I am away on a road trip near Tampa right now,
I stopped in a local GS and spotted an early Post war long action M&P snub with one line "Made in USA" address (1946?).

It has basicly all the features of a Victory including the hammer style and chamfered cylinders but is a post war S serial in the high 900K range.

Matching original serialed square butt diamond magna grips, blued finish,
Now for the bad stuff,
Looks like it sat in a drawer unoiled and has some scratches and slight pitting on the cylinder on one side but tight as a drum and not beat to death.
Price was $500 but the dealer dropped it to $400 OTD when he found out we were from the same town.

Although it did not go home with me It definitely got me fired up.

Had it been a round butt , or priced a bit lower, or in better condition or a pre war gun I would probably have bought it but instead walked away wondering if I would ever find another one line M&P snub in better condition.

Alas for now was not meant to be but I have the shops contact info and can pass it along if someone is looking for one and doesnt mind the price and condition combination.

Any one care to comment on the early post war one line address M&P snub?

I'd guess if its an S900,000s (high), its probably a 1948 vintage gun. They're around, and they do turn up from time to time. The earliest one I've seen was an S809,000s a few years back. Complete with a gold box. I'd guess the low 800,000s were probably the 1946 guns. Higher S800,000s and low S900,000s probably 1947. I'd also guess there will be exceptions.

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Dick Burg

My one line, SB snub, # S 954xxx per the factory was born in 1947. At $400 OTD, I would have purchased it in a heartbeat.

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S&WCA # 2045

I paid $430 and some shipping for M&P snub S868055 last year. It left Springfield in January 1947. No box, but about 98% condition. Square butt. Great little revolver.

The snubs run a little higher than the longer-barrel guns from the postwar era. Even if a little rough, the gun you saw sounds like it would be worth $400. But that would be my upper end. At the $500 asking price I would have left it there.

I agree, with the number in the high S900xxx range you are looking at early 1948. The order to go to the four-line address came down in April 1948, and the first guns with the four-line block that I know are from May of that year.

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David Wilson