K-32 What do I have
- Thread starter stu1ritter
- Start date
OP
The guy that owns the store told me that "if the barrel hadn't been cut it was a $2,500 gun, but it sure will be a good shooter". When I went home to get my cash I grabbed my feeler gauges to check barrel to cylinder and headspace and they are well within spec. I wasn't going to let go of this revolver no matter what. A 4" K-32, what more could you ask for?
Stu
God bless you....I think I'm feeling a little green..with envy.....A great looking piece no matter what the letter says....Congrats
After sitting and staring at my narrow rib K-32----#58970, and measuring "things"----and sitting and staring at two later Combat Masterpieces (22 & 38)----and making some totally off the wall SWAG's, I've decided you have a very nicely cut/finished barrel. Let me know if I'm right or wrong when the letter shows up.
Ralph Tremaine
Ralph Tremaine
Green Frog
Member
Stu, this is definitely a case of "Good things come..." regardless of the gun's provenance. You definitely have a winner there. It would be nice to get confirmation that it is "factory" but at the price you paid and for what you've got there, your are definitely in High Cotton! Congratulations and enjoy it.
Froggie
Froggie
There was a special order for 10 four-inch K-32 Masterpieces placed by B.W. Folsom of Warren, OH. I don't know if the full set of serial numbers for these guns has ever been reported, but it appears from ones that have turned up that the numbers lie in the K66xxx-K68xxx range. Obviously that range includes this one, so it could be a Folsom gun. I don't know if all guns were shipped at once, but one of them was shipped in May 1949; it just turned 65.
Bear in mind that regular production of four inch barrels on the K-38 and K-22 Masterpieces did not begin until later in that year, and some sat in inventory until early 1950. I believe the lowest serial number known on a Pre-15 is about K80000, and the lowest serial number on a Pre-18 is about K90000. These four inch Folsom K-32s may have played a role in the company's decision to offer target K-frames with shorter barrels in the more popular calibers. The production Combat Masterpieces had ramp sights, of course; these 10 K-32s and a few special order K-38s had Patridge blades.
I'm thinking that any four-inch Masterpiece assembled before summer of 1949 would have sported a barrel cut down from six inches at the factory. If the only crowning tools available were designed for use on longer barrels with a slightly smaller muzzle diameter, that might explain the slight ridge around the crown we see on the shorter barrel here. I agree that the crown here looks a little non-factory.
I'm leaning toward this being one of the Folsom guns. It will take a letter to nail that down, of course, and I hope the OP comes back with an update when he gets the verdict from the company historian. I'll eat crow if it turns out I have overinterpreted the scant evidence at this time.
Bear in mind that regular production of four inch barrels on the K-38 and K-22 Masterpieces did not begin until later in that year, and some sat in inventory until early 1950. I believe the lowest serial number known on a Pre-15 is about K80000, and the lowest serial number on a Pre-18 is about K90000. These four inch Folsom K-32s may have played a role in the company's decision to offer target K-frames with shorter barrels in the more popular calibers. The production Combat Masterpieces had ramp sights, of course; these 10 K-32s and a few special order K-38s had Patridge blades.
I'm thinking that any four-inch Masterpiece assembled before summer of 1949 would have sported a barrel cut down from six inches at the factory. If the only crowning tools available were designed for use on longer barrels with a slightly smaller muzzle diameter, that might explain the slight ridge around the crown we see on the shorter barrel here. I agree that the crown here looks a little non-factory.
I'm leaning toward this being one of the Folsom guns. It will take a letter to nail that down, of course, and I hope the OP comes back with an update when he gets the verdict from the company historian. I'll eat crow if it turns out I have overinterpreted the scant evidence at this time.
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OP
David, I am mailing off the letter request this morning. Do you think it would be OK to mail a list of URL's for the photo's or do I really need to send actual photo's along?
thanks,
Stu
thanks,
Stu
It's easier for Roy if you print out some photos and put them in with the letter request. You don't need to bury him in pics. I usually send only one or two photos when I'm lettering something.
OP
Just found a local camera store where I uploaded on line and pick up prints later this morning. That worked. Thanks and I will most assuredly keep y'all informed when I get the letter.
Stu
Stu
I think I am convinced this is a correct 4" gun. Will be patiently waiting for your letter.
Wow! What a find
It looks all original to me, especially the crown.
It looks all original to me, especially the crown.
The bottom line of this story is - get a letter.
There has been a lot of discussion, back and forth, about what constitutes a "real"
4-inch post-WW2 K-32 . Some feel that a gun would only be "real" if the barrel
was originally made as a 4-inch barrel. There is no way to really know this, of course.
This argument is suggesting that the factory did ship some 4-inch K-32s, but the
barrels were first cut down, by the factory, from 6" barrels. This presumably is meant
to explain why the roll markings on the 4-inch barrels sometimes appear to be a bit
too far forward.
As far as I am concerned, this is not a valid line of reasoning. The only thing that is
important is - how was the gun originally shipped ? A 4-inch factory barrel is a 4-inch
factory barrel, regardless of how it came to be that length.
Furthermore, I think its highly unlikely that the factory would have made up forging
dies for a very small quantity of 4-inch barrels. It would be much more efficient to
simply cut some longer barrels to the shorter length.
The positioning of the roll markings is irrelevant. That is only a function of how the
machine was set up. I don't think there is any meaning to minor variations in their
positioning.
More than likely, unless a gun was a special order for some very important client,
the records will only indicate how the gun was shipped. There will be no information
about how a barrel came to be a particular length.
Your serial number is very close to some known 4-inch K-32's, as David suggests.
I own K685XX, which letters as a 4-inch K-32, with a Patridge front sight blade.
That should be the correct sight blade for these early K-32's .
In an earlier thread, perhaps referenced above, a 4-inch K-32 that did look "right"
lettered as being shipped with a 6-inch barrel.
Without a letter, one never knows.
Regards, Mike Priwer
There has been a lot of discussion, back and forth, about what constitutes a "real"
4-inch post-WW2 K-32 . Some feel that a gun would only be "real" if the barrel
was originally made as a 4-inch barrel. There is no way to really know this, of course.
This argument is suggesting that the factory did ship some 4-inch K-32s, but the
barrels were first cut down, by the factory, from 6" barrels. This presumably is meant
to explain why the roll markings on the 4-inch barrels sometimes appear to be a bit
too far forward.
As far as I am concerned, this is not a valid line of reasoning. The only thing that is
important is - how was the gun originally shipped ? A 4-inch factory barrel is a 4-inch
factory barrel, regardless of how it came to be that length.
Furthermore, I think its highly unlikely that the factory would have made up forging
dies for a very small quantity of 4-inch barrels. It would be much more efficient to
simply cut some longer barrels to the shorter length.
The positioning of the roll markings is irrelevant. That is only a function of how the
machine was set up. I don't think there is any meaning to minor variations in their
positioning.
More than likely, unless a gun was a special order for some very important client,
the records will only indicate how the gun was shipped. There will be no information
about how a barrel came to be a particular length.
Your serial number is very close to some known 4-inch K-32's, as David suggests.
I own K685XX, which letters as a 4-inch K-32, with a Patridge front sight blade.
That should be the correct sight blade for these early K-32's .
In an earlier thread, perhaps referenced above, a 4-inch K-32 that did look "right"
lettered as being shipped with a 6-inch barrel.
Without a letter, one never knows.
Regards, Mike Priwer
OP
I'd like to thank everyone for their input and thoughts. Now it is trying to stay calm during the 4 months or whatever it takes to get the letter.
Again, thanks.
Stu
Again, thanks.
Stu
What I don't get is why S&W didn't just roll mark all barrels to the rear and then just cut them to whatever length desired, like they did with the pre war 357s, which were all cut from 8 3/4ths blanks.
05CarbonDRZ
Member
Fingers crossed for you Stu,Like I said I know how it feels.
OP
Letter with photo's, in the mail. If it letters as a 4" I don't know what I'll do. I don't think I would shoot something like that. If it letters as a cut 6" I'm going to be the happiest guy around, not that the 4" won't make me happy, but I'm more a shooter than a collector so that would require some serious thought. You might say I collect shooters. A 4" K-32 is my absolute ideal revolver to shoot, so, it's a conundrum until that letter shows up. What a Buzzz.
Stu
Stu
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