1902 M&P Target - what yearr?

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Well, I can get you into the neighborhood.

One of my 1902's (#59794---also a target) was made and shipped in early 1906. We normally don't know when any given gun was made----only when it was shipped. This was "shipped" on February 26, 1906. Actually it really wasn't shipped, just carried out into the shop and handed to one of the foremen. Depending on the time of day, it very well may have been completed the same day---and if not, then the day before. Yours figures to have been made not too awfully long after mine.

All that said, S&W didn't necessarily produce guns in serial number order, but I reckon we've reached the point where we figure the serial number order is close enough---seeing as how it's pretty much the only game in town----unless you are a SOMEBODY---or know a SOMEBODY who can tell you----just so long as nobody else sees or knows what's going on.

Ralph Tremaine
 
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Oyeboteb said:
I'm hoping the Members here might be able to tell me what year my older M&P Target Revolver was made . . . Serial Number is 615XX
Click to expand...

I can state with near complete confidence that the gun was manufactured in 1905. My reasoning is that all guns made between 58,000 and 62,450 were either made in late 1904 and mid-1905, so your number being close to the end of this era revolver makes it a 1905 manufacture. The 58,000 represents the introduction of what many are now calling the Model 1905 with the newly introduced square-butt. Both round-butt and square-butt revolvers were made during the production of these 4,450 guns. The 62,450 represents the introduction of the 5th screw.

The serial number, however, has little bearing on when it was shipped and examples of shipping are all over the map. 1905 to 1907 is the best guess, especially with target revolvers. Worth getting a letter, since many targets were ordered by bullseye shooters, some were famous.

Your barrel has been replaced at some point in time. Check to see if there is a serial number on the bottom flat of the barrel. If it matches, the gun would have likely went back to the factory at some point relatively early in its life.

Let me add some notes I have on caliber stampings.

Model 1902 2-line caliber stampings started with the 1902 model and ran to 1908.

Model 1905 had single line 38 S&W SPECIAL CTG starting in 1908, around the introduction of the 2nd Change.
 
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For the time period of this gun, it is in very good condition. It has lots of blue, and the wood grips are very nice.

I had noticed, as Gary pointed out, the one-line caliber roll marking. The 1902 was introduced with the two-line marking. If there are no factory-return markings on the gun, its possible that the gun was very-late shipped, and had the one-line caliber marking. Barring that, and as Gary suggested, the barrel has been replaced.

Putting that aside, round-butt target revolvers in the 58000 - 62450 range are very scarce guns.

Regards, Mike Priwer
 
SN 61366 shipped on 9/22/06. About the only thing that can be considered correct is that yours was probably manufactured/assembled sometime within a period of a couple of years prior to that. M&Ps of that time (up until around SN 12xxxx) normally had the dual caliber barrel stamping that yours does not have. I do not know for sure if that rule applied to all target model revolvers, but I believe they also used the dual caliber barrel stamping because SN 62015, a target model M&P which shipped on 1/8/1906, did. So yours may very well have a later replacement barrel even if it is correctly serial numbered to the frame. Have you checked to see if there is a factory return date stamp on the grip frame? It might look something like "7.34" or "12.28"
 
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Thank you all for providing so much fine info!

Please pardon me disappearing a while- we had a Family emergency thing commanding my full attentions, and all is well again now.

Barrel has only a tiny "K" Stamped on the under-Flat...Stocks have no Number on their Backs, though they fit absolutely perfectly.

Image showing the under-Flat of the Barrel -

Hosted on Fotki
 
glowe said:
I can state with near complete confidence that the gun was manufactured in 1905. My reasoning is that all guns made between 58,000 and 62,450 were either made in late 1904 and mid-1905, so your number being close to the end of this era revolver makes it a 1905 manufacture. The 58,000 represents the introduction of what many are now calling the Model 1905 with the newly introduced square-butt. Both round-butt and square-butt revolvers were made during the production of these 4,450 guns. The 62,450 represents the introduction of the 5th screw.

The serial number, however, has little bearing on when it was shipped and examples of shipping are all over the map. 1905 to 1907 is the best guess, especially with target revolvers. Worth getting a letter, since many targets were ordered by bullseye shooters, some were famous.

Your barrel has been replaced at some point in time. Check to see if there is a serial number on the bottom flat of the barrel. If it matches, the gun would have likely went back to the factory at some point relatively early in its life.

Let me add some notes I have on caliber stampings.

Model 1902 2-line caliber stampings started with the 1902 model and ran to 1908.

Model 1905 had single line 38 S&W SPECIAL CTG starting in 1908, around the introduction of the 2nd Change.
Click to expand...

Thank you glow!

I have a Square Butt Service Revolver and another square Butt Target with no "5th" Screws...I'll dig them up and see where their Serial Numbers fall.
 
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Oyeboteb said:
Thank you all for providing so much fine info!

Please pardon me disappearing a while- we had a Family emergency thing commanding my full attentions, and all is well again now.

Barrel has only a tiny "K" Stamped on the under-Flat...Stocks have no Number on their Backs, though they fit absolutely perfectly . . .
Click to expand...

Without a serial number on the barrel, it cannot be original to the gun, as the numbers were stamped in order to properly assemble the gun after bluing or plating. The 2 line caliber stamped barrels do go up for sale on ebay if you are interested in putting the gun back to original configuration. The good news is that the stocks are likely to be original, since they were only marked on the inside with a pencil in those years. Clean the inside once with mineral spirits of surface cleaner and the number is gone. If they fit perfectly they are almost certainly original.
 
glowe said:
Without a serial number on the barrel, it cannot be original to the gun, as the numbers were stamped in order to properly assemble the gun after bluing or plating. The 2 line caliber stamped barrels do go up for sale on ebay if you are interested in putting the gun back to original configuration. The good news is that the stocks are likely to be original, since they were only marked on the inside with a pencil in those years. Clean the inside once with mineral spirits of surface cleaner and the number is gone. If they fit perfectly they are almost certainly original.
Click to expand...

Thank you Gary!
 
Oh!

I do have the appropriate time period IDEAL Mold for the Himmelwright Wad Cutter Bullet...so I'll fire up the Lead Pot soon, cast 100 or so, Load up 50...and do a "Range Report".


Hosted on Fotki
 
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