S&W K Frames 1899-1983 year by serial number.

[Hawg]

If you have an old S&W K Frame, M&P, model 10 etc, this will help you date it.

Manufacture Year by Serial Number
"K" Frame Revolvers - 1899 to 1983:
(Years/Serial Number Range)
Pre-War Years:
1899-1902...........1-20,975
1902-1903...........20,976-33,803
1903-1905...........33,804-62,449
1905-1906...........62,450-73,250
1906-1908...........73,251-120,000
1908-1909...........120,001-146,899
1909-1915...........146,900-241,703
1915-1942...........241,704-1,000,000
War Years:
1942-1944...........V1-V769,000
Post-War Years:
1944-1945...........S769,001-S811,119
1945-1948...........S811,120-S990,184
- C Series:
C1 - C233,999………….....1948 – 52
C236,004 – C261,483…….1953
C277,555 - C402,923….…1954 – 56
C402,924 – C405,018…….1957
C405,019 – C429,740…....1958 – 59
C429,741 – C474,148…….1960
C474,149 – C622,699…….1961 – 62
C622,700 – C810,532…….1963 – 65
C810,533 – C999,999….....1966 – 67
- D Series:
D1 – D90,000…………….....1968
D90,001 – D330,000……..1969 -70
D330,001 – D420,000………1971 – Early 72
D420,001 – D510,000………Late 1972 – Early 73
D510,001 – D659,901………Late 1973 – Early 1974
D659.902 – D75000………..Late 1974 – Early 1975
D750,001 – D870,000………Late 1975 – Early 1976
D870,001 – D999,999………Late 1976 – Early 1977
2D00001 - 2D80,000……….1977
2D80,001 – 2D99,999………1978
4D00001 – 6D10,000……….1979
6D10,0001 – 7D10,000……1980
7D10,001 – 9D44,500…..1981
9D44,501 – 17D8,900………1982
17D8,901 – 21D0883……….1983
- K Series:
K101 – K614……………......1946
K615 – K18,731…………....1947
K18,732 – K73,121……..…1948
K73,122 – K84,149……..…1949
K84,150 – K104,047…...1950
K104,048 – K136,690...1951
K136,691 – K175,637...1952
K175,638 – K210,095...1953
K210,096 – K231,255...1954
K231,256 – K266,154...1955
K266,155 – K288,988...1956
K288,989 – K317,822...1957
K317,823 – K350,547...1958
K350,548 – K386,804...1959
K386,805 – K429,894...1960
K429,895 – K468,098...1961
K468,099 – K515,478...1962
K515,479 – K553,999....1963
K555,000 – K605.877....1964
K605,878 – K658.986....1965
K658,987 – K715,996....1966
K715,997 – K779.162....1967
K779,163 – K848,781....1968
K848,782 – K946,391....1969
K946,382 – K999,999....1970
1K1 – 1K39,500.........1970
2K1 – 2K22.037.........1970
1K39,501 – 1K999,999...1971
2K22,038 – 2K55,996....1971
3K1 – 3K73,962.........1971
2K55,997 – 2K99,999....1972
3K31,280 – 5K6,616.....1972
4K1 – 4K1,627..........1972
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
8K20,764 – 9K1.........1975
8K20,000 – 9K100,000...1975
9K1,001 – 9K99,999.....1976
10K001 – 24K9,999......1977
25K001 – 56K9,999......1978 – 79
57K001 – 91K6,800......1980
91K6,801 – 124K000.....1981
125K000 – 269K9,999....1982
270K000 – 311K273......1983
In 1980's the Three-Letter Prefix Series Began with AAA0

[Captainkirk]

Wow! Don't have any Smiths, but that's a very exhaustive list. Thanks for posting, Hawg!

[Hawg]

You don't run across serial number info for Smiths very often. There's no online database.

[Zulch]

Hawg. Fantastic!! Where did you get your info? 

[Clydesdale4x4]

The ____Friend found one in her back yard last fall, pretty rusted, but I thinmk salvageable. Dropping it in a sorghum mix, and then this will be handy. I "think" it's a K frame. Hell, I could be all wet.

[Hawg]

Hawg. Fantastic!! Where did you get your info? 

I was digging around for something and came across it on a forum I'm not a member of. I couldn't tell you which one if my life depended on it.

[Hawg]

I did find it on one of the S&W forums.  https://www.smithandwessonforums.com/threads/age-and-value.229493/#post-2660125

[Zulch]

I did find it on one of the S&W forums.  https://www.smithandwessonforums.com/threads/age-and-value.229493/#post-2660125

Thanks for the link Hawg.

[Hawg]

The ____Friend found one in her back yard last fall, pretty rusted, but I thinmk salvageable. Dropping it in a sorghum mix, and then this will be handy. I "think" it's a K frame. Hell, I could be all wet.

What is a sorghum mix going to do besides waste good sorghum?

[Clydesdale4x4]

The ____Friend found one in her back yard last fall, pretty rusted, but I thinmk salvageable. Dropping it in a sorghum mix, and then this will be handy. I "think" it's a K frame. Hell, I could be all wet.

What is a sorghum mix going to do besides waste good sorghum?

Extremely effective and gentle rust removal.
Old car restorers, refrigerator restorers, etc swear by it. Have watched some video's on it, cut it about 4:1, water and soghum, drop your rusted and looks like it should be thrown out whats-it in the goo, seal it up, walk away for a couple days to a couple weeks, this DA revolver will be weeks, methinks. When out? clean off the dead cells, and then nuetralize it, I'll have to re read what the nuetralizers used are, white vinegar is the first thought, then I am arguing it in my head at the same time, but neutralize and then in the pistols case, re blue.

[Zulch]

Another good gentle rust remover that I have used on old car chrome rust spots is called Zud. Anyone ever heard of that one? Comes in a can and looks like Comet. Old feller told me about that once and I tried it and it worked on the bumper. He also said to use white vinegar as a neutralizer.

[Hawg]

Vinegar by itself will remove rust. If something is real bad I use electrolysis.

[DoubleDeuce1]

Thanks for the list.  I’ll have to do some checking.

[Hawg]

I used electrolysis on this knife blade but not the tang. It only took a few hours.

[StrawHat]

This might be old news to some but the only way to get a real shipping date on any S&W revolver is to write for a letter. The list in post 1 is only a good approximation.  The factory was known to build revolvers in batches and store them in a vault until they sold.  Some stayed in the vault for years. 

They also did not ship in sequential order.  Distributors would order “x” of a model and the shipping clerk would grab the first “x” that he found and ship them. Sequential numbering was not even considered. 

Even BATF using the shipping date as the official date.

There are exceptions but that is the general rule of thumb for S&W.

Kevin