If you own a Smith and Wesson handgun, you might be interested in finding out some more information on your particular gun. Once you locate the serial number, then you are able to do some research and find out a little history on your gun. Below you will find some visual examples of where to look for the serial number on your S&W handgun. You can then use the serial number to find out the Smith & Wesson date manufactured for your particular gun. Keep in mind that many Smith and Wesson guns produced before 1957 did not have a serial number stamped on them. These older guns will take a little more effort to find out their history. For those Smith Wesson with serial numbers, see the pictures below to find where to look.
Smith Wesson Serial Numbers - Revolvers
Smith Wesson Serial Numbers - Pistols
There are some exceptions to the locations shown above for certain S&W pistols. On the Sigma series and the SW99 models, you will find the serial number in the locations shown in the pictures below.
Smith Wesson Serial Numbers - Sigma Series
Smith Wesson Serial Numbers - SW99
Once you've located the serial number, then you can try to contact Smith and Wesson and see if they can give you an information about your particular gun like date of manufacture or other specific details. You can try to contact their customer support by phone and see if they would be willing to help you that way. If they are unable (or unwilling) to help over the phone, then you can contact them via writing with information on your S&W pistol, and they will research your particular firearm and send you a written report. You can send them a picture and they can find out more of the background on your gun along with the date manufactured. They will charge you for this service ($50 at the time this was written) and it is probably only worthwhile for older collectible guns which have no serial numbers. If you can find the serial number, then you are better off just trying to call S&W customer service first. If that doesn't work, then you could try to contact a gun shop and see if they can help you. Furthermore, some internet forums are filled with helpful and knowledgeable people that would be happy to help try to interpret the serial number on your handgun. In addition, a book such as: Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson written by Jim Supica, Richard Nahas, published 2007, can be used to try to get more information about your gun. This book can be very helpful in finding Smith & Wesson date manufactured information and also general historical information about different S&W firearms. In fact, if you post a message on an internet group asking for help in identifying your particular Smith & Wesson gun, then it is very likely that a member of the group will use this book or something similar when they help. Thankfully, most people will probably have a newer gun with the serial numbers, and it should be relatively easy to get more background information using that number. The old guns without the serial numbers are the ones that can be a little trickier. Regarding old Smith & Wesson guns, below is an interesting video narrated by Jim Supica about an early S&W revolver given to the legendary Teddy Roosevelt.
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The Smith & Wesson company was formed in 1852, in Norwich, Connecticut. The company's first offering was a lever-action repeating pistol. Moving forward from those beginnings, Smith & Wesson shaped innovations in the manufacturing of modern handguns. As of March 2011, Smith & Wesson offers approximately 110 different pistols of varied designs and features.
Examine the barrel of the Smith & Wesson pistol. Locate either 'Smith & Wesson, Springfield, Massachusetts' or 'Smith & Wesson; Houlton, ME' stamped on the barrel. This identification proves that the handgun is an authentic Smith & Wesson pistol.
Locate the serial number on the left side of the pistol's frame. The standard location for the serial number is above the trigger guard. Some serial numbers are located underneath the frame in front of the trigger guard. Others are on the rear of the frame, above the gun's grip.
Look up the pistol's full serial number -- including all letters and numbers -- in the back section of the 'Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson' book. These listings inform you of the pistol's date of manufacture, based on the serial number.
Smith and Wesson pistol
Smith & Wesson catalog
Get a basic idea of whether your Smith & Wesson pistol was manufactured at a very early date or a later date by identifying the letters from A to Z in the serial number. The letter 'A' denotes a pistol manufactured at a very early date. The letters continue on through the alphabet, for pistols manufactured at later dates.
The numbers in the Smith & Wesson serial numbers are random numbers.
Christopher John has been a freelance journalist since 2003. He has written for regional newspapers such as 'The Metro Forum' and the 'West Tennessee Examiner.' John has a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Memphis State University.
The simplest way to research a gun's history is have the police run a check through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives' database. This will tell you whether the gun has been reported stolen or used in a crime. There are also websites where responsible gun owners can upload information about suspicious firearms, and you can access these databases for free online.
Every gun has a serial number – a series of numbers or a combination of numbers and letters imprinted on the body of the gun. Most manufacturers stamp the serial number into the metal of the trigger guard, handle, slide or receiver so that it won't wear off easily. If you bought the gun from a licensed firearms dealer, you can also call them and ask for the serial number. If there's no serial number and the gun isn't an antique, take the gun to the police. A scratched-off or sanded-away serial number suggests an illegal gun.
Give the serial number to the local police department and ask them to run a firearm trace. Police and sheriff departments have access to the national ATF eTrace database, which indicates whether the gun has been reported lost, stolen or used in a crime. If there's an alert in the system, the police might investigate further – for example, by contacting the manufacturer and dealer and finding out who they sold the gun to. Be prepared to turn over the weapon if the eTrace system throws up a flag.
Some police departments, for example the Florida Crime Information Center, provide public-access firearms information that you can search online by inputting the gun's serial number. There's limited information about the gun's history, but you should be able to find out whether a firearm has been reported stolen. Search the law enforcement website of the state where you purchased the gun to see if it offers an online service. Bahut pyar karte hai tumko sanam new version.
Websites such as HotGunz publish databases of firearms that owners report after they realize a gun has been stolen. These sites are not tied to any law enforcement agency and aren't a substitute for an official police trace, but they are quick to use and can provide some valuable information. Simply input the gun's serial number into the search field to see if your weapon is listed.
Vintage and antique guns may not have the serial number printed on the gun's body, because they were manufactured before the legal requirement to do so. To identify the make and model of these guns, dig around the manufacturer's website. Alternatively, take the firearm to a gun dealer who specializes in antique and collectible guns. He or she should be able to research the gun's history and provide the make, model, date of manufacture and original owner specifications, for a fee.
Jayne Thompson earned an LLB in Law and Business Administration from the University of Birmingham and an LLM in International Law from the University of East London. She practiced in various “big law” firms before launching a career as a commercial writer. Her work has appeared on numerous legal blogs including Quittance, Upcounsel and Medical Negligence Experts. Find her at www.whiterosecopywriting.com.
Every gun has a serial number. The serial number can tell you the manufacturer's date and model. Finding out whether or not a gun you purchased has been reported stolen can also be determined from a gun's serial number. If you want to look up information about a gun, you can contact the gun manufacturer or your local police, or visit online databases to find out whether the gun is stolen.
The serial number can be found in many different locations. Typically the serial number can be found on the handle, slide, trigger guard or receiver. There is no typical serial number. For example, a Browning serial number can range in length from eight to ten characters, a Glock number is only five characters long. Serial numbers can contain both numbers and letters. A serial number is stamped in metal so it doesn't wear easily. If a serial number is worn, try looking for the serial number in a different place on the gun (some guns will have more than one serial number). A worn or filed-off serial number is an indicator of a stolen gun.
Call the gun manufacturer or go to the manufacturer's website to access their online search tool. There is no central resource for gun manufacturers. See Resources for the gun manufacturer's online directory of many gun manufacturer websites. For lesser-known manufacturers, you can conduct a search online or look at your user manual for contact information. Submit the gun serial number to the representative over the phone or enter it into the search field online. Write down the gun manufacturing date and the gun model as provided by the representative or online search tool.
Check the search tool in the state where you purchased the gun. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement agencies, for instance, provides a free online search tool. If that gun is reported stolen, the search tool will display that information. You can conduct a search online for checking firearm serial numbers in your state, or go directly to the police department as described in step two.
Give the officer the gun serial number and ask him to run a check on the gun. If the gun was ever reported stolen anywhere in the United States, the officer will be able to tell you. The police department will run the gun's serial number through the FBI's NCIC database which records all stolen guns that have been reported in every state.
Enter the serial number into a third-party website like HotGunz or StolenWeapon. A gun owner may register the gun with one of these sites after he realizes that it is stolen. These sites, therefore, can only tell you if the gun has been previously registered to them as stolen, not if the gun has been reported stolen to a law enforcement agency.
The Smith & Wesson company was formed in 1852, in Norwich, Connecticut. The company's first offering was a lever-action repeating pistol. Moving forward from those beginnings, Smith & Wesson shaped innovations in the manufacturing of modern handguns. As of March 2011, Smith & Wesson offers approximately 110 different pistols of varied designs and features.
Examine the barrel of the Smith & Wesson pistol. Locate either 'Smith & Wesson, Springfield, Massachusetts' or 'Smith & Wesson; Houlton, ME' stamped on the barrel. This identification proves that the handgun is an authentic Smith & Wesson pistol.
Locate the serial number on the left side of the pistol's frame. The standard location for the serial number is above the trigger guard. Some serial numbers are located underneath the frame in front of the trigger guard. Others are on the rear of the frame, above the gun's grip.
Look up the pistol's full serial number -- including all letters and numbers -- in the back section of the 'Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson' book. These listings inform you of the pistol's date of manufacture, based on the serial number.
Smith and Wesson pistol
Smith & Wesson catalog
Get a basic idea of whether your Smith & Wesson pistol was manufactured at a very early date or a later date by identifying the letters from A to Z in the serial number. The letter 'A' denotes a pistol manufactured at a very early date. The letters continue on through the alphabet, for pistols manufactured at later dates.
The numbers in the Smith & Wesson serial numbers are random numbers.
Christopher John has been a freelance journalist since 2003. He has written for regional newspapers such as 'The Metro Forum' and the 'West Tennessee Examiner.' John has a Bachelor of Arts in journalism from Memphis State University.