I recently acquired a 1905 Target that at some stage in its life went back to the factory for smithing since it has a * at the end of the serial number.

Does S&W still stamp factory reworked guns like that?

Is any handgun sent for factory smithing stamped with the * or is it only when repairs reach a certain level do they stamp them?

Will a "Letter" from S&W include any details on repairs made at the factory?

Thanks

The star usually indicates a factory refinish.
You will find the date stamped on the left grip tang.
Repair department would not put the star on the gun if so requested.
Cannot answer about historical letters telling about repairs, refinishing, or modifications.

The rework star means just that, not refinishing, although that certainly could be part of the work done.

They have not generally used the re-work star since sometime in the 1960's, although there was some sporadic use into the mid to late 1970s.

A refinish mark can be one of several things. Could be R-S, R-B, B in a diamond, any of these in a box (except the diamond) and some others all of which indicate Blue. Nickle would be similar but include an N instead of the B. FWIW R-S means Refinish Standard, which is blue.

I seriously doubt S&W would use the re-work star even if you asked them too as that would be fraudulent in that, since they no longer use it, it could be taken for, or mis-represented as a much earlier factory re-finish.

In 1974 I took 7 guns to the Armorers School to re-finish. Of these three were marked with the re-work star, a 4" Model 14-2, 2nd Model .44 HE 5", and a RD Model Double Action Frontier. The others were not marked with the star. I don't have the .44 HE anymore, the 14 was stamped only on the cylinder and barrel and the .44 DA Frontier on the butt. Not really logical.

The 14-4 4" HB is possibly, now, the only Pinto of the model commonly referred to as the "Dayton" guns. It never was near Dayton Supply and not part of their order. It was bought by a friend, a gun store manager, directly from the S&W Factory Rep. at the Chicago NSGA show in 1965 and I bought it directly from him in early 1966. For some reason it never sold in a year sitting in the display case.