I have a 32 caliber Center-fire top break the SN stamp is 8576. What is the Production date? Also I have some of the original "Short" lead ammo. Were can I purchase the correct ammo. I see "Longs" but no shorts. Thanks

Welcome to the forums from the Wiregrass! Probably 1879.


I found my .32 S&W at Academy Sports.

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Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

Welcome to the Forum. The proper caliber designation is simply 32 S&W. Buying 32 Short ammunition might get you a box of 32 Short Colt which I do believe will chamber in a 32 S&W. To confuse things further, 32 Short is offered by a European ammo company or two, plus there is something called 32 Corto (Spanish for Short). There are comments that the 32 Colt will not shoot well in a S&W, but have never done it, so do not know.

Stick with ammo called 32 S&W and you should be fine. Problem is that no one has this in stock now. I think that Remington & Winchester make this caliber in batches, maybe only once a year and it is usually available, but with what is going on in the market now, people are hoarding everything. Check gun shows and maybe Gunbroker.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

This is my 3½ inch Smith & Wesson Model 1½ in .32 S&W serial number 49591.

Sent from my XT1710-02 using Tapatalk

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CPT, Armor (Ret)
Luke 22:36

Just a heads up. You mentioned that you have “some” of the original ammo? Sounds like loose rounds to me!
I’ve seen these little 32’s in pieces from hot loads made up by reloaders for much stronger framed modern swing out revolvers. I’ve purchased what’s left of the gun cheap for the serviceable parts over the years.

Example: The recommended Smokeless powder Load for Bullseye powder is less than 2 grains for the 32 S&W. The case however can easily fit 7 grains compressed. That’s 3 1/2 times overload!

So to avoid hot loads never purchase partial boxes of ammo or loose rounds for shooting. Only buy full boxes that are factory loaded and sealed!

**** Oh, also year of production? The factory cranked out thousands of these first year of production. That’s 1878. I have one in the 14,000 serial number range( if memory serves) that letters as first year production!

Murph

Regarding ammunition. The .32 Colt is based on the .320 British, and are interchangable, and were both based on the .32 rimfire. It is of a smaller diameter than the .32 S&W. However the .32 Colt New Police is the Colt designation of the .32 S&W.
Gwyn

I thought the 32 Colt New Police was chambered in 32 (Long) Colt, but would fire 32 Short Colt & 32 S&W??

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Gary
SWCA 2515

The 32 Long and Short Rimfire and the 32 Long and Short "COLT" centerfire were basically identical "PRIOR" to 1891. They were both "outside lubricated" bullets that matched the OD (outside diameter of the shell).

The 32 Smith and Wesson centerfire was initially an outside lubricated round but was always based on ID (inside diameter) of the case. So if you try to chamber a .32 Rimfire long or short into this 1 1/2 cf....it will not chamber because the bullet diameter is too big.

So, from 1878-1891 the original Colt round would not chamber in the Smith & Wesson revolver due to the bullet diameter being too large. So if you happen to find an early black powder round from this era, it won't go in.

In 1891 the game changed big time for Colt. All calibers introduced "Inside lubricated Hollow based bullets".

This included the 32 Long & Short, The 38 Long and Short, and the 41 Long only. For some reason the 41 short kept the outside lubricated design throughout production up until the 1950's and is probably the only original large caliber outside lubricated round to do so.

So, in a nut shell, after 1891 all 32's were basically the same diameter. So the Colts and Smiths were basically the same.

One very interesting result was that Colt finally over a period of time and after many bore reduction changes? Gave in and chambered their revolvers for the 38 S&W special in the 1905ish time frame. You can see these bore changes with the Colt lightning. Gradually reducing the bore from .375 to about .360 in about 1905ish. The lightning never saw the 38 special but it was definitely part of the gradual change to that caliber due to the extreme popularity. In fact the 38 Smith & Wesson Special is what put the Lightning in the obsolete category and ended production of same in 1909.

So, basically Colt rounds are obsolete now since they mimic the more common Smith & Wesson inside lubricated rounds. The only real survivor is the 45 Colt.

Murph

Fun guns. Here is my favorite 1 1/2 32 which had a bulge barrel and is now a functioning belt buckle gun