Popularity of the 32 S&WL

[Retired W4]

It seems to me the guns chambered in 32 SWL were not all that popular after WW II. The slow sales of the K-32 Masterpiece illustrates that very well. All that has changed now and it looks like the 32 is highly sought after.

Here are a few I have accumulated. The one on the top has features of the pre-war and post-war. It even has the pre-war hammer block. The little snub nose 30-1 was not shipped until July of 1964 and the 3" non-model marked 32 HE shipped March, 1960. It must have sat in the vault for two or thee years.

 

[quinn]

It would really be interesting to do a study of S&Ws in relation to the models that sat on the self for a long time. I would suspect that the relative popularity of the 32 as wel as others had more t do with caliber rather than model. Another example could be the 44 special.

 

[sophie]

Very nice pistols and thanks for sharing. Neat guns.
I was never much interested in the S&W pistols chambered in .32 SWL until the last 10 years or so and I have picked up several, mostly snub nose. I do shoot them and enjoy them. I’ll see if I can find a picture or two.

 

[Retired W4]

Yes, after the war there was the 357 from years prior and a while later came the 44 Magnum. Both gave the choice of using the 38 special and 44 special which probably hurt sales of the lighter calibers. The 44 mag more than the 357. The 32 SWL kind of faded out.

 

[turnerriver]

They are popular with me.

Regards,

 

[Toyman]

5 S&W post war .32 revolvers.
Upper left .32 Hand Ejector
Upper right Regulation Police
Middle 1 of 196 32 Regulation Police Target
Lower left Model 16
Lower right 32 caliber M&P

 

[sophie]

Here are several of my guns in .32 S&W Long. I’ve got a couple of my pistols that just have a 32 Long roll mark on the barrel and the other pistols have 32 S&W Long roll mark.

 

[Retired W4]

Those are some beautiful 32's. I have to put in my K-32 Masterpiece (16 nd). It probably sat around for a while before it was shipped in 1961. I guess the K22's and K38's ruled the roost and were flying out the door while the 32 Masterpiece could not get any love. Funny how that has changed.

 

[sophie]

That is a fine looking K32 Masterpiece. Mighty pretty. Glad you showed that pistol. I’ve never been lucky enough to have one of those rascals.

 

[larryofcc]

I only have two. A 32 Regulation Police, and a 32 K32 pre 16 Masterpiece. I am one of the lucky ones to own a K32 from 1952. Big Larry

 

[Erich]

I suspect the general lack of interest can be traced to the anemic ammo on the market. I only have a couple .32 S&W Long revolvers (both solid frames), but I find the round accurate, pleasant and amazingly responsive to Sharpe's handloading advice in them. Personally, I'll always stop and look at a .32 S&W Long (solid frame) revolver.

 

[Sistema1927]

What's with all these.32 posts lately?

C'mon folks, the more the word gets out the more expensive these revolvers get. Zip it shut. "Loose lips sink ships" and all that.

 

[STCM(SW)]

32 S&W Longer was one who shot NRA Bullseye contest as center fire rather than a .38 SPL .
I never did as my M 14 was very good for me.
another caliber at the time was not what I wanted.
Now, well I do have a M 30-1 I do CC some times & do reload for it.
Why? Who knows.......

 

[Green Frog]

Prior to the 38 Spl becoming a sort of de facto standard for police revolvers, there were a lot of 32 revolvers in use by LEOs, both small frame 32 S&W Long and mid frame 32-20 calibers. I think the move to standardize LEO revolvers kinda hurt the LEO market, and this was mirrored in the civilian market. However there has always been a cult of 32 lovers, with 32 S&W being attractive for its size and lack of recoil.
For me, the little 32 I frame snub comes as close to perfection foe a CCW as I have found. Others may disagree as is their right, but I know what works for me!
Froggie

 

[Grayfox]

I'm right fond of the .32s.

16-4, 3" and 4" 31-1s and a 30-1

The 2" 30-1 was my late wife's gun. She loved that thing!

 

[Mk VII]

Being the UIT centerfire caliber is probably the only thing that has saved this ctge from obsolescence.

 

[Hondo44]

Yes, after the war there was the 357 from years prior and a while later came the 44 Magnum. Both gave the choice of using the 38 special and 44 special which probably hurt sales of the lighter calibers. The 44 mag more than the 357. The 32 SWL kind of faded out.

That was true for the I & J frame .38 S&W which lost favor due to the .38 Spl Chiefs Special which was discontinued in 1976. But the .32 hung on until 1990.

 

[Hondo44]

Being the UIT centerfire caliber is probably the only thing that has saved this ctge from obsolescence.

What is UIT???

 

[Retired W4]

That was true for the I & J frame .38 S&W which lost favor due to the .38 Spl Chiefs Special which was discontinued in 1976. But the .32 hung on until 1990.

Yes, and now those little I/J 38 S&W guns, which are hard to find in high condition, have found favor, especially with collectors.

 

[Mk VII]

What is UIT???

Union Internationale de Tir, currently called International Shooting Sports Federation