Starburst Boxes

Rick Bowles · Oct 3, 2015

According to the SCSW these Starburst boxes were used between 1953-1959. I have this flat latch, 3-screw Kit Gun in the Starburst box. However, it seems that in the five years that these boxes were used, there were three different versions on the Starburst box.
Does anyone know.... the rest of the story?

rburg · Oct 3, 2015

I've always called them and heard them called sunburst. Now you expand the field to include 3 variants called starburst.

You may be seeing the pastel black or blue cardboard that ages differently. I don't have a lot of confidence in SCSW dating on such things. They've got the general idea, but there was no sharp start or stop dates that I know of. They just replaced the gold boxes when those ran out. Hence, the exact model will have different dates. My guess, and its just a guess, is that the newer blue boxes also started in a similar manner. Back to the idea S&W never wasted anything.

DCWilson · Oct 3, 2015

I have heard the terms Starburst and Sun-Ray used to describe these boxes.

In a thread a couple or three years ago there was a suggestion that the printed band style on top might be associated with the barrel length of the revolver it contained. My four-inch .32 Regulation Police (the postwar "retro" gun that was made up largely from leftover prewar parts) was shipped in a solid-band box like the last one you post. The diamond-chain band seen above is on a smaller box that contained a revolver with a shorter barrel. The double-strand band confuses me, because if I remember right another .32 RP target owner got his gun in a double-band box. I don't remember ever seeing a Sun-Ray box that held a gun with a six inch barrel. I also don't remember ever seeing a Sun-Ray box for a K-frame gun. Seems to me these must have been used only for I and J frame guns.

I haven't studied these. I'm just reporting memories and impressions. They are definitely an interesting box variety, and I hope someone who has studied them can tell us what they have learned.

Hondo44 · Oct 4, 2015

Hi Rick,

That's a very nice sq butt I frame you have there, Sq butts are scarce in that time frame and earlier.

Sunray boxes are peculiar to the I & J frames. As far as I've determined, there are only the three sunray styles preceeded by the red plain top box, no gold boxes, and followed by the blue, solid border, post sunray style with printed box end, and no label. They are a nightmare because their use seems to overlap so profusely with all three style introductions jammed into such a short time period.

I detect no correlation of barrel length to box style in my data however and have seen each style all in the same 4" size.

I've attempted to keep track of them in my I frame database by their serial numbers, when they have a visible #, or gun # if they don't (which of course has it's uncertainties re: box originality), and shipping dates. Suffice to say, I do not have a lot of data points, which mitigates any firm conclusions.

Here's only what I have for #'d boxes (and matching guns) with ship dates:

1.) Earliest SR diamond chain box #8858 shipped 1/55, thru at least 11151, 5/55.

2.) Earliest SR dual border is 19334, 9/56

3.) Earliest SR solid border is 35796, 7/58

Earliest post SR solid border (pre Mod 35) is 40116, 1956 until Bangor Punta boxes in 1965.

Not much help I'm afraid except for order of issue....maybe.

Club Gun Fan · Oct 4, 2015

Back in the late 1970's, I bought a .22/32 LNIB from a retired Smith & Wesson employee. He keep referring to a .22 he had in a "spotlight" box.
Turns out it was a starburst box. He told me that they referred to that box as a "spotlight" box.

Rick Bowles · Oct 4, 2015

Club Gun Fan said:
Back in the late 1970's, I bought a .22/32 LNIB from a retired Smith & Wesson employee. He keep referring to a .22 he had in a "spotlight" box.
Turns out it was a starburst box. He told me that they referred to that box as a "spotlight" box.

Don,
That may explain the three variations! Starburst, Sun-Ray and Spotlight!

Starburst Boxes

Rick Bowles

Absent Comrade

rburg

Member

DCWilson

Member

Hondo44

Member

Club Gun Fan

S&W Historian

Rick Bowles

Absent Comrade

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