Did S&W stop sending test shell casings?

scruffy · Mar 12, 2016

I purchased a NIB Model 66-8 in Pennsylvania and was surprised to see no test shell case was in the box. This was brand new stock recently delivered to a large LGS in the Pittsburgh area. The test shell casings used to come in a small manila envelope with the date and inspectors name on it. Anyone know if S&W stopped this practice...or do I have a very rare and valuable heirloom no-case provided gun?

Thanks for any info.

The 66 felt very balanced and fit in my hand better than the 686 4". Great fit, finish and double & single action trigger. Range report next week.

StakeOut · Mar 12, 2016

I received a new 2.5" PC 686 6 weeks ago and it had a fired Federal .357mag brass case in a small brown envelope inside the box.

307-Niner · Mar 12, 2016

My wife's new Shield 40 came with one. Bought it new just a few days ago.

colt_saa · Mar 12, 2016

Only a few states ever required them.

Maryland has recently overturned that failed concept.

I have not kept up with the other states.

UncleEd · Mar 12, 2016

It was useless and I believe it has whimpered away.

But I happened to like it as it told me when the gun
was basically finished and left the factory, giving the
month, day and year.

While perhaps trivial, if the casing stays with the gun then down the road, someone on this forum needn't asked, "Hey,
what the DOB?"

But we'll still have thread drift regarding DOB vs DOM.

colt_saa · Mar 12, 2016

Since Smith and Wesson started using computer printed label in the 1980s, 98%+ of the time the date of manufacture as been printed on box.

It is the 4 digit number under the heading "SPEC ORD"

It is in Julian format, the last digit of the year and the day the remaining 3 digit number. So you need to know the decade the firearm was made in to use this number

In more recent years they just print the date on the box

27 Man · Mar 12, 2016

I recently bought a, heaven forbid, Glock 19 Gen 4. Date of manufacture is 1-4-16. No fired case provided.

Florida J Frame · Mar 12, 2016

None with my Glock 42 either

MajorD · Mar 12, 2016

As far as I know Maryland and New York were the only states with the fired case requirement and both have discontinued the requirement so there is no need for the gun companies to go to the trouble expense of the practice

GetGunz · Mar 12, 2016

Probably because Maryland Gun Fingerprint failed:

Millions of dollars later, Maryland has officially decided that its 15-year effort to store and catalog the "fingerprints" of thousands of handguns was a failure.

Since 2000, the state required that gun manufacturers fire every handgun to be sold here and send the spent bullet casing to authorities. The idea was to build a database of "ballistic fingerprints" to help solve future crimes.

But the system — plagued by technological problems — never solved a single case. Now the hundreds of thousands of accumulated casings could be sold for scrap.

gman51 · Mar 12, 2016

I recently bought a new 627-5 Pro and an SW22 and neither had a test casing.

drifterdon · Mar 12, 2016

I just picked up a new Model 60 Pro series yesterday and there was no casing with it.

sdh91 · Mar 12, 2016

Purchased a new SD40VE a month ago. No casing

scruffy · Mar 13, 2016

colt_saa said:
Since Smith and Wesson started using computer printed label in the 1980s, 98%+ of the time the date of manufacture as been printed on box.

It is the 4 digit number under the heading "SPEC ORD"

It is in Julian format, the last digit of the year and the day the remaining 3 digit number. So you need to know the decade the firearm was made in to use this number

In more recent years they just print the date on the box

Thanks. Never heard of this. I only have 2 6 digit numbers printed on the label (other than SKU, serial # etc). It's 111315 and 22118. This is a new gun recently delivered to an LGS. Does that indicate a date?? I can't make sense out of it.

Muss Muggins · Mar 13, 2016

GetGunz said:
Probably because Maryland Gun Fingerprint failed:

Millions of dollars later, Maryland has officially decided that its 15-year effort to store and catalog the "fingerprints" of thousands of handguns was a failure.

Since 2000, the state required that gun manufacturers fire every handgun to be sold here and send the spent bullet casing to authorities. The idea was to build a database of "ballistic fingerprints" to help solve future crimes.

But the system — plagued by technological problems — never solved a single case. Now the hundreds of thousands of accumulated casings could be sold for scrap.

I understand the rationale that resulted in sending the fired case to the government. Why were they required to send it with the firearm to the end user?

colt_saa · Mar 13, 2016

scruffy said:
Thanks. Never heard of this. I only have 2 6 digit numbers printed on the label (other than SKU, serial # etc). It's 111315 and 22118. This is a new gun recently delivered to an LGS. Does that indicate a date?? I can't make sense out of it.

Yes, your firearm was manufactured on 11/13/15

colt_saa · Mar 13, 2016

Muss Muggins said:
I understand the rationale that resulted in sending the fired case to the government. Why were they required to send it with the firearm to the end user?

How would Smith and Wesson know what State Government to send the case to? Only 3 or 4 States ever required this. How would the State know who the firearm owner is? What if the original receiving dealer sends the firearm to an FFL in another State? What would the other 46+ States do with all the casings they received?

By including it with the firearm, if the purchase occurred in one of the restrictive States the case gets sent to the State once the firearm is purchased in conformance with that particular State's laws

The only end users that should have received the casing are those in States that did not require it to be turned in to the Government

Dan Christopher · Mar 13, 2016

FWIW, in the past two weeks I have made two purchases, both NIB.

A Ruger SR1911 CMD and an S&W 500 with 4" barrel. Neither came with a shell casing. I thought it was strange, too.

Muss Muggins · Mar 13, 2016

colt_saa said:
How would Smith and Wesson know what State Government to send the case to? Only 3 or 4 States ever required this. How would the State know who the firearm owner is? What if the original receiving dealer sends the firearm to an FFL in another State? What would the other 46+ States do with all the casings they received?

By including it with the firearm, if the purchase occurred in one of the restrictive States the case gets sent to the State once the firearm is purchased in conformance with that particular State's laws

The only end users that should have received the casing are those in States that did not require it to be turned in to the Government

Another reason I like living in Missouri . . .

vt_shooter · Mar 13, 2016

I'd guess that the distributors that ship a lot of guns to the states that require a spent casing simply order all their handguns with the spent casing so it won't be an issue for them. All the new handguns I buy in VT come with a spent casing even though it's not required.

Did S&W stop sending test shell casings?

Member

US Veteran

Member

Member

Member

Member

SWCA Member

US Veteran

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

Member

US Veteran

Similar threads