The auction for this gun closed a few hours ago. It looks to me like the description which labels it as a Regulation Police is incorrect, and I think it is a pre-war .32 S&W Long M&P. Opinions as to whether it is or not, and on the hammer price?
Item 921233884
Description: "Smith & Wesson .32 Regulation Police (post war) Pre Model 31 revolver chambered in .32 S&W long. Serial number 677992 matching on butt, cylinder, barrel and inside right grip panel. 6" barrel. 90% blue remains with wear on muzzle, high spots and cylinder ring. Freckling on front strap. Back strap finish has truned to gray patina. Case color on hammer and trigger very good. Checkered walnut diamond grips with S&W medallions are in very good plus condition with nicks to butt. Locks up tight and functions as it should. Timing is correct. Shiny bore. Please see photos."
Not postwar either. Look at the extractor rod knob and the matching machined notch in the barrel flat. The hammer is also prewar. That hammer continued into 1948 on the M&P. The barrel shaped knob lasted until about February, 1947. But the postwar M&P had S prefix serial numbers.
Stocks are from the 1930s, and the serial number likely is also (late in the decade).
That serial number is listed in Neal & Jinks as a K-32 First Model, but the absence of adjustable sights makes me wonder if there is an inconsistency in the shipping records. It would be interesting to know how it is described on the invoice. I was not aware that any K-frames in .32 Long were being produced with standard sights in the late 1930s, but as we often hear, S&W would assemble whatever a customer wanted if the customer was willing to pay the quoted price.
There are several other .32s known from company records with 677xxx serial numbers that have been assumed to have target sights. Even with fixed sights this seems to me an interesting and presumably uncommon specimen.
If original, it is similar in build to the fixed-sight prewar K-22s ordered by the Coast Guard. Hopefully the new owner will post up more information here.
I knew it wasn't an RP, but did not know it was a K frame. As a K frame, and an unusual gun, I don't think the price is too crazy based on other prices I am seeing. Had I been sure it was a K frame, I would have been interested at that price.
Just look at the barrel, as it clearly says 32 Long Ctg. I would actually say that the price is way low for that S&W and the seller left a lot of money by not properly identifying the gun. As noted above, N&J stated that this was a target revolver, manufactured from 1936 to 1941, made in the serial number range 653,388 to 682,207. Of course this is also the serial number range for the standard 38 M&P. There was, of course, a 32-20 M&P, but that serial number range was separate and ended with 144,684 in 1940.
There are no examples of either the K32 Target or the 32 Long M&P in the 600,000 serial number range in the SWCA database. As David stated there were a "few" made and my guess is that the 32 Long M&P in that 600,000 serial number range may have been made in single digit quantities, so not "uncommon", but very rare!!!
I wanted to add a page from a 1941 Catalog showing the K-32 Target and K-22 Masterpiece. The only catalog I have with that listing. This catalog also lists the 38 M&P, but no 32 Long M&P caliber options.
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Gary
SWCA 2515
Last edited by glowe; 01-24-2022 at 03:16 PM.
Reason: added content
"I was not aware that any K-frames in .32 Long were being produced with standard sights in the late 1930s, but as we often hear, S&W would assemble whatever a customer wanted if the customer was willing to pay the quoted price."
My guess also is that it is likely to have been a special order, possibly unique.
Mark
I sorta disagree. If they really knew, I think it would have gone a lot higher.
Hard to really say for sure. I still think the winning bidder knew. He didn't get in on the action till there was less than a half hour left. I believe at least he had a pretty good idea of what he was doing. I also believe the #2 bidder thought he was pretty safe with his bid from 10 days prior to the close date. His bid was quite a bit higher than the other bidders in the early stages.
The worst case scenario for the buyer was that someone had taken a .38 Special M&P and installed a pre-war K32 barrel and cylinder. The purchaser would still have a nice and unusual shooter.
This serial number, 677992, is listed in the S&WCA database as a First Model K32, which it clearly is not. That means that there is one less First Model K32 in existence than previously thought, but begs the question - “are there more pre-war M&P .32 S&W Longs waiting to be found?”
If you are inferring the gun sold might be what the seller said it was, there are two things that make it a K frame. First, compare the cylinder flutes. I frame 32s flutes have an almost pointed rear section while K frames are a perfect half-circle. Second, the sold gun has a square butt, I frame Regulation Police in the 677,000 serial number range and early Model 31s have heavily rounded toes, both front and rear. Lastly, the did not have a half-moon front sight.
As some of you may have guessed, I was the losing bidder in that auction. I was certain that the gun was not a Regulation Police due to the location of the serial number (it's on the front grip strap of the RP) and the lack of rebate on the backstrap. .32 Long M&Ps are uncommon enough that I personally don't have a good feel for what their potential value might be to a dedicated collector. So my initial bid was what I hoped was high enough to discourage those who thought it was actually an RP.
After I got outbid, I kicked it up a few more times just to see if the other bidder had only gone high enough to beat my bid, but after a couple of rounds I decided I didn't really want to see how serious he was.
One other factor that kept me from going any higher is that a few years ago, I had seen at a couple of the Wanenmacher gun shows in Tulsa a gun that looked identical to this one, as best I remember. It had a 6" barrel marked .32 S&W Long, BUT the cylinder was chambered for .32-20. For all I know this is the same gun.
No one is registered here with the winning bidder's user name so we may not see anything from the winner...
Robert
That doesn't mean anything. My GB user name isn't the same as my forum user name either. I don't want everyone here knowing what I buy, and what I pay...
I just took the time to examine the pics closely. The gun looks righteous. The front sight is probably pinned because they did not know how high to cut it because they had never made a 6" K32 fixed sight gun and they did some experimenting!
That doesn't mean anything. My GB user name isn't the same as my forum user name either. I don't want everyone here knowing what I buy, and what I pay...
Mark
That's why I said, may, not wont. I understand your position.
I knew it wasn't an RP, but did not know it was a K frame. As a K frame, and an unusual gun, I don't think the price is too crazy based on other prices I am seeing. Had I been sure it was a K frame, I would have been interested at that price.
I find this discussion very interesting. Lots of great information. I too looked at this and saved a link to bid later if within my limit which is a lot lower than most of the members here. 😁
I always check in on the last day and see if the revolver is affordable to me. It was climbing near the end and I watched with envy.
I didn’t realize the rarity and was wondering why it went for that much. Somebody got a beauty, I wish it was Tom K. Then we could of got more information on it.
Pretty cool nonetheless.
How about the price of this one? At this rate my search for a M&P 32 may have just gone on hiatus. This is a very nice package, just too rich for my blood.
How about the price of this one? At this rate my search for a M&P 32 may have just gone on hiatus. This is a very nice package, just too rich for my blood. Attention Required! | Cloudflare
Here's a screenshot, just so people in the future will have something to look at after the GB link goes dead.
Raljr1 , I was tracking that too and couldn’t believe how high it went! I recently picked up a 32 m&p 5 incher off gunbroker that was priced similarly to the equivalent C Prefix 38 m&p. That auction you referred to made me feel good about lucking into my own 32 though mine has more wear and didn’t have original wear nor grips.
Last edited by handejector; 01-25-2022 at 02:04 PM.