Help with oddball 4 screw snubby

[Lizardberry]

Hi all. I have a 4 screw pre model 10. C prefix serial number on the butt. Matching serial numbers on cylinder and under barrel. The odd thing is the front sight. It has a ramp front sight like a model 10 instead of the half-moon sight I see on all other 2" pre model 10s. I have even found later serial numbers than mine with the half-moon front sight. I am guessing it is around a 1956 gun. Has anyone else ever seen a pre model 10 snubby with a ramp sight?

 

[Kansasgunner]

Hi OP,
Nice M&P. In your second photo there appears to be a diamond stamped there. If that's what I'm seeing it is possibly a factory rebarrel. Have you pulled the grips? You may find a service date stamped on the left side of the frame, like 8 67, which would indicate August 1967. If you find some numbers on the frame please post more photos.

 

[JP@AK]

Very possibly a factory replaced barrel. As Tim wrote, check the left side of the grip frame near the toe for a date stamp.

C350000 numbered guns were shipping in 1956, so you are about right on the date.

I will point out, however, that there doesn't seem to be a fixed date when the ramp sight starts to show up. But most of the 2" examples that I have noted from the mid fifties did still have the half moon.

 

[Retired W4]

I enlarged that photo and I believe that is a diamond as well. I can't tell what the mark to the left is though. Possibly an S.

 

[Lizardberry]

Under the grips

Thanks for all of the responses. Yeah, I would say that is a diamond on the underside of the barrel. I can't tell if that is an 'S' or an '8' or '3' next to it. Here is the grip frame. So, does this mean it was re-barreled at the factory on 10/77? That is something I had not encountered before. It also has an R-S stamp, so was it factory refinished at the same time? I never would have thought it had been refinished. Every marking is crisp and sharp. But if it was refinished, Smith and Wesson did an outstanding job. Thanks for the info.

 

[heater1]

In addition to a possible barrel replacement I believe the revolver was also refinished in standard blue hence the R-S marking.

 

[Lizardberry]

Thanks. I was busy editing my post when you posted this. So now it mentions the re-blue.

 

[PeteC]

I have similar return stamps on one of my guns. Also determined here to have been returned to the factory for work, in my case 1975... S followed by a diamond, R-S and a date stamp on the grip frame. Posted here before, but included for reference.