I recently acquired one of these, and was able to learn some of it's history. It is pretty rough, having been a daily carry weapon for a PD. My question is this, when did S&W begin bluing revolvers, as this weapon looks as if it had been rust blued, or more accurately browned.

I don't want to mess this weapon up, but I want to clean it up, make sure it will function properly.

Any suggestions will be appreciated.

Horse

Welcome to the Forum. Not sure what you mean by R&P, die you mean M&P (Military & Police), but the earliest 32 Long S&W was the Model 1896 Hand Ejector, which was the very first solid frame revolver made by the company. M&P is a larger K frame revolver first introduced in 1899.

Blued S&W revolvers go back to the 1850s with the Model 1 Tip-Up in 22 rimfire. None that I know of were ever rust blued at the factory, but rather several hot blue processes were used over the decades. An original finish gun that looks brown means that the finish has oxidized to brown color. A picture or two would help us see what you are talking about and help us ID the revolver and assess the finish.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

I’m assuming that you mean Regulation Police by “R&P”. This was a square butt variant of the .32 Hand Ejector and production started in 1917. 1898 is a patent date, not a production date or model number.

Mr. Smith;

All I know is what the seller told me it was, and what the PD he said it came from subsequently confirmed. According to the records of the PD, it is an 1898, and was carried by several officers over it's service life. The PD referred to it as an R&P, but your suggestion that it may be "Regulation Police" seems very likely.

At my present location I do not have the ability to take, or post pictures, but will try to do so ASAP.

Thank you

Horse

There are enough discrepancies in the seller's story that we cannot positively identify your revolver. The 32 Regulation Police was not introduced until 1917 and never carried an 1898 patent date, but neither did the 32 Hand Ejector, 1st Model Model 1896). Patent dates for the 32 RP were 1901, 1906, 1909, and 1914, while dates for the Model 1896 were 1884, 1889,1894, and 1895. There are records for both models being carried by Police, so that does not help either.

Below, are images of both models, wiith the round butt revolver being the Model 1896 and the square butt stocks being a 32 RP.

Attached Images

	P1010008.jpg (120.3 KB, 89 views)
	P1010001.jpg (72.3 KB, 92 views)

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Gary
SWCA 2515

Gentlemen;

What I have is more similar to the second weapon, than the first, but my grips are similar to the first's grips.

Pure aside, I want to replace these grips with the second's style, just for my own use, but I will keep the original grips as well.

So, apparently some of the data on the revolver I got is incorrect. The seller told me he wasn't sure, and was quoting the auctioneer from whom it was bought.

No biggie either way.

Again thank you all for your assistance. I will try to get pictures posted once I return home.

Horse

Thanks. Now it sounds like you might not have a RP, but rather a 32 Hand Ejector, or Model 1903. These were made from 1903 to post-WWII and were six-shot 32 Long with round butt frame. The Model 1903 revolvers were also used by police departments in the early 1900s. When you get the photos around, let us know the serial number, so we can give you an date estimate of when it left the factory.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

Horse, welcome to the forum. There are a couple of things you could tell us while photos are pending that would help us get a bead on what you have.

First, can you tell us the serial number. This is found on the butt of the gun and is repeated on the rear face of the cylinder. If you are uneasy about broadcasting a full serial number in the clear, feel free to X out the last two digits -- but we need at least the first two or three digits, and and we need to know how many digits there are in the full serial number.

Second, does the ejector rod extend under the barrel unsupported, or does it end at a lug attached to the barrel which houses a spring-driven pin that locks into the front of the ejector rod when the cylinder is closed. Compare the photos in post no. 5 above to see the difference that I'm referring to.

Third, there is probably a stamped panel of patent numbers on the barrel of the revolver. These are arranged in order of occurrence. If it can be read, what is the last patent date in that block?

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David Wilson

Hello 40X, dont mess it up. First, no steel wool. Secondly, only touch it with an oily cotton cloth. The gun is over 100years old, be gentle and patient.
See, you didnt mess it up, easy.

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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

Here are two .32 Hand Ejectors, both from 1927. One is the round butt Hand Ejector, the other is the Regulation Police. Note the milled cut on the back strap of the RP. It was cut like that to accommodate the "square butt" stocks. The stocks are not interchangeable from one to the other. At least not on these two.

Attached Images

	1927 HE & RP.jpg (90.6 KB, 42 views)
	aDSC08997.jpg (169.9 KB, 37 views)

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SWCA 3297 SWHF 583

Gentlemen;

When I contacted the PD this revolver supposedly served with, they said there was no serial #, and that the number on the pommel of the butt was a Property Control #. Either way, the first two of four digits is 31XX. IIRC it has an unsupported ejector rod stem. BTW:, the ejector rod, when depressed to clear spent cartridges, the entire cylinder moves backwards. If I hold the cylinder, then the ejector functions appropriately. The cylinder is sloppy, and in DA it can bind when the cylinder advance finger tries to push the cylinder. The piece on the back face of the ejector is worn, but seems roughly even in wear. The cylinder stop does function properly, but only when the cylinder rotates correctly. With the cylinder not correctly held in place on the stem, I suspect this may have something to do with the failure to advance.

I found pictures on the auction site of this revolver, but not sure how to load them.

Horse

Since the auction is closed, you can post a link to the completed auction. It is against forum policy to link to an ongoing auction.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Do you have a Digital Camera or cell 'phone which can take pictures?

Take the pictures, join a free site like FOTKI or others which let you store images in Albums and to then elect a "share" option for posting the images in forums.

Elect the share option for forums, copy and paste the link it will have for that, in to the Text box here, and your images will appear here in the text box.

So, it sounds like you have a Model 1896 Hand ejector, just in case this has not been made clear already.

Serial Number would be on the Butt, on the front face of the Cylinder, and on the small flat area underneath the Barrel, next to where the barrel meets the Frame.

I would suggest using the boards built in function so we don't have more missing pics when the free photo hosting service goes down. Photobucket, anyone?

Let the board host them and they'll be here as long as the board.

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Just Say No - To Social Media

I have a 38 double action that has a restamped, 4 digit, number on the butt. Apparently, it was somewhat common for PDs to restamp an ID number/control number....might need to look on the cylinder or barrel to see the actual serial number.

Robert

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Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

How does this work?

What does one do, to do it this way?

If you use an app like tapatalk on your phone, you can take the picture right inside the app and post it directly. If using your computer, you need to have the files on the computer....go to the advanced tab when entering the post. You will see a "manage attachments" button. A pop up screen will allow you to attach photos from anywhere on your computer.

Robert

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Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

Just follow directions in the link: http://smith-wessonforum.com/faq.php...b3_attachments

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Gary
SWCA 2515