“B” serial number on a 45 Cal. Model 1950

[MarkHayden]

I bought a S&W revolver marked as a “45 Cal. Model 1950” today at a LGS. The serial numbers (B576xx) was present on the frame, cylinder, and barrel. I’d not seen a “B” serial number before, but I thought I’d look it up in the SCSW when I got home.

Wrong! A “B” prefix is not listed in the book, the pre-Model 22 section lists only “S” numbers. Another issue is the cylinder serial number stamping. The serial number is stamped as a single digit between each cylinder bore. This is another new one on me!

Any help in identifying my purchase will be greatly appreciated.

Mark

 

[22hipower]

How about some pictures of the roll marks/stamps on the barrel and any on the grip frame. As you note, that SN makes no sense at all for a 1950 45 Cal (ACP I presume) revolver. Also pictures of the side plate, the whole gun really.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

 

[bullmack]

Is it a given that the "B" is part of the serial number?

 

[murphydog]

The bottom of the grip frame appears to have milled, and presumably the original serial number with it.

As a pre-model stamped gun, I would not be at all surprised if someone stamped the assembly number and a letter code from the side of the grip frame or yoke recess on the grip frame, thinking it was the serial number.

 

[Hawg Rider]

Very interesting! At first I thought the "B" would be stamped in those locations to indicate that it was a blued revolver, but something doesn't look right- particularly with the cylinder s/n stamps. Perhaps there was some non-factory gunsmithing associated with your Model of 1950.

 

[H Richard]

The "B" listed on the barrel is to designate the gun is "Blued", It is not a part of the S/N. It is a common mark for many many years on all Blued S&W's.

 

[Shark Bait]

That is not how S&W put serial numbers on the cylinder either. It appears to be non-S&W work of some kind.

 

[MarkHayden]

Lesson learned the hard way. Thank you for your replies to my stupid question. The packagers may have put the wrong gun in a box, but the assemblers would’ve have put the wrong serial on a gun in three places.MARK

 

[weatherby]

I'd like to see more pictures of the gun Mark.
I find different interesting

 

[Muley Gil]

The "B" listed on the barrel is to designate the gun is "Blued", It is not a part of the S/N. It is a common mark for many many years on all Blued S&W's.

The "B" serial number prefix found on the underside of the barrel was the pre-WW II way of marking a blue finish revolver. The default finish was nickel. Post-WW II, blued revolvers were not marked & nickel revolvers received a large "N" stamp.

I believe ALL of the numbers shown on this revolver are non-factory.

 

[Tom K]

The "B" serial number prefix found on the underside of the barrel was the pre-WW II way of marking a blue finish revolver. The default finish was nickel. Post-WW II, blued revolvers were not marked & nickel revolvers received a large "N" stamp.

I believe ALL of the numbers shown on this revolver are non-factory.

I agree with Gil on this. However, there are a couple of more places that the original serial number would have been stamped (assuming that this is in fact a Model of 1950).

The original number should have also been stamped on the backside of the ejector star, like this:

And it should also be stamped on the backside of the cylinder yoke. You need to align one chamber with the yoke and shine a strong light down it. If the number is there it may be filled with crud from firing and be hard to see. You may even need to remove the cylinder from the yoke to see it well.

My example pictures are from two different guns and are for illustration purposes only. Neither one of these places is an "official" serial number (since they are replaceable parts), but could still indicate what the original number was. And I too would like to see more pictures of this gun, including the whole thing.

 

[4K2022]

Lesson learned the hard way. Thank you for your replies to my stupid question. The packagers may have put the wrong gun in a box, but the assemblers would’ve have put the wrong serial on a gun in three places.MARK

This is an interesting dilemma far from a st***d question. I agree with Tom K,, and believe verifying the numbers he has described will help answer (maybe) a few questions.

 

[Alk8944]

Probably repetitious because I just skimmed the other replies, but the simple and obvious answer is the serial number had been removed from this gun for some, probably nefarious, reason. Then someone re-stamped the number from the barrel flat, including the B, on the butt at some later time. The gun was likely stolen at one time!

I do have to say that whoever re-stamped the butt did an excellent job, far more carefully done than usually seen than even the factory did at times. The font wasn't correct, it simply "doesn't look right".

 

[weatherby]

This is an interesting dilemma far from a st***d question. I agree with Tom K,, and believe verifying the numbers he has described will help answer (maybe) a few questions.

Or raise more. .lol
What would we think if they matched ?

 

[handejector]

Quite simple, really-
Whoever stamped those numbers quite thoughtfully included the Bs so we would know they are BOGUS.

 

[murphydog]

An original model of 1950 .45 Army would not have had a serial number of 57668. Either it is the assembly number mistaken for the serial number (other guns have the SN in the yoke recess), or someone swapped a 1917 Army barrel onto it, then restamped the number (unlikely).

OP - is the assembly number 57668?

 

[MarkHayden]

Here are some more photos of the gun, whatever it my be. The assembly number is 8314, and there no numbers inside the extractor or crane (yolk?).

Thank you all for your comments. I thought about a letter, but then a letter is based on a serial number; waste of $75.

Handejector, you are right once again. BOGUS!

 

[22hipower]

Well, it's definitely a 1950 Military (Army, pre-22). The SN is certainly a mystery and one to which there likely will never be an answer, but since it does have an SN I don't think I would worry about its legality. It's a pretty scarce gun so if it were mine I'd hang on to it and see that it gets a little range time occasionally. Those target stocks have some value too.

Here's what it looked like when it left the factory.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

https://flic.kr/p/2qrumK3 https://www.flickr.com/photos/194934231@N03/