S&W .32 Regulation Police #509712 - 4.25" Barrel

CptCurl · Dec 10, 2011

This is my last "I" frame at the moment. It's a .32 Regulation Police with a 4.25" barrel. Bearing S/N 509712, this places it toward the end of pre-WW2 production. This example is virtually mint and probably unfired. It has the deep, bright blue finish (which makes it a bit difficult to photograph). The grip medallions got washed out in the lights. Sorry. All finishes are original.

wbraswell · Dec 10, 2011

Love that RP .32. I have one like it with the non medallion stocks.

Camster · Dec 10, 2011

A stunning example! Plus 1 on the love!

Green Frog · Dec 10, 2011

Simply put, WOW! That's a nice one, and you have to wonder how it's made it since the 1930s in such pristine condition... did you find it next to a time warp?

Froggie

CptCurl · Dec 10, 2011

I found it in Mechanicsville, Va.

DCWilson · Dec 10, 2011

Another spectacular .32 -- congratulations on being allowed to care for it during this phase of its life.

Based on the serial number, this gun might have shipped as early as 1929 or 1930. I-frame sales and production all but collapsed during the Great Depression, with most of the company's limited production given over to K and N frame revolvers. In general, 1930s I-frame production (leaving out the .38 Regulation Police, which had its own serial number sequence) lies between serial numbers 510000 and 535000 (round numbers). The first number in that range is a little soft because I can't find a lot of examples. There's a 1931 gun with a serial number above 520000, which seems to suggest a lot of small-frame guns may have been stuck in the vault.

It's amazing where fine old guns can turn up. I found an ANIB .32 RP (or maybe even unfired) with a very early serial number in a small out-of-the-way gun store in Santa Barbara County. I also found a like-new prewar .22/32 Kit Gun there. I hesitate to go back too frequently for fear I will jinx my luck.

CptCurl · Dec 10, 2011

David, thank you so much for your knowledge. Question: when did S&W start using the "MADE IN U.S.A." stamp on the lower right corner of the frame? That stamp is not present on my 6" .32 RP (s/n 353824) nor is it present on my .455 2nd Model.

DCWilson · Dec 10, 2011

CptCurl said:
David, thank you so much for your knowledge. Question: when did S&W start using the "MADE IN U.S.A." stamp on the lower right corner of the frame? That stamp is not present on my 6" .32 RP (s/n 353824) nor is it present on my .455 2nd Model.

1922 sticks in my mind, but it might have been a year or two later. I don't think it was earlier.

ar15ed · Dec 10, 2011

wow! another jewel!

inyomono · Jun 19, 2012

Good morning-
Consistent with David Wilson's comment about I-frame production collapsing during the Great Depression: I have .32 RP S/N 509774 (62 numbers after yours) which letters to have shipped September 26, 1941 Shipment was to L. Galef Co., NY, NY. This gun is nickel with a 6" barrel, but otherwise the same as yours. I acquired it from a grand-child of Erle Stanley Gardner (of Perry Mason fame) who told me that it was Erle's gun. Thought you might be interested.

inyomono

DCWilson · Jun 19, 2012

inyomono said:
Good morning-
Consistent with David Wilson's comment about I-frame production collapsing during the Great Depression: I have .32 RP S/N 509774 (62 numbers after yours) which letters to have shipped September 26, 1941 Shipment was to L. Galef Co., NY, NY. This gun is nickel with a 6" barrel, but otherwise the same as yours. I acquired it from a grand-child of Erle Stanley Gardner (of Perry Mason fame) who told me that it was Erle's gun. Thought you might be interested.

inyomono

That is interesting. Very few commercial guns were being shipped in 1941; production was given over almost entirely to the M&P in .38 Special and .38/200 (.38 S&W). Orders for other guns must have been filled from inventory. Interesting to think that this nickel RP might have been in the S&W vault for over a decade before it shipped. Galef sold a lot of .32s for S&W. They supplied a lot of handguns in both .32 and other calibers to NYPD officers.

Can you post a photo? Years ago I was a big ESG fan and would love to see a gun that belonged to him. But then I'm a big RP fan too, and would love to see one even if it did not belong to somebody well known.

hsguy · Jun 19, 2012

Cpt, thanks for excellent photos of a great gun. I have two RP's at present, the top gun is a 32 with s/n 286622 and shipped 8/12/1919, the bottom gun is s/n 1898 and shipped 6/1/1917. Both are great guns and have been fired carefully by me. Sorry for the the poor photo, I hope to start upgrading my pictures as time permits.

DCWilson · Jun 19, 2012

Since this is turning into a very nice RP thread, I'll re-post this photo of my best specimen. This is the ANIB gun that I mentioned above: S/N 259152, shipped 5/26/1917; there is no patent stamp on the RP stocks because the patent had not yet been granted (that would happen 6/5/17, a couple of weeks away). The serial number of the first .32 RP is still not known, but must have been about 258000. This gun was shipped to a San Francisco distributor, Pacifiic Hardware & Steel, at a time when guns were still welcome there -- even celebrated.

inyomono · Jun 19, 2012

S&W .32 Regulation Police #509712-4.25"

Hi David-

I have never posted pictures before. Hopefully, this will work. If so,
there should be two pictures of the nickel 6" ESG gun attached.

inyomono

DCWilson · Jun 19, 2012

inyomono said:
Hi David-

I have never posted pictures before. Hopefully, this will work. If so,
there should be two pictures of the nickel 6" ESG gun attached.

inyomono

That's a very nice specimen! Good pics, too.

CptCurl · Jun 26, 2012

Wow, I just went back and read this thread again. What a nice bunch of .32 RP's! I thought I was pretty lucky to have mine, but some of the others put it back in the pack.

What a great thread!

It's hard not to like the little RP I frames.

S&W .32 Regulation Police #509712 - 4.25" Barrel

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