M&p shield ez pistol important safety recall notice for pistols manufactured between march 1st, 2020 and october 31st, 2020 learn more. Partnership with Horace Smith & Daniel B. Wesson was from 1856–1874. Family owned by the Wesson Family from 1874–1965. Smith & Wesson became a subsidiary of Bangor-Punta from 1965–1983. Between 1983–1987, Smith & Wesson was owned by the Lear Siegler Co. On May 22, 1987, it was sold to R.L.Tomkins, a British holding company. Your serial number indicates that your Smith and Wesson model 59 was made from 1976-1977.The serial number range for that time was A295,001-A385,000.I can say that with your serial number I would place production in the year 1977. Aug 06, 2013 manufacture year of S&W. During 1969 the Hi-Power pistol Serial Number code was changed to a two digit year and 'C' prefix. Serial Numbers for “T” prefix Hi-Power pistols exceeded T300000 and were shipped into 1970. # PreFiX COde 1969 69C prefix before Ser. 1970 70C prefix before Ser. 1971 196471C prefix before Ser. 1972 72C prefix before Ser.
Smith & Wesson issued a pistol recall notice for their M&P Shield EZ pistols manufactured between the dates of March 1st – October 31st, 2020. Smith & Wesson has identified cracked hammers that fail to fully engage the sear which subsequently caused multiple successive discharges of the firearm without depressing the trigger. If you have an M&P Shield EZ manufactured between these dates and want to know if your serial number is included in the recall you can enter your serial number in the form at the bottom of this linked page. Full recall details from Smith & Wesson have been posted below:
RECALL ALERT: Smith & Wesson Issues M&P Shield EZ Pistol Recall
M&P SHIELD® EZ® PISTOL IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL NOTICE FOR PISTOLS MANUFACTURED BETWEEN MARCH 1ST – OCTOBER 31ST, 2020 Background untuk anak sd.
Smith & Wesson has identified two M&P Shield EZ Pistols on which the hammers manufactured by our supplier were cracked. In those firearms, the hammer failed to fully engage the sear, causing the round to fire, cycling the slide, and potentially resulting in multiple discharges without depressing the trigger. This issue can occur in the following two scenarios:
With a loaded magazine in the firearm and the grip safety depressed, releasing the slide (by pulling it back, or releasing the slide stop), may ignite the round as the slide closes, without engaging the trigger. The condition may occur, regardless of the manual thumb safety position if equipped. This may also result in multiple discharges.
With a loaded magazine in the firearm, the grip safety depressed, manual safety in the fire position, slide closed, and a round in the chamber, pulling the trigger will cause the round to fire normally, however as the slide cycles, the next round may be ignited as it is chambered by the hammer failing to fully engage the sear, causing multiple discharges.
In all cases, the firearm will NOT fire unless the grip safety is depressed. While this condition has been found only in two hammers, and our investigation suggests that these two incidents are very isolated, any unintended discharge of a firearm has the potential to cause injury. Therefore, we have established this Safety Recall as a precautionary measure to ensure that all M&P Shield EZ Pistols in service meet our design specifications.
Stop using your M&P® Shield™ EZ pistol until you determine whether it is included in this safety recall, and if so, until it has been inspected and repaired by Smith & Wesson, if necessary.
PRODUCT AFFECTED:
This notice applies ONLY to M&P® Shield™ EZ pistols (including Performance Center® models) manufactured between March 1, 2020 and October 31, 2020, and only to a small percentage of that population. It does NOT apply to all SHIELD™ pistols. To determine whether your M&P Shield EZ Pistol is affected, check the label on the box to determine date of manufacture (see image below), and if manufacture date is between March 1, 2020 and October 31, 2020 – your pistol may be affected. In this case (or if you are unsure of your date of manufacture), simply go to MPShieldEZrecall.com and input your serial number, or call 888-871-7114 .
FOR OWNERS OUTSIDE THE UNITED STATES:
For M&P Shield EZ Pistol owners outside the United States, see our list of Authorized Warranty Centers available at smith-wesson.com/customer-service/warranty-stations, who will inspect your pistol and replace your hammer as necessary.
FOR DEALERS/DISTRIBUTORS/RETAILERS:
If you have less than 5 affected firearms, please input your serial numbers to receive return labels. If you have 5 or more affected pistols in inventory, please call 888-871-7114 and we will coordinate a pickup of the affected firearms. In either case, the firearms will be expedited to our facility, repaired, and returned to you ASAP.
For those pistols on the list which you have already sold, we ask that you provide us with the names, addresses, telephone numbers and e-mails of customers to whom you have sold them to. Please send this information to us electronically at [email protected] . If you do not have the capability to return the form electronically, please call 888-871-7114. This information is vital to ensure that notice of the recall is given to all affected purchasers. Once we receive this information from you, we will immediately arrange to provide notice of the recall directly to your customers.
REMEDY/ACTION TO BE TAKEN:
If your M&P Shield EZ Pistol is included in this recall, we will arrange for the return of your firearm to Smith & Wesson for inspection. After inspection, if the hammer from your firearm is affected, it will be replaced at no cost to you. We expect that this entire process will take no longer than 10 business days, and your pistol will be returned as quickly and efficiently as possible. All shipping and replacement costs will be covered by Smith & Wesson.
HOW TO LOCATE YOUR SERIAL NUMBER AND DATE OF MANUFACTURE:
I have personally owned two Shield M&P EZ 9mm pistols and have already checked my serial numbers and they were not included in the recall. I would strongly urge any Shield EZ owners to check their serial numbers to ensure that they are not a part of the affected lot of pistols. So far, Smith & Wesson has only identified two such pistols that are affected by this defect. However, I find that in this case being proactive instead of reactive could possibly save lives should the cracked hammer break and result in an unintentional discharge.
The Victory Model Smith and Wesson .38 Caliber Revolver
The revolvers of the U.S. armed forces have always been under appreciated by collectors, the good news is that makes them relatively inexpensive to acquire, but this is changing. At a recent trip to the 2003 Louisville gun show I noticed prices on Victory revolvers had increased noticeably. That being said you might want to consider adding a few Victory models to your USGI collection.
While the information I provide below can be helpful please see the list on the bottom of this page for reference material you should have if you are going to collect these historical pieces . The Victory model revolvers participated in various roles from guard duty to riding in a shoulder holster with fighter and bomber pilots. I have talked to many ex-military personnel that carried them as late as the 1980s, as you can see these pistols played a significant part of our history. To this day the Victory model is a very enjoyable shooting collectible, mainly due to its inexpensive cost, light recoil, and good accuracy.
Enjoy and happy collecting, Ty
The Victory model was so named for the 'V' prefix which was placed before the serial number and represented 'Victory' against the Axis powers in World War II.
Serial numbers for the .38 special Victory model began at about V1 in early 1942 and ran until VS811119 with a date of late August of 1945 (end of production). V1 to approximately V39,999 were predominately .38 S&W Caliber (I have observed revolvers in the 1-40000 range in .38 special caliber). Serial numbers are located on Inside right grip, frame butt, Cylinder, extractor star, and bottom of barrel. Crane and crane recess are also serial numbered to each other, but this is a different number then the revolvers serial number as is correct for Victory model revolvers.
The Victory Revolver was produced during World War II, it is a variation of the Military & Police Model of 1905, fourth change and had the following characteristics between 1942 and 1945:
Barrel: 2, 4, 5, or 6 inch. (4 inch common in .38 special, 5 inch common in 38/200 or .38 S&W)
Sights: Fixed
Finish: Early sandblast blue, sandblast mid-night black (appears grayish black). And finally a parkerized finish. Hammer and Trigger are case hardened.
Grips: Checkered walnut with medallion until early 1942, post February of 1942 they are smooth American Walnut with out medallions.
Ordnance acceptance marks:
The acceptance mark varies with the particulars of the order placed. With U.S. Navy orders you will find no acceptance marks on the original two contracts they placed. On later Navy revolvers, ordered through the Army they will be found with the more typical Army G.H.D. acceptance mark. Below you will find some of the common stamps with links to examples.
Smith & Wesson Serial Number Identification Numbers
W.B. - The acceptance mark of Ordnance officer Waldemar Bromberg is located on the butt (to about serial number V145000). Just to the right of the acceptance mark (W.B.) is usually found an ordnance bomb and proof mark. The 'P' proof mark indicates this revolver has passed military proof testing. EXAMPLE – Click Here
G.H.D – From approximately 1942 to about May 1943 the acceptance mark of Ordnance officer Guy H. Drewry is found on the butt. From approximately V300000 to end of production G.H.D is found on the left top strap; EXAMPLE – Click Here
Property marks:
The most common property marks found on the Victory model are the UNITED STATES PROPERTY, US PROPERTY, and the US NAVY markings.
UNITED STATES PROPERTY – Found on left top strap to approximately V300000 and on the M&Ps pre Victory. Applied at the S&W factory. Example - Click Here
U.S. PROPERTY – The property mark was shortened to 'U.S. PROPERTY' at about serial number V300000. At this time the G.H.D acceptance mark was moved from the butt to the left top strap with the property mark. Applied at the S&W factory. EXAMPLE – Click Here
U.S. NAVY – Found on the revolvers left top strap as per the two Navy contracts. The Navy also applied a Property mark on the left side plate on some revolvers; these were filled in with red paint. This is not an S&W applied marking. EXAMPLE – Click Here and Here for the Navy applied mark.
Victory models have also been produced with out property marks, these revolvers were probably delivered by the U.S. Defense Supply Corporation (DSC) to defense contractors and public agencies that required them for guarding war sensitive materials.
Other common markings:
S - Revolvers that have the 'S' marking on the right side plate as well as before the serial number on the butt have the improved hammer block installed. If the 'S' in the serial number on the butt appears to be machine applied this would indicate it was produced with improved hammer block, and that it was not added later or it would have been hand stamped. The improved hammer block was put into production after an accidental discharge killed a sailor during World War II. This improved hammer block is still utilized in today's commercial Smith and Wesson revolvers. EXAMPLE – Click Here
P – Proof marking. This can very depending on the contract. Navy marked pistols usually have none. But C.W. Pates books indicate that some delivered under an Army contract could be found with a P mark. Post the V400,000 serial number range they are located on the underside of the barrel, back of the cylinder and left side plate. The later appear to be Army Supply Program contract revolvers. EXAMPLE – Click Here
Serial Numbers:
Serial numbers are located on the inside right grip, frame butt, Cylinder, extractor star, and bottom of grip. Serial numbers should be matching on all revolvers. Crane and Crane recess are also serial numbered to each other, but this is a different number then the revolvers serial number and is correct for Victory model revolvers.
Grip/StockEXAMPLE – Click Here
Barrel EXAMPLE – Click Here
Cylinder EXAMPLE – Click Here
Extractor Start EXAMPLE – Click Here
Butt EXAMPLE – Click Here
Production:
38/200 British Service Revolver (S&W Caliber) - There were over 571,629 of these models produced between October 1941 and May 1945 for the British Common wealth countries. These countries include the Union of South Africa (21,347), Canada (45,328), and Australia (8,000). The remaining 384,100 shipped between 1941 and the end of World War II were supplied by the U.S. Army Ordnance through the lend lease program to Britain for distribution.
Victory model 38 Special – 352,000 shipped to the Army and Navy. Some of these were shipped to a commission responsible for supplying the civilian industries. They will usually have no property marks. Uses included guarding factories, ports, and federal/local government agencies.
Smith & Wesson Serial Number Identification
Note: You can find all kinds of variations, with additional war and post war markings. These include rebuild markings, country ownership markings, unit markings, and much more. For a complete listing see the books referenced below.
Smith Wesson Revolver Serial Number Search
Smith & Wesson Serial Number Identification Parts
Recommended reading:
US Handguns of WW II - The Secondary Pistols and Revolvers by Charles W. Pate
Americas Right Arm - The S&W Military and Police Revolver by John Henwood
Smith and Wesson 1857 - 1945 by Robert J. Neal and Roy G. Jinks