I recently purchased a 32HE within 2000 of the last prewar revolver .
It has a 2” barrel with the correct serial number on the barrel and on the left side of the barrel it has SMITH&WESSON over 32 LONG CRT . Is this a rare revolver ? Thanks for your commits .

Post some pics.

My bet is that it is a post war gun, or it is a pre war gun that has almost certainly been rebarreled.

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

Welcome to the Forum NTP51.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

How can I tell if its been rebarreled ?

An a war eagle to you Muley Gil . Thanks

Welcome to the forum.

Here's a link to my 2" pre-war .32 HE that had been factory re-barreled 10/54



.32 HE Third Model or .32 HE

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SWCA #2817

Just FYI. Your barrel says CTG for Cartridge.
CRT is a Cathode Ray Tube. A much different animal. :-)

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Chris
SWCA #2243 SWHF #292

My revolver does not have a star by the serial number or any numbers under the grips. There is a mark after the serial number on the barrel that could be a R . Ill try to get some pictures but haven’t fixtures that out yet . I was pleased to find the grips numbered to the gun . Thanks for your input . Should I wear any protective clothing in case it is a Cathode Ray Tube :-)

OK, the 2" barrel is numbered to the gun, and the SN puts it just before WW II, right? I would speculate that if it originally left the shop in that configuration, it sat on a shelf through the war and was an early post-War release. These are described by Hondo44 as "transitional" pieces. My 32 snub has an early post-War SN but is otherwise pretty much "pre-Warlike". The lack of rework markings is not always a sign it hasn't been reworked... some just weren't marked when they went back to the factory. I'm not familiar with the R after the barrel SN, could it be a B instead? That would indicate the gun was originally blued.

Fascinating gun, but more details are needed!
Froggie

Green Frog how is your barrel marked ? Jimmyjones looks like it has smith&wesson on the left and 32 long ctg on the right . Mine has both on the left. Serial number is 534819. I see in the similar thread started by Bellgreen that the revolver in the picture looks just like mine with the same barrel marking but my grips show a lot of holster wear . I’m thinking a letter is in my future . Thanks for the commits

Left Side:Smith & Wesson
Next Line: 32 Long CTG

Right Side: Blank

Froggie

Congrats and welcome to the forum.

The 2" barrel wasn't offered until after WWII. Also some of the pre war guns numbered under the last pre war # were actually shipped after the war.

The best way to know if it's a pre war or post war is if it has the post war sliding bar hammer block safety. Is the hammer notched on the front face of it just below the firing pin?

In the hammer channel in the frame can you see the sliding bar go up as you cock the hammer, and down as you de-cock it?

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Jim
S&WCA #819

When I compare it to an early post war Terrier it doesn’t have the notch that’s on the Terrier.

I bought this one thinking it was a Terrier. Got it home and realized it was an RP sent back to the mother ship and rebarreled in 1952.

32 RP Snub (1).jpg

32 RP Snub (2).jpg

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Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

Then it's a pre war in all likelihood (but there are exceptions.)

Therefore you should check the left side grip frame under the left grip for a re-work date very carefully with magnification.

Does it have the four line address on the right front frame or just "MADE IN U.S.A."?

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Since it's a six shot, it couldn't be a Terrier anyway, it could have been a .32 Hand Ejector if it had a rd butt un-rebated back strap with rd butt grips.

Only the rd butt .38 S&W 5 shot is a Terrier.

The RP grips are 1920s vintage.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

The back story is, i was in a local shop picking up a gun that was shipped in. Just before leaving he said, look at this...i said hold it for me and I'll be back tomorrow with cash. I never looked closely at it until the next day, so in the interim I assumed it a terrier..

It shipped in October 1923

Robert

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Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

It has the four line address. There is nothing that looks like a date under the grips .

Well it's quite an anomaly:

It has a Post war after 1949 2" barrel,

And a Pre war un-notched hammer for sliding bar safety. But the Safety hammer block on .22 and .32 I frames happened at #536,685 1946.

And the four line address block change order was issued in April of 1948 Post war.

So the anomalies are obvious.

My best speculation is that it was almost a completed gun before civilian production was halted at the beginning of the war. The frame was stamped and finished after the war after 1948. I've seen this once or twice before.

So it could be a scarce Pre war/Post war model. Worth calling for a shipping date (if you're a member of the SMCA) from Roy Jinks. Or spending $100 for a letter if you're not.

It could have had a barrel replacement as hand ejector posted above and stamped with the gun's serial #. We'd have to see a photo of the # font.

It could have had a hammer replacement with a pre war hammer and the safety sliding bar removed. You'd have to pull off the side plate to check for a pin sticking out of the trigger rebound side if the bar was removed, or no cut in the side plate (backside) for the bar if it didn't come with the post war safety.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Jim , thanks for sharing your knowledge . I sent off a letter to Mr Jinks and will report what it says . I hope to get someone to show be how to post pictures soon . Tracy

Sure would like to see pictures...

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Randy

Hello, I'm joining this thread because I just acquired a similar revolver, .32 HE 2' bbl, serial number 535609. Numbers match on barrel, butt and stocks. I don't see a notch or hammer block when I cock the hammer. I haven't taken the side plate off yet. four lines on right side of frame, 32 long ctg under Smith & Wesson on left side of barrel. Photos added. No box with this purchase.

I also have a maroon non-hinged box for a .32 HE 2", with serial number 521768 which was previously dated 1949 as a ship date. Unfortunately I don't have the handgun.

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Be still my twitching trigger finger! That 32 HE snub with post war transition features is a nicer version of the first post war 8 frame I bought. I’m always amazed at how well it shoots and for EDC, I’ve “got a 32 gun in my pocket for fun” like Jim Croce sang.

Froggie

I finally opened up the handgun to give it a cleaning. Photo attached.

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I got my letter last week . It says “ The Post World War II serial number range for the I frame revolver begins in the serial range of 5345XX in 1949.”
My revolver was shipped on September 9 1949 , one of twenty five all in the same configuration to the New York Police Department Equipment Bureau, 400 Broome Street, New York City .
I still haven’t learned how to post pictures but my revolver looks just like jmarshall99 except my right grip has noticeable holster wear and mine does not have the notch in the hammer. So instead of being one of the last 1800 before the war its one of the first 300 after the war.

While we’re posting pictures of these beautiful little guns, here’s mine, 539695, which shipped November 1949.

Here is my first try at posting pictures , thanks to my son’s help

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