Consecutive Serial Numbers: A thing with S&W?

I know some of my Ruger friends are forever on the hunt for consecutive serial numbers for their guns but I dont recall ever hearing about it with S&W. Is it just because S&W made more guns and shipped them in no particular order? Are there many consecutive SN guns in private collections these days? Anyone have 3 or more in a row? Just wondering.

ETS: I am not asking about new (recent production) guns that could be ordered as a pair.

S&W did ship guns as pairs upon request and charged an extra $5 per gun for the service. I have owned several lettered consecutive pairs of 44 Magnums and .357 Magnums over the years and still have the first consecutive pair of 44 Magnums shipped by S&W in July 1956. S&W collectors do not have the same interest in pairing up serial numbers as Ruger collectors. Each Ruger model in the 50s and 60s started with serial number 1, whereas S&W started at many places in the serial number sequence and various models shared the same serial number sequence. Ruger shipped very few pairs of guns with consecutive serial numbers ove the years.

Bill

Doc44 said:

S&W did ship guns as pairs upon request and charged an extra $5 per gun for the service. I have owned several lettered consecutive pairs of 44 Magnums and .357 Magnums over the years and still have the first consecutive pair of 44 Magnums shipped by S&W in July 1956. S&W collectors do not have the same interest in pairing up serial numbers as Ruger collectors. Each Ruger model in the 50s and 60s started with serial number 1, whereas S&W started at many places in the serial number sequence and various models shared the same serial number sequence. Ruger shipped very few pairs of guns with consecutive serial numbers ove the years.

Bill

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Makes sense Bill, thank you. So a consecutive set could be 2 totally different guns, for example a 6.5" .44 followed by a 3.5" .357. that would be a very cool thing to have. Not as cool as the first pair of .44 to ship!! but interesting just the same.

flundertaker said:

Makes sense Bill, thank you. So a consecutive set could be 2 totally different guns, for example a 6.5" .44 followed by a 3.5" .357. that would be a very cool thing to have. Not as cool as the first pair of .44 to ship!! but interesting just the same.

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I recall a GB ad a few years ago about two different caliber revolvers having consecutive numbers. Seems like it was .357 & .44mag?

I don't recall the barrel length differences, if any. Seems like I recall they sold for a nice bit of pocket change though.

I once bought a Smith 22A-1 because its S/N matched the last four of my phone number. When I saw it, I HAD to buy it.

A pic of the same model:

I have N25000 in my collection. It is a Model 25-2. I had N24999 for a few years also, it was a Model 29-2. While consecutive, the two revolvers were never a pair.

Bill

I think it was George Wimer(?) that for several years advertised three M29's with consecutive serial numbers, but that was many years ago in Shotgun News...just shows you how old I am....I subscribed to it...

Its great fun

To accumulate seq S&W despite not being sold as a pair. Especially reuniting them after decades being apart. I’ve managed to acquire a pair of RMs, NRMs and recently a 2nd model 44-40 (Waiting for it to arrive)
Sequential serial numbers (Or Reg #) definitely adds to the appeal for me.

I just got around to reading the summer issue of the S&W Journal and right on the cover is Bills beautiful pair of first year, first to ship consecutive SN .44s
Gorgeous.

I have a lettered, consecutive set 29-2's that I'm going to try to sell for a deceased friend's widow. They are both four inch, with smooth triggers and yellow front sight inserts. The features letter as such. I believe both are NIB. Kind of a neat set, but out of my area of interest. So as said above by Bill, they are (or were) available on special order.

I happen to like serial numbers and not just consecutive ones but ones that also have meaning for me. Now the bulk of my Smith and Wessons are post 1980 firearms

I have multiple Smith and Wessons where the serial number ends with my birthday. I also have many where they end in 0000.

These are production guns and it is much harder to get pairs and patterns in production guns. The following her are performance center offerings and that is much easier since the entire run usually goes to a single exclusive distributor. It helps to get friendly with the Distributors.

Pictured here are two sets of sequentially numbered triplets in addition to that each pair of Model 25 and 17 have the same serial number with different prefixes so I'm not too sure what to call this 6 pack

Back in 1996 when I first heard the rumors about an 8 shot 357, Magnum revolver built on the N-frame I knew I needed at least one

The first run of the 8 shot Model 627s were on display at the 1997 SHOT Show in January. They were a Lew Horton Excluhsve and LH had limited this to only 300 revolvers. I will always recall this because I wanted serial number 357. I took number 27 instead. 27 is the revolver in the upper left corner of the image below. It arrived in June of 1997 and I do shoot it

This Model turned out to be the fastest selling Exclusive Lew Horton ever offered. I ended up getting a call from Lew Horton just a few months latter asking if I still wanted number 357. They had decided to run an additional 300 pieces. Number 357 is in the upper right corner of that group photo and I received it in September of 1997 and it remains unfired since leaving the Factory

When it comes to the 8 shot carbon steel Model 27, Smith and Wesson has only manufactured six different configurations and these were shipped to two different distributors over the years as exclusive offerings. Each of the revolvers in the following picture have the same serial number but with a different 3 letter prefix, all of these remain unfired since leaving the factory

I happen to like serial numbers that have the firearms caliber in them. The following model 625 is chambered in 45 Long Colt. This revolver is serial numbered CLT0045

My Model 22 Thunder Ranch Revolver is serial numbered TRR0022

There are more serial number examples in my collection but I do not have all of them photographed

Would two consecutively serialed Registered Magnums also have consecutive registration numbers?

I was never a consecutive number collector,,
but,,
my neighbor told me about his uncle selling a pair of consecutive number Ruger Single Six revolvers,,

I could not resist,,,

I have this consecutive set of 14-6s. ----59 and 60. Just kind of happened, but I like having them.

Hair Trigger said:

Would two consecutively serialed Registered Magnums also have consecutive registration numbers?

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Can't answer the question as to all Registered Magnums but its not so with mine. I have 2269 and the purported Rex Applegate RM is 2270. While having consecutive registration numbers the serial number on mine is 51300 and 2270's serial is 51304.

I have a Model 17 that I purchased from a friend that the last 4 digits match the last 4 of his social security number. He didn’t realize it until he had owned the gun for a few years. The chances of that occurring by happenstance has to be astronomical. The .32 Regulation Police that I just purchased is number 335577. Makes it easy to remember. My budget is better suited to consecutive numbered beanie babies.

Consetutive SN Texas Ranger Commemorative 19-3s

TR39





... and TR40 (one of the Deluxe TRs)









Nothing intentional in obtaining the two, it just happened.

Hair Trigger said:

Would two consecutively serialed Registered Magnums also have consecutive registration numbers?

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Excellent question!

I have seen consecutively serial numbered RM's with consecutive Registration #'s (R#).

RM frames were inn the same line as .38/44 frames, so its not unusual for a gun to go out as an RM and the next serial number gun go out as an HD/O.

I have observed numerous two and three gun orders where there are sequential R#'s, but sequential S/N's are less common.

Also, many people who did choose to order pairs would get guns with NON-sequential RM's and non-sequential s/n's.

A few people did specifically ask for sequential R#'s and S&W usually made this happen. Also some people would order an RM, receive it and like it so much the would order another RM would ask for a specific R#.

The best example of a customer requested R# would be s/n 47125 that for some reason the customer wanted X13 added to the R#. DBW acommodated and the gun is the only RM I've seen (so far) with 6 character R# (RM658X13). Must be a good story behind this one!

Best,
RM Vivas

Many replies in this thread mirror my thoughts on the topic. I
don't know if the majority of S&W collectors carry our same
feelings, but there are those who put great stock in owning a
consecutively numbered pair.

A S&W Collectors Association friend owned .38 Chiefs Special
Model 36 serial numbers J8 and J9. He offered them to me for
$1,500 each. The pair shipped on the same day, April 3, 1970,
to the same distributor.

The serial number series J1 through J99999 began in May 1969
as S&W's response to requirements in the Gun Control Act of 1968.
Although I appreciated the early numbers in the series I passed
on the offer.

A few months later the two Chiefs appeared on auction, not as a
pair, but rather as individual items. Each sold for $4,051 to the
same bidder. Clearly that bidder and the others who ran the price
up to that lofty level put great stock in owning the pair.

I’ve seen more consecutive Rugers than I have Smiths.
Especially Redhawks.
One time only - Have seen two consecutive pairs of Redhawks in one case!

I recall a long while back seeing a display of post 1957 Smiths where the fellow would have pairs of gun with consecutive serial numbers but different model numbers!

For example he might have a Model 10-7 and then a Model 10-8 and they were sequentially numbered; the impression given being that he had the last 10-7 and the first 10-8.

Now -THAT- is a hard display to put together!

In reality I am sure there was some model/ serial number overlap that it made it a smidgen easier.

Best,
RM Vivas