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S&W Hand Ejectors: 1896 to 1961 All 5-Screw & Vintage 4-Screw SWING-OUT Cylinder REVOLVERS, and the 35 Autos and 32 Autos


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Old 10-20-2018, 09:39 AM
lethemgo lethemgo is offline
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Default M&P just looking for year

Since you guys are my authority on dating my finds here's a new one. M&P 5 screw 38 special the grips have been changed by previous owner. Thanks so much for your help.
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Old 10-20-2018, 09:55 AM
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Probably shipped in 1950. Nice example of the 6" variant with what appear to be period correct Magna stocks.
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Last edited by JP@AK; 10-20-2018 at 01:41 PM. Reason: Noted OP said stocks were changed, so "period correct."
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Old 10-20-2018, 12:35 PM
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C1217xx shipped in 7/50.
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Old 10-21-2018, 02:59 PM
lethemgo lethemgo is offline
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Thanks guys....now to get her out tomorrow and shoot it.
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Old 10-22-2018, 10:05 PM
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C1217xx shipped in 7/50.
When did the "C" prefix first appear?
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Old 10-22-2018, 10:14 PM
Muley Gil Muley Gil is offline
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When did the "C" prefix first appear?
It first appeared in 1948.
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Old 10-23-2018, 12:23 PM
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When did the "C" prefix first appear?
The M&P revolver that carried serial number C1 was assembled on March 22, 1948. I don't know when or to whom it was shipped. That's on my list of items to ask Roy about.
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Old 10-23-2018, 01:03 PM
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A better question is why the "C" prefix was chosen rather than any other letter of the alphabet.
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Old 10-23-2018, 01:56 PM
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A better question is why the "C" prefix was chosen rather than any other letter of the alphabet.
Now there’s a lovely topic for some idle speculation

Intuitively, I’d say it was maybe the first letter not already used for something. The B had been used to mean blued, although I’m drawing a blank on the A right now. The fact that D came next would support a simple sequence.
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Old 10-23-2018, 02:18 PM
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The first-ever prefix was the V. It was followed by the S (subsequent to the double prefix, SV). Clearly, the "new" postwar company, under Hellstrom's leadership was looking toward the future when it decided to begin using prefixes for its K and N frame serial numbers. Among the K frames, they clearly decided to separate target models from service models, and this was reflected in both the model names and the serial prefixes. Before the war, there was no such division of model names. I believe there is a link between these two factors.

As you mentioned, Absalom, the B had been used, not as a serial prefix, but located in a position that could lead to confusion. So, C was the obvious choice. (Perhaps someone on the staff had a time machine and knew that two and one-half decades later, the company would need "A" as a pistol prefix!)

In any case, "C" was chosen for the fixed sight K frames and "K" (a logical choice) was used for K frame target sight guns. "S" was a logical choice for N frame guns that included the new sliding hammer block safety device, distinguishing them from the prewar models that lacked this feature. The S only became a problem later because of the 1968 GCA, with the prospect that N frame numbers would eventually overlap the K frame examples from 1946-48.

It is worth noting that I and J frames didn't even get a prefix until the end of the 1960s - likely also driven by the GCA.
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