Exact Year on S&W 27-2 #N35,XXX

[Militarytorch]

Hi there,
Is there a way to find out the exact year this gun was made?
I looked online and it says it was made between 1970 and 1972

Serial # N35,XXX

Thank you.

Pictures (not sure why pictures are not showing up)

 

[AlHunt]

An Historical Letter will tell you the exact day it shipped. For the most part, I don't think there's a way to get the exact year unless it's one of those that has some kind of story attached to it.

Edit: To clarify, any of their guns may have sat in inventory, maybe for years. So you can get the day/year it shipped, usually. But there's no guarantee it wasn't in inventory for years between manufacturing and shipping. (Hey, I knew what I meant )

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

Hi there,
Is there a way to find out the exact year this gun was made?
I looked online and it says it was made between 1970 and 1972

Serial # N35,XXX

Thank you.

Pictures (not sure why pictures are not showing up)

My old book says; N1 – N60,000 = 1970-72

S&W didn't use the Calendar Year. Their Year was July 1 to June 30 the following year. I am not a C.P.A. so I am not sure why they did that since WWII.

Historical Letter is your best option.

 

[Frailer]

First, as has been said, the only way to get an exact ship date is by requesting a letter.

But I can say that guns with serial numbers on either side of yours shipped in the last half of 1971, so it’s reasonable to assume your gun shipped that year.

 

[Militarytorch]

Thank you for your replies.
PS S&W letters are $100... 3-4 boxes of ammo are better

 

[Truckman]

Thank you for your replies.
PS S&W letters are $100... 3-4 boxes of ammo are better

Until you're out of ammo, and have to buy more...I still have my letters no matter how many times I read them......Ben

 

[Frailer]

Thank you for your replies.
PS S&W letters are $100... 3-4 boxes of ammo are better

I don’t know what one has to do with the other.

If you want to shoot, buy ammo. If you want to know exactly when your gun left the factory, buy a letter.

…or rely on the generosity of those who do shell out money (and time) to learn more about the guns we enjoy.

 

[Militarytorch]

Uploading this for reference purposes.

The gun was sold in October 1972

Here is the original receipt that luckily was in the box.

 

[zwartepiet]

Great looking M27 and accessories! Worth slightly more than it sold for in 1972!

 

[murphydog]

Congratulations, a 3.5" model 27 and knowing its sales date. Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[The Gila Bender]

A letter will tell you that it shipped to a warehouse distributor sometime in 1972, but not the date the frame was manufactured and stamped with a serial number. The receipt date tells you all you really need to know. Actually, I think the receipt is more valuable as historical documentation. Any other relevant info you can find here. That is a very nice 27-2. Thanks for sharing!