S&W 78g and 79g Production Dates by SN

[Swissairgun]

Hi, I sent you my list of serial #s by PM!

The F in pentagram (Freimark in German) only came into effect in Germany as of January 1970, when new airguns had to have less than 7J muzzle energy to be bought/owned without a gun license. Guns produced for sale in Germany have to have the Freimark if they are below 7J muzzle energy, and if they are over that, then they have to have a serial number. A lot of guns carry the Freimark anyway, even if they were not made for the German market specifically.

My blue S&W warranty/registration card has a Denver Colorado PO Box address. I doubt that it's been swapped around. If you want pics/scans of the paperwork, just LMK!

[Jonah]

I have two 79G's.
79G Serial #Q113389 with a flat black finish.
79G Serial #Q060231 with a gloss black finish.
78G Serial #G143235 with box with the same serial number as gun.
       Flat mat black finish, original yellow warranty card, what appears
       to be original partial full Benjamin pellet tin, yellow plastic empty
       chamber indicator, blue box and blue Manuel. 690 stamped on
       bottom of box

[78gCollector]

Here's a comparison of early and late pistols with accessories.

Pic descriptions:
1. The early box is shown on the left, and late box on the right.  The color contrast is very apparent when they are viewed together!
2. Early pistol (Q021248) with pellet tin, pack of 5 CO2 cartridges, Owner's Manual, blue warranty card, and red barrel wrap with white lettering.
3. Late pistol (G157890) with Pellet and CO2 Starter Kit, Instruction manual, yellow warranty card, and pink barrel wrap with black lettering.
4. The Starter Kit which is not often seen with these later pistols.  Includes 2 Co2 carts and about 100 pellets in a two section ziplock bag.
5. Early and late pistols.  The early pistol has adjustable trigger and light tan grips.
6. The later pistol actually still has the original factory CO2 test cart!  This one appears as brand new.

[78gCollector]

Hi, I sent you my list of serial #s by PM!

The F in pentagram (Freimark in German) only came into effect in Germany as of January 1970, when new airguns had to have less than 7J muzzle energy to be bought/owned without a gun license. Guns produced for sale in Germany have to have the Freimark if they are below 7J muzzle energy, and if they are over that, then they have to have a serial number. A lot of guns carry the Freimark anyway, even if they were not made for the German market specifically.

My blue S&W warranty/registration card has a Denver Colorado PO Box address. I doubt that it's been swapped around. If you want pics/scans of the paperwork, just LMK!

Thanks for that list!  I'm surprised to find someone else who has been keeping track of these!  I took a quick look, and we definitely have some overlap.  This weekend I plan to take a closer look.

I've got the F in pentagram added to the line at about pistol 26,000.  I have come across a few lower than that in Germany that have had the symbol added forward of the SN rather than the production location to the right.

[lillysdad621]

hey Paul, we got a local guy here who does only those 78 79 and daisy 780 790 and 41 collecting, resealing and trading. Im gonna see if i can find his info... he is here in atlanta somewhere.

[SpringerGuy]

Paul

Thank you for posting that reference data.  I have one that is a shooter not collector grade gun.  Nice to know the manufactured date.

 

Randy

[78gCollector]

Paul

Thank you for posting that reference data.  I have one that is a shooter not collector grade gun.  Nice to know the manufactured date.

You're very welcome!  This winter I plan to create a website devoted to the entire line, from the earliest 78g through the Daisy Powerline 41.  I've learned a lot collecting serial number data during the last year, and come across some interesting differences in paperwork, pellets, and CO2 carts.  Most of these observations are written up in about 15 pages of text.  I just need the time to take a pile of pics and get everything organized!

Here's another early vs. late picture.  On the left is a 1971 78g in the 5k range and on the right is a June 1982 Daisy 790 with factory installed "drop safe" trigger.  I resealed these both at the same time, and it was interesting to see and compare their inner workings.  The 78g has all early features: adjustable trigger, gloss chipppy paint, and lighter grips.  The 790 has plastic rear sight assembly, plastic bolt, and plastic power adjustment.  The trigger on the 790 is awful!  The 78g breaks at right around 3 pounds while the Daisy is a long pull that measures 7.5 pounds when it finally lets go!