Welcome aboard from Wyoming.

Nice looking Baby Chiefs Special. I'd put it somewhere in early 1954 for a ship date. I show several others about 100 sns lower than yours that shipped in February that year.

Baby Chiefs continued to be made for about 7,000 sns beyond yours. My Baby Chiefs 42829 shipped in May '54, and my Model of 1953 Chiefs Special 47475 (larger oval trigger guard and longer grip handle) shipped in August that year.

Yours appears to have what I consider to be the third style flat latch (all three having been used on Baby Chiefs). The Model of 1953 Chiefs had a different flat latch. Yours is the earliest I've seen with that flat latch. Previously my 40171, shipped January '54, had been the earliest one I'd seen.

Does the sn on the inside of the right grip match the number on the butt, back of the cylinder and bottom of the barrel (with the cylinder open)?

The 1661 number under the yoke on the frame is an assembly number. The same number should also appear on the yoke and the back (inside) of the side plate.

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Wrangler of stray Chiefs
Bob