Today I picked up a .38spl M&P at a LGS. No, I can't post pictures, I'm computer challenged. The pistol is in excellent condition, 6 inch tapered bbl, large diamond stocks that number to the gun and a serial number of S909XXX, which appears on the bottom of the grip, the back of the cylinder and the bottom of the barrel under the ejector rod. My look at "the book" lists that serial number as 1945-1948 and with that number I am thinking late '47 or '48. Having said all of that, my question is, it has a one line address, "Made in the U.S.A,". When did the address line change? I thought that by that time the line was two or four lines. My feeble mind wants to know.

My memory is not that great, either, but I believe it was 1948. Others will be along with more specific knowledge I am sure. In any case, you picked up a wonderful old gun. Sharp-shouldered magnas?

S909XXX would date shipment of your M&P to around mid-1947. The changeover from 1-line to 4-line probably happened during the first half of 1948, as I show quite a few K-frames which shipped in mid- and late 1948 as having the 4-line address. The latest K-frame having a 1-line address on my list is a K-22 shipped in 6/48. But I do not have enough data to fix the actual change date more closely than that. The S&W change order for the 4-line address was issued in 4/48, but usually change orders are not implemented immediately.

S909xxx would have shipped in July, 1947. At least those I've identified in that range did.

I have nearly 600 S prefix M&Ps in my database and so far none have had anything but the one-line address. I don't believe any S prefix guns were given the four-line address. That seems to have started sometime in the C prefix range. Probably, as stated earlier by DWalt, in mid-year 1948. So far as we can tell, the S prefix went away in March, 1948.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Jack, s/n S 999,839, 6" M&P, "one-liner" shipped July 1948. It has what I've been told is a high-speed hammer.



Also, in my notes I've got written.... "first C series 032248..." I'm guessing now that this is a date?
(I should have made better notes; so, don't take this as gospel).

Hope this helps!

** PS.... I've also made note: S 990,148 - shipped 4/7/48 - 1st short action trigger (no comment as to address line).

***PS... Just re-reading one of my letters regarding the M&P model: "the new S&W short action hammer for this model was introduced in 1948 starting with the C serial number series". My S series, one liner looks like it's a "transitional" between long throw and short throw hammer.

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Linda
SWCA #1965, SWHF #245

Thadheath, it does have sharp-shouldered magnas. Thanks every one for the excellent and rapid information.

It is in my database - I believe you gave it to me some months back. Thanks.
Yes, the picture shows it has the high-speed hammer (see below).

I'm quite sure that is a date = March 22, 1948.

It has the one-line address. And you have transposed a couple numbers. It should read, S990184. The date is correct.
Also, it was the first with the high-speed hammer, but there were revolvers with higher serial numbers that still had the old long action. The highest one I've found (that is a .38) has serial number S996765. There are several .32 Long M&Ps with serial numbers higher than S990184 and all those I have located had the long action.

As noted above, there are quite a few S prefix guns that were shipped with the new high-speed hammer. No one knows how many, but my research indicates that most of them above S991xxx had the new type hammer.

I would agree that your revolver is properly referred to as "transitional." Many consider all the S prefix guns to be "transitional." My tendency is to refer to the S guns as being made in a period of feature changes, but to only call those with the high-speed hammer actual "transitional models." That was a genuine engineering difference. Items like the extractor rod knob-to-the knurled end or the hammer pivot stud from threaded to pressed and so on, are feature changes, not engineering changes. One of the purposes of my research it to determine approximately when each of the features changed. There are about a half dozen of them.

Thanks for all your assistance, Linda. Many fine people who frequent this Forum have contributed to helping me gather information on these very interesting revolvers.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

" It has what I've been told is a high-speed hammer."

It does, and it should have by that SN. But there is some overlap in SNs regarding long and short actions. For example SN S9985xx (very close to yours) has been reported to have a long action.

"Also, in my notes I've got written.... "first C series 032248..." I'm guessing now that this is a date?
I'm quite sure that is a date = March 22, 1948."
And I have a note that C1 shipped on 2/22/48. Or maybe the frame was manufactured on that date, and the finished revolver was shipped on 3/22/48. Or maybe there is a typo somewhere accounting for the date difference. I have no idea what the facts are, except the birthday of the C-series is probably either February or March 1948.

The term "transitional" has different meanings to different people, none of them very precise. That's why I don't use it.

There's been a bit of discussion in the past on "Transitional" guns...

The back of the book, SCS&W, has a pretty good definition:

"Transitional: S&W doesn't waste parts. Never has. Never will. (Well, except for those pencil h0olders made out of cylinders). Accordingly, there often is not a clean break between model variations, and there are sometimes guns produced with some features of both old and new models. These are called Transitionals and are often sought after by collectors due to their relative scarcity......."

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Linda
SWCA #1965, SWHF #245

And by that definition, just how many "transitional" K-frames have there been since 1899?

Find any kid in the neighborhood and get them to take and post photo's for you. They all got them picture taking phones and know more about computers than you and I will ever know/learn/figure out .
Gary