I have a question for those in the know. I was with my son the other day at a local gun store and spied a Model 36 in a leather holster sitting on the counter. I was told they'd just received in from an estate sale and were going to sell it. I told my son he should pick it up because it looked to be in pretty good shape.
He paid $450 for it and before they put it away I noted the serial number to be 151580. Also, the cylinder release was odd compared to other S&W's I own. This release button was rectangular and relatively flat. Anyway, I was hoping someone might take a guess at the production date and possibly comment on the price keeping in mind I live in California and even finding a firearm anymore feels like hitting the lottery.
Thanks