I inherited my grand dad's S&W 32 LONG.
How can I find info on it w/o S&W's $100 fee?

We live near the ocean and my dad had it Teflon coated in the mid 60's to keep rust off. We did not have air conditioning.

Gun is in good shape. Holster a little worn.

By the way, the 32 LONG is on the barrel.

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	S&W 32P1000201.jpg (51.8 KB, 158 views)

Serial # would be super helpful and is there any other info on the barrel with dates and patent information?

Pre-ww2 production, just a wild guess would be the early 20's. It saw some holster use based on the right grip showing more wear than the the left. Probably be a good shooter if the mechanics are OK and you can see the front sight clearly. Seeing the half moon front sights is something I find harder to do as I get older.

S/N= 23913

Welcome to the forums from the Wiregrass! That's not the serial number because I think you took it from inside the yoke area with the cylinder open. The official serial number will be on the bottom of the butt frame and will be six digits. That being said your gun was made in 1921 - 22 based on it having a trademark stamp but no made in USA stamp. The grips are appropriate for the time frame and the gun serial number should be stamped on the inside of the right grip panel. Value is only a few hundred dollars because S&W made so many of these and your gun has been modified.

Guy

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Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

This gun is a 5-screw frame, with the 5th screw in the front of the trigger guard. It should be a 1903 1st change, produced between 1904 and 1906, based on a serial number of 23xxx or so.

Mike Priwer

That SN was on the chamber hinge when chamber is open. I believe it was the only number...will check again.

I appreciate the input.
I am not worried about price. It is not for sale. And yes, it shoots nicely but no one sells .32 LONG. And now ammo is at $1 a shot...Nope Just enjoy it.

32 long is a reloaders dream. The SN should be visible on that model when the grips are off. The number under the yoke is an assembly number, used then to keep the parts together for the gun build.

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Front sight and squeeze

The serial number should be on the butt, under the barrel and on the rear of the cylinder and they should all match. The SN under the barrel might have a "B" prefix. If so, the revolver shipped with a blued finish.

I see you joined in 2008. Don't post much, do you?

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Why 32 long is a re-loaders dream.?

Because you can load 3000 rounds with one pound of powder. Most loads are about 2 grains. Bullets are small so less expensive. These are pleasant to shoot. You might find 32 s&w, not longs, available online somewhere if you can't find longs.

Robert

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Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

Lots of ammo available if you know where to look. Look at Gunbroker - I found 37 different auctions with ammo that will fit your little revolver.

Me personally I would reload for it. You can get set up with the equipment and supplies for about the price of 500 rounds. The result would be ~ 10,000 rounds for the same outlay of cash.

No SN in grip but did find this on its bottom..Looks like 68443.

Attached Images

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Well that makes a difference! It appears that your gun was made in 1907. The grips on it are from the 1920s and that's why I said it would have a 6 digit serial number. Your grandfather did a good job in keeping it pristine. I don't know what the Teflon coating will do to the value, though. But it sure looks good for a 114 year old gun.

Guy

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Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

Thanks. We had a huge issue with rust as we did not have AC. Life was way better with AC..!!

The Teflon got rid of this problem.

drmajor, glad you decided to jump into the conversation, and you did bring a nice conversation starter with you! There in Charleston you might have some luck finding ammo at Palmetto State Armory. I bought some (just before the plague hit) at their Mount Pleasant store. However, I agree with the previous poster who encouraged you to look into reloading. I’ve got about 5-600 cases in 32 S&W Long and several bullet moulds and sets of dies. I can reload ammo for my 32s for about what I now have to pay for 22 LR.

BTW, I was attracted to those nice wooden grips... it’s much more common to see black hard rubber grips on that vintage. They really look good. I’m not a big fan of the “modern” finishes on classic revolvers, but on yours it works. Do you remember who did it for your father?

Froggie

There used to be a high end camera store in the bottom of the Francis Marion Hotel - Norvels. Mr. Norvel was an avid camera and gun guy. He suggested the finish for my dad. I have no idea who did it or the cost. Would have been in the 1960s.
I do not shoot it much- prefer to save it. Also, I have size 12 hands that swamp these small grips.

What are you saving it for? You're not going to hurt it by shooting it.

You can buy bigger grips that will fit your hands better.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

I think you would have a hard time wearing out a a S&W 32 long. I have a couple that are around a 110 years old that work fine.

Welcome to the Forum. I can see pits under the refinish so guess it was maybe just bead blasted and Teflon coated. That fact negatively affects value, but since it is an heirloom, I doubt that dollar value is a big deal.

As for reloading, the straight wall cases for 32 Long are much easier to reload than bottle-necked cases like 32-20. Simple process with the correct .312" 98 grain LRN. Load and crimp properly so that the bullets do not move during firing and keep the loads light for paper targets. Trail Boss is perfect for this caliber, keeping loads soft and should shoot very well.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

Thanks for responding! Next time I visit my niece and her family in Mt Pleasant I’ll drop you a PM, maybe we can get together and compare notes.

As for your two concerns, wear and tear and small size grips, allow me to make these observations; first, unless you are obscenely wealthy and have virtually unlimited free time, it would be almost impossible to put noticeable wear on that little revolver with standard power 32 S&W Longs... a little turn ring on the cylinder, but that’s about it. As for the grips, I find that the target grips for a J-frame Model 34 help considerably, and the long discontinued but still available used Mustang target grips are a bit larger. Since the only dimensional difference between the frames (I and J) is 1/8” on the bottom, the frame pin and the rest of the grip frame generally give a near perfect fit.

Or you can set it back and just admire it, but if you do, you’ll be missing more than half the fun!

Froggie