I picked this one up last night,pulled the grips and was bummed to see RB marked on the frame. The RB is not in the usual place from what I have seen and it is marked over and under rather than side by side. No rectangle as well. In the ejector housing you can see the matching sn as sell as a "B" with what looks like a "O" beside the "B". There is not a date stamp on the frame indicating a trip back to the factory. The gun looks great but the stamping on the side plate is either thin or polished thin. If the side plate was not thin I would not suspect a re blue.Could this have been a re blue before it left the factory? If not what do I have? It came with the matching Magna's as well as the number matching gold box. I will take a few pictures when it is back together.

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Jim
SWCA #2246

Here's a refinish mark and date on a Pre 27 I have.

After looking at the two, I don't think yours is a refinish stamp.

Never seen anything like it,The problem is going to be if you ever sell the Gun is convincing the buyer the finish is original.Any tiny inconsistency is going to be nitpicked due to that marking.

This is what mine looks like

The R indicates your gun was reworked during manufacture. The B indicates it was finished in blue. Those are not refinish stamps.

Bill

I can take it off your hands if you get sick Of her. I need a good looking shooter.

Plop-Plop-Fizz-Fizz Oh what a relief it is. Thanks for the info Bill. I thought I was in trouble with this one.

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Jim
SWCA #2246

Jim...What are the other numbers/letters(?) stamped in the ejector rod shroud?

Bill

I was going to say that I would not think it a refinish without a date stamped on it.

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No life story has happy end.

Jim...I answered my own question. It is a B, for blue. It was common on N frames through the mid-50s to stamp a B in the shroud and on the grip frame.

I have a ".357" shipped in 1953 that is stamped identical to yours except for the R. Reworked guns are actually quite common.

Bill

Bill-In the ejector housing is S 109789 followed by a B O. Like you said,B is for blue any idea about the O ?

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Jim
SWCA #2246

No idea, but my gun has it too.

Bill

All back together again. Not a bad old Smith I guess. Pretty nice box too.

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Jim
SWCA #2246

Not a bad Ol Smith.......Nope, She's a Beauty!!!!!!

Congrats!!

Bill, what entails "rework" during manufacture? Would this be something like pulling one barrel, and installing another of a different length to fill a priority order?

"Not bad" seems an understatement to me.

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NHI, 10-8.

Jim I have Pre 27 .357 Magnum, 3.5" Barrel, Blue, serial S 109736 shipped in September 1954.

Only 53 digits lower but has proud FS pins.....of course the proud pins seem to disappear then reappear in that era.

SLT223...I really don't know, but a part could be damaged and need to be replaced, or....? I do know that quite a few 44 Magnums from have the R stamp as being reworked.

Bill

Whats that dog doing in the background??

Creative photography to say the least. Not so sure you want to show that pic around this forum too long. A dog dropping a deuce on S&W may not go over well

Beautiful 3.5" though. I'm cleaning the drool off the screen as I type.

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Dan
SWCA #2789

I don't care who you are--That's funny. So is the picture.

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Jim
SWCA #2246