Pop's .32 S&W revolver

[jdgjtr]

Howdy all,
My father, who is 86 years old, has promised me his .32 S&W. It has been in the night stand next to his bed since I can remember and to the best of my knowledge, it has only been fired 12 times! He has the original box of bullets he bought with it and there are only twelve rounds missing. I do not have any pictures of it, as I live in another state now but I can tell you it says .32 S&W Long on a four inch (I think) barrel and the number on the bottom of the handle is 610XXX. The cylinder swings out but he couldn't read it to see if there is any more information there. He thinks he either bought it in 1948 or 1949 but my mother thinks he bought in 1955. A couple of questions: Can the date be narrowed down as to when it was made and can it shoot modern ammunition? I have found .32 S&W Long online but I don't know if the pistol is too old to shoot it. I am definitely saving the original box of ammo for my son.

[flundertaker]

sounds like an old I frame model 30.
If the ammo has been in the night stand and kept dry, I guarantee it will go bang.

[linde]

Originally Posted by jdgjtr

. . . it says .32 S&W Long on a four inch (I think) barrel and the number on the bottom of the handle is 610XXX . . He thinks he either bought it in 1948 or 1949 but my mother thinks he bought in 1955. A couple of questions: Can the date be narrowed down as to when it was made and can it shoot modern ammunition? . . .

I think Mom is closer . . . serial number 611753 shipped in April 1954. Even though S&W did not ship in s/n sequence, I would estimate Dad's .32 also shipped in 1954 . . . possibly 1955.

I would have no reservations shooting modern factory .32 S&W Long ammunition that is in good condition.

The .32 Long is a really fun and accurate caliber . . . enjoy,

Russ

[Arik]

It's not too old to shoot and the ammo he currently has should be fine assuming it was never in water or somehow damaged

[DWalt]

I also think 610XXX would have shipped in 1954, but I do not have any SNs on my list which are really close. The closest I have are 600xxx which shipped in 1/53 and 620xxx which shipped in 5/56. Yours should be between them.

By the way, if you can provide pictures of your ammunition box (both sides) and the production lot number (often a combination of letters and numbers), usually stamped on one of the inside end flaps, or possibly on the outside of the box somewhere, I may be able to date it fairly closely. The ammo should still be good to shoot. Ammunition has a very long shelf life.

[Hondo44]

What a great hand me down. Since you don't want to shoot the ammo that you have with it, any modern 32 Long is perfectly safe in that gun and that gun is perfectly safe to shoot. As guns go, it's not really that old and made in the modern era of guns.

One of mine is # 610935 from 1954 3” Ramp Sight, Round butt, a .32 Long 3rd model, "Improved" I frame 5 screw model with 4screws on the sideplate (including one under the top of the right grip) and a screw in front of the trigger guard, shown below, top right.

If it looks like the next one down, either with round butt, or the square butt shown, with the larger trigger guard, it's a .32 Model of 1953 "New" I frame, with 4 screws on the sideplate only; also from 1954:



Enjoy!

[jdgjtr]

Thanks for all the answers, guys. When I get the chance to post pics, I will.

[jmace57]

Welcome to the forum! Stay a while.

[DWalt]

Incidentally, the "Improved I-Frame" can be confirmed by removing the grips. If you see a coil mainspring instead of a flat leaf spring, it's "Improved." I think those began around 1953.

[Hondo44]

Earliest .32 Improved I with round front sight in my database #554536 shipped December 1951.

Lowest known .32 Improved I with ramp sight #60430X, shipped early 1953.

[oger]

Just picked up a non improved #54276X

[H Richard]

A super fun little gun. Amazingly accurate. Should be no problem with modern ammo at all. You should probably get a little gun cleaning solution (Hoppe's) and wipe out the bore and chambers, sometimes just laying around unused will let a little surface rust settle in. The barrel is probably 3 1/4" long. I have one in the 60009X s/n range which dates to Jan 1953, so 1954 would be a pretty safe bet for yours.

Welcome to the S&W Forum, remember, there are no dumb questions, even if we have answered the same question a hundred times before for others.

[Hondo44]

Originally Posted by oger

Just picked up a non improved #54276X

You have a quality made, very well engineered, and assembled with skilled craftsmanship and hand fitted revolver, no longer affordable on a competitive market basis, and that we'll never see again, ever.

Shoot it to your hearts delight, and it will delight you with its fine accuracy, and comfortable recoil.

Those pre-improved Transition models, with 6 screws and leaf mainspring, shipped fairly early. These from my database will give you an idea when yours might have shipped:

534608 9/13/51
534632 4/2/52
554536 December 1951 (lowest Improved I # known)
557875 8/17/51

Look like this? Pure Post War, Transitional I frame, 6 screw, 4 ¼” barrel, but a 5 shot .38 S&W but otherwise looks similar to yours.



Simply put, the only usual issue with these marvels of yesteryear is they are gummed up and dirty. Old oils of its time do not match the science of today or the quality of these old guns, and actually dry up and harden to the point of impeding operation and accelerating wear. The simple solution does not need a gunsmith. Just one of a few premium modern gun products from any sporting goods, gun store or hardware store.

Most are both cleaning and preserving agents; Breakfree, Kroil & M-Pro7 are some of the best, but there are others. Disassembly is not necessary. With a spray can version of the product, flood and flush the revolver thru every opening and crevice until the black gunk stops flowing out, let it drain for an hour and wipe it down good.

Definitely with grips off: Loosen the grip screw completely and carefully push down on the screw head until the bottom grip separates, then remove. Now push the top side grip off with a finger or toothbrush from the backside thru the grip frame. Scrub barrel bore and cylinder chambers with a simple cleaning rod kit found at the same places as the cleaning agents above, and patches cut from rags is all you really need. And scrub any observed exterior and crevice crud with an old toothbrush with bristles cut off short for stiffness.

More detail here: THE POST WAR I FRAMES EVOLUTION - Smith & Wesson Forum

[jdgjtr]

I bought some .32 S&W long wadcutters and took my wife and her sister out shooting. Her sister wants a pistol and we let her shoot my wife's .38 and my father's .32. She had never shot a pistol before. Both of them loved busting pine cones in the back forty with it! Very accurate piece and little recoil. Sister-in-law asked where she could buy one like it...
Thanks for all the info, guys.

[Kframerbluvr]

Originally Posted by jdgjtr

I bought some .32 S&W long wadcutters and took my wife and her sister out shooting. Her sister wants a pistol and we let her shoot my wife's .38 and my father's .32. She had never shot a pistol before. Both of them loved busting pine cones in the back forty with it! Very accurate piece and little recoil. Sister-in-law asked where she could buy one like it...
Thanks for all the info, guys.

A nickel version of your father's revolver was the first centerfire handgun I ever fired at about nine years of age. My brother-in-law was a Virginia Justice of the Peace at that time and that .32 was lent to him by one of the local Virginia State Police Officers to use as a carry gun. These were fairly popular in years gone by for off duty and even duty use.

[Green Frog]

Originally Posted by DWalt

Incidentally, the "Improved I-Frame" can be confirmed by removing the grips. If you see a coil mainspring instead of a flat leaf spring, it's "Improved." I think those began around 1953.

Just as an FYI, this was the reason I tried to introduce the term "six screw" into our collectors' lexicon... it's easy to spot the earlier, flt spring model by observing the strain screw at the lower front corner of the grip frame. This screw is not used with a coil spring, so is absent on all of the Improved I-frames and later.

Froggie