S&W Hand Ejector

wilcogj · #1 07-18-2020, 01:46 PM

I have a S&W .32 Long CTC Hand Ejector revolver. This is a 5 screw 3 1/4" barrel with SN 100272. No model number as described in the pictures. I am attaching a photo. I would like to know what year this revolver was mfg.

Muley Gil · #2 07-18-2020, 01:50 PM

Welcome to the Forum.

You have a .32 Hand Ejector Model of 1903-4th Change, from 1910. It has been after market nickel plated. Check the serial number under the barrel. If there is a "B" prefix, it originally shipped with a blue finish.

I have one like it, but mine is from the late '30s and still has the factory hard rubber grips. Your grips are post WW II non-factory replacements.

DWalt · #3 07-18-2020, 02:38 PM

1910 is probably about right. The closest I have listed is SN 95902 which shipped in 6/1909. Any time you see a nickel plated S&W with the trigger and hammer also plated, you know it did not come from the factory that way. S&W did not plate the hammer and trigger. The grips are from Franzite, and were fairly popular aftermarket replacement grips in the 1950s-60s. BTW, it's "CTG", not "CTC", which was S&W's abbreviation for Cartridge.

wilcogj · #4 07-18-2020, 04:33 PM

Yes there is a B under the barrel before the S/N. Thank you very much for the response. Thanks for the clarification for CTG.

Hondo44 · #5 07-18-2020, 08:22 PM

The trigger guard is a little bent/flattened on the bottom. Not uncommon though and unbelievably simple to fix.

Simple Bent Trigger Guard Repair:

No real secret, and glad to share just what has been successful for me in the past using some old auto bodywork techniques.

The good news is, it's very easy to fix especially since it’s not 'kinked' and I have re-curved a few. The trigger guard is fairly easy to bend. It's like doing body work on a car by placing a 'dolly' under the point that needs to be raised and hammering on the outside of the trigger guard next to the dolly, not over the dolly.

Remove the trigger from the gun (Or see plan B below). Use a piece of round metal like steel pipe or even a piece of rounded wood as a dolly, as large of a diameter as just fits in the trigger guard, and clamp horizontally in a vise. Wrap pipe with several layers of masking or duct tape. Hang the gun on this 'dolly' upside down with the trigger guard up. Now take a rawhide mallet or steel hammer padded with several layers of tape.

Hold the gun with left hand so the middle of the flattened area rests on the dolly. Tap the trigger guard with the padded hammer on the left and right sides of the dolly. Do not tap the guard directly above the dolly. The dolly will raise the metal in the area between your taps and restore the curve. Move the gun around on the dolly as you tap so the curve is restored evenly.

It would be very helpful to have another early I frame or Baby J frame trigger guard to look at so that you can tell when the curve is just right. If the guard doesn't reshape, tap a little harder.
You'll be surprised at how easy this can be to fix. Because of the tape padding the surface finish will not be dinged or affected and the repair can be virtually undetectable."

Here's a plan B; don't take the gun apart. Just cock the hammer which will move the trigger out of the way. If the hammer drops while tapping, prop it to full cock with a pencil eraser.

If you don't have another gun to look at for the proper trigger guard shape, there are excellent photos of guns/trigger guards on the forum. Print one out full size and that should work as well.

Hope this helps, good luck, and any questions, don’t hesitate to ask,
Jim