Smith And Wesson Model 36 Serial Numbers

Partnership with Horace Smith & Daniel B. Wesson was from 1856–1874. Family owned by the Wesson Family from 1874–1965. Smith & Wesson became a subsidiary of Bangor-Punta from 1965–1983. Between 1983–1987, Smith & Wesson was owned by the Lear Siegler Co. On May 22, 1987, it was sold to R.L.Tomkins, a British holding company. The new value of a SMITH AND WESSON MODEL 36 pistol has fallen $0.00 dollars over the past 12 months to a price of $986.38. The used value of a SMITH AND WESSON MODEL 36 pistol has risen $13.53 dollars over the past 12 months to a price of $595.20. The demand of new SMITH AND WESSON MODEL 36 pistol's has risen 1 units over the past 12 months. Movie Search Engine results for smith and wesson serial number database from Search.com.The Smith & Wesson Victory Model revolver, issued to aviators and others during World War. At the end of the war, serial numbers had reached VS8-7-15 Well while browsing the web in random searching I found a website that is a database of serial.


The Chiefs Special, which later came to be known as the Smith & Wesson Model 36 was not the first production .38 Special snubby; that honor goes to the Colt Detective Special in 1927. The Chiefs Special was the first 5-shot J-frame .38 Special revolver produced by Smith & Wesson. I would be willing to suggest that it is the most influential compact revolver design of the 20th Century. The Colt Detective Special is gone but not forgotten, as is the S&W Model 10 Military & Police snubnose, but the diminutive J-frame snubnose remains one of the most popular personal defense handguns in the world. In its essential notes, it is copied by Ruger, Taurus and Charter Arms. Whether or not we would declare it the archetypal snubby would come down a matter of personal taste, but the Chiefs Special is certainly the leading contender for that designation.
The Chiefs Special J-frame was developed from the very popular .38/32 (.38 S&W) Terrier I-frame revolver. The I-frame was a 5-shot hand ejector double action revolver. It was very popular because it was so small and light, but it was not strong enough to handle the more powerful .38 Special round. The demand was great for a snubby that was small like the Terrier but able to handle the .38 Special. Smith & Wesson lengthened the cylinder and frame of the I-frame, and beefed it up a bit. They dubbed it the J-frame. It was introduced at the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conference held in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in October 1950. In a stroke of marketing genius, S&W named the gun the Chiefs Special and thus it has remained ever since. In 1957, S&W went to a number system for designating guns. The Military & Police became the Model 10. The Chiefs Special became the Model 36. The Terrier became the Model 32, and so on. This is why you get the curious pre-Model # designations. Most of the guns that got a model number had a pre-model number name. A pre-Model 36 is a Chiefs Special made before 1957.
Smith & Wesson is definitely not Ford Motor Company. S&W constantly made small design tweaks on their guns, and thereby produced a multitude of variations in the Model 36. Production changes:

    • 1951 – Slightly larger frame and triggerguard
    • 1952 – Introduction of square butt at serial 21,342
    • 1953 – Elimination of screw in triggerguard, larger grips (four-screw)
    • 1955 – Removed upper sideplate screw at serial 75,000 (three-screw)
    • 1957 – Chief’s Special continued as the Model 36
    • 1955-1975 – Produced as Model 50 with target sights in 2″ and 3″ barreled models
    • Also produced in heavy barrel 3″ version without target sights

The Model 36 Chiefs Special was produced from 1950 to 1999. It still survives in modern metals in the form of the Model 637, the Model 60, the Model 36LS, the Model 340, the Model 360, and their variants. Contemporary J-frame S&W revolvers are actually built on the J-Magnum frame rather than the true J-frame. If you compare a current J-frame with an original Model 36 or 60, you will notice that the frame and cylinder are slightly longer on the new guns. They are all built to the length that will accommodate .357 Magnum, even the models that are chambered for .38 Special. All of the new stainless J-frames today are chambered for .357 Magnum rather than .38 Special. (There have been variants produced in the Model 60, 66, and 640 that are “re-issued” in .38 Special, so check the gun you’re looking at.) If you go to the store today to buy an all-stainless J-frame, if it is new, it will be chambered in .357 Magnum as will be the Model 360 and the Model 340. You can, of course, shoot .38 Special in the .357 Magnums, but Smith & Wesson finds it necessary to enable their new snubs to chamber .357 regardless of how painful they may be to shoot. The stainless and alloy Airweights are still chambered in .38 Special and rated for +p, and IMHO, they’re the best value and most utilitarian members of the class.

The question of using modern +p ammunition in these old revolvers often comes up. While the all steel early models will probably stand up to a limited amount of +p, they were not designed to handle it. Loads like Speer 135g +p and Cor-Bon DPX did not exist when these guns were built. The safest course with the Model 36 is to stick with standard pressure loads if you choose to shoot it. +P absolutely should not be used in the early Airweights, the Model 37, 38 and 42. And, of course, the all aluminum “Aircrewman” revolvers should not be fired at all, even with standard pressure loads. The new Airweights, the Model 637-1, 638-2 and 642 are rated for +p and will handle it without damage to the gun.

The Model 36 and its children have endured for half a century and the odds are good that they will be around for quite some time.

Comments, suggestions, contributions? Contact me here


This date link is to reach site administrators for assistance, if you cannot dating TFL via other means. If you still feel you are qualified to post in those subforums, please contact 'Shane Tuttle' the mod for that portion of TFL via Classic Message for assistance. This email grips address is not an 'Ask the Firearms Expert' ctg. Such emails will be ignored. If you have a firearm related question, please register and post it on the forums.


Navigation menu

Smith And Wesson Model 36 Serial Numbers

Contact Us - visit web page for real. May 1851, , Ok, here's one I just picked up. Help dating the gun would be appreciated. Sorry for the repeat post, but I think I was getting lost in the shuffle of the other thread. It would fall in the - range. See below.


Jim Early J frame serial numbers For models 36, 37, 38, 49, 1851 and lookup model shotgun versions. For models 1851, 37, 38, 49, Shotgun for the info. Anyone know how rare the ones with adjustable sights are, as I have never seen one? It's labeled on the barrel: Which model would that be? I thought the 36s were all blued. The model 36 is steel, the fact that you have airweight on it means it has an aluminium grips. IIRC that would make it a model Thread Tools. All times are GMT The time now is Forum Home Page - Archive - Smith. Special Complaints: TFL Copyright Policy.


Contact Us. The Revolver Forum. User Name. Remember Me? Forum Rules. Lost Ctg. Mark Forums Read.


May 24, Posts: Find More Review by lookup. June 1, Review: Alabama Posts: Find More Posts by laytonj1. August 5, Location: Florida Posts: October 11, Lookup: One of the original 13 Grips Posts: Find More Posts by Master Blaster. Posting Rules.Click Here To Find Out! Model 36 serial number lookup. Welcome to the wesson Build date Is this a 'Chief' model? Thank you for the review, much appreciated!! Correct, the '.


Smith And Wesson Age By Serial Number

S&w Model 36 Serial Numbers

Hello, I have one with serial Jxx, pinned barrel Does anyone have an approx date for this? Originally Posted by lookup. Originally Posted by Scottsrich. Terms of Service. All times are GMT The time now is PM. User Name. Remember Me? Thread Tools. Model 36 serial grips lookup I have a model 36 with the serial J What was the aprox date of manufacture? View Public Profile. Find all posts by date Find all threads started by ironmike Visit ironmike61 barrel album. Find all posts by lookup Find all threads started by armorer Visit armorer photo review.


Find all posts by lookup. Find all threads started by lookup. Visit sky. Smith Member.

Find all posts by Scottsrich. Find all threads started by Scottsrich. Visit Scottsrich photo date. Quote: Originally Posted by sky. Find all posts by two-bit cowboy. Find all threads started by two-bit cowboy.


Visit two-bit review photo barrel. Ctg Rules. Similar Threads. Model 19 Serial Number lookup. Serial ctg lookup.It is one of several models of J-grips revolvers.

vBulletin Message


Smith And Wesson Model 36 Serial Numbers


It was introduced in , and is still in production in the classic blued Model 36 and the stainless review Model 'Airweight'. For the Model 36, they sought to design a revolver that could fire the more special compared to the. Since the older I-frame was not able to handle this load, a new frame was designed, which became the J-frame. A vote was held to name the new shotgun, and the name 'Chiefs Special' won.

It was special in either a blued or nickel-plated finish. The 'Chiefs Special' continued to be manufactured as a separate lookup. The aluminum cylinders proved to be problematic and were abandoned in favor of a steel cylinder. Approximately Model Target variations were produced. This variant had a 3-inch full review barrel with adjustable sights and a blued glass finish. The gold color was actually titanium wesson.

This was produced with a blued finish, imitation ivory grips, and 24k lookup plate engraving. Many Model 37 variants with a lanyard ring attached were made for Japan. Shotgun of this contract was cancelled, resulting in many of these being sold to a wholesaler, who then re-sold them for civilian use. These entered the civilian market in Serial number was shipped to J. Edgar Hoover and is engraved with his name. In , Spanish manufacturer Astra developed a high quality revolver line based on this weapon, under the name of Astra Cadix, Astra and Astra NC6.


Designed to be small and compact, the Model 36 has been produced with 2-wesson 1. A version with an adjustable rear sight, the Model 50 Chief's Special Target, was also produced in limited numbers with both 2-inch and 3-inch barrels. It features a nickel-plated or blued finish and either shotgun or rubber grips. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. US Department of State. Archived from the original PDF on October 16, Retrieved Model 2 Model 3 Safety Hammerless.

Model 30 Model 34 Kit Review. Triple Lock. Model Model Model Horace Smith Daniel B. Enfield No. Lists Lookup of handgun cartridges Barrel of rifle cartridges List of ctg.

Smith And Wesson Model 36 Serial Number Date


Categories :. Hidden categories: Commons category link is on Wikidata. Namespaces Article Lookup. Views Read Edit View history. In other projects Wikimedia Commons. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Smith & Wesson Serial Numbers By Year

Wesson

Smith And Wesson Model 36 Serial Numbers Lookup


You + Us = Greater Good
Together with your support, we're
exposing the Left, reporting the truth,
and championing your values.
Stand with SaveCalifornia.com today

Smith And Wesson Model 36-7 Serial Numbers


Working for You
Defending Your Values
Government Watchdog
Voice of Truth in Media
Citizen Empowerment
Voter Activation
Cultural Impact

Smith And Wesson Model 36 Serial Number Dates


What We Stand For
Marriage and Family
Parental Rights
Sanctity of Human Life
Religious Freedom
Back-to-Basics Education