I own a .32 Hand Ejector Third Model, "I" frame with a 2" barrel, SN 5349**. Referring to the books by Mr. Jinks and Mr. Neal, and Mr. Jinks' "History of Smith & Wesson", this serial number appears after the end of production in 1942 and before resumption of this model after the war. Since this is a non-standard barrel length for that time, could this be part of a special production for government contract, such as a police agency or federal government?

Welcome to the Forum.

According to the Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson, 3rd edition, the last pre-war .32 HE was serial number 536684, with production ending in 1942.

Can you post pictures? Are there any markings on the bottom of the barrel, such as a diamond? This would indicate a replacement barrel.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Welcome to the forum.

Please recognize that new information is being collected all the time. Once books are published the information in them is fixed and not updated until a new edition is published.

No special production of .32s for gov't, etc.

The 2" .32 generally considered introduced after the war; you must have one of the earliest serial number 2" barrels.

Is yours a round butt with s/n on the butt?

Is there a star behind the serial # on butt or front grip strap?

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Welcome to the forum. That sounds like a fine little revolver, and many of us would love to see pics if you can post them.

We need to remember that there were two-inch I-frames being made in the late 1930s, but they were .38 caliber Terriers. While Jim is correct that two-inch .32s are usually considered postwar guns, nothing would prevent an available barrel blank from being bored out to the smaller caliber on a prewar (or even wartime) special order. My own tracking of I-frame serial numbers has led me to believe that the last prewar serial number on I frames chambered in .22 or .32 was just below 534600. Some guns with lower serial numbers were shipped after the war, but I know of no guns with higher serial numbers shipped before the outbreak of WWII. Resumption of I-frame production was delayed after the war while the company tried to catch up with demand for K and N frame revolvers. A few postwar I-frames were shipped before 1951, but not many. Some of those would have been retained prewar stock, and others may have been special orders. From the serial number alone it is hard to predict when your gun might have left Springfield -- or even, as some suggested above, whether it might have been modified from a longer-barrel revolver at some time after its original shipment.

Your gun is interesting enough that I would letter it to see when it was shipped and where it went. The $50 cost won't make it shoot more accurately or even increase its value by much, but sometimes a couple of details are worth the money it costs just to learn a little more about an item of interest.

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David Wilson

I just found another very early 2" in my database:

534829 .32 HE, 2”, Post war Transitional 6 screw, rd tops w/flat silvers, sq corner checkering borders, sliding bar safety, 4 line address.

Does yours have a 4 line address on the right front frame side?

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Thanks everybody for the great info. In response, the gun is a round butt, barrel serial numbered to the frame as appears on the butt and the cylinder; has the small ejector knob, and a four line address on the frame. I'm a collector of Marlin lever action rifles introduced before 1900 and am used to serial number confusion -- they were the worst and stopped logging serial numbers after 1906! I'll post photos when I figure out how to do it. The revolver is very nice with slight high edge holster wear. It's tight and shoots great. Thanks again!

Just reread your responses and forgot to mention that it's a four screw frame.

Checking the SWCA database, there were a few 2" 32 HEs listed.

521XXX 1948 (2 guns)
537XXX 1949
547XXX 1950
554XXX 1951

Not sure about the 521XXX, since they supposedly were made before the war. Maybe leftover guns that were not sold until after?? Maybe just entered the wrong date??

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Gary
SWCA 2515

AZHusker69... Welcome to the forum!!! If you are new to collecting Smith and Wessons, and some of the responses sound like Swahili, don't hesitate to ask what the heck they are talking about. The forum members have their own language, and communicate like Jim and David above in shorthand. We mostly know what each other are talking about with lines like: rd tops w/flat silvers, but if you don't, they will gladly translate for you. I'm kind of a newbie here myself, but hung around for years before I joined, so I picked up some of the lingo along the way.

Have fun, sounds like you have a really cool revolver, enjoy, and like the others, I would love to see some pictures.

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064