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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 01-09-2019, 04:10 PM
JMFuston JMFuston is offline
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Default Smith & Wesson 32 Long CTG

Hey guys,

Would appreciate any and all assistance in IDing my grandfathers 32. He was a parttime constable. Many thanks

Mike
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Last edited by JMFuston; 01-09-2019 at 04:44 PM. Reason: serial number 324685
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Old 01-09-2019, 04:15 PM
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If you post the S/N (visible on the back of the cylinder or on the grip strap), you'll get more information.

Last edited by delcrossv; 01-09-2019 at 04:16 PM.
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Old 01-09-2019, 04:38 PM
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Welcome aboard from Wyoming.

Looks like a .32 Regulation Police from maybe the early '20s.

Give us more to go on, and the experts on those will be able to help.

Bob
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Old 01-09-2019, 06:19 PM
JMFuston JMFuston is offline
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Default serial number

The serial number is 324685 and many thanks!
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Old 01-09-2019, 06:22 PM
JMFuston JMFuston is offline
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the serial number is 324685 and thanks to all.
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Old 01-09-2019, 06:33 PM
FatDogEarl FatDogEarl is offline
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Virtually worthless. Let me take it off your hands :-)
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Old 01-09-2019, 06:49 PM
Muley Gil Muley Gil is offline
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Welcome to the Forum.

Please post pictures of the other side, without the slant image.

It appears that it has re-finished, but it is hard to tell from the one picture. If the hammer and trigger are finished in nickel, it has been plated outside of the factory. Check the serial number under the barrel. It should match the number stamped on the front strap. If this number has a "B" stamped in front of the number, the revolver was shipped with a blue finish.
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Old 01-09-2019, 06:59 PM
JMFuston JMFuston is offline
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Muley Gil

You are correct same serial number under barrel has "B". Looking to see if the guy is worth having it restored to original state. Many thanks
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Old 01-09-2019, 08:00 PM
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The SN makes shipment during late 1920 probable. It is a .32 Regulation Police.

"Looking to see if the guy is worth having it restored to original state. Many thanks"

If you want to waste your money, go ahead. Or you could just flush it down the toilet, would be easier.
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Old 01-09-2019, 08:28 PM
Muley Gil Muley Gil is offline
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Originally Posted by JMFuston View Post
Muley Gil

You are correct same serial number under barrel has "B". Looking to see if the guy is worth having it restored to original state. Many thanks
At the moment, your revolver is worth about $250. To restore to like new condition would cost $300-350. In the end, you would have a refinished gun worth about $250.
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Old 01-09-2019, 09:58 PM
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Instead of agonizing about refinishing, get a few boxes of ammo and take it shooting. One of my favorite guns is a cheepie M&P replate.
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Old 01-09-2019, 11:57 PM
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Whoever did the refinish was a bit aggressive , as indicated by the open look about the side plate seam.

Not a lot of market value there , but likely a very nice shooter.

Enjoy the neat old .32.
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Old 01-10-2019, 12:22 AM
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My thoughts.....clean it thoroughly, leave it the way it is, and enjoy shooting it. And make sure that someone knows that it was great-grandpa's gun one of these days!
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Old 01-10-2019, 03:04 AM
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Welcome to the forum.

You have a nice heirloom. Write down its provenance, everything you know about it when grandpa had it.

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 (196 in 1957), 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 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.

Any currently available 32 Long ammo in standard loadings is perfectly safe to shoot in your 32. You’ll be happy with its accuracy and light recoil.


OLD GUN CLEANING AND SAFETY CHECK PROTOCOL FOR HEIRLOOMS & NEW GUN OWNERS:

Simply put, the only usual issue with these marvels of yesteryear is they are gummed up and dirty. Old oils of its time do not match the quality of these old guns nor the technology of today, and actually dry up and harden to the point of impeding operation and accelerating wear. The simple solution does not need a gunsmith or removal of the side plate. Just one of many premium modern gun care products from any sporting goods, gun store or hardware store.

Most are both cleaning and preserving agents; Breakfree, Kroil & M-Pro7 are some of the best, and there are others, but do not use WD-40. Disassembly is not necessary. With grips removed and a spray can version of the product, flood and flush the revolver thru every opening and crevice until the black gunk stops flowing out, let it drain for an hour and wipe it down thoroughly with the same product.

Scrub barrel bore and cylinder chambers with a simple cleaning rod kit found at the same places as the cleaning agents above; patches cut from rags is all you really need. And scrub any observed exterior and crevice crud with an old toothbrush with bristles cut off short for stiffness.

To remove grips for cleaning the gun: loosen the grip screw completely and carefully push down on the screw head until the bottom grip separates, then remove. Now carefully push the top side grip off with a finger or toothbrush from the backside thru the grip frame.

The gun is now original and will never have greater value. I would not refinish it and throw away all of the "character" acquired thru its life so far. It will only retain that value by retaining its originality. The only way to make it more original is to remove anything that it did not have on it when new, like any black tarnish or corrosion. Black and dark brown areas thru the blue, on bare metal or where nickel plating is worn off is very unsightly. Areas on nickel guns with no nickel plating left at all, will polish bright and blend with remaining plating.

A careful polish with the correct products is the way to do that. Well known polishing products are Flitz, Semi-Chrome, Mother's Mag Wheel polish or the equivalent.

An application of wax, Renaissance wax is a popular one, will enhance and protect the finish if you want something to do while watching the news!

For rust spots, Blue Wonder cleaner will remove the rust but leave the bluing. Or use Bronze wool, not steel wool, size 0000 and toothbrush with bristles cut short, and a gun cleaner like M-Pro 7 (odor free), Kroil or Breakfree and gentle scrubbing.

Rust pitting must have all red color removed to arrest it's cancerous growth (use 5x glasses or stronger to see progress). White areas of cleaned pitting can be 'toned down' and
touched up with OxPho Blue cream (from Brownells) and works best after heating the metal with a blow dryer until it’s too hot to touch. Actual rust pits in the surface can only be removed with a re-finish, but not always if too deep. If you choose to ‘touch up’, clean with acetone or lacquer thinner to remove all traces of oil.

Once cleaned and lubricated, with a few simple checks you can determine if it’s safe to use; no need to waste time and money on a gunsmith, especially if you don't know one. Open the cylinder and verify the barrel is unobstructed. Cock the hammer in single action mode. Gently push on the hammer to confirm that it will not drop w/o pulling the trigger. Cock the hammer slowly and confirm the cylinder locks in position for each of the 5 or 6 chambers about the same time the hammer cocks. If satisfactory, now operate the gun in DA pulling the trigger slowly; again confirm the cyl locks before the hammer drops. After each cycling of the action, confirm that the cyl is still locked in position.

Cylinders can have fore and aft movement and rotational movement. Check rotational movement with the hammer cocked just to make sure it won’t skip to another chamber. That's all that is really important from a safety concern. Then unless you experience 'spitting' at the barrel/cyl gap when fired, you have no reason for concern.

You have a quality made, very well engineered, assembled with skilled craftsmanship, and hand fitted revolver, no longer affordable on a competitive market basis, and the likes of which we'll never see again, ever.
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