When did Smith discontinue the flat latch?

[SIAD MP]

This little 36 no dash looks to be made in 58. When did S&W stop using the flat latch and were they on any other models or frames?

 

[1Aspenhill]

If you look you can find them with flat latches and regular latches in the same serial number ranges. In fact, you can find regular latches and later on the same model, flat latches. It seems that they used what ever they had when they were building them. Early 50s seems to be when they discontinued them.
Bill

 

[murphydog]

There were three different types of flat latches - member Hondo44 and others posted photos of them here:

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-hand-ejectors-1896-1961/212607-flat-latches.html

They were also used on J and early K frame Airweights (and probably others?), and reportedly were discontinued in 1966.

 

[47knuckle]

They were on one K frame, m12, and quite a few I and J frames. M30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37, 38, 40, 42, 43, 49, 51.
Regular thumb pieces began appearing on these models in 1966.

 

[Old cop]

My 1962 Model 38 no-dash is a flat latch.

 

[Texas Star]

The 1966 date is correct. I wrote to S&W then and Fred Miller, Sales Mgr., said that they had begun using the regular shaped latches, seeing which prompted my question.

Remaining stocks of the flat one were used until exhausted, but by 1966, the new latches were in use, too. They seem to have appeared in that year.

(Yes, I was into guns at a very early age.)

 

[JP@AK]

Agreed that they were phased out in 1966. By 1967, they were pretty much all gone.
Regarding 1Aspenhill's post: they were introduced in the early 1950s. I suspect that is what he meant. The earliest Baby Chiefs, for example, had the contoured latch (slightly different from the one used in 1966, though). It was quickly replaced with the first variant of the flat latch (which, btw, was not really very flat - it was dome shaped).

 

[JP@AK]

by 1966
I was into guns at a very early age.

You must still be young (and be thankful for it!)
I was closing in on high school graduation by that time . . . (and yes, I'm feeling old, although in the grand scheme of things, I'm not really old yet - despite what my youngest son keeps saying).