There are many theories being thrown around in this thread. The variations in the manufacture of the boxes of the same Model can be explained by the batch manufacturing process; 250 today, 400 next month. The differences in the printing can be explained by the handset type used by the printer at the time of printing. The type was in cases as individual letters, ligatures and dingbats. Everything was composed by selecting the individual letters and locking them in a Chase to be printed by letterpress. When the print job was complete; the chase was unlocked and the type was redistributed back into the case to be used on the next job. The Mergenthaler Linotype was not invented until July, 1886 which gave one the ability to repeat a project exactly as it was printed before or make as many letters as one wanted.
I have never heard of any evidence to back up the shipping of revolvers in wood crates but I'd bet the crate was part of the contract between the Army and S&W. The crates are only associated with the Schofield contract and a shipment of 50 Revolving Rifles sent to Australia (the ship sank). It would be too costly to crate a one-gun shipment and pasteboard boxes did not exist for the Revolving Rifle.
I do not believe the revolvers would normally blow through the pasteboard box. I believe the revolver would abrade the inside of the box if jostled and is often shown by the mark left by the barrel, butt and hammer. I also believe most shipments went by rail; not the Overland Express.
"The serial number issue is easily answered if the individual Distributor is actually marking the number under the box. The Distributor is already attributed as marking the box with various code numbers." The serial numbers were placed on the boxes by S&W as a way to control inventory and record sales. To help the dealers, S&W developed a 'telegraphic code' whereby the dealer could order a gun (or guns) using this shorthand and the dealer would not be charged for long telegraph messages. Often, that code is penciled on the bottom of the box to identify it to the dealer. These are not distributor codes.
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Mike Maher #283
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