Hello all,

Hope someone can help with the history and dob on my sweetheart's 4 inch barrel S&W. It has Patent dates of Feb 6, 06; Sept 14,09; and Dec 29,14 and is serial # 478581 on both the inner grip strap and the underside of the barrel. The right side has four screws for plate removal. There is another screw underneath forward of the trigger guard and another screw just below the serial # on the inner gripstrap. The grip is nicely checkered square butt walnut

The gun is in excellent shape with nice tight lock-up. Its got a very smooth action and cylinder closes neatly with a slight flip. It doesn't apperar that the grips or side plate have ever been removed. On cleaning, I got a trace of lead out of each cylinder but the barrel was clean of any deposits. I have not yet fired this little beauty but am anxious to test it at a range.

Help me please. Does the screw beneath the serial # indicate thar is has a leaf rather than a coil hammer spring?

Bill S

1. The screw on the frontstrap is the strain screw for a leaf mainspring.

2. Do not flip your revolver cylinder closed. It can bend the yoke. Humprhey Bogart had a prop man to keep his blankshooters working.

Hi Bill,

Welcome to the forum.

Yes, the screw on the forestrap indicates a flat mainspring. That is the strain screw that tensions such a spring.

With that serial number, the revolver would have shipped about 1928. You might also see the serial stamped lightly on the rear face of the cylinder. If you took the stocks off, you might see the number either stamped into or penciled on the inner surface of one of the panels.

The fact that the serial number is on the forestrap rather than the butt makes me think your gun is a .32 Regulation Police. This model had slightly longer square butt stocks compared to the round butt .32s the company was making at the same time, and the wood of these longer stocks covered the part of the butt where the company usually stamped serial numbers. If the stocks on this gun are square butt, look to see if there is a 1917 patent date on the bottom of one panel. That's a giveaway for the Regulation Police designation. The RP frame is also distinctive, because it has a slight notch on the backstrap for part of the wood of the stocks to cover. This is called a "rebated" frame; that's just another version of the word that woodworkers call "rabbeted."

I bet the barrel is 4.25" rather than 4.0 Measure from the front of the cylinder to the muzzle.

I'm presuming the gun does not have adjustable sights. The target .32s of this era almost all had six-inch barrels.

Can you post pictures? We love photos of classic revolvers here.

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David Wilson

Thanks Mr. Watson and Mr. Wilson,

It is indeed a 4.25 inch barrel and the serial # does also appear on the rear of the swing out cylinder. Yes, the sights are ha;f moon front and grooved rear but I have yet to find the 1917 patent date. Nor have I yet to remove the walnut grips as I have not located a precision screw driver I would trust with the job.

Will try to attach pics with one showing a late 1950's vintage Ruger single-six for size comparison.

Whoops, looks like I need some instruction on how to attach pics from my sd card/this hp laptop.

Bill S.

Attached Images

	IMG_0113.jpg (91.7 KB, 131 views)
	IMG_0110.jpg (93.3 KB, 111 views)

Handsome old gun. The ammo is no "hotter" than it ever was and it should shoot well. Don't flip the cylinder back in and it will serve for a long time.

You have a .32 Regulation Police that was probably shipped in the 1920s.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!