Model 651 Spec Ord date of mfg/shipping

[RAMS]

The box for my no dash, 4" 651 Square Butt has the Spec Ord number 6218. I was under the impression that, with respect to Models produced in both the eighties and nineties, Spec Ord no. 6218 should be translated as the 218th day of either 1986 or 1996.

After I could not find my serial no. (ABD32XX) in the Standard Catalog, 3rd Edition, to identify the correct decade, I called S&W CS and was told the year was 1983, which sounds correct.

So, has my understanding of Spec Ord numbers been wrong?

 

[22hipower]

You're translating the julian date the same way I would, 218th day of 1986. However, as the S&W folks told you the 4th edition of the Standard Catalog shows ABD prefix as 1983. If the Spec Ord number is reflecting the ship date and ABD is manufacture timeframe I guess both dates could be correct. . .although I thought the special order date was manufacture not ship.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

 

[colt_saa]

Ever since switching to computer generated labels, about 95%+ of the time, the SPEC ORD number is the date of manufacture.

At least one of the known circumstances when the SPEC ORD number is not the date, is when the word SPECIAL appears under features. There are other times as well, but we have not found the pattern to explain them yet.

For the SPEC ORD number to be the shipping date would require the label being printed after it was sold to a Distributor. The work to label boxes individually would be astronomical. No Modern Manufacturing process would work that way.

 

[RAMS]

Thanks, guys.

There is nothing on my box under Features, but here is something I don't recall seeing before: under Model No. there is of course the model no. 651, but directly above and associated with Model No. there is the number 917.

Something else: the Product Code is 103902 which according to the 3rd Edition belongs to 651s produced in 1984 to 1992--one year after my supposedly 1983 revolver.

Perhaps the Russians are interfering?