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Old 09-05-2011, 11:26 AM
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DCWilson DCWilson is offline
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Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Orange County, CA
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Originally Posted by RDG32-20 View Post
I can not believe I haven't found this site before. What a wealth of knowledge. I have this 32-20, serial number 505XX that was my fathers and his fathers before that. I do not know if my Grandfather bought it new but I guess from reading this thread, I could apply for a letter from S&W which may tell me. This is a fun shooting gun, and I am now able to reload for it so the fun will continue. My wife enjoys shooting it and I can load a minimum load which will make it even better. My only problem is that my old eyes are having a very hard time with the sights. I've seen some mention of Wondersights which may work but I would also entertain putting a Crimson Trace laser grip on it if they make one that would fit. Would this be considered a "K" frame? Has anyone already explored this possibility? Well thanks for all the info on these fine guns and I'm glad that there are others enjoying them as much as I.
RDG, welcome to the forum. With that serial number, your gun was probably shipped in 1911 or 1912. You should find the same serial number on the underside of the barrel and on the rear face of the cylinder as well as the underside of the ejector star and face of the crane that abuts the front of the cylinder. But you may not be able to see those last two without partially disassemblng the revolver.

Those stocks, however, date to the 1920s; we can tell because they do not have the S&W medallions at the top of each panel, a design characteristic found in that decade. You may find a serial number on the inner right panel, probably in pencil. But if there is no serial number on the stocks, don't worry about it.

A letter will tell you the exact date the gun was shipped from the factory and the destination. Usually that is a hardware store or regional distributor, but in rare cases a gun was shipped to an individual who ordered it directly from the factory. You pays your money ($50) and takes your chances.
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