Yard sale find-- found what appears to be a 32 hammerless apart in a bag. Looks like someone started a project and then gave up. Spent $2.00 on this just because. Serial number 11835 -- not sure this is worth fooling with but it might be. need to find a parts list to see if it is all there. Grips are perfect, which leads me to believe they are replacements. Doesn't seem to be grip pin, but that isn't a big deal. Not sure of any MDL # but wondering if it is a black powder gun? What might be the verdict here?? I have just never fooled with any of these, at all.

That is a first model made before 1902 and is therefore a "black powder gun."
I bet Grandpa shot smokeless in it whenever he could afford 64 cents for a box instead of 39 cents for black. But then he probably didn't shoot it all that much with anything, unlike affluent modern plinkers.

Well, that's interesting finding that old gun for just $2.00 at a yard sale. There's parts lists at Numrich Gun Parts that will let you compare what's you have to what you're supposed to have. For $2.00 sounds like it might be fun to tinker with.

I hope this doesn't start a "yard sale loophole" thread.

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Scoundrel & Ne'er-Do-Well

Not sure about the importance of 1902, but your 32 Safety, 1st would have shipped in the early 1890s. The BATF cut-off for antique status was below 91,400. The current manufactured 32 S&W will work just fine if the gun is in good operating condition. The factory made no changes to the 32 or the 38 Safety revolvers after the turn of the century and marketed them as safe to use with smokeless ammunition.

I have researched many original 32 & 38 BP loads as compared with "smokeless" and find that BP was a more potent load than today's factory ammo. Felt recoil for BP was higher than modern ammo as well as velocity. Below are some chrono results for both original 32 BP and current manufactured ammo.

32 S&W 88 BP 740
32 S&W 85 BP 800
32 S&W 88 Remington 580
32 S&W 85 Winchester 540

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Gary
SWCA 2515

THANKS!! I would bet finding ammo for it would be a trip maybe reloading? Who would carry brass. A nice Winter project. I just finished reviving a Colt Scout from 1958 that was given to me when a shop was taken over in the 70's. We reblued the barrel etc. but I never put it together until this week. Yes, it's been a long winter. THANKS again.

.32 S&W ammo can usually be found at larger gun shows and occasionally Fiochi makes a run. Ed.