Help me date this M 1905

[mcpilot]

Hey there folks..

I just picked up a M1905 HE that has been re-blued and has new grips on it.. I got it as a "shooter" it is chambered in .32 WCF...

The serial number is: 129227

Your help appreciated. I have seen the tread on serial numbers and it mentions pre-war "N" frames but this is the precursor to the "K" right?

 

[Muley Gil]

Welcome to the Forum.

The .32-20 revolvers were all built on the K frame and in their own serial number range. SNs went from 1 to 144xxx. They were listed in the S&W catalog from 1899 to about 1940, but demand dried up to a trickle after WW I. Most of the later ones were built in the 1920s, but may not have been shipped until much later.

Pictures would help. Check this thread as well:

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-hand-ejectors-1896-1961/160682-32-20-hand-ejector-thread.html

 

[JP@AK]

Well, it isn't a "precursor" to the K frame. It is a K frame. It is the same frame used for the .38 Military & Police revolver, beginning in 1899.

The .32 Winchester/.32 W.C.F./.32-20 version was produced concurrently with the .38 Special version until 1930, when production ceased. It remained in the catalog until 1940. The highest serial number was 144684, but shipping dates are difficult to guess, since sales were very slow. There are known examples with numbers in the 14xxxx range that shipped in the early 1930s and lower numbers that shipped in the late 1930s.

Your serial number would seem to indicate production in the second half of the 1920s, but the barrel legend tends to say otherwise. The 32 W.C.F. CTG roll stamp probably stopped in about 1922. After that, the barrels were marked 32-20 CTG.

Short of a letter, it's tough to say when your revolver left the factory. But one that is refinished probably does not warrant the $50 cost of an authentication letter. So, you should probably settle for knowing you have a .32-20 Hand Ejector that shipped sometime in the 1920s.

 

[JP@AK]

Muley Gil types faster than I do. Or else he doesn't sit here and read his post 5 times before he clicks on "submit." In any case, I'm slow.
But between us, you got some useful info.
Cheers.

 

[Muley Gil]

Muley Gil types faster than I do. Or else he doesn't sit here and read his post 5 times before he clicks on "submit." In any case, I'm slow.
But between us, you got some useful info.
Cheers.

I'm up to 40 mistakes per minute now.

 

[DWalt]

If it has a "Made in USA" stamping near the right front of the frame, it would indicate it was made after mid-1922. As stated, M&Ps in .32-20 were not very popular, and were greatly outsold by those chambered in .38 Special. They were cataloged and sold from inventory up to 1940, but by 1930, production had stopped. And it is a K frame.