What is the proper modern cartridge to use in a 1st model NewDeparture S&W .32 It does not designate long or short ect ect.
The gun seems to be in fine shape other than a broken F-pin
which I have on the way. I would like to at least test fire the gun.

This is in .32 S & W, also called short. It is a black powder era gun, so use smokeless loads in it with caution.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

They are .32 S&W, not .32 S&W Long. They are still available from Winchester and Remington as well as some of the cowboy action shooting ammo companies.

Broken firing pins are common on those. I had to replace one of mine. It's caused from too much dry firing.

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Chris
SWCA #2243 SWHF #292

It is the 32 S&W cartridge.
NOT the 32 S&W Long.
Both are centerfire. It is a very mildly loaded cartridge for the old guns and for the modern junk off brands that were chambered for it.

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

I second murphdog's caution. While the .32 S&W (aka .32 short) is a relatively low powered round, firing smokeless ammo in a firearm designed around black powder should always be appraoched carefully and thoughtfully. Aside from replacing/repairing the firing pin, be sure to have the rest of the gun thoroughly checked by a gunsmith who's familiar with these old guns. Most gunsmith's these haven't seen one let alone ever worked on one. Check around and find one who knows what he or she is doing.

Factory 32 S&W is loaded very mild because of all the old guns chambered for it and should be safe IF the firearm in question is in good condition. A lot of these old revolvers have gotten quite loose after years of use and excess headspace and bad chamber/barrel alignment can be a real problem.

Good morning
+1 on the REALIABLE Smithy checking that revolver out. You would be very unhappy if a cylinder did not rotate all the way to batterry and it still fired off the side of a primer. Lead slatters all over the place.
IF I was to fire one again I would start by measuring the cylinder throats. Some of these old revolvers were very fat bulleted. Then see what the real groove size of that barrels is. If the barrel is more than .005 under throat size I would only shoot pure lead. I would start with Unique powder at 1 grain. It will make just a pop. Then start adding 1 tenth grain at a time up to 1.5 grains. By now you should know how worn your cylinders are. Cases may have swelled to the point they will not resize. If they are swelling real bad then switch to Black Powder 3F and happily fire away. Fill case about 3/4 full and push the bullet in and crimp. Use bees wax for lube.