Model 37 ND Conundrum

[Pizza Bob]

A friend recently acquired a Model 37ND RB with a 3" barrel. The serial number is: J852XXX. That serial indicates 1981 production and that date is confirmed by the original reciept for the gun dated 1981.

The SCSW 4th Ed. has only two product numbers listed for 3" 37's - one for the SB and one for the RB. The RB number is: 101605. Both three inch variations are listed as being produced from 1984 - 1986 (still within the ND timeline) which is three years before this one came on the scene.

I know that, with S&W, there often is no explanation for the way serial numbers and production dates correlate, but wondered about others with 3" 37's. Kernel, you have anything in your database?

Thanks for any input.

Adios,

Pizza Bob

 

[Cal44]

I think you may have read the catalog wrong.

In my (latest version) of the catalog, there were three inch versions from the 1950's to the late 1980's.

I have a 3" Model 37 that dates to 1978. It's a ND, pinned, with square butt.

The grip on mine is not original. The gun came to me with a Pachmayr grip.

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

S&W didn't completely embrace the modern 6-digit product code until about 1984. Before that it's use, on box labels, was spotty at best. It was never used with the old style two piece box.

This makes it hard to speculate what a gun's product code might of been, when it's very likely it hadn't been given one when it left the factory. Perhaps S&W used product codes internally, kept them to theirselves, and they chose not to disclose those numbers until they did.