Model 63

[black1970]

Walked into a gun store/firing range last Thursday just killing time and looked into the used gun case and there among the Tupperware stuff was a pristine Model 63 no dash. Needless to say it came home with me.
Specs:
Serial M209xxx
.125 wide front sight
No dash
Serrated trigger
Non pinned barrel
This may be a little odd being because a no dash was supposed to be a pinned barrel. Can someone chime in and explain. Thanks in advance.

 

[Stevens]

A couple of years ago I bought a new Mod. 63 it is a dash 5. It does not have a pinned barrel. I haven't shot it a lot but usually pocket carry it, 3" barrel, when walking along the swamp or fishing. Nice gun, mostly rust free good for our hot sweaty summers!
Steve W

 

[rockquarry]

Walked into a gun store/firing range last Thursday just killing time and looked into the used gun case and there among the Tupperware stuff was a pristine Model 63 no dash. Needless to say it came home with me.
Specs:
Serial M209xxx
.125 wide front sight
No dash
Serrated trigger
Non pinned barrel
This may be a little odd being because a no dash was supposed to be a pinned barrel. Can someone chime in and explain. Thanks in advance.

Maybe the gun was built around the time of the transition from pinned to non-pinned. I'm not a collector, but it would seem there would be very few absolutes with matters like this.

 

[Engine49guy]

Rule #1 with S&W is:
There are no rules with S&W.
Usually a revision change denotes a part has been changed from the previous revision.
You find transitional 27-2's and 19-4's that have the barrel set pin deleted but still have recessed cylinders because no part was changed, once the non recessed cylinder was installed those guns got the new revision.

Since all J frame .22's are recessed it makes sense that the barrel set pin delete wasn't enough to warrant a revision change as no parts changed but oddly the SCSW says the 63-1 revision supposedly denotes the pin delete in 1982.

Stranger yet the blued version (Model 34) does NOT advance its revision for the pin delete , The 34-1 denotes the change to the then new J frame in1960 and the 34-2 denotes the change to the new yoke retention screw in 1988.

Also consider that the snub version of the Model 63 got a different revision (63-2) although the snub model 34 and K frames did not receive revision changes.

In other words see Rule #1 above !

Ps, Model 63's are great fun and great trainers enjoy !

 

[ColbyBruce]

I own a S&W 63 that is not pinned. Mine was thrown from a moving vehicle. The factory technicians fixed it up for me.

 

[glenwolde]

Mine is pinned....Serial # M134XXX. I bought mine new in 1980 from a small retail gun store. I don't know the ship date. You have to keep in mind that things were different back then. Inventory didn't turn over as fast as it does today I think.

 

[Bhfromme]

I had the exact same thing happen to me last year. Or maybe it was earlier this year. My 63 has no dash on the yoke yet I learned after buying it that it's actually a dash one from 1988. But you know what, it matters not because to this day it remains one of my favorite shooters. Love my 4" Model 63!

 

[double-dipper]

My guess would be it was mismarked at the mothership. I thought all no dash 63's were pinned but, I could be wrong.

A few months ago some guy posted what he thought was the ONLY 66 no dash, full lug in the world. It was a mismarked 686.

 

[Birdhunter6]

My no dash serials to '82 and is not pinned, so that makes sense.

Transitional? Frame stamped no dash before the no pin change?

My 81' 13-2 is recessed but not pinned! Go figure.

As stated above, with S&W anything's possible.

 

[glenwolde]

I had the exact same thing happen to me last year. Or maybe it was earlier this year. My 63 has no dash on the yoke yet I learned after buying it that it's actually a dash one from 1988. But you know what, it matters not because to this day it remains one of my favorite shooters. Love my 4" Model 63!

I never considered that the so-called "transition" models I read about here might just be improperly marked. Huh. How did you find this out?

 

[Engine49guy]

Just pulled my non pinned 4" 63-1 and my snub Lew Horton run 63-2 and both
are stamped Mod 63 with no dash revision.

 

[black1970]

If I may ask. When was the serrated trigger replaced by the smooth combat on the 63?

 

[Hondo44]

The Model 63 dash 1 change of deleting the pinned barrel was ordered in 1982.

When would the -1 stamped frames and/or unpinned barrels/frames be expected to show up? Anytime from after 1981 and on, but not regularly until the drilled barrels and/or frames only stamped Mod 63 (no dash) were used up and newer frames (if any) stamped Mod 63-1 began to be assembled.

Were any newer frames actually stamped 63-1 prior to the order for the Mod 63-2 frame stamping? We'll only know when and if we see a Mod 63-1 stamped frame.

A mystery? Not at all. Actually only a curiosity about an absolutely routine happenstance of S&W production.

Is that not a criticism of S&W? Not at all, just a statement of reality about minutia only us collectors care about!

Trigger:

The narrow grooved .265" triggers were standard.

The optional J frame .400” Grooved/.335” grooved & smooth target triggers were no longer offered 1984-89. (Also the .500”/.400” K, L & N frame grooved and smooth triggers).

1986 - New smooth forged combat trigger became standard: .312” on J frame. (Also the .312 - .320” K, L & N, including MIM triggers, and in 2003 MIM .340” X frame trigger).

 

[Bhfromme]

I never considered that the so-called "transition" models I read about here might just be improperly marked. Huh. How did you find this out?

It was here on the forum. I'll look for the thread.

 

[Engine49guy]

That dash 1 revision is weird but interesting.
Usually in the models made right around the time the order came down to stop pinning the barrel you will find that if you removed the barrel it will have a slot cut for the set pin. Doesn't make a difference in an unpinned gun if the slot is cut.
That's the odd thing as there are no parts difference .