Could be a dumb question, I'm just curious. Does S&W roll out a while line of 'new' dash number firearms simultaneously? Or just a few models at a time? Is there any kind of a time-table or do they just introduce them as they see fit according to the upgrades or modifications they decide to implement? Curious mostly about the next dash #29's / 629's mostly, but wondering how the whole 'roll-out' of new stuff works and when it can be expected to happen.

It's clear you need a copy of the "Standard Catalog of Smith&Wesson" 4th Edition is coming soon!!!!!!

The dash numbers come into play / change when they make a change in the design somewhere.

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1st smiles,lies.Last,gunfire.

New dash numbers are added for engineering changes per model number.

But not for different features of these models.

Change coming.. dunno...

A - just means there was a design changes. Could be anything even minute stuff

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An engineering change (- number) indicates that the change would require different parts for work/repair.

For Example, changing from a case colored hammer/trigger to a flash chromed hammer/trigger would not increment the engineering revision number.

However going from a right hand thread to a left hand thread on a component part would increment the engineering revision number

I don't believe there is any specified timetable for new "dash's".

If you look at the history of the model 29 you will see some "dash's" were manufactured for around 1 year (29-1 1960), while other variants were manufactured for decades (29-2 1961 to 1982).

Hope and change. Or maybe not.

I see. In the meantime then, you wait for the newest edition "standard catalogue" to see what is afoot. One last question - if the model 29 & 629 are essentially the same gun in just Blued carbon or Stainless, why is the 29 on its 10th generation and the 629 on its sixth? Was the 629 introduced 4 generations after the first 29? That would seem the simple answer.

Yes
and 10.