S&W Revolver Id Help!

[Jouks]

Trying to ID a S&W revolver. Have read the sticky and attached the needed info as accurately as I could, some just don't make sense to me (that doesn't mean very much!) Thanks for any help in advance, I called the company but they couldn't give me really anything which I found odd. I can only attach one picture, not sure what I'm doing wrong, sorry...

Info:

Hand Ejector with no model # on yoke, just mirrored # which isn't needed

Serial number - 18401 (butt) 18401 (cylinder) 18401 (barrel)
There is no letter in front or part of S/N anywhere.


22 long rifle CTG is stamped on right side of barrel

Barrel is 4 in. Long

Adjustable sight with flathead screw in right side, front of sight and left side nut? Screw head? Not sure on left side.

I count 3 screws total following picture from ID Sticky. Larger flathead between hammer and cylinder, 1/2 in below right side sight screw, this is upper part of gun. Directly below large screw roughly 1 3/4in., between trigger and butt, small flathead screw. Between cylinder and trigger/trigger guard, below cylinder, above and forward of trigger, behind made in USA writing is small screw that is same size as previous small screw. There is no 4th screw in front of trigger guard, this is all the screws I can find.

If there is any other info I can provide please let me know and I'll do my best as fast as possible! Just curious what model, date made and shipped and how it got into my family and where! Anythjnv pasf that is a bonus and greatly appreciated and welcome!

 

[DWalt]

It's a .22/32 Kit Gun Model of 1953, later to become the Model 34. The closest SN to yours I have listed is 193xx which shipped in 9/1956.

 

[JP@AK]

Interesting. A Model of 1953 Kit Gun with an 18,000 serial number and it still has the fourth screw. I'd like to know what Jim has to say about this. By that serial number I would have expected a three screw frame. But I'm a long way from an expert on the I frames.

 

[Hondo44]

Welcome to the forum.

As DWalt and JP@AK posted you have a Model of 1953 .22/32 Kit Gun built on the New I frame with 4 screws (one under the grip), and the round butt option.

The serial #s with verified shipping dates in my database indicate it likely shipped in the 3rd quarter of 1956.

Although models with only 3 screw side plates (top screw on New I & New J frames, ordered deleted by engineering change dated 12/13/55) makes it's appearance as early as #153XX, we still see 4 screw side plate models like yours as late as #25597 shipped Nov 1956.

This only verifies once again that serial # stamping was not in sync with engineering changes, and serial #s are only generally in sync with shipping dates. In this case we see that there was about a year long change transition period between 4 screw models and 3 screw models.

I hope you shoot and enjoy it!