View Single Post
 
Old 10-20-2008, 04:45 AM
1Aspenhill's Avatar
1Aspenhill 1Aspenhill is offline
US Veteran
SWCA Member
Absent Comrade
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Kansas, USA
Posts: 3,190
Likes: 1,308
Liked 3,521 Times in 577 Posts
Default

Olypenn 22,
Very interesting gun. Here are my observations. First, Get a letter on it and be sure to mention the markings in the letter request. Second, I have S155250 and it is not a Mod 20 marked gun. I know of 20 guns in this serial number range including several Washington State Police guns (6.5" barrel) that are not model marked. Third, all the Mod 20 marked guns I've seen are 4 screw and yours is a 5 screw. Fourth, the Mod 20 marked guns we have seen were shipped in 1963. Fifth, the SCSW3 statement on model marked guns is a blanket statement that the beginning of model marked guns was sometime in 1957. The 38/44 HD was a slow seller at that time due to the introduction of the Mod 28 Highway Patrolman and the Mod 19 Combat Magnum. I've seen guns in the S149000-S150000 range shipped as late as 1963 but are not model marked. The theory on these and the guns in your serial number range is that they were already manufactured and in the vault and were shipped when an order came in. S&W did not go back and stamp them with a Model marking even though they were shipped after that practice was started. The markings that I have seen have a dash between the Mod and 20 as seen below. I believe you have a nice shooter in the $4-500 range. I'd like to have the full serial number for my records. Hope that helps.
Bill
__________________
38-44heavyduty.com
Reply With Quote