Letter designation on S&W Revolvers

R

rjbuilder

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I often wonder what the frame letters in the serial numbers on S&W revolvers stand for. I.E. N, L, K, J and such. I know they describe frame size but is the letter an abreviation for a word or were they selected at random. I found out that the old " S" designation stands for SAFETY. What about the others. Any help on this?

Thanks
Richard
 
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The S added to serial numbers post WWII indicates the presence of the new style hammer block developed during WWII.

As to frame sizes and letters, I have never read that they stood for particular words. My assumption has always been that they were randomly assigned. I must confess, however, that I have never seen anything one way or the other in print.
 
Letter designation on S&W revolvers

Just a thought that they might have some meaning other than random. Makes sense now that you mention the hammer block. The addition of the "S" for safety. Thanks for the info.
 
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If they were symbolic or stood for something, you'd think the Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson would say so.
I have a copy (and read it) but have not seen anything in it to confirm or deny.
 
The letters indicate frame size and were used in manufacturing when building a particular gun. For example, NT-430 is the 44 Magnum, KT-357 is the Combat Magnum, and N-45 is the 1950 Army revolver. The K and N indicate frame size, the T stands for target and the number for bore diameter.

Bill
 
Often wondered why they chose..... J,K,N ....... and skipped "L" for 30-40 years..... and then jump to "X"

IIRC there was an "M" frame ....... which was smaller than a J frame?..... or was that the .32cal "I" frame ?

So over the years we've had I J K L M N and X...... but they don't all line up by size..... as M was the smallest!

The rest makes sense "S" for safety and "-T" for target.......

Why not L,M,S........LOL

Why do Stainless steel guns get E,F,H and G? (at the factory)....... when they came later?

Early guns were Model #s were 1,2,3....... why did they go to letters then back to Model numbers starting at 10 (in 1957)......... what happened to 4-9?

I've got the SCS&W but don't remember seeing any explanation!
 
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BAM-BAM said:
Often wondered why they chose..... J,K,N ....... and skipped "L" for 30-40 years..... and then jump to "X"

IIRC there was an "M" frame ....... which was smaller than a J frame?..... or was that the .32cal "I" frame ?

So over the years we've had I J K L M N and X...... but they don't all line up by size..... as M was the smallest!

The rest makes sense "S" for safety and "-T" for target.......

Why not just L,M,S........LOL......we could also have XS, Med/L, XXS, XXXL

Why do Stainless steel guns get E,F,H and G? (at the factory)....... when they came later?

Early guns were Model #s were 1,2,3....... why did they go to letters then back to Model numbers starting at 10 (in 1957)......... what happened to 4-9?

I've got the SCS&W but don't remember seeing any explanation!
Click to expand...
 
The person who would know is Roy Jinks. He knows everything as the S&W historian. Might give him a call.
 
I have a 686-3 SN BPHQ 497 anyone know what this means? BPHQ ?
It was factory tuned by one of their smiths I think as his name is stamped on the box.
 
Wondering why S&W does these things is an exercise in futility. Even the model numbers are all over the place, except for the blued N-frames in the 20's. Plus the reasons for engineering change (Dash numbers) can also drive you crazy. Some models it can be tiny and you get a new dash #. Then there can be big changes and no new dash #.
Only the folks at S&W 60-70 years ago can give any sort of answer.
 
Seems like there are different designations between blue steel and stainless also. I'm just going off memory here. Example a k frame blue would be a G frame stainless. Or something to that effect. G. H. I can't remember. I just realized it's already been explained above.
 
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Scarter770 said:
I have a 686-3 SN BPHQ 497 anyone know what this means? BPHQ ?
It was factory tuned by one of their smiths I think as his name is stamped on the box.
Click to expand...

Always best to start a new thread for questions, but...

BPH is the letter prefix, from sometime in late 1993. It should have four digits after it so it may be 0497 or 9497. A photo would help.
 
Stainless revolvers used the letters E, F, G,and H. For example, the Model 66 is the FT-357 (a K-frame). I have no idea why the particular letters were used, but it is necessary to identify the specific model when issuing a build order to the factory. The Model 629 is the GT-430 (an N-frame) and the Model 686 is the HT-357 (an L-frame).

Bill
 
by seelslaver
I-Its small

J-Just for carry

K-Kinda in between

L-Latest idea for 357

M-Mighty small

N-Normally big bore

X-Xtreme
Click to expand...

Z-Zone kill or Zapper
 
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