A handy guide to S&W numbered models

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I've long been confused by S&W model numbers, so I grabbed my Standard Catalog and nerded out on a spreadsheet. The sheet shows each model's start date, each engineering revision "dash" date, and discontinuation date if there is one. If you grab a spreadsheet version, you can sort by whatever you like (frame size, chambering, et cetera), and there's also a PDF attachment to this post if you just want it the way it is.

Excel: http://ajlowry.net/guns/SWModelNumbers.xls
LibreOffice/OpenOffice: http://ajlowry.net/guns/SWModelNumbers.ods
Mac/iOS Numbers: http://ajlowry.net/guns/SWModelNumbers.numbers

All the data comes from the Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson, Fourth Edition, by Jim Supica and Richard Nahas. If you want to see some history on each model and what each engineering change entailed, it's all in the book.
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Attachments
SWModelNumbers.pdf
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Re: A handy guide to S&W numbered models

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Bang wrote:For those who may not have time to study a spreadsheet, can you provide any insight as to how the naming scheme seems to work?
Everything from 10-19 is a K frame, everything from 20-29 is an N frame. 30-38 are all small frames, either I or J. If the model number starts with a 6, there's something stainless-- might be the whole gun (64), might be just the cylinder (642). Three-digit starting with 3 are probably Airlight, although there are a couple of Airweights in there too. Sometimes they'll take an existing model and add a digit to the front to indicate a change-- like the model 25 (N frame .45ACP) is related to the 325 (Scandium/Titanium N frame .45ACP). Or the 40, a blued (or nickel) J frame .38, is related to the 640, a stainless J frame .38. Well, it's a .357 now, but it didn't start out that way. Beyond that, there's nothing obvious.

The sheet's mostly about looking up a gun you might have or might be thinking about buying, not so much about how the numbering works, although it's fun to try to figure out. :cool:
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