Smith and Wesson serial number search
- Thread starter Driveout02
- Start date
JusticeForAll
New member
Hello everyone!
My father just gave me my first handgun to use for protection of my first home. However it is an older model (198x) and I am trying to determine if I can use a +p round in it.
Its a S&W Air weight Bodyguard .38 spl.
Serial Number is BBT9xxx
Can someone tell date it for me, and possibly tell me if it would be dangerous/damaging to the firearm to use a +p round?
My father just gave me my first handgun to use for protection of my first home. However it is an older model (198x) and I am trying to determine if I can use a +p round in it.
Its a S&W Air weight Bodyguard .38 spl.
Serial Number is BBT9xxx
Can someone tell date it for me, and possibly tell me if it would be dangerous/damaging to the firearm to use a +p round?
conrad carter
New member
i'm impressed
it's too bad s&w sn aren't readily available.
it's too bad s&w sn aren't readily available.
Last edited:
yournamehere
New member
Could someone look up one for me?
Model 5906: TYP54**
Greatly appreciate it.
Model 5906: TYP54**
Greatly appreciate it.
senior said:
Off of what part of the gun are you reading that number? Are you sure there's no letter prefix? If there is no letter and you are reading the number off the butt of the frame, then it dates to the late '60s. '67? '68? You'll need a factory letter to get closer than that...
JusticeForAll said:
Your Model 38 dates to late 1988. S&W did not warranty their Airweight J-frame revolvers for use with +P ammo until 1994. It probably won't blow the gun up or anything, but it will definitely accelerate wear and tear beyond what the gun is rated to handle.
yournamehere
New member
Now, about that 5906?
carguychris
New member
1992.
In order to make an accurate guess, you need to identify the model number, or if it's pre-58, you need to tell us whether it's an I-frame or K-frame. (S&W didn't make any J-frame .22's until they axed the I-frame in 1962.)
The serial number is on the butt of the grip frame of a J- or K-frame; on an older I-frame, it's on the front of the grip frame. Other numbers stamped elsewhere on the gun may be meaningless assembly numbers; refer earlier in this thread.
carguychris
New member
Their serial numbering system- or, more specifically prior to March 1984, their lack of a consistent system- would foul any attempt to publish a "readily available" index. The numbers are just too mixed up.
To complicate things further, S&W often built and sold guns out of serial number order in past decades. When handgun sales tanked during the Great Depression, frames were sometimes stockpiled for up to 10 years before being assembled into a gun and shipped.
It was during this time that S&W went into the business of making razor-blade sharpening tools ("Blade-Savers") and toilet flush valves to keep from going out of business; I'm not making this up! Oops - something got missed - no Serial Number
When Don mentioned there was no s/n on the grip butt, it would have been good if we had caught that and put up a red flag. I tried to copy the photo from the post on the 1st page of this thread, but it didn't follow. Since the gun in question is a 10-5, and most likely a square butt, a close look at the frame in question makes it appear this was a conversion, and in the process the s/n was removed. While I can certainly see the desire for a butt conversion, there isn't a reason to have to obliterate the whole serial number in doing so.
Guns without serial numbers or altered ones carry a harsh penalty to the Owner/possessor, not necessarily just to the person who did it - this is how the BATF enforces the law. If you run across this, do not purchase the gun, and be a good citizen and let the owner know of the risk they are taking. I would not run to the law, since mostly it's some innocent guy who doesn't know that is in the spot, not a gangster. Should the gun be used in even a lawful self-defense situation, serious jail time could follow when the gun is examined in police custody.
I painfully walked away from a great deal on a completely intact WWI 1911 last year at a gun show - when examining it I realized the "US Property" had been skillfully removed, along with the original Colt s/n, and another one in different script substituted. As much as I likely would have had no problem, it just wasn't worth jail time.
When Don mentioned there was no s/n on the grip butt, it would have been good if we had caught that and put up a red flag. I tried to copy the photo from the post on the 1st page of this thread, but it didn't follow. Since the gun in question is a 10-5, and most likely a square butt, a close look at the frame in question makes it appear this was a conversion, and in the process the s/n was removed. While I can certainly see the desire for a butt conversion, there isn't a reason to have to obliterate the whole serial number in doing so.
Guns without serial numbers or altered ones carry a harsh penalty to the Owner/possessor, not necessarily just to the person who did it - this is how the BATF enforces the law. If you run across this, do not purchase the gun, and be a good citizen and let the owner know of the risk they are taking. I would not run to the law, since mostly it's some innocent guy who doesn't know that is in the spot, not a gangster. Should the gun be used in even a lawful self-defense situation, serious jail time could follow when the gun is examined in police custody.
I painfully walked away from a great deal on a completely intact WWI 1911 last year at a gun show - when examining it I realized the "US Property" had been skillfully removed, along with the original Colt s/n, and another one in different script substituted. As much as I likely would have had no problem, it just wasn't worth jail time.