Aircrewman Revolver Cheat Sheet
Copyright, Kevin Williams, April 29, 2013

In 1950 the Air Force began developing a lightweight survival and personal defense weapon (PDW) for aircrew. Both Colt and Smith & Wesson submitted aluminum alloy revolvers with two inch barrels for testing. After the initial round of testing, the Air Force ordered 1,189 Colt and 1,210 S&W “Aircrewman” revolvers. The Colts were numbered A.F. No. 1 through A.F. NO. 1189. The S&W guns consisted of 605 six shot revolvers numbered (on the butt) A.F. No. 1190 through A.F. No. 1794 and 605 five shot revolvers numbered A.F. No. 1795 through A.F. No. 2399. All 2,400 revolvers were considered prototypes.

Eventually, S&W won the contract and supplied almost 40,000 six shot Aircrewman revolvers. A special low pressure cartridge was developed (Cartridge, Ball, Caliber .38 Special, M41) and a purpose built leather holster was supplied by the Service Manufacturing Company of Yonkers, New York based on a design patented by N.N. Murray. Technical Manual 9-2027 covered both the Colt and S&W versions. Aircrewman revolvers did not have lanyard rings.

The distinguishing characteristics of the Colt Aircrewman revolvers are:
• Aluminum cylinder.
• Left side of barrel marked AIRCREWMAN/38 SPECIAL CTG.
• Right side of barrel marked COLT’S MFG. CO./HARTFORD CT. U.S.A.
• Butt marked A.F.No. XXX (above 1000 this changes to A.F. NO. and the direction of the marking changes from toe—heel to heel—toe.) These A.F. numbers do not correlate to Colt’s standard serial numbers which are stamped on the frame inside the crane. Aircrewman revolvers were numbered in the same series as Colt’s Cobra and Courier (commercial) revolvers.
• Back strap marked PROPERTY OF U.S. AIR FORCE
• Special stocks designed by Col. F.S. Allen with USAF medallions in place of the Colt medallions.
• Top straps unmarked. (Most S&W revolvers are marked REVOLVER, LIGHTWEIGHT, M13).
• No military inspection or acceptance marks.

In April, 1953, Smith & Wesson revolvers purchased for the Air Force were standardized as REVOLVER, LIGHTWEIGHT, M13, and the designated back strap marking was "PROPERTY OF U.S. AIR FORCE" in large and small capital letters. However, in June, 1956 the Air Force concurred with a request from the U.S. Army Chief of Ordnance to use the simple marking "U.S." on major items of equipment to designate government property.

There are three major variations of the S&W Aircrewman revolvers, and a number of relatively minor changes in markings.

The distinguishing characteristics of the S&W Aircrewman revolvers are:
• A.F. No. 1190—1794 (Qty. 605) AF Contract No: DA-19-059-ORD-721
o 5 screw, 6 shot KA frame with steel bolster bushing.
o USAF medallion in stocks, right stock serial numbered.
o 3 digit assembly numbers stamped on frame opposite the yoke, on the yoke and inside the side plate.
o PROPERTY OF U.S. AIR FORCE on back strap.
o A.F. No. xxx on butt reads toe to heel. Also, the four digits are stamped on the bottom of the barrel, on the rear face of the cylinder, on the front face of the extractor star, and on the rear face of the yoke.
o AIRCREWMAN / .38 SPECIAL CTG. on right side of barrel.
o SMITH & WESSON on left side of barrel.
o No markings on top strap.
o Blue/anodized black finish.
o P factory proof mark above the front of the trigger guard on the left side.

• A.F. No. 1795—2399 (Qty. 605) – “Baby Aircrewman," AF Contract No: DA-19-059-ORD-721
o 4 screw, 5 shot J frame with steel bolster bushing.
o USAF medallion in stocks, right stock serial numbered.
o 3 digit assembly numbers.
o PROPERTY OF U.S. AIR FORCE on back strap.
o A.F. No. xxx on butt reads toe to heel. Also, the four digits are stamped on the bottom of the barrel, on the rear face of the cylinder, on the front face of the extractor star, and on the rear face of the yoke.
o AIRCREWMAN / .38 SPECIAL CTG. on right side of barrel.
o SMITH & WESSON on left side of barrel.
o Blue/anodized black finish.
o No markings on top strap.
o P factory proof mark above the front of the trigger guard on the left side.

• C prefix serial numbers (~40,000) AF Contract No: DA-19-059-ORD-1546
o 5 screw KA frames, some with 6th bug screw.
o 4 screw KA frames later (1st observed is C269249).
o Bolster bushing dropped at some point.
o PROPERTY OF U.S. AIR FORCE on back strap.
o U.S. only on back strap towards end of production. C402350 1st observed.
o A few unaltered revolvers have been observed with no back strap markings.
o C prefix serial number on butt. No A.F. No. The six digits of the commercial serial number were stamped on the flat on the bottom of the barrel, on the rear face of the cylinder, on the front of the extractor star, and on the rear face of the yoke.
o A matching four-digit assembly number was applied to the left side of the frame opposite the yoke, on the yoke opposite the frame, and inside the side plate.
o Standard S&W medallions in stocks, right stock serial numbered.
o REVOLVER, LIGHT WEIGHT, M 13 on top strap.
o Spaces taken out around C277238 (1st observed).
o .38 SPL. CTG. on right side of barrel.
o SMITH & WESSON on left side of barrel.
o Barrel markings reverse at about C367647 (1st observed).
o P factory proof mark above the front of the trigger guard on the left side.
o 3 variations of thumb latch.
o Blue/anodized black finish.

According to TM 9-2200 (dated October, 1956), the Aircrewman revolver was also used by investigative agents in the Air Force’s Office of Special Investigations (OSI), the Army’s Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC) and by the Corps of Military Police. “No holster is required.”

By 1959 a number of Aircrewman had become unserviceable due to ruptured cylinders or cracks at the front of the frame where the barrel screws in. It was determined that the M13 revolvers were unsuitable for sustained fire as in target practice and unsafe for use with commercial ammunition loaded with lead bullets. For these reasons, the commander of Air Materiel Command directed that any M13s surplus to Air Force needs be destroyed and sold for scrap, since other potential government users could not obtain the low-pressure M41 Special Ball ammunition.

A number of the S&W revolvers somehow survived. However, since the remains of the destroyed revolvers were sold as scrap, many parts were salvaged and have since been used to put together bogus examples of these unique revolvers. Also, some commercial Military & Police “Airweight” revolvers (sometimes referred to as the “pre Model 12”) have had spurious markings added so that they can be passed off as Aircrewman guns. One spurious M13 revolver recently offered for sale was found to have been assembled with parts for seven different revolvers. Fakery has even extended to welding destroyed cylinders back together from parts. Collectors are well advised to examine Aircrewman revolvers offered for sale to make sure they are authentic. Genuine unaltered Aircrewman revolvers will have aluminum cylinders and markings, assembly and serial numbers as specified above.

At this time I have logged approximately 75 Colt Aircrewman survivors, 6 of which are fakes.

On the S&W versions I've logged 26 A.F. numbered KA frame revolvers but only 8 of those are complete and original. There are about 15 known original, complete Baby Aircrewman (5 shot) revolvers known and about as many fakes or parts guns. I've recorded over 400 Aircrewman revolvers from the production contract and about 10% of those are spurious. Much of this empirical data is based on the work of Rick Nahas and Charlie Pate.

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Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

Very cool. Thanks for sharing this info. Any photos to post?

An excellent model-specific or class-specific overview. Thank you, Kevin.

I love this kind of report.

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David Wilson

Great information!

I picked this up about 6 months ago, found it in a little
Military collectible store outside St. Louis. According to the
owner it was from a large collection that was being sold.
I missed the Colt by 2 days.
This one looks like it was subjected to moisture for a long time, and cleaned up leaving no trace of finish.
The grip numbers match the serial number and ejector, the frame number matches the yoke, and side plate. The barrel is a different number.

i have a model 12-3 "airweight" that i guess must be related to these awesome service models. my moms cousin Jim was a USAF pilot during the Viet Nam war and came home with his... gotten legal or not is up for debate. your post with all the info brought back many memories of Jim and the stories he would tell me, my sis, and the cousins. thanks for the little flash back, and damn fine info for the rest of us.

Kevin,
Thanks for posting this compelling and invaluable information.
I am proud to be an internet friend of yours.
As you know, you've advised me more than once.
Mike

Thanks for the feedback. If anyone has serial numbers to share I'd like to add them to the database.

Thanks,
Kevin Williams

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Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

Kevin,

Very nicely and professionally done, just as all of the articles are that you have written over the years for different publications.

Thanks for letting us see it.

Tom

Kevin,

Thanks with a great post with super information!

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Linda
SWCA #1965, SWHF #245

Thanks for sharing!

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Jorge

Kevin,

Thanks for the listing of the characteristics of the Aircrewman revolvers. Certainly, it's the most comprehensive information I've ever seen on them.

In addition to the guns, you have also cleared up a question that I have had on some ammunition.

At the SWCA meeting in Orlando in 2011 I bought a white box of .38 Special Ball ammo by Remington that I thought was for a Victory. At the Dallas Market Hall show a couple of weeks ago I found two more white boxes of .38 Special; one by Remington and one by Olin Mathieson.

Both of the Remington boxes bore the ID of M41 (one printed and the other rubber stamped) and one of them also stated that it contained 130 Grain Ball. The Olin Mathieson box did not have the M41 but it stated the ammo was 158 gr. FMC. Note that the OM box also states that it is for steel revolvers.

Your description of the ammunition for the Aircrewman has clarified that two of the boxes, marked M41, (130 gr.) are for that revolver and the one with the 158 gr. is probably the only one that is actually for the Victory.

I don't know how common the M41 ammo may be but to discover that two of the three boxes that I found are of that design is a happy occurrence.

Bob

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Bob, thanks for posting this info. I find it very interesting.

Bob,

Thanks for posting the ammo. Since it is all post WWII the stuff that isn't M41 could be used in Victory Models but also a pretty large variety of other US revolvers that were chambered for .38 Special.

Regards,
Kevin Williams

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Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

Kevin,

Have you ever seen a comparison of the external ballistics of the 130 gr. ball in a 2" barrel and the 158 gr. ball in a 4" or 5" bbl.?

Bob

Bob,

I don't think I have but I'll check some old military documents I have.

Kevin

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Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

Hi kevin,

Thanks for the excellent rundown on Aircrewman revolvers. Regarding the handful of R&D Aircrewman on the 5 screw "Baby J frame" as shown and reported in the SCSW 3rd Ed., do you have any in your database or have any idea of how many are accounted for?

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Jim
S&WCA #819

The samples tested by Col. Allen and MG Hatcher were as follows:

SN Ship date Frame Description
X-65 unknown S&W J Col. Allen, engraved/gold plated
X-68 3/12/1951 S&W K all aluminum, 15.5 oz, Magna stocks
X-69 3/12/1951 S&W K all aluminum, 15.25 oz, "Col. Allen, USAF"
X-70 4/18/1951 S&W KA slim aluminum frame, 14.4 oz
X-71 4/19/1951 S&W KA slim steel frame, aluminum cylinder
X-72 4/18/1951 S&W KA slim steel frame and cylinder, 25.25 oz
X-73 4/18/1951 S&W KA slim steel frame, aluminum cylinder, 22 oz

The tests are described in the August 1951 issue of The American Rifleman, in an article by MG Julian Hatcher entitled "What About the Featherweights?" At one time Ray Cheely owned a couple of these prototypes.

Regards,
Kevin Williams

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Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

Kevin

Thanks for posting the results of your research. This is terrific information.

Tom

Kevin:

This is an excellent article. I always learn from your excellent work, and I appreciate your willingness to share this hard work with us.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Best regards,

Shawn

I know where both a Colt and S&W are and they are verified real but I doubt he will give me the numbers to post. He's just that way.

One time only ad for S&W M13 revolvers - from the March, 1966 Guns & Ammo.

Thanks to those who have shared numbers via PM.

Regards,
Kevin Williams

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Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

I have a Red Chief Special Box for a J frame that would be in the baby Aircrew S/N range. Do you have this S/N in your data base as an aircrewman. It is possible it is just a civilian model.
S/N is: 27838

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John 1:17
NRA Life Benefactor

That would be civilian. Thanks.

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Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

SO were the Baby Aircrewman numbered with the J frame sequence by S&W...the SCSW seems to indicate they did or at least I thought that... but the s/n in your description indicates an AF s/n completely different than a civilian s/n. Is that correct?

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John 1:17
NRA Life Benefactor

That's correct. The 5 shot Aircrewman had unique serial numbers from A.F.No. 1795 to A.F.No. 2399. I see nothing in the SCS&W that contradicts this. In fact, pages 145 and 151 say exactly the same thing. Where do you see the contradiction?

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Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

You are correct. I am actually thinking of a conversation I had this weekend where some were talking about the S/N range of the Baby Air-crewman being in the high 20-30K range.But the SCSW says nothing at all about that. In fact contradicts it. So when all else fails.. even collectors are mistaken once in awhile..

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John 1:17
NRA Life Benefactor

Kevin
To date how many S&W M13's do you have in your files??
Mine is complete and correct with a Jinks letter, but the blackstrap has been scrubbed.......you can just barely make out the letter P in the word Property.
Do you see these with scrubbed back straps often??
Regards,
Tom

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Tom Graham SWCA #2303

Well over 400 including the fakes, rewelds and parts guns. Yes, filed off markings are pretty common.

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Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

Thanks Kevin,

If you take away the fakes and rebuilds that leaves an extremely low percentage.......less than 1% which certainly makes any legitimate survivor quite rare even if the back-strap is scrubbed.

Certainly an interesting piece of S&W history.

Thanks for keeping us up to speed on this, it's appreciated!

Cheers,

Tom

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Tom Graham SWCA #2303

Only $5 more than a Llama!

Kevin, I may have given you this info. before, but not sure. You list above the baby Aircrewman revolvers as being from ser. # AF1795 toAF2399. In a visit to the Springfield Armory, Rick Nahas and I found in a drawer in the upstairs storage room, four Baby Aircrewman revolvers, NIB in their red boxes. Serial numbers ran from AF2404 to AF2407. There were also four 6 shot Aircrewman revolvers numbered AF 2400 to 2403. No information was available from staff or other sources, at the time, to explain these high numbered guns. When Roy Jinks get back from his vacation, I'll ask him what the records show on these guns, and let you know. Ed.

Way back in my puppy dog says, went on a ROTC field trip to Barksdale AFB, LA.
A SAC B-47 wing was stationed there and they were just starting to pull nuke alert. We were allowed to visit the alert area. It was a roped off guarded area down at the end of the runway.
They only had a few birds on alert, 3-4. The alert crews were in a trailer parked near the B-47s. We went in and talked to them. The aircrews were wearing revolvers. When we asked about the guns, one guy took his out , unloaded it, and passed it around. It was a Colt as described above.
Later when I had the pleasure of pulling SAC nuke alert, our guns were Smiths. They were locked in the mission folder box in the aircraft.

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NRA LIFE MEMBER

Thanks, Ed. I do have that information, either from you or Rick but would be very interested in any further information you get from Roy.

Regards,
Kevin

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Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

Were these two pistols purchased at Glen LaRue's Auctions in Sweet Springs, Missouri some years back? I want to say it was in the 1990's,but am not sure. Someone sold off a heck of a collection one night... these two were in it plus several Colt 1911's Russian contract pistols in magnificent shape & many other fine collectable handguns.........

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be safe,enjoylife,journey well

Were these two pistols purchased at Glen LaRue's Auctions in Sweet Springs, Missouri some years back? I want to say it was in the 1990's,but am not sure. Someone sold off a heck of a collection one night... these two were in it plus several Colt 1911's Russian contract pistols in magnificent shape & many other fine collectable handguns.........

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be safe,enjoylife,journey well

This is very interesting. I had read this & other threads only to find my sighting was a false alarm.

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NRA LIFE
Reserve Officer 9yrs

Kevin, I inquired of Roy about the Aircrewmans at the Armory at two different times and got two different replies - 1st. - There are no records at S&W about these out of range Aircrewmans at the Armory, and - 2nd.- It would take too much of his time to try to research any info. that might still be left at the factory. They are obviously over runs from the production, and as such, are not an uncommon event at S&W. I've had various models of S&Ws over the years that had serial numbers higher than what was listed on the production logs, sometimes they were complete guns and other times, unfinished or not fully complete or stamped. Ed

Ed,
There always seem to be some interesting but poorly documented guns at the beginning and the end of contracts like this. The same is true of the Colt version.

Thanks.

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Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

Here's one that came out of a gun show in El Paso many years ago. Apparently the vendor had a whole box of these and at the bottom were a couple that hadn't been torched. Biggs AFB at El Paso had B 36s and later B 47s; these probably came from the B 36s. How come I'm always about 20 years too late for buys like these?

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Great info, thanx........

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dd884
JMHO-YMMV

A previous post mentioned M41 ammo and asked if it was scarce. I have over a thousand rounds. Bought it from J&G Sales several years ago. They had a lot, I'm assuming, pallets of the ammo. At the same time they had the M41, they also had surplus wadcutter ammo. I don't remember the bullet weight.

My boxes of M41 were made by Olin and simply had the description,

"50 CARTRIDGES
BALL
CALIBER .38 M41"
"WCC89K081-006"
"OLIN CORPORATION" in smaller letters.

This ammo has the following head stamp:
"WCC89"

I guess this is the closest I'll ever get to one of those M13's.

I'm looking at an intact Aircrewman, SN C275385. Is this one already in the database?
Also, this one has SN on butt, no AF #

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

No, it is not in my database. Based on others around it I would think it shipped to Norton AFB in December, 1953 but only a Jinks letter can tell you for sure.

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Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

Hi, Kevin. Of the very earliest Baby Aircrewman sent to the US Air Force or any other US Military entity, were some of those in a commercial serial number range, and, if so ... in what SN ranges had those been documented.

Of the several Baby Aircrewman I have pursued, I just didn't get that warm and fuzzy feeling on most.

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ANTIQUESMITHS
LM1300 SWHF425

Sal,

The first shipment consisted of KA frame 6 shot revolvers numbered A.F. No. 1190 through A.F. No. 1794. Then came the "Baby" or 5 shot guns that were numbered A.F. No. 1795 through A.F. No. 2399. Perhaps there were some early prototypes made with commercial numbers but I doubt it. The ones I've seen have been fakes.

Regards,

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Kevin Williams SWCA1649 HF208

Kevin,

For many years I had an affection for the early alloy cylinder pre-37s and pre-12s. Of the several early pre-37 airweights, I have a few in the low 2xxxx, a few in the low 30xxx, range then one as high as 42xxx (still with alloy cylinder). I have never "lettered" any of them (hoping that one day I might be joyfully surprised with the shipping info of in my later years).

I always wondered if, perhaps, a few might have been taken off the shelf and sent over for the USAF to "play" with, in a pre-contract time frame by S&W, in hopes possibly negotiating a contract.

A few of the "well used" early alloy frames present with a crack (or the beginning of a crack) on the area of the frame directly beneath the rear barrel (where it threads in). That seemed to be a weak point well into the steel cylinder versions as I have a few of those that also present with the same "crack".

I always wondered why S&W hadn't left the frame a bit thicker in that area, by reducing the height of the swing out crane by a few millimeters on those models. It is amazing just how "thin" the frames are in this, specific, area.

Surprisingly I have never encountered an early alloy cylinder model with even a slightly damaged cylinder, just the damaged frames directly center (6 o'clock position) of where the barrel threads into the frame.

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ANTIQUESMITHS
LM1300 SWHF425

I know this is a little bit of thread drift and slap my wrist if I'm being bad, but can you imagine how cool this all-aluminum format would have been in a slightly less enthusiastic caliber, say 32 S&W Long or even 22 LR? Just the thought of it makes my froggie heart go pitter pat! An all-aluminum Baby Chief sized kit gun would be awesome.

Oh well, a guy can dream, can't he?

Froggie

Charlie, Thanks for reviving Kevin's great research & info on the Aircrewman S&Ws. " Back to the Top" things like this can get new info from readers who have reently joned the Forum. (PS: I'm in the market for any demilled Baby A/Cs anyone want's to sell. I applaud Kevin's work but don't agree with Kevin that restorations, using original parts, are fakes, if they are properly labled as restorations. As rare as the Baby A/Cs are, few collectors will get to own a 100% original one, but maybe a restoration is possible. If I recall right, the last auction sale of an original went the $50K range . Ed.

Regarding the M41 ammo, even after the removal of the alloy guns from service, I believe the Air Force kept this as a standard issue load for many years.
In fact if I recall the Air Force specifically developed a hotter load in the 70’s or 80’s due to complaints about the weak performance of the M41