S&W Model 10 question

So i was at the LGS today, actually truth be told I went there specifically looking for a S&W Model 10. Well needless to say they had 2 of them in back. I purchased the 1 I thought was in the best mechanical and appearance condition.
I am trying to find out when it was manufactured. Hopefully someone here can help me out. The guns is a Model 10-5, the serial number is: C886XXX.
I can't post pictures of it yet because I have to get to the permit office to get my permit ammended then I can pick it up. Should have it by this weekend, I'll post pictures then.
Thanks in advance for any help I can get on this!

Off the top of my head I think it is 1966 or 67, I don't have my Standard Catalog here right now. If I am mistaken some one will pipe up and correct it soon.

The book I'm using is "The History of Smith & Wesson" by Roy G. Jinks, and it's an older copy, so it doesn't have any serial number info past 1976.

According to that book, if your serial number starts with "K" and then has 6 numerical digits, beginning with 886, then it was made in 1969. If the serial number starts with "C", then I think it is much newer than that, and someone else will have to fill-in-the-blanks, as my book doesn't list numbers newer than 1976.

Thanks for the info to date.

MO

DJ Niner, does your book have info on pre model 10's? I'd love to find out the birthdate on one my brother had.

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Originally Posted by fiasconva

DJ Niner, does your book have info on pre model 10's? I'd love to find out the birthdate on one my brother had.

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It doesn't have a serial number listing for the pre-model-10 guns, but it does talk about various engineering changes and similar significant events, and the year and serial number where the changes took place. There are also a couple of charts which might be helpful, depending on the serial number range.

I'll be happy to check and see what I can find, but my book says at one point that detailed info on the pre-model-10 guns could fill an entire book by itself, so I'm thinking it will be luck if I can find anything specific. Get as much info as you can such as caliber (as it is described on the weapon itself), barrel length (do not include the cylinder when measuring the barrel), serial number, and any other markings. If you don't want to post the info here, you can send me a Private Message with the info, and I'll PM you back with whatever I can find.

Thanks for you help. Here goes...It's a pre model 10, 5 screw, pinned 4 in. barrel. It has the hogue grips that were probably after market. My brother was told that it was a LEO gun but it isn't marked so I doubt it was. Serial no. has a strike over so one of the numbers shows up twice if you don't look close. The serial no. is k799xxx or k797xxx. Any info would be appreciated. I don't have the pistol in my possession so I'm going by info on the serial no. given to me over the phone.

Well, there appears to be some conflicting info here.

The serial number puts the year of manufacture at 1968. However, S&W started stamping model numbers on the Model 10 guns in 1957, and the frame screw in front of the trigger guard was eliminated in 1962. If there is a model number, it should be stamped inside the frame's yoke cut-out, where the yoke (the part which holds the cylinder as it pivots in and out of the frame) sits when the cylinder is closed. With the cylinder open, the number (if there is one) should be visible on the left side of the yoke cut-out, right below the rear of the barrel.

If it has a model number stamped in the frame (probably 10, 10-1, 10-2, or 10-3), it's not a pre-model 10, and everything else agrees except maybe the 5th screw still being there (models 10-4 and 10-5, and all later models, did not have the screw in front of the trigger).

If there is no model number, or evidence of a previous model number stamping being removed (like grinding/file marks), the serial number range doesn't match for a pre-model 10, according to my book. If it was a "K" and had five numerical digits after the letter (like K799xx), then it would be a pre-model 10 manufactured in 1949, and everything else would match-up okay. But for the frame to NOT have a model number, still have the 5th screw, and to have a serial # in the range you specified (both the numbers you listed would fall in 1968), then something ain't right (according to the info in my book, and how I am interpreting it -- understand, I'm not an expert in this area, but most of this is pretty straightforward stuff).

Hope this was helpful.

I was thinking about conflicting info myself and that's why I am having trouble finding out for sure. There is definitely no model number on it so from some of the other info I've read and researched I'm inclined to think it's a 1949 model too. The strikeover on the serial number makes it very hard to read. The strikeover makes it looks like 6 or even 7 digits. From the other research the "k" designates it as one with a
target sight. Thanks for your help and I'm about sure 1949 is the correct year. I also got the '68 answer but I'm sure it's older than that.

Another thing to check might be the thickness of the front sight. Early guns had a 1/10th-inch-wide front sight; after 1962, I believe they were all 1/8th-inch-thick. Barrels can be replaced, of course, so this isn't the best indicator, but it's another visual tool used to quickly separate old and new guns.

Thanks again. I will check all that out once I can get my hands on it. It could be a while.