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04-09-2009, 12:38 PM
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Hello all,
I collect a very few winchesters and S&W model 1s. My neighbor has this nice HE/M&P (?) that I wanted to get some help with.
Serial (matching) is "S 9396xx". 38 special caliber. I won't ask anything about value, not being able to post a photo or two, but could someone please offer us a notion on when this gun was manufactured?
My best indication from perusing earlier posts in this section of the S&W forum is that his gun is an M&P manufactured some time shortly after WWII, but I could be entirely wrong. Serial # logic, letter prefixes, and model designations of HE model variants have me stymied! Please help. Many thanks!
John
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04-09-2009, 12:38 PM
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Hello all,
I collect a very few winchesters and S&W model 1s. My neighbor has this nice HE/M&P (?) that I wanted to get some help with.
Serial (matching) is "S 9396xx". 38 special caliber. I won't ask anything about value, not being able to post a photo or two, but could someone please offer us a notion on when this gun was manufactured?
My best indication from perusing earlier posts in this section of the S&W forum is that his gun is an M&P manufactured some time shortly after WWII, but I could be entirely wrong. Serial # logic, letter prefixes, and model designations of HE model variants have me stymied! Please help. Many thanks!
John
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04-09-2009, 12:44 PM
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John,
Probably 1947 or 1948. Early post WWII at any rate. I have a nickel 6" 989000 range and it is late 1947. The C prefix began in mid 1948 memoryi serving.
Gary
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04-09-2009, 06:09 PM
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Absent Comrade US Veteran SWCA Founding Member
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John , Welcome to the Forum. Ser. # S939435 was shipped in Sept. 1947, so the gun should be close to that date.
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04-09-2009, 11:01 PM
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Thank you kindly, friends. Sounds like about October 1947 close enough. What does the "S" designation tell us, if anything? And are all these still referred to as "M&P" models by this time?
Many thanks!
John
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04-09-2009, 11:50 PM
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John, Yes, the correct nomenclature would be the Military & Police Model, 4th change. The use of an alpha code ( letter prefix) as part of the serial number started in WW2 with the V prefix for the Victory Model and a letter prefix continued on after the war for the K frame and N frame models. The S was dropped about 1950 and a K or C was used for K frames, and an N for the N frames.
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04-10-2009, 03:47 PM
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If memory serves, the "S" stood for safety as these guns were fitted with the transfer bar safety after a sailor was accidently killed by an M&P that was dropped.
__________________
Cheers!
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04-11-2009, 10:35 AM
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Thank you very much, friends, for the informative boost on this subject. I'm copying the juicy bits into my notes! Regards,
John
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04-11-2009, 12:21 PM
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Quote:
The S was dropped about 1950 and a K or C was used for K frames, and an N for the N frames.
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Have to give Ed some help here. The S wasn't dropped (for N-frames) until much much later - late 1960's
or so.
That S is a bit peculiar. For the K-frames, its appears in early 1945 on the Victories, generating serials
numbers like SV729803, etc. After the War, once the supply of those frames is exhausted, the V is dropped,
leaving serial numbers like S834956 all the way out to S999999. Then the new K and C series start for the
K-frames.
But for the N frames, which were serial-numbered up to about 62345 ( or something like that ), none were
made during WW2. That serial number series is continued after WW2, but with an S prefix. The numbers look
like S68432, etc. There is another thread currently running, that has the first .44 Magnum. Its serial
number is S121836 , about 1955. I think this S prefix lasts until about S290xxx, or something like that.
Then it changes to N.
Regards, Mike Priwer
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04-11-2009, 12:30 PM
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Although the S prefix stands for safety, it was a hammer block safety, not a transfer bar. A transfer bar would not be compatible with the hammer mounted firing pin on these revolvers.
Also, the S prefix continued in use on the N-frame revolvers until 1969, when S333454 transitioned to N1.
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