Received a .32 H.E.

Jdavis · #1 09-05-2017, 01:43 PM

My 91 year old father in law asked that I come to N.C to visit him last week. I made the trip and found him wanting to disburse his personal items to those he wished to have them while still able. He handed me a pistol rug containing his nickel pre model 30 revolver saying that he knew that I would be the one who would appreciate it most. He was certainly had that right. He said that he also had old ammunition put away in his closet which I retrieved for him. He said that he acquired the gun in the late 50s or early 60s from an individual. He could not recall the price paid but thought it less than $100. The revolver looks almost new with little to no signs of wear. The grips are aftermarket "mother of pear" (likely not real pearl) and there was no box/papers. Serial number is 629xxx which puts production around 1954 as best I can determine. The finish is in great shape save for "spider webbing" swirls perhaps from the wool lined pistol rug.

les.b · #2 09-05-2017, 02:00 PM

Beautiful .32 Hand Ejector!!! That nickel finish is great. You are a lucky man!! That ammunition is no doubt in good shooting condition, but if it were me, I would save it for display, and acquire some readily available.32 Long of modern manufacture to shoot. My pre 30 is serial 6136xx, and dates to August 1954. I have another, serial 6674xx, which dates to December, 1957.

Best Regards, Les

jframejoey · #3 09-05-2017, 02:45 PM

J, very nice gun and gesture. I seem to recall another post with somes vintage ammo and tax stamps on the box. TN maybe?

DWalt · #4 09-05-2017, 05:37 PM

I'd say your pre-30 was probably made in 1955. A very nice piece. Several Southern states had a handgun ammunition tax, but I don't know the story about that. It's been mentioned on the forum several times. You should hang onto that Western box, probably from the 1960s.

Hondo44 · #5 09-05-2017, 06:36 PM

Congratulations!

What a stunning hand me down. And an early version of the "Model of 1953 32 HE" New I frame. A four screw and still has the old style hammer spur. None of these shipped in 1953 and never in serial # order, but I have quite a few in my database with nickel, same configuration, and with #s all around yours that shipped in the first half of 1956.

Photos can fool us, but it sure appears to have genuine MOP grips. I agree, likely dealer supplied not factory because of the not so good fit. If you remove them and they are heavy, then they're pearl. A hot pin applied to the back will smell like drilling teeth (pearl) or burning plastic.

I hope you write down the story above as provenance to keep with it when you hand down thru the family.

It's most certainly dry inside unless you've already oiled it. Don't be afraid to shoot. With just reasonable care it'll stay in just as good condition as it is now.

Jdavis · #6 09-06-2017, 07:59 PM

Hondo, I tested the grips as you suggested. They are definitely pearl which was a surprise to me. True that they do not fit well but, perhaps they were designed for the original "I" frame. My "J" frame grips fit it perfectly. The internals were completely dry. I disassembled the lockwork and gave it a good cleaning and lubrication. The action is smooth but very stiff. The Western box still contains all of it's 50 Luballoy cartridges while the Remington box is missing about half of it's LRN cartridges. I suspect that those missing cartridges are all the rounds this gun has fired.

Hondo44 · #7 09-06-2017, 08:26 PM

No wonder it looks like a brand new gun, it is!! And no wonder it's stiff.

The grips are for that gun, just an aftermarket fit. If they were for the earlier I frame, they'd be 1/8" too short.

I and J frames’ stocks are the same size for the same vintage.

Officially you have a "Model of 1953 32 hand Ejector" which is the introduction of the NEW I frame with 4 screws. The Model of 1953 New J frame with 4 screws was introduced the same year.

Before 1953 and with 5 or more screws (back to 1896 for the 32), the I and J frames stocks are the same size.

From the 1953 models to the present with 4 or less screws (to the demise of the NEW I frame Oct 1960 to Jan 1961) the stocks are also the same size, but 1/8" longer than the pre 1953 RB stocks.