S&w 32-20

[ScottZ]

I found this revolver last month in a local gun shop, forgotten and unwanted. #131XX 32-20 ctg. 4" barrel, 5 screw, in need of a good home. Need help in identifying the model & year of production and where to find a set of appropriate grips.
Thanks

[gizamo]

Welcome to the forum....

One of my Grail guns right now. I happen to have a old Winchester in 32-20 and would love to find a S&W to go with it some day...

Nice Catch!!!

PM sent your way....

giz

[jmark1651]

You have purchased a 32-20 Hand Ejector Model of 1905- 4th Change. It was manufactured from around 1915-1940 and around 78,983 of them were produced. It could have come with Checked black hard rubber or checked diamond walnut stocks without medillions. It is sometimes a challenge to pin the date down,without checking with Mr. Jinks. I have one in your general range which was shipped in 1927. Nice piece of history and a favorite caliber of my father. You could probably find a suitable set of grips from anyone who deals with stocks,especially older weapons and pistols.

[MKT]

The .32-20, also known as the .32 WCF, is one of my favorite plinking rounds. I feel pretty lucky having found three of them so far, my first shipped in June 1912, the second one I am guessing probably shipped about 1920 (planning on lettering to see what country it shipped to) and my latest, the nickle 4 incher, probably shipped 1911/1912.

Your .32-20 was probably built between the late 1920's and the end of the .32-30 production in 1940 or so. The only way to know for sure would be a factory letter, which should also tell you which grips it shipped with as well as where it shipped to (sometimes even to whom it shipped).

EDIT: It appears I misread the serial number yuo posted. Does your serial have five or six digits? If five, then it most likely predates any of my .32-20's. If six, then my original guess stands.

[SWGUNNER]

It seems I may have purchased a twin yesterday. A 32-20 1905 3rd change. Serial Number 532XX nickeled 4 inch. Has some honest wear, but not terribly abused. Prior to heat treated cylinders, so I guess I'll be loading this a little soft.



Dave

[gizamo]

You'se Guys are killin' me...


giz

[MKT]

SWGunner,

I think you have one too many x's in your serial.

My nickle 4 inch is 508XX and my 6inch blue is 556XX and shipped in June of 1912. If your is a five digit serial in close proximity they are probably pretty close to mine, but again, one can never tell with S&W.

[MKT]

Originally Posted by gizamo

You'se Guys are killin' me...


giz

They're out there Giz...one just has to look for them .

In my case, I go N frame hunting and come home with a .32-20

[rburg]

I wish I could give you a good answer, but they're going to be hard to come by. I just recently (June) picked up a target model with a 135,000s serial number, and I'm guessing it came from about 1935. Its not unreasonable to guess (but maybe not correctly) yours was from the early 1930s. If so, it should have the basic 1930s silver medallion service grips. Those are getting kind of expensive these days.

They're more difficult to date because they were waning in popularity by the 1930s. Their hayday was the early quarter of this century. There really wasn't a lot of advantages to owning or shooting them, or so the buying public discovered. Part of the process of gun collectors liking a gun is the availability of a fair number of them in great condition. Most of the .32-20s I've seen are what we call working guns. Someone bought them, loved them, and shot them regularly. The early ones seem to have lived a rough life with either corrosive primed or black powder ammunition. Thats just the bad part.

Many of the guns shoot very well. It could be why they were fired so much. My gun showing pard insists the 5" gun he had years ago was the best shooting gun he's ever had. Others sing their praises, too.

Ammo can be kind of a problem for you. Particularly if you don't handload. The search requires you to always have a small stash of money ready to spend. Of course these days thats true of all calibers. Much of the ammo you'll run across will be at gunshows, flea markets, or even old gunshops. Don't throw away the empties. Even if you don't reload, there are reloaders who will do it for you at a price.

I've had very good luck digging up boxes and partial boxes over the summer. Maybe its fall from popularity is a blessing. Ask around for ammo. Sometimes people have a box or two lying around. They don't bother hauling it to a gunshow because they figure no one will want it. Take names and phone numbers if they have it at home.

A really accurate gun is a good thing to own. You won't waste shots during these tough times.

[DCWilson]

Ditto on the welcome. I got a .32-20 a couple of months ago and have enjoyed shooting it a little. Mine is a 1913 gun that had been renickeled with more enthusiasm than finesse, but the internals were sound. Your gun looks a lot nicer.

Is it correct that your gun has a five-digit serial number beginning 13xxx? If so, that dates it to about 1905 and it is a .32-20 HE, second model, first change. If you left an x out of the placeholder designators, it was manufactured about 20 years later, in the mid-1920s. In that case it would be a .32-20 HE, third model, fourth change. The .32-20 revolvers had their own serial number range, from 1 to 144684. They were last manufactured just before WW2.

The proper stocks on your revolver would have been the old service stocks with the semicircular top to each panel that mates exactly with the steel frame. Looks to me like your gun has a round butt frame under the modern rubber. Probably your gun had stocks without medallions, but there are .32-20 M&P models that did have medallions in them. Here's a picture of my gun, a square butt model. These are not the original stocks, but they are appropriate to the age of the gun.

[mikepriwer]

That serial number 131XX is not right. That would make the gun
a 1902 1st change, which it is not, as far as I can tell from the
left-side photo.

Later, Mike Priwer

[popgun]

Originally Posted by MKT

They're out there Giz...one just has to look for them .

In my case, I go N frame hunting and come home with a .32-20

I passed two 4 inchers up so far this year because I'm Layed off and it's killin me, I feel your pain

[Buford57]

Scott, I didn't notice if your .32-20 is square or round butt or whether the consensus was that it shipped with medallion or non-medallion service grips, but IF it is SB non-medallion I have a set in sound condition without excessive wear that I could part with.

[Pontiaker]

Great gun but get rid of the Goodyears! I might have some nice grips for you, let me check it out.

[bigolddave]

Picked this one a few years ago at a CADA show at Pheasant Run. It has two big brothers; a Marlin 1894CL and a Winchester 1892 Takedown.

A couple years later, I saw a box of Remingtons in the sale bin at the local Dick's Sporting Goods for ten dollars. I asked if they had any more. Yup, nine more boxes; they had special ordered them and the guy had never picked them up. Bought them all for nine dollars a box. Still haven't used my dies.

[Pontiaker]

I have a half way decent set of convex no medallion grips you can have for your gun.They are worn and need to be cleaned up to match the condition of your pistol but there yours if you want them. I think they would look way better than the rubber grips you have now even though they might not be the exact correct vintage grips for your gun. Shoot me an email at [email protected] if you want them. Also did you get the correct serial number off your gun yet?
Matt

[bamabiker]

I looked at an old S&W 32-20 today at Simmons Sporting Goods in Bessemer Al. It looked like the one posted by bigolddave but not in near as good of shape. I don't think the grips had the medallions but I'm not sure. I did not pay it a lot of attention because I was not really interested in the gun. I did ask the price and I think he said $229. It was not in the case. I had ask the guy if he had any older S&Ws and he went in the back and came out with it. Just giving a little heads up, if anyone is interested.

[Muley Gil]

bamabiker,

I bought a 5" RB .32-20 from Simmons back in the late 1980s. It shipped in May 1906. It's a good shooter.

[ScottZ]

Potiaker

You're good, I did leave out an X on the serial # 1310XX, with a square but frame. Thanks
DSC00825.JPG

[jwr747]

picked up a 32 WSF a while back,sn#92640,my dad had some 32-20 reloads for his rifle so I borrowed a box.thing shot minute of moose,all over the place.after a little research ,found dad used .308 bullets for his reloads.will try again with some proper ammo...jwr

[H P Bushrod]

Finally got a chance to shoot my 5 inch barreled .32-20 that I picked up last week. I see why most of them were working guns. It's a great shooter and very accurate. Wish the ammo was cheaper!

[Gatorbaiter]

32-20's are my favorite pistol cartridge! Here's a few of mine:


S&W-King Super Target:


Two S&W 32 WCF Target Models:


Colt SAA 32 WCF:

[nfishaholic]

I recently aquired this pistol from my father which in turn used to be my grandfathers.serial # 6015. It has a broken trigger spring and was wondering where to begin to look for a replacement spring. if anyone can lead me in the right direction i would love to get this pistol back in working condition.It will fire just the trigger won't return.

[delta-419]

You might put out a call for the parts that you want here on the forum in the "Want To Buy" section. Lots of guys have spare parts available. Also, GunParts Corp has parts along with Poppets just to mention a few. Google is your best friend when looking for gun parts. We all do it. Dont forget Midway and Brownells. GunBroker also has a parts section. Hope this helps!!!

[walnutred]

Originally Posted by nfishaholic

I recently aquired this pistol from my father which in turn used to be my grandfathers.serial # 6015. It has a broken trigger spring and was wondering where to begin to look for a replacement spring. if anyone can lead me in the right direction i would love to get this pistol back in working condition.It will fire just the trigger won't return.

That pistol may be more interesting than you think. I believe the stove-pipe barrel would indicate a 1902 no changes, which IIRC has a flat trigger return spring. That may take some looking to locate.

[DCWilson]

Originally Posted by nfishaholic

I recently aquired this pistol from my father which in turn used to be my grandfathers.serial # 6015. It has a broken trigger spring and was wondering where to begin to look for a replacement spring. if anyone can lead me in the right direction i would love to get this pistol back in working condition.It will fire just the trigger won't return.

Nfishaholic, welcome to the forum.

The serial number and unflared barrel (no "bell" diameter widening where the barrel screws into the frame) suggest this is a Model of 1902 that was manufactured around 1902-1903. These guns had a trigger-return mechanism different from the one adopted by the company in 1905 and still used today, so parts may be tough to find.

The 1902 had two flat springs, a mainspring and a trigger return spring. Both are anchored inside the grip frame. There is also a little rocker piece that pivots on a pin to drive the trigger forward when it is released. A problem with any one of these components could result in the problem you describe.

Here's a thread with pics that will show you what is going on inside your revolver: (This one is a .38 Special, but the .32-20 of the same age will look the same inside.)

Inside a 1902

If you are comfortable opening up your revolver but have not done so yet, you might want to take that step just to analyze the situation. If you have not taken the sideplate off, make sure you understand the procedures to follow that will not damage your gun. There are other threads about that on this forum.

There are different sources for parts for these old guns: Jack First Gun in South Dakota, Poppert's Gun Parts in PA, Dave Chicoine (Old West Gunsmith). You can find them quickly with an internet search. Good luck. If you just need a new spring or rocker, you can probably replace that yourself. If the stud on which the rocker is mounted has broken off, that's a little more complicated.

[sheriffoconee]

Originally Posted by ScottZ

Potiaker

You're good, I did leave out an X on the serial # 1310XX, with a square but frame. Thanks
Attachment 5814

I think that SRN is very close to mine, I will check when I get home and report back I also have 101768 but it is a basket case and needs work....

[Green Frog]

I sure would love to see a top view of that King Super Target to show the details of the rib. A bit off-topic, but maybe you could even start a thread all for that and other King conversions.

Froggie

[Alk8944]

I only saw one post that touched on the correct period and number for your gun. If the caliber marking on this revolver is .32-20 CTG it was manufactured from 1922 on. Shipping dates for numbers I have collected place it in 1926-27. 130000 dates to 1926, 13457x to 1927.

While a big thing is always made of S&W not necessarily shipping in serial number order, they did manufacture in serial number order. The only date S&W recorded was the date a gun was shipped, so that is all we have to go by to approximate date of manufacture. One thing that can be said with confidence is if a gun with SN 123456 shipped on 1-1-1928, that every revolver with a lower serial number had been manufactured before that date! 123455 may have been shipped in 1930, but it was manufactured no later than 1-1-1928, the shipping date of the next gun in the series! They both could have been made in 1926.

The correct stocks for your gun would be checkered Walnut with convex tops and no medallion.

Nice revolver, but some better photos would be appreciated. If you have a camera other than a cell phone use the "Macro" setting for close-ups.

[Cocked & Locked]

I got here a little late, but here's one more.

S&W M&P 4th change .32-20 (1927) with a King Super Police front sight

[popgun]

here's mine good shooter, I have a Colt Police Positive Special in 32-20 also. Have my eye on a Colt Army in 32-20 but cash is tight. Maybe for Cristmas.