How to decode Smith and Wesson serial number?

The first thing you need to do is determine the manufacturer of your Smith & Wesson firearm. The manufacturing date is incorporated into the serial number on all Smith & Wesson firearms manufactured after 1899. On revolvers, the letter appears on the frame at the crane (where the cylinder meets the frame). On pistols, it is located on the left side of the slide just ahead of the slide stop notch. The following table will help you determine which night divide your revolver or pistol was manufactured.

If your revolver or pistol has a five-digit serial number, it was manufactured between 1899 and 1907. If it has a six-digit serial number, then it was manufactured between 1908 and 1920. And finally, if it has a seven-digit serial number, it was manufactured after 1920.

In addition to the manufacturing date, the serial number can also tell you the specific model of your Smith & Wesson firearm. The first two digits of the serial number are the prefix and indicate the specific model.

To decode a Smith and Wesson serial number, you will need to know the year of manufacture and the manufacturing facility. The first two digits of the serial number indicate the year of manufacture, while the next three digits indicate the manufacturing facility.

For instance, if a Smith and Wesson revolver has a serial number of 69132792, it was manufactured in 1996 at the Springfield Armory in Massachusetts.

Smith and Wesson serial numbers can be decoded in a few ways.

The most common way is to use a Decoder Ring, which can be found at most gun stores or online. You can also find decoding information in the blue book of gun values or on the Smith & Wesson website. Sometimes, the manufacture date is stamped on the frame near the trigger guard.

If you have a six-digit serial number, then your gun was made between 1900 and 1999 and the first two digits correspond to the month it was made. If you have a seven-digit serial number, then your gun was made after 1999 and the first three digits correspond to the year it was made. The last three digits indicate which one of that day’s production runs your gun is.

There is no single answer to this question as the decoding process for Smith and Wesson serial numbers can vary depending on the specific gun in question. However, there are a few general tips that can be useful when attempting to decode such a serial number.

• First, it can be helpful to contact customer service for Smith and Wesson directly. They may have records that can help identify the age and history of a specific gun based on its serial number.
• Additionally, there are several online resources dedicated to decoding Smith and Wesson serial numbers.
• Finally, there are also books available that provide detailed information about S&W firearms and their markings ( like this volume from Schiffer Publishing).

By consulting a combination of these sources, it should be possible to get a pretty good idea of what a particular Smith and Wesson gun is and when it was made.