Normally I collect Colt hand guns, but I do have a couple of S&W's and am getting another one tomorrow. It is a fairly old M&P, #292516. So, just as I do when researching a Colt I check the net and then the dedicated Forum. But instead of the three different number lists for the various Colt models, one a factory list, all I find for the M&P Model serial and date info is, "241,704 to 1,000,000, 1915 to 1942."!? No S&W factory serial number and date site, and none I can find on the S&W Forum either for the serial of my M&P! What is up with that? Are factory S&W records that confusing? If so, how does the compny even know what they made and when?

The S&W historian, Mr Roy Jinks, owns most of the shipping records. S&W didn't ship in order.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

W.C. - for what it's worth, I speculate that it will date to the late 1919 or the very early 1920s. I'm sure others will jump in with closer estimates.

I have 231046 that was shipped in June, 1919 and 322793, that I thing shipped in 1920.

W.C. Morton
A good benchmark to remember is that serial number 316648 was the first to get a heat treated cylinder. It was assembled in September, 1919.

Also, the December 29, 1914, patent date was added in early 1915.

So, your #292516 would have been made sometime after WWI and before the summer of 1919. Shipping could have happened any time after that. As was noted above by Muley Gil, S&W revolvers were not shipped in serial order.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

The Model 10 didn't exist until around 1957 and by that time the serial numbers started with a C.

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Chris
SWCA #2243 SWHF #292

The S&W K-frame revolvers date back to 1899, and they are still with us. There have been over 7 million made, and serial numbering methodology has changed more than a few times. Plus in some cases K-frame revolvers have been numbered in separate series. But for SN 292516, it very likely shipped from the factory in 1919. On my list is SN 2910xx which shipped in 6/1919. There are many distinguishing features which can allow approximate dating of a S&W revolver by just looking at it. Sort of like you can see differences between a Ford made the 1960s from one made in the 1990s.

Thank all of you who answered my question about a newly acquired M&P. I had no idea determining serial number dates for S&W revolvers was so, well, "should be.......". Anyway, thanks again. Forum members have been very helpful to me in the past also.

between 1918 - 1920 the "S&W logo" not done on most revolvers.....

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There's nowt so queer as folk

I have # 230842 close to yours. It is a round butt 3 rd. model as I think yours is. I am going to letter it as soon as I have the $$$.
Too further confuse the original poster 3rd change? Big Larry

I believe that Colt has a good web-based system for SN dating - not perfect but it mostly works even though there is some room for improvement. Just type in the SN, and a list of possible models and years for that SN comes up. It would be nice if S&W had something like that even if it didn't cover all possible models.

My birthday (not birth year) gun, 3204XXwas shipped on Dec 30, 1919. So I would guess any # before that, 1919. Serials after 1920.

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Old guns for old guys

s/n 3074xx shipped 7/19.

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Mike
S&WCA #3065