Smith and Wesson serial number search

S&W M&P, Blue, 5" .38 Special with no monogram walnut grips. Serial # 406,000 range (I don't have it in front of me right now so no full serial # available)
 
Bailey4765: You have a S&W .38 Miltary & Police model of 1905 4th Change.
Heat treating of cylinders began somewhere around 1917-1920 at serial number 316648, serial numbers in the 500,000 range shipped in 1927, so between 1917 & 1927 with the early 1920s being most likely.

White Boot Infidel: assuming you have a .38 special or .38 S&W K frame gun, then around 1940, the British started buying bulk K frame S&Ws in 1940 starting at serial number 680,000.

Tattooed Bard: 1971-1972. Serial number range for those years was D330001 to D420000. The problem with his is that the 10-8 wasn't introduced until 1977. If the serial number is 1D3414xx then your gun was made in 1979 or 1980.
 
Radagast,

the 6 looked an awful lot like an 8, but closer examination says I bought a pinned barrel 10-6 for 200 bucks. I am a 71 model myself so even better :D
 
I just acquired a S&W - only one I have and am looking for any information on it. It is a 4" barrel - .38 revolver - SN # 767XXX - barrel marked 38 S & W CTG (R) / Smith & Wesson Springfield Mass. USA (T) / SMITH & WESSON (L) - right side of frame under front of cylinder marked Made in USA w/ S&W crest right frame behind cylinder. Any help[ with year of Manufacture or Model would be appreciated. And no, I do not wish to buy the book for the one S&W I have.
 
Ryenhawk It sounds like you have a Model K200 .38/200 British Service Revolver, later sold as the Model 11. These were the .38 Military & Police model of 1905 4th Change ordered by the British Government and chambered in .38 S&W rather than the usual .38 S&W Special.
Prior to WWII Britain chambered its Webley & Enfield service revolvers to suit a 200 grain bullet in the short .38 S&W case, when WWII broke out they ordered guns directly from S&W and later received then through the US government through the lend lease program.
K200s were manufactured in 4, 5 & 6 inch barrel lengths, with 5 inches being the more common. These were manufactured between 1940 & 1942 in the serial number range 680,000 to 1,000,000 in a variety of finishes and grip types, before the introduction of the Lend Lease program and US government markings, with the serial number starting over again at V1 and continuing until V769000.

After WWII a large number of these guns were re-imported into the USA and the chambers bored through to allow .38 Special cartridges to be used. If your gun has been modified in this fashion you should only shoot standard pressure ammunition through it as the chambers will be oversize and cases may bulge or split.

Short summary: Classic S&W from WWII, probably saw service with Britain or one of the Commonwealth nations, chambered for the low powered and expensive .38 S&W round. If bored through for .38 special it has no collectors value, if all original and in very good condition it may be worth $300 to $500 to a collector.
 
can i jump in here with a request?

smith wesson (obviously)

m30-1 .32 S&W Long
2" pinned barrel
round butt

serial number H701xx

thanks!
 
THANKS!

ive got another in the safe but i dont recall the serial. its a no-number model .32sw long with a patent date of 29 december 1914. its a 4" J-frame (or maybe a prior frame size) with nickel finish...

the cylinder length is about the length of a .32sw long cartridge from base to ogive...

ill have to get the serial number...

i think its a hand ejector .32...
 
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ltdave: Your second gun is most likely a .32 Regulation Police (square butt) or a .32 Hand Ejector (round butt) Third Model. A serial number will help to narrow it down.
 
its a 4" J-frame (or maybe a prior frame size) with nickel finish... the cylinder length is about the length of a .32sw long cartridge
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The predecessor of the J frame is the I frame. Your gun sounds like one. FWIW a good way to quickly identify an I frame is to look for a strain screw at the base of the frontstrap, in the same place you'll find a screw on a K, L, N, or X frame. Pre-1950s I frames use a leaf mainspring like the other frame sizes, so they have strain screws like the others do. J frames and later "Improved" I frames (mid-50s thru 1963) have coil mainsprings and lack the strain screw.

FWIW the serial number on some older I frames is found on the frontstrap, not the butt. It should also be repeated on the face of the cylinder and on the barrel flat under the ejector rod, but many older nickel-plated revolvers have been refinished, which often wipes out the shallower markings in these places.
ltdave: Your second gun is most likely a .32 Regulation Police (square butt)...
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FWIW prewar .32RPs aren't built on true square-butt frames. They're fitted with so-called "extension" stocks that extend the grip to a larger square-butt shape. (These stocks cover the butt, which is why the serial number was moved to the frontstrap.) The backstrap is round, but has a shoulder in it where the extension stocks fit; the top half of the backstrap is visible, but the bottom half is hidden under the stocks. The distinct shoulder and the extension stocks identify the gun as a .32RP rather than a .32HE.

BTW this sometimes creates confusion amongst some collectors because most .38RPs were marked ".38 REGULATION POLICE" on the barrels, while the .32 Long versions were seldom so marked. Some people erroneously conclude that a Regulation Police is identified by the barrel marking alone; this is incorrect, the difference is in the backstrap, not just the barrel marking.
 
I just acquired a .38 Smith & Wesson pistol that was my grandfather's. Can you please help with information about the pistol. Thanks.

Model: 38 S. & W. SPECIAL CTG
S/N: C 341xxx

Thanks for your help!!

SC Hunter

PS - Any idea on value?
 
Model: 38 S. & W. SPECIAL CTG
S/N: C 341xxx
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It's a .38 Military & Police built in the 1956-1957 timeframe. It was produced right around the time when S&W began their modern model numbering system, at which point this gun became the Model 10. It may have a model number stamped inside the yoke (the part of the frame that's visible when the cylinder is swung out); it should say MOD. 10.
PS - Any idea on value?
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Value is highly dependent on condition. The .38 M&P / Model 10 was a standard law enforcement gun for 3 generations and S&W's top seller for decades. Over 5 million of them have been produced, so not very many are considered unique and valuable. Several years ago, you could pick up a poor to good example in the $75-$200 range and a very good to excellent example from $250-$325, but the general increase in demand for handguns in the last 2 years or so has caused these prices to climb ~$100 across the board.

You can figure $150 for a barely functional beater to $450 in like-new condition complete with the original box, tool kit, and documents. Original nickel finish will add 5%-15%. Guns with the uncommon and carry-friendly 2" barrel command a 15%-20% premium, as do guns with a 5" or 6" barrel in conjunction with a round butt grip frame, which is an uncommon combination. Some collectors will pay extra for the somewhat less common 5" barrel, but this varies regionally.
 
Smith serial number search

Purchased my first Smith and Wesson, model 64-2 stainless steel, serial #ANT27XX. Date of manufacture would be appreciated.
 
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