I picked this one up this afternoon serial number 135813 all numbers match except grips wear to nickle but timing and lockup are great. The barrel is marked 32-20 CTG hammer is marked with REG.U.S.PAT.OFF.which I guess is standard for these. What would be the approximate ship date on this one. I am thinking late 1930's

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Tough to say. Production stopped about 1929-30, but those in inventory and those later assembled from parts in inventory shipped until about 1940. The highest SN is around 144xxx. Only a factory letter could tell you an exact shipping date, but likely to be sometime in the 1930s. Yours has stocks from the 'teens. Also, has the earlier extractor rod knob (mushroom) which ceased about 1927-28.

Interesting piece. Usually you end up with newer parts on an older gun. Here you have old stocks and knob on a newer gun. Curiously, it also looks from your pics like the stocks are slightly undersized, particularly in the second view.

I have one .32-20 listed having a SN very close to 140000 which shipped in late 1928. So it is possible that this one with a lower SN could have been assembled prior to that, and shipped any time thereafter. That would explain the mushroom extractor knob. But it's virtually impossible that the early stocks are original, as they were not used after about 1919-20. And they look to have been very heavily used. Check to see what SN is stamped inside the right panel. It's certainly possible they may have originally been on a .38 Special revolver. As I said, the only sure way to get an accurate shipping date is to spend $50 for a factory letter, which would also tell you if it was originally nickel plated. I'd think you might have better uses for the $50.

13457x shipped May 1927, and 13611x 9/28/1926 (yes, earlier), so yours could have shipped during the same time frame. It was definitely manufactured sometime from 1922 to 1928/29 based on the "Made In USA" stamp and the mushroom extractor rod head. It also could have shipped as late as 1965 when SN 141611 shipped! I have the full SNs, but they were gleaned from various posts. If the owners want to give the full SN that is up to them!

I can not make out the number on the stocks but I cant tell by their fit they can't be original to the gun but at $280 out the door I couldn't pass, Now I have to find some 32-20 for handguns and I guess dies and bullets for it as well Oh man another caliber to reload for. Oh and thanks as usual for all the info y'all guys share!

Modern .32-20 ammo that is marked for rifles is safe in handguns. The ammo to avoid is an 80 grain hollow point loading that is marked "HV" on the case head. This ammo is for strong rifles only, such as 1892 Winchesters and 1894 Marlins. It is too much for 1873 Winchesters and handguns.

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Thanks I thought the rifle ammo was too hot.So the 80 grain HV is what I need to avoid.

The HV .32-20 ammunition has not been factory loaded since the early 1960s. You are not likely to run across any of it. Even if you fired it, it would probably do no damage to your revolver. Back in the day, many did use it in revolvers, and I have never heard of a ka-boom resulting. The real risk was using it in the old black powder era single-action Colts. Actually, the .32-20 was a fairly popular caliber in Colt SAAs and especially Bisleys.

The modern Remington .32-20 ammunition is labeled as "Rifle" but is nothing like the old HV load. No idea why they did that.

"The modern Remington .32-20 ammunition is labeled as "Rifle" but is nothing like the old HV load. No idea why they did that."

I'm guessing that it is because the .32-20 was originally a rifle load that was later chambered in handguns. Of course, the .44-40 was originally a rifle load too and I believe it is listed as a handgun load. Kinda crazy, ain't it?

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I have noticed both the hammer and trigger is marked with REG.U.S.PAT.OFF. I have a few Smiths made in the teens 20's and in the 40's but none of them are marked this way what is the difference if any ?

That marking was used from the late 1920s until about 1939. But I don't know exact start-stop dates.