the primary serial number location for a S&W revolver.

Jim
 
yes it came from the butt , there is no letters before or after though
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S&W reused the same serial numbers on their earlier guns so to date it I need to figure out what model you have.
You said it's chambered in .38 Special (not .38 S&W). Is it a 5 shot or 6?

Jim
 
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You said it's chambered in .38 Special (not .38 S&W). Is it a 5 shot or 6?

yes chambered 38, s&w spl. on the barrel its a 5 shot . i dont know alot about it the guy i got it from said it belonged to his grand father if it helps the side plate has 3 screws .barrel maybe a little over an inch
 
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yes chambered 38, s&w spl. on the barrel its a 5 shot . i dont know alot about it the guy i got it from said it belonged to his grand father if it helps the side plate has 3 screws .barrel maybe a little over an inch
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Okay, sounds like you have a Chiefs Special which became the model 36 when S&W began using model numbers ~1957.
Your serial number of 89XX dates it to 1952.
There is actually 4 screws. The 4th being covered by the grip

Jim
 
I just purchased a S&W 686-3, it is my understanding that the -3 were made from 1988/1993 will the serial # narrow it down? #BHY 57xx any information would be well received!! Thanks msn

1056124104_SETto-M.jpg
 
chiefs special

thanks i appreciate the help. any idea on what its worth.i gave 40 for it . i know its worth more than that.is it worth sending to be nickel plated or leave it alone .
 
msnden: They were using the serial number letter prefixes a bit out of order at the time, but it looks like BHY would indicate 1992.
 
msnden: They were using the serial number letter prefixes a bit out of order at the time, but it looks like BHY would indicate 1992.

F/F Thanks!!! msn
 
any idea on what its worth.i gave 40 for it . i know its worth more than that.is it worth sending to be nickel plated or leave it alone .
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Without knowing the condition all I can say is somewhere in the $250 to $500 range.
Unless the current finish is in bad shape I would leave it alone. That said, since you got it for free basically, even sending it off for a quality refinishing and tuning you would still come out ahead.

Jim
 
how about serial number 71XXX?
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Sometimes it's possible to pinpoint a year knowing nothing more than the serial number, but a 5-digit sn with no letter prefix could apply to a number of different models and/or years. Please provide some more details, such as the caliber of the gun (usually stamped on the barrel), number of chambers in the cylinder (usually 5 or 6), barrel length, whether there's a safety lever hinged into the backstrap, etc. Also, be sure you've got the whole serial number, including any leading letter(s), and that you've taken it from the bottom of the grip frame. If you can do that, we should be able to help you out.
 
Two Revolvers

I have two S&W revolvers that I'd like to know the age of.

First one is a Model 60 with SN of either AVW8090 or 32536 (can't tell which is the SN).

The second is a K38 Masterpiece with SN of K296810.

Thank you in advance,

Andrew
 
.38 S&W SPECIAL CTG.
6 chambers
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And a SN. of 71XXX would make it a .38 Military & Police Model of 1905.
Serial numbers ran from 62450 in 1905 to 73250 in 1906.

First one is a Model 60 with SN of either AVW8090 or 32536 (can't tell which is the SN).

The second is a K38 Masterpiece with SN of K296810.
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AVW8090 = 1987. The 32536 is an assembly number.
K296810 = 1957.

Jim
 
Thank you

Thanks Jim.

1957, wow. I had no idea the gun was that old. I thought it was from the early 80s at the earliest.

Anything I should know about firing a weapon of that age? Is it safe with modern loads? +P? I just bought the gun a few months ago and have only fired mild wadcutter loads, but will probably use this as my home defense gun and want to load Hornady Critical Defense, a 110 grain JHP at 1010 FPS. Its not listed as a +P, but its probably quite close.
 
1957, wow. I had no idea the gun was that old.
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Serial numbers ran from K288989 to K317822 in 1957.

While +P will not hurt it I would use standard ammo for target shooting and plinking and the +P stuff for defense and occasional practice.
A really good +P load I use is Buffalo Bore Heavy .38 special +P. They have a 125gr. that will do 1250fps from a 4" barrel and a 158gr. that will do 1150fps from a 4".

I'm surprised that the revolver is that old.
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As long as you took the SN from the underside of the frames grip butt, it is.

Jim
 
1250 from a 4", thats almost .357 magnum territory. It guess that means the 110 grain 1010 fps really is a standard pressure load.

My local gun shop recommended it for both of my revolvers, as neither are +P rated.
 
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