I have a few questions about what I think is a .32 Regulation Police that a friend of mine has. The gun used to belong to a command ranking Officer with the Oregon State Police back in the 1950s. I believe he was also a motorcycle officer at one point. Barrel appears to be 3 ¼” length.

Serial no. is 5274XX

I don't have it in front of me and only took a few ****** pictures. But it says .32 S&W long on the barrel. I'm curious when it was made and what model it really is. The gun is in great shape for its age.

What I'm most curious about is whether this would be something that a Police Department might have issued to an Officer back in the day. We think the original owner did carry it for duty, but we're not sure if this was his back up or desk gun or what he actually carried as his primary sidearm. He was a uniformed command ranking Officer from the photos I've seen in the 1950s. Can't remember his rank. It also appears to have a square grip frame, leaf hammer spring and the serial number is on the tang. And I believe this indicates it’s a Regulation Police model?

Any thoughts or insights would be appreciated. I do plan on lettering the gun for my friend since its a family momento and has a lot of sentimental value for them.

Again sorry for the poor quality photos.

S&W Regulation Police-Check the barrel again- I believe it says .32 S&W LONG Ctge...(Cartridge) rather than Colt-they didn't like to advertise each other's brand names.
They were carried by police as duty guns for many decades, and maybe the owner just kept using it because he liked it...


mark

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Liberals made the USA

Mine is 520520 which I was told places it around 1930. They're neat little guns aren't they? Mine has the round butt with the black grips.

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Forum consigliere

Sorry confused the calibers. You're right it was a .32 S&W changed that in my original post.

That's about as nice a Regulation Police as one is likely to encounter. Great history behind it as well, and with all that service time, he must have taken very good care of it. I currently own a 6" and of that same model, but not in nearly as good shape... I love to shoot it, and suggest yours will be be a great thing to shoot as well. These are some of the great underappreciated S&Ws, IMHO.

Froggie

Very nice RP. That serial number probably (but not certainly) means it shipped in the mid-1930s. Serial data indicates that the company put together only 20,000 I-frame revolvers in the 1930s, and that includes .22, .32 and .38 S&W-chambered revolvers. The serial numbers got up to about 535000 before production was suspended in factor of military contracts. A lot of the manufactured guns probably stayed on the shelf for several months before shipping (always a possibility with S&W); this gun could have been assembled a year or two before it shipped, or it could have gone out in the first order after it was assembled. It would take a company letter to say for sure.

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David Wilson