I have three older S&W Revolvers that I am trying to get the dates of manufacture. One I bought back in the 70's and a couple more recent purchases that had no boxes or paperwork. The revolvers are:

Model 60 - R191XXX
Model 19-3 - 7K118XX
Model 681- ACM08XX

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

Its about time you posted!

Here are some estimates as to ship date:

Model 60 - 1977-1978

Model 19-3 - 1974

Model 681 - 1983

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FBINA, 204th Session

Look in the Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson 3rd or 4th edition.

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Pine_Worker
Ex-LEO, NRA Life

Sir
It is hard to pinpoint when any of the guns were shipped because of the x's. Guessing is all one can do. With the x's, a guess can be off by 5 to 10 years in some cases. The only way to get an exact date is with a factory letter. It is impossible to date when a gun was manufactured, as serial numbers weren't assigned when a frame was taken out of the forge, only in final fitting.

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Don Mundell

Yes, I know it's about time I posted. Took ill a couple years ago, better now. Over time I lost my password, I recently wanted to get back to the forum(s) and now I am.

Thanks to all who replied, would having the complete Serial Numbers help?
I don't have access to a copy of the Standard Catalog.

The Standard Catalog is a great investment for anyone collecting Smiths. And it is just good reading.

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Pine_Worker
Ex-LEO, NRA Life

Welcome! Having a letter prefix (if present) and the first few numbers will get you very close to a production date, but the factory uses the ship (sales) date for age determination. So having all the numbers is very useful for the letter of authenticity; it has been documented that two guns with close serial numbers can ship weeks, months or (sometimes) years apart.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220