I saw a Chiefs Special today at an estate sale. The gun looked as though it was kept in a drawer all it's life but some things have me curious.

1-The yoke is stamped MODEL 36, it has a 2" barrel and the serial number is J74666X, a J followed by 6 digits. The SCSW states that the early J frame serial number range ended in 1969 with # 786544. This gun would fit in that range if not for the J prefix. SCSW also states that later 1979-80 guns had a J followed by 6 digits J1-99999.
In the SCSW they mention that in 1967 there was an engineering change to the 36-1 but that it "Indicates heavy 3" barrel". Does this mean that in 1969 you could purchase a M36 with a 2" bbl. or a 36-1 with a 3" heavy barrel?

So could this be a 1979-80 gun marked MODEL 36 and not 36-1?

2- As I said the gun look as though it was in a drawer most of it's life, the stocks and blue look perfect, no wear rings around the chamber holes. Both ends of the cylinder have all their blue and inside the flutes is also blue. But the rest of the cylinder's exterior is a definite blue/gray, not as polished as the rest of the gun but still very smooth. It can't be wear, it's too even and the edge where the blue of the flutes meets the gray of the cylinder is too perfect. Any idea's?


thanks,

Rob

Rob - is the barrel pinned?

1. You have a 1979-80 vintage gun. A model 36 -1 denotes the 3" Heavy barrel only. A 2" or 3" tapered barrel would still be stamped just 36 with no dash in 1979-80.
2. It sounds like the cylinder was refinished with cold blue by an amateur.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Thanks for confirming the date question but I'm not so sure about the refinish, it looks too good. I'll try to get some pictures if I can.


thanks,

Rob

The answer to both questions is Yes. The Model 36 in both 2" and 3" tapered barrel were made concurrently with the 36-1 in 3" heavy barrel. Your 36 was likely made in 1980.

Russ

Stopped by and got a picture of the cylinder today, it does look like cold blue but can't figure out why there's still blue in the flutes and the rest of the gun looks almost new.

BTW, this gun did have a pinned barrel.

... like carve stocks, chisel their names in sideplates and scrub off the remaining blue on a cyinder.... my guess is that the blue was removed.

If you like the gun and the price is right, buy it. You can have the cylinder reblued or for small parts like that, Brownell's Oxpho Blue cream will do a great job, but only Oxpho. Don't use any other cold blue.

It might have developed a little rust on the cylinder so, as often happens, somebody steel wooled it or buffed it to "fix" it. If they tried to use regular cold blue it doesn't last and would look like your picture in a short time. Amateurs do not try to polish in the flutes because it's too hard and they still look good if no rust got in them.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Thanks Hondo, good advice.