s&w 38 spl

[milltownhunter]

I pick up a s&w mp 38 spl under the ejector rod it has h 3 63979 and on the butt has s 888693 witch is the ser # try to age pistol

[ReloaderFred]

The number under the ejector rod (crane area) is the machining number. The actual serial number is stamped on the butt of the frame.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[Phillip]

Take a look here, they have good break down of the model numbers and listng of serial numbers to what years they were made.

http://www.northeastshooters.com/vbulletin/threads/68254-How-to-Identify-Date-a-S-amp-W