Questions - Houlton ME vs Springfield, MA

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Can someone provide more information on the Houlton Maine dates and differences from earlier and later Springfield, MA pistols?

I can document (at least based on responses from SW Date requests) 5946 pistols as early as 2010 (UCF s/n) and as late as 2016 (UCY s/n) from Houlton ME, plus a 5946 UCU from 2013 and 3914DAO UCT and UCU (2012) and UCV (2013), plus a 3953TSW UCV from 2013.

I dont have info on the 2010 pistol, but all the others had S/N indented on right side of frame.

I can also document 2 3914DAO UCZ series marked Springfield, MA with S/N on right but NO indention. These date from 2015 and 2017. I own one of these NOS in a box marked NYPD with a UCZ6xxx S/N that SW dates to 10/30/2017.

Today I find that there were 3914DAO marked Springfield, MA with S/N indentation and a UCW s/n with only 2 numbers.

Question 1 - I had never seen indented S/N on frames marked Springfield, MA and was wondering if the indented S/N on Springfield pistols was common?

Question 2 - What were dates that pistols were made in Holton, ME - It appears 2010-2016 - then transitioned back to Springfield 2015-2017?

Question 3 - Are Houlton S/N unique - Based on a very limited sampling it appears that UCF, UCT, UCU, UCV, and UCY pistols from Houlton ME exist, but UCW and later UCZ are marked Springfield, MA

Question 4 - What other differences are known between the Houlton pistols and the Springfield pistols.

Question 5 - Can anyone document when the last 3rd generation pistols were made - I had thought it was 2015 until SW came back 2017 on my 3914DAO?

Best, Ed
 

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3914DAO NYPD UCZ 6209 Springfield, MA Date code 110615 (2015?) S/N not indented - not mine - taken from GB listing
 

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That would seem to be the mfg date.. I requested a letter..Check was cashed last week. Hopefully the turn around is faster than reported.
 
As to question 2, that's about the right sequence. I remember talking with a S&W distributor around 2014, who at that time said they were unsure if they would ever get another shipment of new 3d Gens because the Houlton pistol assembly operation was downsized and the equipment was being moved back to Springfield.

I would guess that they never fully restarted the assembly line and the later Springfield pistols were simply finishing the remaining works in progress when they moved, hence the different style serial number marking.
 
BLUEDOT37 said:
If you're referring to mine the last two digits were Photoshop'd out. UCW16xx

And you didn't ask, but mine was made in Jun-2015.

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Click to expand...
Good job photoshopping - I could not tell. I have seen a couple of Springfield guns with only 3 digits so I assumed incorrectly yours had only 2.

As for June 2015, 2015 seems to be the transition point back to Springfield. I have seen Houlton Maine 3914DAOs from 2012 and a 3953TSW and 5946 from 2013.

Nothing from 2014, and yours and 2 other Springfield 3914DAO from 2015 plus mine from 2017 according to SW.

I suspect as others have pointed out that the later Springfield pistols were in limited numbers mostly using existing parts rather than new manufacture.
Best, Ed
 
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