New addition with question

Big Larry said:

K22, the official word from Dr. Jinks, is that the original blued guns had a B preceding the serial number under the bbl. and the original nickel guns had no letter preceding the serial number, so if re nickeled over blue, you can tell right away. This is on early pre war guns WW1 and WW2. Big Larry

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So you are saying that blued guns pre WW1, WW1 and WW2 all had a "B" in front of the serial number? I feel cheated as I don't have any blued guns with a B in front of the serial number. I have always thought a B in front of the serial number indicated a factory reblueing of a gun. And I have K frames from the 1910's, 1920s and 1930s all blue and none with a B in front of the serial number. Amazing.

I checked my 1939 .38M&P and it has a B. Love learning on this site.

My 1941 .38 M&P had no B in front of the serial number.

Wiregrassguy said:

Well, my SWAG on the missing 'B' is that S&W wasn't making plated guns in '41 due to the war demand and Lend-Lease was passed in March '41 but deliveries didn't start until Fall of '41. So everything was going into the bluing tank and later into the phosphate tank.

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The gun I showed shipped in April 1941.