"DASH" significance in S&W revolvers

[DRS]

Howdy folks...newbie to this great site and freshly "R" rated. Trying to sort everything out for my 1st purchase. Got several ideas in mind.

Can someone please clarify for me the meaning of the dash "-" following the model numbers of many of the S&W revolvers.

Thanks!

 

[eclam]

The '-' followed by a number tells the revision of the model.

S&W make changes to their designs over time. Model 17-6
would be the 6th revision of the Model 17.

A dash nothing - means the first revision of the model.

E.g. S&W 52, 52-1, 52-2 are all Model 52 but their internals
are slightly different with incompatible parts.

 

[tjhaile]

The Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson explains the specifics of each engineering change ("dash number") for each model:

http://www.amazon.ca/Standard-Catal...=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1247960512&sr=8-1

S&W first started using model their current model numbering system in 1957. Prior to that, their guns simply had names. For example:

-K-22 Masterpiece became the Model 17
-357 Magnum became the Model 27
-Military and Police (M&P) became the Model 10
etc.

Do you have any particular S&W revolver in mind?

 

[DRS]

Thanks for the help guys!

I do indeed have 2 models in mind. At my local gun store I handled the 617 and 629 and really liked them both. I`m thinking a .22 revolver would be a great start. Some interest in the 460V too but-one step at a time...

 

[tjhaile]

I can definitely recommend a .22 wheelgun as a good start. My K-22 Masterpiece (pre-Model 17) was the first handgun I bought and it is one of my most prized possessions.