I inquired a few weeks ago about a J frame that I acquired that seemed to be a model 60 as it is stainless but is marked as a model 36. Everyone's comments were helpful and I should add, I appreciate that no one was condescending nor were they insulting... Thank you.
Since then I met with a person who is a collector and he told me that S&W did, in fact, make some of their 36's as stainless even though they had a model 60 in stainless. He went on to state he owned 2 of them and that they are few in number.
Can anyone else verify that, for whatever reason, S&W did, in fact, make some of their model 36's in stainless?
Thanks

Sounds a bit fishy to me....

Are you sure that it wasn’t a model 36 finished in nickel?

Definitely not Ni. There is not "N" stamped anywhere on the frame nor is there evidence of an aftermarket re-finish. The trigger, hammer, and ejector star are all stainless in color... the inside of the cylinder chambers are all stainless in color, and the previous owner etched his DL# on the frame under the grips and there is no sign of a color difference under the surface.

Please show us some pictures of your stainless model 36. With detailed photos folks here can tell you what you've got. There are non-factory finishes that resemble stainless (hard chrome for example) so you and your collector friend may have had one of those. There are various S&W stamping errors (I have a model 30 clearly stamped as a model 31; but the factory letter confirms it is simply a factory error and not a model 31) that have occurred but it is highly unlikely that a model 60 would be stamped as a 36. The S&W Standard Catalog 4th Ed doesn't mention "stainless 36s" and surely it would if any were known. Likely best course to know for sure is to post pictures of the subject guns. Good luck.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

Good to know the factory will confirm if they made an error.... I will reach out to S&W.... As an old family friend used to tell me: It is always best to get your information from the horsed mouth and not the other end.... :-)
Thank you for the feedback.

A S&W letter will cost you $75. Well worth it if you have a stainless Model 36. On the other hand, very knowledgeable folks here will tell you what you have if you post pictures. . . .for free. Some reason you don't want to post them? Good luck.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

I will post photos.... just have to take them.

first set of photos

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	S&W 36 Detail (1).jpg (73.9 KB, 173 views)
	S&W 36 Detail (2).jpg (127.5 KB, 193 views)
	S&W 36 Detail (3).jpg (46.0 KB, 173 views)

more photos

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	S&W 36 Detail (4).jpg (106.2 KB, 117 views)
	S&W 36 Detail (5).jpg (106.2 KB, 113 views)
	S&W 36 Detail (6).jpg (87.0 KB, 150 views)

I should add, the finish responds to fine steel wool.... unless I am mistaken, that would not be the case for nickel... again... I am far from being an expert on any of this.

Looks a lot like the finish on my hard chromed 25-5. Others will be along to weigh in shortly I'm sure. The good news is there is no bad news. You have a real unicorn if it is stainless but the hard chrome finish is very durable and you have a great carry gun and shooter. Also nice that the previous owner put the license number under the stocks and not on the side plate or other obvious location.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

S S Metalife IMO. Why was the SSN engraved - wasn’t the serial number good enough identification?

Looks like hard chrome to me...

Back when men were made of steel and ships were made of wood, police departments recommended engraving anything of value with your drivers license number. Guns, TVs, bicycles, everything. Back then, it was easier to “run” a license number than a serial number, and far more reliable due to the potential for data entry error and the fact that many, if not most agencies just didn’t enter stolen items into NCIC. The process involved a huge teletype terminal and used punch tape. Many agencies didn’t even have a terminal and relied on a larger agency to run their checks. Don’t ask me how I know this . Good shootin’,
Doug

P.S. Looks like armaloy or metalife to me as well. Very popular finish upgrades back in “the day”. Dang I’m getting old.

Ok, I’ll play! My SS 36. Spoiler alert it’s hard chromed (APW)

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My impression also..........................

[QUOTE=CapnB;140057154]Back when men were made of steel and ships were made of wood, police departments recommended engraving anything of value with your drivers license number. Guns, TVs, bicycles, everything. Back then, it was easier to “run” a license number than a serial number, and far more reliable due to the potential for data entry error and the fact that many, if not most agencies just didn’t enter stolen items into NCIC. The process involved a huge teletype terminal and used punch tape. Many agencies didn’t even have a terminal and relied on a larger agency to run their checks. Don’t ask me how I know this . Good shootin’,
Doug

i remember those days and also remember my Dept even loaned out engravers for such purposes... (electro-pen?) regardless of the results usually being a disaster. Anyway, it was a short lived experiment with most engraved item’s value being reduced due such folly.