Identify Year Made
- Thread starter gpascott
- Start date
FifthWheel
US Veteran
Here's my 5" nickel.
opoefc
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
Serial # 138989 shipped in March 1927, Serial # 140911 was shipped Mar. 1931, Serial # 142111 shipped in June 1929, Ser. # 142578 shipped Sep 16, 1929. As you can see, serial number sequence and ship dates do not fall in line, however I would say your gun was probably a 1928-29 era made gun and if the stocks are original, they would probably be walnut checkered w/o medallions. Ed.
DWalt
Member
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2009
- Messages
- 36,645
- Reaction score
- 33,863
- City & State/Province
- South Texas & San Antonio
Your M&P is definitely from late in the production run. S&W stopped manufacturing .32-20s in the 1929-30 period, but they sold out of remaining inventory stock until WWII, so yours may well have shipped from the factory sometime in the 1930s. There is one known case of a .32-20 M&P shipping from the factory in 1965. The closest .32-20 M&P SN on my list to yours is 1413xx which shipped in 6/1929, so yours would have been made prior to that.
S&W M&Ps in .38 Special outsold those in .32-20 by a factor of about 4:1 during the period of .32-20 M&P manufacture, so they were not too popular with the public and were slow movers. While M&Ps in both calibers were essentially identical except for chambering, they were separately serial numbered. Colt's made several models of their revolvers chambered for the .32-20, but they also ceased production due to lack of demand by sometime in the mid-1930s.
As you may have discovered, .32-20 ammunition is somewhat expensive and difficult to find today, even though it is still loaded.
S&W M&Ps in .38 Special outsold those in .32-20 by a factor of about 4:1 during the period of .32-20 M&P manufacture, so they were not too popular with the public and were slow movers. While M&Ps in both calibers were essentially identical except for chambering, they were separately serial numbered. Colt's made several models of their revolvers chambered for the .32-20, but they also ceased production due to lack of demand by sometime in the mid-1930s.
As you may have discovered, .32-20 ammunition is somewhat expensive and difficult to find today, even though it is still loaded.
Last edited:
Thanks to all of you who replied. I have learned a lot about my grandfather's old 32-20 from just your few posts today. You all listed serial numbers and the dates they shipped. How did you get the dates when they shipped? Is that information that is available by serial number?
opoefc
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
gpascott, Members of the Smith & Wesson Collectors assoc. can obtain approx. shipping dates from Roy Jinks, Factory Historian, via this Forum. Plus, some members post the info. from the factory historical letters they have received from Mr. Jinks. You might wish to consider ordering a factory historical letter for your gun. It will tell you when, where and to whom the gun was shipped by S&W, and the configuration of the gun when shipped. Cost is $75. An application form for the letter is linked to this Forum, or you can call the factory customer service dep't for a form. Ed.
DWalt
Member
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2009
- Messages
- 36,645
- Reaction score
- 33,863
- City & State/Province
- South Texas & San Antonio
Be aware that the letter may be a little disappointing, as it basically will tell you only how the gun was configured when it shipped (finish, grip style, barrel length, and caliber), the date of shipment (not date of manufacture), and to where shipped, nearly always to some distributor or retailer. It will not provide any information about what happened to it after shipment from the factory.
