.32 CTG Regulation Police Revolver?

sipowicz1952

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I'm a long time lurker, but first time poster. I now have my grandfather's old S&W .32 CTG which I got from my late father. I'm wondering if it is a Regulation Police. The serial number is 51XXXX in all the appropriate places on the gun.. I'm assuming it is pre-WW2. It has .32 Long CTG on the barrel which is 4 1/4" on the right hand side of the it. The left side reads Smith & Wesson. In the bottom of the wooden grip it has Pat June 5, 1917. On the top of the barrel it Smith & Wesson Springfield, Mass. USA along with patented Feb. 8, 06, Sept. 14, 08, and Dec. 29, 14. The blued finish has faded. I included three pics, two with flash and one without flash. Hope this helps. It's a very solid gun with no rattles at all. I've only put one round through it, but would like to shoot it more. Should I? I did find a whole box of .32 Winchester ammo with only one shell used. That was in the closet which is probably 10+ years old. I have no idea if that caliber is hard to fins. I generally shoot my .38's and .22 rifle. :) Any help on this would be greatly appreciated.
 

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I have no very close SNs on my list, but it is a .32 RP, likely from the early 1930s. The proper ammunition is .32 S&W Long, which is still loaded and available, but as it's not in high demand, many retail outlets will not stock it. It can often be found at gun shows, and some dealers may be able to special order it for you. Earlier this year, I saw some Federal boxes on the shelves at Academy Sports, and it was even on sale, which is unusual. I wish I had bought some. No reason you shouldn't shoot your RP if you wish.
 
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Thank you very much! Now for you or anyone else out there, is the gun worth much? Not that I would, just wondering it's potential worth.
 
Not up on RP values, but in that condition, it wouldn't bring much. My guess would be $300-$400 in a private sale. Others should have a better estimate than I. You'd be better off keeping and shooting it, as it's probably worth more to you than to anyone else.
 
Just to be clear 32 Winchester is not the same as 32 S&W long.

32 Winchester would be the same as and called 32-20 now.
That 32 Winchester box is probably pretty old.

The box has 32 S&W 85 gr lead round nose on it. My guess it's really old. Should I get rid of it? Not up on old ammo.
 
My condolences on the passing of your father.

The old ammo is fine to shoot assuming it is good condition with no rust or corrosion. But, some folks collect old ammo and ammo boxes, you may want to save it or offer it up for sale or trade and go with new ammo?
 
My condolences on the passing of your father.

The old ammo is fine to shoot assuming it is good condition with no rust or corrosion. But, some folks collect old ammo and ammo boxes, you may want to save it or offer it up for sale or trade and go with new ammo?

Good point! :) Also, just by coincidence, my dad passed away 5 years today. Thank you for the condolences.
 
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Not up on RP values, but in that condition, it wouldn't bring much. My guess would be $300-$400 in a private sale. Others should have a better estimate than I. You'd be better off keeping and shooting it, as it's probably worth more to you than to anyone else.

I won't sell it. My dad kept it in his closet in a shoe box. I would sneak in occasionally and play with it. Good thing he didn't have ammo in it at the time. It's too much a part of the family for me to part with it. :)
 
Welcome to the forum! Your revolver will shoot .32 S&W Long and .32 S&W Short. Google ".32 Smith & Wesson Ammo", several online suppliers will be revealed. I really like the 98gr lead wadcutter. From a 2" barrel they are great. From a 4" barrel that will be awesome. Clean, feed, exercise and repeat often. Great bedside gun. Some folks who are smitten with .32 S&W's might want you to private message them in an effort to try and buy it. But not me............. LOL. If you are going to exercise her often then I would suggest finding an alternate set of stocks so the originals can be preserved. Best regards, hardcase60
 
A note on ammo. .32 S&W is the old original CF caliber from the black powder days, widely used in millions of top-break revolvers made by many manufacturers, both domestic and foreign, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is shorter than the .32 S&W Long which was first chambered in the S&W Model of 1896, S&W's first hand ejector, having a swing-out cylinder. .32 S&W ammunition can be used in any revolver chambered for .32 S&W Long (sort of like you can fire .22 Short cartridges in any rifle chambered in .22 Long Rifle), but is somewhat anemic in comparison to the .32 Long. There is also the .32 H&R Magnum, and more recently the .327, which are longer still. The .32 Long is an easy cartridge to reload, if you have an interest in reloading.
 
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