I just ran across a gun that is so ugly that I like it. The pawn store owner is holding it for me until tomorrow. The bluing is almost completely worn off, but no rust or pits. The checkering is worn almost smooth, but the gun is tight and bore looks great. I can get it for $175, maybe less.

The gun has PONAL stamped on the left side of the frame in capital letters. Serial # is D18XXX. Seems that would be early 1968, but yet there is no model number stamp on the frame. The yoke has number 996XX. I could not find a serial # on the cylinder, and when I looked at the underside of the barrel, I found a faint stamping that appears to read CA St Albans, VT. The pawn shop owner thought maybe it was imported, or affiliated with the prison system.

I wasn't planning on being by there today, and dang it, I didn't have my camera or S&W book. I'll know better from now on. Any help identifying this would be helpful.

Josh P

Serial number should be on the butt

Yes, the D18XXX that I listed was on the butt.

JP

Barrel marking is from Century Arms in St. Albans, VT, a well-known importer & distributor.

Larry

Thanks Larry. Does anyone know what PONAL stands for? ... and if it makes sense that the model # would not be on the frame, from that serial number range?

JP

D Serial Prefix
Models: 10, 12, 13, 14, 45
1968 D1 -D90000
1969-1970 D90001 -D330000
1971-1972 D330001 -D420000
1972-1973 D420001 -D510000
1973-1974 D510001 -D659901
1974-1975 D659902 -D750000
1975-1976 D750001 -D870000
1976-1977 D870001 -D999999
SCSW

PONAL / Columbian National Police ?

"The pawn shop owner thought maybe it was imported, or affiliated with the prison system."

__________________
82nd Airborne Div 1980-1986

Yes your gun is most likely from the country of Columbia. "PONAL" stands for "National Police ". Over 25 years ago I purchased a similar S&W Model 10 revolver with the same marking. My gun dealer had acquired a batch of these revolvers. Some had the official national seal stamped on the left side of the frame which stated "Policia National de Columbia". I chose a gun that was mechanically superior to one that had the official stamp, altho i wish had purchased that one as well. All had little bluing left and were very rough overall. I had mine reblued and is like new. Made around 1968.

Century Arms reimports a lot of old military and police guns. My now customized Model 64 was a reimport from somewhere. No markings to tell me, though.

Policia Nacional = PONAL I reckon. Not sure why it ends in L except that "nacional" does. I'd have figured a C for "de Colombia".

The absence of the serial on the cylinder and under the barrel which you remarked on is normal, as that ended in the late 1950s. Not having a model number in the yoke in 1968 is odd, however (the assembly number is irrelevant).

We seem to have a positive identification of this gun's provenance, but as a general rule, any gun marked by Century Arms is not "maybe imported", but definitely so (or as in this case re-imported), as the only reason to disfigure a gun with this importer identification is the requirement of the GCA of 1968.