Recently picked up this single action .38. All numbers match but the grips are not original. It shows some honest wear but the bore and chambers are pristine. Sn 58470.

Now I have a hankering for a single action .32. Were the .38s and .32s built on a similar size frame or is the .32 significantly smaller?

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.38 s.a. 's were built on what was called a #2 frame. .32's were built on a #1 1/2 frame. Just a little smaller in all dimensions.

Yes, smaller. And with a different shape to the frame and butt. Here's a side by side comparison.



The 32 SA has a certain elegance to it.

John

That is a too-good-to-be-true looking revolver. Do you think it is original or refinish? The correct stocks for that gun would be the same as a 32 Hand Ejector, 38 DA, 38 Safety, or 38 SA. Only serial numbers 1 to 250 1st Model revolvers had wood stocks. ebay often has original S&W stocks for sale and you can also buy reproduction stocks. The type to look for would have the standard S&W logo in the top round and be hard rubber black stocks.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

Sorry for the poor photograph. The blue looks darker in the photo than it does in real life. Certainly not a professional refinish but I suspect it's seen some cold blue touch up somewhere along the line. Did any of the 2nd models have wood grips?

Thanks for the clarification. That is the reason why photographs can be deceiving when trying to judge the finish on a revolver. Did the factory ever put a set of wood stocks on a 38 SA, 2nd? - Maybe, but Roy Jinks states that only black hard rubber stocks were available on the 2nd. There were two different styles of stocks, with the early 2nd Models had a block letter S&W instead of the familiar intertwined logo. Your revolver appears to have shipped around 1880-1881, about a year after the change in style occurred.

Forgot to mention that there is a 32 Single Action for sale in the Guns for Sale section of this Forum in case you are looking.

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Gary
SWCA 2515