Reference for S&W Stampings into Metal Handle ?

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splhcb

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Does anyone know of a source / reference / database that clearly identifies the meaning of the many different notations the S&W factory stamped into the metal handles of their revolvers - both before shipping, and after shipping (as in return to factory for service / rework / reblue etc.) ???

I am going nuts trying to figure out which markings are production related and which markings are later-on service / rework / reblue / renickle etc. related.

Has this information already been documented somewhere?

If not, is there interest in this Forum, to get such a reference / databse started? This would of course extend over all types of revolvers, and I guess all types of pistols ... but as an N-frame collector, I certainly wuld like to be able to identify all the markings on my N-frames dating from pre-war to the eighties.

So if there is interest in this, and if no reference compilation already exists, then I would be willing to generate photos of the markings on some of my guns to get started.

Please let me know if there is interest out there.
 
Best I can offer is that Doc44 seems to be able to interpret some of the assembly numbers (like recently he said a 3 meant a K frame 357 Magnum). There are a number of people here who are extremely knowledgeable on the secrets of S&W revolvers so maybe someone can help you out.

Me, I don't worry about such things.
 
SaxonPig said:
Best I can offer is that Doc44 seems to be able to interpret some of the assembly numbers (like recently he said a 3 meant a K frame 357 Magnum). There are a number of people here who are extremely knowledgeable on the secrets of S&W revolvers so maybe someone can help you out.

Me, I don't worry about such things.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input. I would however hate to always be bugging the same fellow for help on identifying S&W markings.

When it comes to purchasing a "collector" grade S&W, I really do want to know what is marked on the metal handle and what the markings indicate.
 
I started to examine the marking on several of my pistols... but there are just too many inspection & processing marks. What you need to leran is what rework / refinish marks are. Also how to tell if a gun was refinshed outside the factory.

I'll tell you the first & easiest is serial numbers. The butt has the official serial number but often cylinders, barrel underside, right grip panel (stamped, pensil, grease marker) are also marked.

A fitted parts marking is often in the yoke cut out, inside yoke & side plate so that fitted parts come back together after processing. These will be different for every gun.

I hope this helps.
Russ
 
Most of the pre-shipping markings are quite variable, but the rework markings are much more predictable (R-Bi, R-N, R-S for refinishing, diamonds and stars for various reworkings and refittings, many times associated with date stamps such as 9-67 for example, most other stampings are fitter and assembly marks). A catalog would be hard to put together and it would be much easier to ask about individual marks on a particular revolver.

Bill
 
Thanks for the input.

I already have several questions and I hope you don't mind my asking...

Ok here goes...
- does RB mean reblued?
- Is "rebarreled" distinguished in some way from "reblued"?
- What does a letter inside a triangle mean ?
- I don't think S&W used hyphens between numerals indicating dates, did they? Like 379 would be used to inidcate March 1979 ?
- sometimes S&W used an asterisk * or was it a five-pointed star to indicate rework. They stamped this into the butt next to the SN. Did they ever stamp the asterisk or 5-pointed star elsewhere on the metal handle? When the asterisk or 5-pointed star was used, did S&W ever stamp another letter or two to indicate what was done to the gun?
- when revolvers were returned in the sixties to be rebarreled, or to change the barrel length, did S&W stamp the SN of the frame into the barrel? and was another letter or letter combo stamped into the metal handle?

I'll have more questions later, and I hope you don't mind, and thank you in advance.
 
I can only address the letter with in a triangle... a common inspectors mark... present on every S&W I checked. The letters varied over the years (i'm assuming with the inspector).

I know for a fact the the original barrel was turned in a turn on my personally owned M19 because I am the original owner & hand carried it to the Service Center in Springfield prior to the change in Mass laws. (Back then, if you showed your Police ID, they would get it back to you by the close of business.) Anyway, one can see a thread in the cylinder window which one normally can not. I'm sure all the experienced shooters here will know this was done to reset the barrel cylinder gap & required refacing the barrel & recutting the forcing cone. There was no mark on the handle for this work in the late 1970s.

Russ
 
R-B (usually) inside of a rectangle indicates a refinish in blue. S&W did not use a hyphen when stamping the date on the grip frame. A star stamped on various parts indicates a repair or replacement of some type, but can vary. I have seen stars stamped on the butt, on the cylinder and other parts as well. A B followed by a diamond stamped on a part and or on the grip frame means a refinish in blue. Barrels that were replaces sometimes had the serial number stamped on them, most times not.

Stampings varied with the person at S&W doing the work and that creates a difficulty as two guns with the same "rework" can be stamped differently. Every gun must be evaluated individually.

Letters and numbers inside a triangle or circle are common marks and don't indicate any type of rework, repair, or replacement.

By the mid-70s, S&W did not do much stamping of anything on the gripframe when a gun was returned for refinish or repair.

Bill
 
There are a few marks which mean something specific stamped on the left side of the grip frame. These are:

1) Large block "N", this indicates the gun is factory Nickel. Same on back of cylinder.

2) RB, R-B, R-N, or the same in a box or diamond, indicate Refinish-Blue or Nickel respectively. This will also be found on the lower barrel flat at times, but usually just a "Diamond B".

3) 4 or 5 digit number stamped parallel to bottom of frame. This is the "Assemble Number" and will be found on the yoke and inside of sideplate too.

4) Front down-leg of frame, 3 to 5 digit number roughly parallel to front of frame. This is a factory date code indicating when a gun was returned to the factory for repair of some sort. Infrequently there could be more than one date if it came back more than once.

There is also a 5-point open star. This is a re-work mark applied when a gun was returned for repair or re-finish. This is always found on the butt behind the serial number, never under the stocks.

These marks were somwhat hit-or-miss after the 1960s, and seem to have mostly disappeared after the 1980s. I had several guns at the factory in 1975 and 1976, and they all have stamps indicating this, including the re-work star on several.

Other than these specific marks all the other stamps under the stocks are fitters or inspectors marks. These identify who had been responsible for working on the gun when originally "Put up". Other than being used to track efficiency of the fitters by being able to determine whose work was most frequently returned from inspection or test firing, it enabled S&W to dock those individuals pay as they were on piecework and returns could be deducted from their total number of guns assembled (Put up in S&W parlance) during a pay period.
 
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