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S&W Hand Ejectors: 1896 to 1961 All 5-Screw & Vintage 4-Screw SWING-OUT Cylinder REVOLVERS, and the 35 Autos and 32 Autos


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Old 05-15-2017, 02:03 PM
JAyFreek JAyFreek is offline
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I was gifted a revolver, and I would like to know it's history. It came with the box. 4 inch barrel, six shot, 32, blued, regulation police, serial number 541236.
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Old 05-15-2017, 02:28 PM
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Welcome to the forums from the Wiregrass! That is a post-war .32 Hand Ejector. It has a round butt and the Reg. Police is a square butt gun. It is an early production (1948) gun so is on the I frame with a flat mainspring and strain screw on the front grip strap. In 1957, it would become the Model 30. The red box is correct for that time period. Check the bottom of the box for a penciled or grease pen SN matching the gun.
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Old 05-15-2017, 02:35 PM
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...those round butt 32s are great looking little revolvers...guess I'll have to add one to the wanted list...
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Old 05-15-2017, 05:00 PM
JAyFreek JAyFreek is offline
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The yoke has the number 6099... And the cylinder has the serial number....Any other information?

Last edited by JAyFreek; 05-15-2017 at 05:13 PM.
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Old 05-15-2017, 05:07 PM
JAyFreek JAyFreek is offline
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There is no other marking on the box other than the instructions, and the description on the side
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Old 05-15-2017, 05:49 PM
JAyFreek JAyFreek is offline
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I just measured and the barrel is 3 and a quarter.... Other than it being a gift I feel I was duped, with getting the wrong box.
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Old 05-15-2017, 05:57 PM
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Very nice gift. You can ignore the 6099 stamping on the yoke because that is just an internal process control number that the factory used to group finely machined parts until the real serial number was put on the gun after final assembly.

Other .32 revolvers with serial numbers in the 540xxx-542xxx range were shipped in very late 1949 and early 1950, so that's where I would tentatively place your revolver as well.

If the serial number is also stamped inside the right stock panel (or cheek piece as S&W called them), that's a good indicator they are original to the gun. But I'm always a little suspicious of round butt magna I-frame stocks on the earliest I-frame revolvers to come out of the factory after WWII. Those could have drifted onto your revolver from another gun at a slightly later date.

Don't worry about the box. S&W sometimes used any somewhat appropriate box if they were out of the ones they would ordinarily have used.
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Last edited by DCWilson; 05-15-2017 at 05:59 PM. Reason: Box comment
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Old 05-15-2017, 06:08 PM
JAyFreek JAyFreek is offline
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No matching numbers that I can find.....
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Old 05-15-2017, 08:02 PM
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That second picture sure looks like there is something stamped into the wood between the washer and the grip screw hole - I can make out maybe a 4 and a 5 or 6....
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Old 05-15-2017, 09:16 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JAyFreek View Post
I was gifted a revolver, and I would like to know it's history. It came with the box. 4 inch barrel, six shot, 32, blued, regulation police, serial number 541236.
Of course only a factory letter will tell you for sure, but I believe your gun most likely shipped in December of 1949.
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Old 05-15-2017, 09:38 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JAyFreek View Post
I just measured and the barrel is 3 and a quarter.... Other than it being a gift I feel I was duped, with getting the wrong box.
======================

The barrel length is measured from the front of the barrel to the cylinder, part of the barrel is inside the frame.

Just saying it looks to me like a 4" barrel?
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Old 05-16-2017, 02:36 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JAyFreek View Post
The yoke has the number 6099... And the cylinder has the serial number....Any other information?
You measured it correctly. It's a 3 1/4" barrel.

The collector term for your .32 which is in very desirable condition is “.32 Hand Ejector Post war Transitional I frame Model” Basically the same as the pre war model with addition of the new sliding bar hammer block safety.

HISTORY

The .32 Hand Ejector and its cartridge, the 32 S&W Long are both historical. The .32 HE is the first side swing out cylinder produced by S&W, built on the first I size frame, and introduced as the 1896 Model (1st Model) along with its new cartridge.

It went thru several evolutionary changes until it became the 32 HE 3rd model in 1917 when a sq butt version was introduced as the 32 Regulation Police beginning at ~ #258000 in the same serial range as the 32 HE. The more common barrel length is the 4 1/4".

Target models were available with 6" barrels as well as very rare 4 1/4" barrels, and with 2 screw extended target stocks.

The 3rd Model had a hammer safety block added around 1919 used thru WW II.

By 1920 the cyls received a heat treatment for additional strength as did all S&W revolvers.

Both were reintroduced after WW II in identical form except for the change to the much more fool proof post war sliding bar safety. They went thru more evolution in the 1950s, and in 1957 became the Model 30 w/round butt and the Model 31 w/square butt, and finally in 1961 were upgraded to the slightly longer J size frame with added -1 to the model #s.

Eventually both versions were combined as just the Model 31-1 in 1976, until discontinued in 1991. Various iterations were later introduced using the 32 H&R Mag and/or the 327 Fed Mag, both of which still use the 32 Long as well.

It went thru several evolutionary changes in the 1950s discussed here if interested: http://smith-wessonforum.com/blog.php?b=103

Any currently available 32 Long ammo in standard loadings is perfectly safe to shoot in your 32.

SERIAL # LOCATIONS:

To confirm all parts are original, one can check for the 6 matching serial # locations for fixed sight pre war Hand Ejectors and all post war Hand Ejectors thru ~1956 and a few as much as 3 years later.

1. Gun butt - or fore strap on I frames/single shots with grips that cover the butt

2. Barrel - bottom of barrel or in extractor shroud

3. Yoke - on rear face only visible thru a chamber with a flashlight

4. Extractor star - backside

5. Cylinder - rear face

6. Right stock only - on back; stamped, scratched or penciled depending on vintage and stock material. (except most post war target grips because individual fitting not required.)
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Last edited by Hondo44; 05-16-2017 at 02:37 AM.
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