Birthday, Please.

[Cyrano]

38 Special Hand Ejector, Military & Police, Serial Number 631042. Can anyone tell me when it left the factory? SCSW says between 1915 and 1942 which is a pretty large bracket.

 

[opoefc]

No 630133 left in July 1931. No. 631039 left S&W in Oct. 1931. No. 631929 left in July 1931. S&W did not ship guns in serial number sequence, as the shipping vault operated on the "last in-first out" system. Your gun, No. 631042, could have left in 1931, as did the three cited, however only a factory historical letter will tell you the exact date. Ed.

 

[Cyrano]

Thanks, Ed. Just what I wanted to know. Year of shipping is sufficient.

 

[DWalt]

1931 may well not be the actual year of shipping. During the Depression, finished guns and frames could have resided in factory inventory for extended time periods, even years, as sales were very slow during this time. If an accurate shipping date is required, the only way to be sure is to buy a factory letter.