I inherited a S&W top break revolver. Serial numbers match (Butt & cylinder). #181569

Top barrel
Smith & Wesson Springfield, Mass U.S.A. Pat'd Jan 24 65, July 11 65, Aug 24 69, reissue July 25 71, May 11 60, Jan 3 82

I would like to know if there is a way to tell how old the gun is from the serial number.

Welcome to the Forum. Yes, we can at least estimate a ship date from the SN, but in your gun's case we would need to know the caliber (probably .32 or .38 S & W), and if it has a concealed hammer ("hammerless") or an exposed one, so the gun can be fired single action.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Alan,
Thanks for the quick reply. The revolver is a .38 S&W single/double with exposed hammer. The trigger guard is rounded out front and flatter on the grip side (shaped like a D).
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King

It's a .38 Double Action (obviously named before the era of cutesy marketing). A rough guess on its ship date would be 1888. Others here may have a more specific answer, and a factory historical letter would give the exact date if you are interested:

Firearm History Request - Smith & Wesson

Any family story behind it? We collectors love that kind of stuff.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220