Books say 42981 is about 1933-ish to 1934-ish. That assumes that there is no S or N stamped on the bottom of the grip frame, which if there is, is a part of the serial number even though their may be some space between the letter and the digits.
found a 5 inch pre-war heavy duty S/N 42981 any Idea of a date of Mfg.
Smith & Wesson did not keep records predicated upon manufacture or "birth dates". The records reflect a "ship date" when the particular gun was shipped from the factory.
Born date on HD
Linear Mode
