Maybe if you're in law enforcement you could get some information. Don't know how far back you could go. I'm sure the detectives on
Law and Order would be able to trace it back to the factory, no problem.
You can get a letter from the S&W Historical Society that will tell you when it left the factory and where it shipped to. I think it costs $75 now, so you may not be interested enough to spend that much unless it is a rare or expensive revolver. Here is the link to the factory letter form:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-han...uest-form.html