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S&W Revolvers: 1961 to 1980 3-Screw PINNED Barrel SWING-OUT Cylinder Hand Ejectors WITH Model Numbers


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Old 08-13-2017, 03:40 PM
S&W Fan S&W Fan is offline
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Default Date of refinish? **Jan. 1971**

**Thanks to JP@AK I can see I added a number when I was looking up this wonderful revolver, thank you very much! I plan to call S&W and see if they can give me the year. That definitely explains the date of the refinish. After a look at the stamp with a set of younger eyes the stamp is definitely "171"**

This is the left grip frame of my 27-2, it's from 1973. Which of the other markings on this reveal the date of refinish? These are the only markings on this side of the grip frame. Thank you!


Last edited by S&W Fan; 08-14-2017 at 10:02 PM.
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Old 08-13-2017, 04:24 PM
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There is a month and date stamp on the left side of the picture.
It "looks" 1 71. You look at it and tell us what you see. That would
be January 1971 if those are the 3 numbers. The R-B in the cartouche
on the right means Refinish Blue
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Old 08-13-2017, 04:32 PM
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I believe the refinish mark actually says R-Bi, which would indicate Bright Blue. That would be consistent with a Model 27's original finish.

I cannot make out the date stamp in your picture, even by blowing up the size. But if it says January, 1971, that would be odd if the serial number on the gun actually points to 1973, as you stated. What serial number is stamped on the butt?

Edit: I looked again at an exploded view. It looks like 173 (January, 1973). That would be the refinish date.
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Old 08-13-2017, 04:35 PM
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Jack I was in such a hurry I forgot the lower case i. My eyesight is not that good anymore. (Along with the noodle ).
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Old 08-13-2017, 05:28 PM
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Yes indeed it's the refinish mark for a bright blue, as pointed out appropriate for a 27. Even using a magnifying glass my old eyes can't tell if it's a "1" or "3". The serial is N120XX. Perhaps I read the book wrong when I searched for the age, thanks!

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Old 08-13-2017, 11:12 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by S&W Fan View Post
The serial is N120XX. Perhaps I read the book wrong when I searched for the age, thanks!
N120xx (five digits) would point to manufacture in 1970. So a refinish date of either 1971 or 1973 would be possible. But if it is 1971, it makes you wonder what happened to the gun that required a refinish in such a short period of time!
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Old 08-13-2017, 11:17 PM
gman51 gman51 is offline
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^^ I wondered the same thing as why would it have been refinished in such a short time. Perhaps the original finish was flawed so that was why?
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Old 08-14-2017, 09:36 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JP@AK View Post
N120xx (five digits) would point to manufacture in 1970. So a refinish date of either 1971 or 1973 would be possible. But if it is 1971, it makes you wonder what happened to the gun that required a refinish in such a short period of time!
Thank you very much for clearing up the date of shipping. Obviously I have no idea why a refinish was done but I can say this revolver functions perfectly, shoots amazingly well and has very little sign of use.
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Old 08-14-2017, 10:04 PM
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A better look with younger eyes confirms refinish date of January 1971 so now I wonder if I should letter this gun. Interesting that a refinish was performed on a virtually new gun if indeed 1970 is the year. I will call S&W and ask what they can tell me. Stay tuned.
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Old 08-15-2017, 09:18 AM
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A letter of authenticity will not tell you why the 27-2 was returned for some type of work. The R-Bi stamp indicates the revolver was sent into the shop via Customer Service, so it was returned. The work may have been a refinish or some other type of repair. Most likely, you will never know.

Bill
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Old 08-15-2017, 10:29 AM
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Thank you very much Bill. I just got off the phone with S&W and was told it's a 1971. Curiousity is pushing me to letter it. To me that's not an old gun, perhaps from 1940 or earlier might be .

The only other refinished gun/letter I've seen was a 1925 2nd HE. The letter stated it was returned for an unknown reason just a few months after it shipped and then again in 1957 for a refinish of the original nickel.

Maybe I'll just keep enjoying shooting it and not concern myself with it's history.

Thank you all again.
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Old 08-15-2017, 11:25 AM
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I can think of reasons that a relatively new gun would be refinished, such as being dropped on concrete, or having something corrosive spilled on it. A factory refinish in the same finish as original was only around $18 in 1971, so it would have been worth doing on a M27.
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Old 08-15-2017, 07:43 PM
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This entire thread and letter to that gun will show once and for all the arguments of today's manufactured guns, and the fact that even back in the day customers got guns that may have not been perfect and needed to go back for a fix. We just hear so much more of it due to the internet. Thousands of guns come out perfect we never hear about but just one gun with mistakes makes it seem a lot more problematic.
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Old 08-15-2017, 09:13 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Doc44 View Post
The R-Bi stamp indicates the revolver was sent into the shop via Customer Service, so it was returned. The work may have been a refinish or some other type of repair. Most likely, you will never know.

Bill
No, the R-Bi in the cartouche is a re-finish mark, nothing else! This is definite. Other work may have been done, but this is definitive that at least part of the work was a re-finish.
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