M36 no flat latch date of shipping

[fourb20]

Just obtained a M-36 no dash, pinned barrel and a flat latch, s/n 39614x. First flat latch I've owned and wondering date of shipping and when did S&W stop using the flat latch. Thanks.

 

[RSinOR]

This might be of some help to you. 1962 saw the start of serial numbers beginning with 295000, then the SCSW #4 skips to 1969 with serial numbers starting with 786544. I would suspect a call to S&W Customer Service could get you real close to a ship date. Hang around, the experts should be along soon and pin it down even closer to you.

S&W discontinued the flat latch in 1966.

 

[Bumpus13]

295000 (1962)
786544 (1969)

Yours is between there. Best I can find.


Edit: Housepuss must've been hitting reply while I was still looking it up.

 

[murphydog]

The very first model 60s (numbered in the same series as the model 36) were in the early 400,000s in 1965, so your model 36 was likely produced that year. It may have shipped (sold) that year also. Enjoy!

 

[Absalom]

Indeed. A serial 3966xx shows as shipped 9/1965, so this serial range was made that year and most likely shipped too.

 

[fourb20]

I have older smiths that are not flat latches, why does the m-36 have one?

 

[two-bit cowboy]

Two on my list that bracket yours are:

394818 -- shipped June '65

&

396602 -- shipped September '65

S&W launched the Chiefs Special in 1950. The earliest ones had the old style thumbpiece, then somewhere within the first 100 came the first flat latch thumbpiece. The flat latches evolved with differing numbers of ridges and slopes till, as S&W historian Roy Jinks said, S&W incorporated a change to replace the flat latch thumbpiece with the original style thumbpiece on February 11, 1966.

S&W only used the flat latches on I and J-frames (one exception is the K-frame Airweight -- with S&W there seems always to be an exception).

Let's see photos of yours, please.