Shipped Date?

[self protection]

I dont understand why everyone talks about the date a gun was shipped and not the date it was made. When you buy a car you can tell from the VIN when it was made, but not shipped. So what gives?? SP

 

[wheelgun610]

I don't think anyone really understands it, but that's how the BATFE determnes the age of a gun. It's mainly important to know to determine whether or not a particular gun is eligible for C&R (Curio & Relic) status.

Welcome to the world of 'old' guns....

Mark

 

[Markcuda]

I was born in 58, but was made in 57
Hope that helps.

 

[Art Doc]

Guns or serialized frames may set in inventory for years and the factory didn't keep records of when guns were made, only when they shipped.

 

[diamonback68]

What Dr. Pig said. Cars are made in a given model year and shortly after they roll off the assembly line they must be shipped to dealers, whether they want them or not, where they may sit for a time until sold.
Guns or frames on the other hand are given numbers, but may sit in factory vaults for months or even a year before distributor orders (demand) cause them to be shipped. The BATFE doesn't care when it was made or how long it sit around, only when it was shipped to someone and then the paper trail starts. HTH

 

[Malysh]

I have a Mod 40 that lettered as sold by S&W in 1962 and is stamped as Mod 40, but it is a 4 screw frame, which according to SCSW was changed to the 3 screw frame in 1957. It sat in their vaults for at least 6 years before it was assembled, serial numbered, stamped Mod 40 and then sold. It's in the 17,6XX serial number range.
HTH

 

[murphydog]

Agree with Saxon. A good example of this are the 1917 Army .45 ACP revolvers; the frames were all made in the 1917-1919 era and most were military issue guns, but completed guns using leftover frames were shipped in the '20s all the way through the '40s.

 

[dacoontz]

I was born in 58, but was made in 57
Hope that helps.

Very funny. I have never thought of myself as manufactured, but I guess I was. This is a slippery slope.

So I propose a change in vocabulary. From now on we should refer to the dates our guns were born. Oh wait, we already do this.

 

[Maddmax]

So I propose a change in vocabulary. From now on we should refer to the dates our guns were born. [/QUOTE]

That would be the date on the little brown envelope (from S&W) with the fired case inside. Test fired/born date.

 

[opoefc]

Factory Letter info. is taken from the shipping ledgers which record the day the gun left the factroy to a distributor or dealer. The BATF uses this date to determine the gun's classification or age for their purposes, except when the factory separately identifies certain guns made before 1898 but shipped many years later ( The date the frame was made controls) For example, all Model 3 .44DAs are antiques, although many were not assembled and shipped until years after their pre-1898 frame production dates. There are records in the CVHM archives and other places that give the manufacturing dates and/or the dates the finished gun was sent to the vault and available for shipping when an order was received, but these records are scattered and not easily accessable, or are in private hands, such as the Floor Foreman's Day Books, circa 1880s-1890s, etc., which show guns by serial numbers and dates as they go thru the asssembly & finishing steps. Hope that helps! Ed #15

 

[self protection]

Thanks for the info.I get it now