Hello to all! I am new to the gun world and am looking for some info on my revolver. I bought my first handgun a few years back and have always had a few questions about its history. I would like to find out all information possible. I was told that there were websites that I could put in the make and serial number and of course for a fee, it would generate a report but I have not been able to find one. I have attached a few pictures to aid anyone that may be able to help with a year of production.
Also I have seen a model 10 with mother of pearl grips and was blown away! is this something that can be found at a reasonable price(if found at all)?
Thanks for any info or pointers!!

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Isaac, welcome to the forum. You can probably find answers here to almost any Smith & Wesson question you might ask. Some makes of firearm do have fill-in-the-blank web sites like what you describe, but that doesn't work very well with S&W products because identical serial numbers were used on different models, and finished guns were not always shipped in serial number order.

That said, your gun was almost certainly shipped from the factory in 1948. It is a Military & Police model with a four inch barrel. Other barrel lengths are known for this model. The basic M&P would become known as the Model 10 when the company went to a model number system of identification in 1957. The wooden stocks on the gun now are not original; the checkering pattern indicates they were manufactured after 1968. The original stocks on the gun would have had the same profile, but they would have had an uncheckered diamond shape around the screw, and the size of the checkered field would have been slightly larger.

The M&P was the model with the highest production volume in S&W history, with nearly 700,000 made before WW2 and nearly a million more during the war. The "S" you see is part of the serial number; it indicates that the gun has the additional hammer block safety feature that was introduced late in the war.

The guns were made in a variety of finishes over the years. Yours is obviously a nickeled gun, but I think it was refinished at some point. The edges of the side plate are just a little rounded over, which is what happens when a gun is rebuffed before refinishing. If it is in fact refinished, it may have started life as a blued gun.

MOP grips should be available. Just Google for them, or check out major replacement grip manufacturers. Lots of S&W grips are offered on Ebay, so look there too. The grips you need would be described as for a K-frame square butt revolver.

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David Wilson

I know someone will help you out a lot better than I can, but I can give you a start. You have a pre-model 10, (model numbers were not introduced until 1957) also known as an M&P. (military and police). This is probably the most popular and widely produced revolver of all time. It seems like there is a 6th number in the serial, but the picture is kind of cut off. Assuming that there is, your pistol would have been shipped in the late 1930's. After serial # 999,999, the M&P became known as the "victory model". A search in this forum will give you tons of threads on those. Yours is also sometimes referred to as a Pre-Victory M&P.

I has obviously been refinished to a nickel plated finish. It would have originally been blued or parkerized, and the trigger and hammer would have been case hardened. Those grips are from a much later date as well. Roy Jinks is the S&W historian, and for a fee, he can give you the exact date and configuration of that gun when it left the factory. It will also mention if the pistol was ever sent back for service.

Hope that helps a little. I have an original Victory model, and I love it.

Ah, DCWilson beat me to it.... Looks like one of us is incorrect, probably me. I was told/read somewhere that 999,999 serial was used up, then came the victory models with the V prefix, then after the war a C prefix for "commercial" was used. What DCWilson says does make sense as yours has the S to indicate the hammer block, which from what I remember did not appear on M&Ps until most of the way through the Victory models. That is what is great about this forum, you find out new information all the time.

D. Wilson was right. I was watching a pair of pearl grips on ebay. They were stamped on the back with the guns that they fit. Very nice actually! Was looking at them for my 1905/4th change. All I did was search Smith & Wesson. Some neat stuff out there. Good Luck! Bob

WOW!! thanks both of you so much! The person that sold me the model 10 told me that it was post WW2 but I did not know if that meant 1946,1966 or 1986. So I am happy to hear that it was probably a late 40's production also I would have had no idea that the nickle and the grips were not on the pistol its hole life. Now I will not feel bad at all replacing the grips(if it was all stock I would have wanted to keep it that way) As far as the MOP grips I need to find them! they are so classy and classic! thanks again!