The Down Range Forum
Member Section => Handguns => Topic started by: Bic on August 19, 2013, 06:37:55 PM
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If anyone has their Big Boys Book O' S&W serial numbers handy I'd like to know it's age # 6J 7XX
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You must have a magnetic personality, you keep attracting S&W revolvers lately.
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If anyone has their Big Boys Book O' S&W serial numbers handy I'd like to know it's age # 6J 7XX
There's a gap in the book. The 1Jnnnnn started in 1982, but the book doesn't list what happened after that.
Give me some more hints. 36 or 37. (I'm not that good at the nuances between some models.) What "dash" number?
Very nice.
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36,no dash, pinned bbl. 3" :)
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I haven't looked for a born on date yet but let me be the first in this thread to say we hate you.
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^ seconded.
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The Book is a little sketchy about this model and period. And some things don't jive. That's not unusual as S&W didn't strive for any consistency with s/n. There are a lot of undocumented "runs" and yours could have been made special for Lew Horton or another distributor.
Here's what I found.
1969 - Begin "J" serial prefix
1975 - Heavy barrel standard
1982 - Eliminated pinned barrel
Serial number sequence doesn't show a "6Jx..x" at all. It shows "1Jx..." starting in 1982 and evidently continuing on till today. But that would put a "6J" well after your model
However, "J70000" started around 1979-1980.
Hope that helps some.
Alf
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Thanks for your help Alf, I was sorta thinking 1970.
kmitch & TAB, I feel the vibes coming through my laptop, but you'll feel better knowing that I had to give almost $300!!!! for it!...and it's only in about 98% condition :( ----OK perhaps 99......and a 1/2
edit: I just came across this:
4K1,628 – 4K54,104.....1973
5K6,617 – 5K73,962.....1973
4K54,105 – 4K99,999....1974
5K73,963 – 6K58,917....1974
7K1 – 7K26,043.........1974
7K26,044 – 7K70,577....1975
6K98,918 – 8K20,763....1975
stating that if it were a 'K' frame it would be 1974, there was no info about J's but it might make sense that they used the same system?
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S&W Doesn't make a lot of sense about any of their serial numbers. The book, is trying to reverse engineer the numbers and has gaps. You can't apply any particular logic between one set of s/n, like the K frames to another like your J.
Make sure you're looking at the s/n and not a lot number. s/n on those guns are on the butt under the grips.
Here's the list of "J" s/n's *:
1969-1970 J1-J99999
1971-1972 J1-999J99 (??)
1973-1974 J100000-J250000
1975-1976 J250001-J370000
1976-1977 J270001-J610000
1977-1978 J610001-J670000
1979-1980 J670001-J760000
1981 J760001-J915400
1982 J915401-1J18600
1983 1J18601-
These are ranges and don't mean they produced any specific number of guns. (i.e., they may not use all the numbers in a range.) By this chart a 6J would be after 1983, but we know that can't be yours since you have a pinned barrel. Unless of course they made a special run of pinned barrels for a distributor as a "classic recreation". Double check the s/n on the butt.
* Standard Catalog of S&W, 3rd edition, James Supica
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I sent Remington an email with the sn from my 870. Within a day the had a born on date. Maybe sw will do the same.
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(http://i1232.photobucket.com/albums/ff372/StuartCowley/P1010391_zps46e7f7e2.jpg) (http://s1232.photobucket.com/user/StuartCowley/media/P1010391_zps46e7f7e2.jpg.html)
weird ain't it? No # on the crane, (just "MOD.36") or anywhere else
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I apologize for doubting you.
Not "by the book" number. Could have been a special run for a distributor or a law enforcement agency.
Best guess is before they stopped pinning the barrels.
I think S&W charges $50 for a letter now.
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Absolutely no apology needed, I appreciate your efforts on my behalf!
I even signed up with the Smith&Wesson Forum and posted there - no joy. I guess I'll just enjoy it anyway.
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I even signed up with the Smith&Wesson Forum and posted there - no joy. I guess I'll just enjoy it anyway.
I go over there when I have a question. Too much traffic to read it all regularly though. Of course, I could just concentrate on one of the sections, like modern revolvers.
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Alf,
this is the skinny on that number according to the boys at S&Wforums - the famous (albeit that hardly anyone knows about it) 'Floating J':
In 1950, when the factory introduced the Chief Special, they gave it a new number series and started it with 1and by 1969 reached 786544. In 1969, to comply with the Gun Control Act of 1968, they had to give it a unique number so they added a letter J prefix plus five numbers.
Somewhere near the end of 1970 they ran out of five-digit combinations at J99999 so some clever person at the factory came up with the idea let's start the "floating J" series and in 1971 began with 1J1 going to 1J9999 . . . still retaining the J plus 5 numerical digits. Then, when they ran out again at 1J9999, they went to 2J1 to 2J9999, then 3J1 to 3J9999, then . . . well you get the idea.
Ah, but wait . . . there's more to the story. When they reached 999J99, the factory stayed with the J-prefix but used six numbers beginning with J100000. That lasted until sometime in 1983 when they adopted the three-alpha plus four-numerical format.
And now you know . . . the rest of the story.
Russ
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Thanks, Bic,
So without a letter it would be hard to pin down when the 6Jxxxx came about.
One could make a career out of trying to reconstruct S&W production models and s/n's. Oh Wait. Supica has done just that and he's no where near done.