Hi

I have a Pre 29 and it does not have the "S" in the serial I see so many people posting. It has the 6inch barrel and I have been told it is from 1955 or early 56. Getting ready to send the request for the letter but was hoping someone could shed some light on it before that

Serial looks like the below. It has the Serial number and then a number underneath that:

793xx
7

Thanks in advance!

Looks like an assembly number . Take the grips off and look at the bottom of the grip frame

Sent from my SM-A102U using Tapatalk

Was in the process of doing that just now. looks like s\n S165804

dsalamone
Production units were not assembled until December, 1955, and very few of them then. So, it is highly unlikely yours is from 1955.

That said, there were a few in the S16xxxx range that shipped in the first six months of 1956. One close to yours was S165477 that shipped on March 28, 1956. Also, S166064 shipped on April 2, 1956. But they were not shipped in serial order, so yours may or may not have been a 1956 shipment. It seems likely but it isn't a certainty.

You should definitely get a letter on your revolver.

JP

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Just a minor point:
I don't have my book right here so from memory, I thought the .44 Magnum was offered with a 6-1/2 inch barrel. The six inch barrel wasn't an option till years later. Am I remembering wrong?

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You're shy a few manners.

I list several nearby pre-29 serial numbers which shipped in 4/56, and one which shipped in 8/56.

Poster probably measured it to the frame.

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Psalm 27:2

My information says the P-29s came with 4" or 6-1/2" barrels as standard, so OP probably measured only the length outside the frame.

Because that is not the serial number - look on the butt

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S&W factory revolver armorer

What the posters above are alluding to is that you measure the bbl from the front of the cylinder to the end or the bbl.

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Charlie

Welcome! Here is a reference for gun IDs:

To IDENTIFY your Gun >

And the letter application:

http://www.swhistoricalfoundation.com/swhf_letter.pdf

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Have to agree with Jack.....using the serial number from the butt of the gun, you should definitely get a letter. Most likely its a very early one.

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Mike H

Many 44 Magnums with a serial number in the S165000 range shipped in June and July 1956 with a few shipping in April and May. Your 44 Magnum has a 6 1/2-inch barrel measured from the face of the cylinder to the muzzle.

Bill

Welcome to the forum.

If you measured the entire barrel's length and it is a 6" barrel, it was changed. The # under the barrel in the shroud should match the serial #.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Agree, get a letter! I have serial S147233, shipped July 5, 1956 to Amarillo in a shipment of five units. It must have been an early production .44 Magnum that was in the back of the vault.
Gila's 5-screw .44 Mag_S147233_July 1956_a.jpg

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Tom in AZ
Respect the Dingbat

Pre-Model 29 w/4" barrel with s/n S153558 shipped in July 1957 (within days of my "ship date"). They certainly did NOT go out the door in order.

Attached Images

44 MAGNUM 4 INCH.jpg (98.5 KB, 17 views)

Yep, so true, S153912 shipped 12/14/1956. You have to get a letter to find out for certain.
Chuck

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SWCA1517 SWHF256
Rangers LTW!