After reading some posts here about finding out when a certain pistol was made I followed what one memmber here did and e-mail S&W.

I asked when was my 645 made with ser# TBA25XX.

The answer came back in 1989!

I wrote back and said I thought S&W discontinued production in 1988?

His answer was no in 1989.

O.K. So all the research on line is wrong? I have not found anywhere where it states the 645 was discontinued in 1989...it all says 1988.

Can anybody give me an explaination for this?

as a side note I have a Colt Detective Special that the ser # comes back as made in 1978 yet it was first sold in 1995. I bought that from a fellow deputy in 1997 who bought it brand new in 1995...he gave me to orginal box and paperwork he had that showed it first sold to him in 1995.

Mine is "TBF" first three letters. It was made September 1987. Looks like yours might be the last batch they made before the third generation was released.

Someone told me it was a parts gun. I don't understand that concept since all firearms are put together with parts. I mean the parts are not made specifically for serial number XXXX firearm.

It may have been made in 1988, but not shipped out of the factory until 1989, which is most likely the date S&W would show in their records.

I know when I checked on one of my pistols, the date I was given was very specifically the SHIPPED date.

If it shipped in 1989, it would be covered by S&W's lifetime warranty, keep that in mind.

I didn't think of that...that's good to know.

I will assume that eventhough I am not the original owner the warranty still applies.

'89 was the shipping date. I have approximately 20 factory letters on S&W autos and revolvers. Roy Jinks always provides the date the handgun was shipped from the factory. That's because that's the date they keep on record.

HTH

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1st Signal Brigade, RVN '70