Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns s&w 10-7 please help.

Hello-
my name is hans~ Scott F sent me to you all.
I have a question about a s&w .38spl
It is a 6" 10-7 and i was wondering when it was made and why there are no ser# on the barrel or the cylinder. i have had two previous and both were marked with s# on barrel and cylinder.
it looks nearly brand-new- in fact i can't tell if it has ever been fired.
can someone help me out?
serial number is 5d34***

???? I still have my old issued 10-6 and there are no numbers on either the barrel or cylinder. Where are you from Hans???

About 1979.

As far as the serial numbers on the barrel flat, cylinder, stocks, etc; S&W stopped that many years ago.

thank yo all for your help~
I am from oregon.
the last S&W i owned was from WWII so maybe thats why i was expecting it.
I am wanting to sell this but i knew little about it.
Thank you all again for your help.

Wait...I have a new problem...or question
i just noticed there are a set of numbers UNDER the grip(i removed the grip to find these) as well as the ones stamped on the bottom of the frame.
The numbers UNDER the grip are as follows:
a group of three~ A21
then below that: 80663
Does that mean anything to anyone?

By "under the grips" do you mean on the grips or on the frame?

PS Welcome to the Fire.

it is stamped on the frame
.
and, thank you, good to be here.

Some are assembly numbers. S&W uses them to keep sideplates, frames, and cranes matched up when fitted and blued.

Back before Smith and Wesson went to new machinery and less hand fitting, everything got a serial number to make sure that all the parts made it back to the right gun after bluing and final finish. All of the intensive hand filing and fitting with the high polish blue required each part mated together with the right gun. Even grips were sanded down to the frame because of small variances from one gun to the other. When machinery took the place of humans, the crane and frame got assembly numbers and only true serial number came to be the one on the heal of the grip. The rest are assembly or batch numbers. Hope that helps, Ryan

Thank you all~
and bushwacker, that was perfect and makes great sense. wow, i think the gun stores around here are full of idiots compared to you all...sounds mean but you all were great! thanks

Welcome Hans, and don't be a stranger.

There are some good knowledgeable folks at some gunstores and others not so much. Don't be a stranger and let us know how she shoots. Ryan