New member and new Pre-10

[bobsav21]

I just came across a M&P Pre-10.
Serial # C 2725xx, the person I bought it from say's it was purchased by a family member new in 1952.
Can anybody corroborate that serial # with that date ?

Thanks Bob
NRA Life member

 

[DocB]

C182000 was made in 1951. . .more or less. I would say there is a good chance your gun could have hit the market in 1952. Some of the experts with lettered guns close to your gun will probably give you better and more specific information than I can.

 

[Breakaway500]

Photos please..

 

[DWalt]

The closest SN I have listed is C2683xx shipping in 12/53. Yours should be close. I also list another with a slightly lower SN which shipped in 1/54. I think 1952 is a bit too soon for that one.

 

[LEO918]

Welcome to the Smith & Wesson Forum from Arizona.

 

[bobsav21]

Will try

Photos please..

Will try, but cameras and me dont get along all that well.

 

[bobsav21]

" lettered" guns

C182000 was made in 1951. . .more or less. I would say there is a good chance your gun could have hit the market in 1952. Some of the experts with lettered guns close to your gun will probably give you better and more specific information than I can.

Could someone tell me what this " letter thing " is ?

 

[Targets Guy]

3rd edition of the catalog says 1953 s/n's ranged from

C226004 - C277554.

 

[Targets Guy]

....and welcome to the forum.

you should have an upper side plate screw and a ramp front sight.

 

[bobsav21]

OK

3rd edition of the catalog says 1953 s/n's ranged from

C226004 - C277554.

Well than I guess 1953 is the answer I was looking for.
Thanks.
BTW what is this " catalog " that your referred to ?

 

[Targets Guy]

post images

This is a 1950 Pre-10; notice it has the round front sight.

 

[JSR III]

Bob, welcome to the forum.

The .38 M&P models using the C prefix were produced from 1948 to 1967 using a range of C1 to C999999. After that they were assigned the D prefix.

Hard to know exactly when C2683XX shipped and the only sure way is to request a factory letter. S&W firearms did not ship in serial number order and consecutive serial numbers can be as many as 10 years apart. The best that we can do is look for guns with a close number and make a WAG that your gun shipped somewhere nearby.

I own C 237356 that shipped in January of 1954 so I would put yours somewhere around March or April. Again, only a WAG but its as close as we can get without a check of factory records.

 

[Targets Guy]

Well than I guess 1953 is the answer I was looking for.
Thanks.
BTW what is this " catalog " that your referred to ?

The Standard Catalog Smith & Wesson. The 3rd edition just got supplanted by the 4th edition. You can get the Kindle version of the third edition free at Amazon.

 

[bobsav21]

Here's my photo try

M&P Pre-10

That scratch on the left is is barley visible, dont know why it looks so bad in the photo.

 

[Targets Guy]

That's a nice one. Five screw fits for a 53

 

[DWalt]

Well than I guess 1953 is the answer I was looking for.
Thanks.
BTW what is this " catalog " that your referred to ?

That SN range (C226004 - C277554) is for manufacture, not shipping date - two different things. Shipping can occur months to years after manufacture. Yours was probably made in late 1953, but very likely did not leave the factory until sometime in 1954, and by the look of what I see on my list, late in 1954. If you want to pay $75 for a letter, you can determine the shipping date precisely. Look on Amazon for Standard Catalog of S&W (SCSW). S&W K-frames have different series for different manufacturing periods, beginning with the V-series in WWII, followed by the S-series, the C-series, and the D-series. No letter prefixes were used prior to the V(Victory)-series (the first million made).

 

[bobsav21]

WOW

All I can say is WOW.
So much info in like 15 minutes you guy's are good.
Glad I found this place hope to learn a lot.

 

[stu1ritter]

Targets Guy, THANK YOU for pointing out that the SCSW is available for Kindle for free for Prime Amazon users and it is now the 4th edition that is downloading. What a treat to be able to carry it around on my phone. Thanks again.

Stu

 

[OLDSTER]

Welcome to the forum from North Dakota

 

[Jack Flash]

I just came across a M&P Pre-10.
Serial # C 2725xx, the person I bought it from say's it was purchased by a family member new in 1952. ...

Family stories often get a little garbled, "enhanced", etc. It's easy to imagine that what's now remembered as '52 was actually later, maybe much later. Someone who was old enough to buy guns in 1952 is a senior citizen now, hopefully anyways!