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06-03-2018, 11:02 PM
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Trying to date a 32 New Departure Safety Hammerless
I am trying to determine the age of a S&W New Departure 32 #748XX Safety Hammerless (lemon squeezer)
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06-04-2018, 08:58 AM
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That's a beautiful revolver in excellent shape. Looks like you even have an original box for it. Is there a serial number written on the box and does it match the revolver?
You have a first model that was made from serial number 1 - 91417 from years 1888 - 1902. The estimated date of manufacture based on the S&W database for your serial number is 1897.
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06-04-2018, 09:14 AM
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Serial # on bottom of box
Looks like I am not so lucky with the serial # on the box, looks like 76474. Picture attached. Can Magtech 32 SW shorts be fired from this gun?
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06-04-2018, 10:37 AM
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Boulder350 - forgot to say "Thank you" for your reply.
Boulder350, thank you again for the quick reply. My estimate of the age of the gun was off by about 50 years.
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06-04-2018, 11:42 AM
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S&W Historian
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Your .32 Safety Hammerless, or .32 New Departure (It was never know as the lemon squeezer), shipped within a four year window. It's impossible get any closer than that without the entire serial number.
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Don Mundell
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06-04-2018, 12:52 PM
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Welcome to the Forum. It is important for many gun owners to determine if their revolver is an antique of modern. Cut off date for antique status for the 32 Safety, 1st Model is serial #91,400. That serial number would reflect January, 1899 manufacture date so a ship date estimate for yours would fall maybe 2 years earlier or 1897.
Interesting that, when taking a close look at ship dates for this model, the actual ship date for a 32 Safety in the serial number range of 91,400 was 1901 and the earliest post-1899 ship date in the SWCA database is one in the mid-86,000 that shipped in August 1899. The antique cut off was determined to be all frames that were serial number stamped before 1899, regardless of the actual ship date.
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Gary
SWCA 2515
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06-04-2018, 02:03 PM
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The full serial number is 74869. Don and Gary, thank you for the info.
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06-04-2018, 03:27 PM
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S&W Historian
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wweb
The full serial number is 74869. Don and Gary, thank you for the info.
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Looks like 1899. Nice score.
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Don Mundell
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06-04-2018, 03:41 PM
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Welcome to the forums from the Wiregrass!
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Can Magtech 32 SW shorts be fired from this gun?
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Yes. Any manufactured standard pressure ammo can be fired in it. The Magtech runs about 680 FPS. When smokeless cartridges first came out, ammo manufacturers were careful to keep their smokeless velocities close to the older BP loads. In 1907, S&W posted that they would warrant their guns when shot with commercial smokeless ammo.
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Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629
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06-04-2018, 05:47 PM
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Don and Guy, thank you for the info and great help and to all who have commented, thank you. This is a great Forum. This particular .32 New Departure has been handed down in my family and obviously did not see a lot of use, but was well cared for.
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04-21-2024, 09:48 PM
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i have one with s/n 212436 any year info
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04-21-2024, 10:05 PM
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Welcome!
Posting in a 6 year old thread is not the best way to get new information. Use the "New Thread" post at the bottom left of this page in the future:
https://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-antiques/
Your gun is likely from the 1920 decade but only a letter of authenticity will tell you its exact age.
Letters – Smith & Wesson Historical Foundation
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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220
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