S&W 34-1? Why the wierd "1"?

[berettaprofessor]

I recently purchased a S&W 34-1 that dates to 1987 according to serial number. The gun is in decent shape, some wear and a cylinder ring, but is in "nicely broken in" condition. The modelnumber mark however, as seen below, looks odd with the "1" stamped seemingly as an afterthought, slightly malaligned and larger than the "34". Is this the way S&W did them or is it likely that the "1" was added later in a repair visit back to the factory?

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[C0untZer0]

"I before E, except after C" hmmm, that's weird !

 

[MICHAEL T]

Normally shows a change slight change . 36-5 Means been 5 improvements since started

That one looks strange Might be right about some repair as that not normal stamp. Call and ask.

 

[Twiki357]

Unusual. The model 34 was an “I” frame and the “-1” was the beginning of the “J” frame in 1960. A 1987 date would be just before the start of the “-2” series in 1988. The only thing I can think of is if your gun is a “-1” that was mismarked as a 34 and was caught and the “1” was added during the inspection process.

 

[rcmodel]

Well first, they never added model number dash numbers during factory repair visits.

And all model number frame stamps were done by hand with metal stamps and a hammer.
So mis-alignment isn't unusual.

The 34-1 change was made in 1960 with serial #70,000.
At that time the cylinder length was changed to 1.440", from the former 1.320" length.

You got some cyphering to do with a dial caliper.

rc

 

[bannockburn]

That number 1 is pretty close to the edge of the crane; perhaps there wasn't enough room left to stamp the dash so they just added the 1 to the model number designation.

 

[HexHead]

Gun was probably stamped first thing on a Monday morning or at 4:58pm on a Friday.

 

[Revolver fanatic]

Hi
My Guess would be that your gun frame was made up ahead of time being stamped with just the model 34 Model number then stamped when it was assembled for shipment with the One Number. It is Not uncommon for S&W to make a batch of frames up ahead of time then add the design changes when they are built for shipment. S&W does not waste parts that are made up ahead of time if they can be used later on....

 

[CajunBass]

The guy who did the stamping might have screwed up his number "1" tap, and gotten another one out of the tool bin.

 

[berettaprofessor]

First, sorry about the "wierd" spelling....but automatic spelling doesn't work in the titles, nor can I now edit it out:banghead:

Some interesting theories here. RC, I'll measure the cylinder tonight.

 

[berettaprofessor]

The cylinder is 1.447, RC. That fits with a 1987 date from the serial number, right?

 

[hAkron]

I wonder if when they were transition between the -1 & the -2 engineering changes if they pre-stamped the 34, then depending on if they were using left over -1 parts they would strike it with a 1 and if they were using new parts they would strike it with a 2. Still, kind of unusual not to have the "-"...then again, S&W has done a LOT of unusual stuff over the years.

 

[rcmodel]

The cylinder is 1.447, RC. That fits with a 1987 date from the serial number, right?

Right.

You have a 34-1 that a S&W Number stamper had a bad day with, on at least that one frame.

rc