When I was just a kid I had a mentor who taught me how to load ammunition and a lot of other gun related skills. He was a contemporary of my father.

It all started when I was 13 years old and bought a war surplus P-38. I had saved just enough money to buy the pistol and one box of 9mm cartridges. I would shoot a clip and spend the next 15 minutes on my hands and knees looking for the empty brass. I had heard there was some way to reload them.

I got worried when I was down to my last magazine. I had no money to buy more 9mm ammo, but wanted to shoot. I asked my father if he had ever heard of anybody reloading spent cartridges. Dad said he didn't know, but maybe I should call Mr. Lacy because he was a gun guru. I picked up the phone and made the call. Mr. Lacy took me under his wing and changed my life forever.

Not only did he teach me many gun-related skills, he would take me on his farm for afternoons of squirrel hunting and shooting. One of those afternoons I bagged a few bushytails that were cutting hickory nuts. At the end of the hunt he asked if I wanted to fire a few rounds from his .32 - well of course I did! Out of his jeep came a beautiful S&W K32 Masterpiece. We fired away, and I fell in love. This was the first S&W revolver I had ever fired. At that time I had a Ruger Standard .22 automatic and my P-38 previously mentioned. I had never experienced the luxury of a S&W revolver. This was 1968.

I had no notion of the rarity of a S&W K32, but I told myself I must have one of those beauties. The years went by, and from listings in Shotgun News I quickly learned I wouldn't have an easy time laying hands on a K32.

Here I am, 45 years later. Last weekend I went to the OGCA. I've been a member since 1982, but it's been a long time since I have attended. My prize of the show is a nice K32 I bought from Jim ______, a member here. Thanks Jim!

My K32 is S/N K255405. Its factory letter confirms it shipped April 11, 1956. It's not perfect; in fact, it has some slight holster wear. I bet Mr. Lacy's K32, wherever it now is, has about this much holster wear.

I told Jim this story, but surely he took it as a buyer's pitch to soften up the seller. It's true, though. Finally I have fulfilled an aspiration that I never forgot.

I don't yet have any photos of the K32, but here's one of the last photos of Mr. Lacy. He made it into his 90's. Here he sits in his den holding a Colt SAA engraved by Howard Dove.



My K32 looks like a thousand others, but there was only one Paul Lacy.

Great story. Thanks for sharing. Respect and caring for others is well received by this writer. Congratulations on your recent acquisition also.

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Bill
Dis B. Leaf

You're lucky to get a PW k-32. It is my dream.
You're luckier to have a "foster dad" like that.
I had a similar "foster grandfather" who taught me so much about being in the woods, and enjoying life (not so much about shooting.)

Thanks for sharing. Kind of made me teary reminding me about my "Mr. Earl".

Enjoyed the banter and enjoyed the story. Glad it has home where someone will treasure it for years to come.
It was not the center piece of my collection but a rare gun that I truly was proud to own.

Thanks for buying and it was great meeting you.

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Jimologist

That was a great story, my shooting guru was me as I learned thru life. Wish I had some one there like that to guide me. Nice catch on the 32, a prized find and seemly scarce at a good price. The OGCA turns up some good buys. Enjoy you're 32 as it seemed on you're bucket list. I had a 5"-32 made from a K-22 by Andy Horvath last year. Shoots great. As you sit and look at the prize, remember Mr Lacy and all the good times. You have some real nice guns and memories. Larry

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I never had a true gun guru, but I ran into a few guys who were willing to talk to a 10-year old who was interested in the old ones. I ran into a few jerks, too, but the courteous guys were the ones who kept me interested. I'm glad you had Mr. Lacy to guide you into an appreciation of firearms in all their varieties.

Congratulations on the K-32. If any of S&W's models could be considered a "Goldilocks gun" (not too big, not too little, but just right), this may be the one. I acquired a K-32 a few years ago to complete an early Masterpiece Troika, and I fell in love with it the first time I shot it. Even though I spend a lot of time here talking about I-frames, I still think of myself as basically a .44 and .45 kind of guy. I know other bigger-bore types who also have affection for the .32 Long as a pest and plinking cartridge, and the K-32 seems to be the perfect platform for it.

I love any .32 revolver with adjustable sights, actually, and have shot this or that prewar target I-frame .32 from time to time. But the K-32s are just special guns. That's all there is to it. I'm glad to hear you got one, and that it also closed the loop to an early shooting experience with a mentor. Good on ya!

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David Wilson

Love the story and look forward to seeing some photos of the new acquisition. Also - That Colt that Mr. Lacy is holding appears to be a real looker. Wish we had a few more photos of that gun as well.

Thanks for sharing,

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

Hi Curl,

That's a wonderful memory and congrats on the K32 acquisition. People come and go in our lives and we lose track of them, move to another city or state, etc. And when they head to the big gunshow above, we may not be around. I suppose Mr. Lacy had no children or none interested in guns and his collection went the way of the four winds.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Thanks for sharing your story about Mr. Lacy and the hunt
and acquisition of your K-32. I was fortunate at a young age
to have two very special friends to guide and teach me about
what to look for when buying a gun, reloading, etc...
They are still my best friends to this day some 35 years later.
One of them worked for years at a good sized local gun shop
and he is a walking encyclopedia about all things firearms.
The other is 10 years my senior and has a family farm where
we have spent countless days hunting and just target shooting.
I owe my passion for firearms and hunting to these two buddies
and it is a debt i will strive but never be able to repay.

Chuck

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They hold no Quarter

All I know is, there is a big lump in my throat that wasn't there before I started reading this. We all should be so lucky as to have a "Mr Lacy" and then be able to find a gun that reminds us of him. You're indeed fortunate, my friend.

Froggie

Even though we love our toys, we all can agree that the people in our lives matter more than any material things.

Mr. Lacy was born in 1919, three years before my father. He and Dad grew up together in our small town. We attended the same church, so I knew him from earliest memories.

My gun relationship with him started in 1967 with the phone call mentioned in my first post. He taught me the fundamentals of reloading using an RCBS press on a bench. With the meager funds I had from mowing grass he set me up with a Lyman 310 tool to load 9mm Luger rounds. He made me a powder scoop from a cutoff 9mm case with a wire handle soldered on. Buying bullets was a financial challenge for me, so he taught me to cast bullets from wheelweights. I acquired a Lyman iron pot and ladle, and a bullet mould. Using a Coleman stove I then had a plentiful supply of bullets.

Soon I graduated to my own Lyman reloading press and a lead furnace. It all continued from there.

After college and law school I returned to my home town to practice law. It so happened I bought a house adjacent to Mr. Lacy's farm. He was so kind as to let me build a shooting bench and maintain a shooting range just near my house.

He took great interest as my fascination with guns progressed and as my collection grew.

I will think of him every time I handle my newly acquired K32 Masterpiece. As stated above, the first S&W I ever fired was his K32 back in 1968. I had already chosen the path of the shooter and gun collector. He certainly helped me down the path at an opportune time.

What a great story! I probably looked at the very same K-32 you bought, last weekend at OGCA. It was a very nice gun.

From all accounts, Mr. Lacy sounds like a very fine man. I would have been honored to have met him.

Next time you think you may come to the OGCA, give me a shout....We can walk the show together.

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Kris
OGCA, NRA LM

I believe I also saw your K-32 at OGCA, and when I realized on Sunday that it had sold I had that little feeling of regret. Congratulations.

I just revisited this thread and placed a few "Likes" I should have placed earlier.

I feel a rush of emotion reading my posts and remembering my long friendship with Mr. Lacy. He was a huge influence in my life. There were so many times he reached out to me I haven't mentioned above. Thinking back I remember a number of times he would call on a Sunday afternoon after church to ask if I would like to go with him to the Homestead skeet field for an afternoon of shooting. This when I was a kid.



Jim, I want to thank you again. I treasure the revolver for more reasons than collector interest, as stated above.



I encourage all of us to reach out to youngsters. We can make a big difference in their lives, even in these modern days. For every youngster we welcome into the flock we have pushed back the anti-gun agenda and all its falsehoods. If you hear of a kid interested in shooting reach out. Youngsters are the future of our sport (and they are fun to associate with).

Curl

This thread was well worth a return visit. Thanks for bringing it back.

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David Wilson

David,

Thanks for your comment. This morning I was reading topics in the SWCA forums and came upon the announcement of changes to the SWCA rules to allow members who are under the age of 21 years. There is some back-and-forth discussion about this change. It reminded me of my experiences as a child and brought to mind this thread; thus the revisit.

As I stated on the SWCA forum, I favor this change (which has been made and is in effect). Any reasonable way we can reach out to young people to encourage an interest in our passion should be encouraged.

Curl

Thanks for reviving this and thanks for posting it in the first place. I have a slightly different story that I may post eventually, about a very knowledgeable friend some 17 years my senior, since deceased. It's about the OGCA, an H&R USRA Model, and a gift from someone getting on in years.

But since the topic is mentoring, I must mention another person, also deceased, who gave me and, I'm sure, many others our start in pistol shooting. In a word, Gil Hebard taught me pistol shooting. Folks my age (72) will probably remember when the Gil Hebard "Catalogue" was half catalogue and half instructional articles by proven experts. He also offered military discounts, which, back then, were significant to enlisted men, as was mail order to shipboard sailors.

Thanks, Gil.

I enjoyed seeing this old thread re-emerge too. Since I read it last I have my custom "Project 616" in 327 Fed Mag, but still have a serious Jones for an early 6" narrow rib K-32 to go with my 1948 vintage K-22 and K-38. I've got the barrel for one (NOS) so it looks like I will end up having to just break down and build my own. I don't think I'll ever be fortunate enough to encounter and acquire an original as you did to inspire this thread.

Congratulations again!
Froggie