Recent find.....beautiful condition M67 38 special snubnose with Hogue monogrips..definitely a dash model but the SN does not compute.
SN K614xxx. On the yoke I find Mod. 15-2. And on the inside of the crane is an S which can also be found on the side of the grip beneath the Hogue.

Can someone explain why this gun sports a SN that seems to fall within the 1965 manufacturing year? Or is the list I used solely confined to Model 10 K frames? I have reached the end of my detecting skills.

I'm guessing nickel or an after market finish

Almost certainly something like that; it is much more likely than a mis-marked 67. My knowledge on this issue is modest at best, but were M67s even being made that early?

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NHI, 10-8.

It is not the shiny nickel plate....it matches the finish on other stainless guns. And the factory nickel would have an N stamp where that S stamp is found.

I am wondering if the factory reused the SN from a previously destroyed one. And it does not explain the front sight with the red insert either...or that the hammer and trigger are plated just like the regular M67. Leaning toward a reused SN.

The serial number and model marking are the clues that someone had their 15-2 hard chromed.

IIRC the Model 67 was never offered as a snub.

Photos would certainly help but I agree with Engine49guy and I'd wager it's a hard chrome finish on a model 15. It was a very popular modification in the late 60s/through mid 70s as the stainless guns were a bit harder to get ahold of for a while.

So the consensus is that I have a frankenstainless? Someone went to all that trouble to hard chrome a 1965 snubby, install a stainless shell ejector, modify the front sight, slap on some monogrips and then sell it to the previous owner as a new M67 back in 1978? Could there have been any money in such an endeavor? Or should I just think "wow, I've got a customized smithie" Regardless, it shoots so well and is so tight and looks so good now that I put some vintage diamond magnas I found along with a Tyler T, that I shall live with this foster child....hell, I will adopt him. Thanks for your input.

I will post some photos tomorrow. Such a good looking thing it is.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/attachm...1&d=1528593220

The frankenstainless

Attached Images

IMG_2544.jpg (73.9 KB, 132 views)

There are no known 2” Model 67’s. I say “known” because if you hang around a while you’ll learn that nothing is impossible with S&W. My money is on hard chrome of some sort (Armaloy, Metalife, et. al.) which was a very popular refinish before the stainless guns came out (even after, as the ss models were initially hard to get). And no, it wasn’t at all uncommon to have it done to a new gun, particularly one to be carried on duty. The front sight insert was also a popular, and fairly simple, after-market upgrade. Sounds like a nice one. Looking forward to the pictures. Good shootin’,
Doug

Seems a lot of hard chrome guns have popped up lately... and I noticed the front sight dovetail is not cut out like factory.

Thanks for the photo. I know a lot of guys that had 19s, 15s and 28s hard chromed "back in the day". I had an early 59 that I had hard chromed around 1979. Your wonderful snub looks like those from my memory.

Not uncommon for guys back then to spend a fair amount making their guns in to configurations the factory didn't offer.

The important thing is that it shoots true and you enjoy it. It'd stick that in a holster, carry it and take it to the range every chance I'd get.

Kinda looks like Robar's NP3 finish.

As I said in the "19-3" thread elsewhere, refinishing was something many of us did back in the 1970s-80s. I personally had a 2" 15 redone with Armoloy. Looked exactly like a stainless gun. IIRC I had it round-butted before refinish. BTW, this was all pre-Robar.