Pre Mod 29 with no "S" in Serial Number

[dsalamone]

Hi

I have a Pre 29 and it does not have the "S" in the serial I see so many people posting. It has the 6inch barrel and I have been told it is from 1955 or early 56. Getting ready to send the request for the letter but was hoping someone could shed some light on it before that

Serial looks like the below. It has the Serial number and then a number underneath that:

793xx
7

Thanks in advance!

 

[29aholic]

Looks like an assembly number . Take the grips off and look at the bottom of the grip frame

Sent from my SM-A102U using Tapatalk

 

[dsalamone]

Was in the process of doing that just now. looks like s\n S165804

 

[JP@AK]

dsalamone
Production units were not assembled until December, 1955, and very few of them then. So, it is highly unlikely yours is from 1955.

That said, there were a few in the S16xxxx range that shipped in the first six months of 1956. One close to yours was S165477 that shipped on March 28, 1956. Also, S166064 shipped on April 2, 1956. But they were not shipped in serial order, so yours may or may not have been a 1956 shipment. It seems likely but it isn't a certainty.

You should definitely get a letter on your revolver.

JP

 

[Jack Flash]

Just a minor point:
I don't have my book right here so from memory, I thought the .44 Magnum was offered with a 6-1/2 inch barrel. The six inch barrel wasn't an option till years later. Am I remembering wrong?

 

[DWalt]

I list several nearby pre-29 serial numbers which shipped in 4/56, and one which shipped in 8/56.

 

[hkcavalier]

Just a minor point:
I don't have my book right here so from memory, I thought the .44 Magnum was offered with a 6-1/2 inch barrel. The six inch barrel wasn't an option till years later. Am I remembering wrong?

Poster probably measured it to the frame.

 

[DWalt]

My information says the P-29s came with 4" or 6-1/2" barrels as standard, so OP probably measured only the length outside the frame.

 

[ken158]

Hi

I have a Pre 29 and it does not have the "S" in the serial I see so many people posting. It has the 6inch barrel and I have been told it is from 1955 or early 56. Getting ready to send the request for the letter but was hoping someone could shed some light on it before that

Serial looks like the below. It has the Serial number and then a number underneath that:

793xx
7

Thanks in advance!

Because that is not the serial number - look on the butt

 

[crsides]

What the posters above are alluding to is that you measure the bbl from the front of the cylinder to the end or the bbl.

 

[murphydog]

Welcome! Here is a reference for gun IDs:

To IDENTIFY your Gun >

And the letter application:

http://www.swhistoricalfoundation.com/swhf_letter.pdf

 

[mh51]

Have to agree with Jack.....using the serial number from the butt of the gun, you should definitely get a letter. Most likely its a very early one.

 

[Doc44]

Many 44 Magnums with a serial number in the S165000 range shipped in June and July 1956 with a few shipping in April and May. Your 44 Magnum has a 6 1/2-inch barrel measured from the face of the cylinder to the muzzle.

Bill

 

[Hondo44]

Welcome to the forum.

If you measured the entire barrel's length and it is a 6" barrel, it was changed. The # under the barrel in the shroud should match the serial #.

 

[The Gila Bender]

Production units were not assembled until December, 1955, and very few of them then.

That said, there were a few in the S16xxxx range that shipped in the first six months of 1956. You should definitely get a letter on your revolver.
JP

Agree, get a letter! I have serial S147233, shipped July 5, 1956 to Amarillo in a shipment of five units. It must have been an early production .44 Magnum that was in the back of the vault.

 

[m4user]

Pre-Model 29 w/4" barrel with s/n S153558 shipped in July 1957 (within days of my "ship date"). They certainly did NOT go out the door in order.

 

[29-1]

Pre-Model 29 w/4" barrel with s/n S153558 shipped in July 1957 (within days of my "ship date"). They certainly did NOT go out the door in order.

Yep, so true, S153912 shipped 12/14/1956. You have to get a letter to find out for certain.
Chuck