I went on a .32 shooting jag the other day, a spree, a bender – here are the results. Half the guns are older and half are newer, but I decided to drop them all in the 1896-61 forum folder for simplicity. The targets are at 20 yards and are 11x17 paper with one-inch grids, and a square in the center that is rotated 90 degrees and is five inches from corner to corner. For a lot of these guns it’s the first time I’ve shot them. Ammo was primarily Fiocchi .32 S&W Long 100 grain wadcutters.


Smith & Wesson .32s





The first gun is my oldest .32, an 1896 1st Model Hand Ejector. That is, the first hand ejector design that Smith & Wesson built. It has a funky bolt stop built into the topstrap that the rear sight is a part of, and so the rear sight ears go up and down as the gun is cocked. An odd arrangement. This was before they figured out how to put the cylinder latch on the side of the frame, so the cylinder is unlocked by pulling the ejector rod forward. There is also no underlug lock as found on later models. Scrawny little pearl grips. This is the first time I’ve shot it.

1896 1st Model Hand Ejector



As you can see it shot pretty high and to the left – one shot was about an inch and a half off the left side of the paper.



The next gun is a 1905 M&P in .32-20, also the first time I’ve shot it. I found it on Gunbroker and the seller was forum member broknaxl. It came with non-matching diamond magnas on it but I found some nice diamond service stocks of appropriate vintage, also via GB.

1905 M&P .32-20



It shoots pretty well but it’s no picnic to do so. The rear sight is about the shallowest little groove I’ve ever seen, or just barely seen.


This is the .32 that I’ve owned the longest, a Regulation Police 4”. Saw it at a local gun show in 2006, thought it was cute and the price was low. Better sights on it than the .32-20. The action is a bit sluggish when cocked, I should probably look into the innards and see if it’s gunked up.

Regulation Police 4” blue





This is another 4” RP but in nickel, with faux pearl stocks that I installed. I bought it primarily to fill the I frame slot in a lineup from M to X frames for a picture I wanted to take – THE AMAZING COLOSSAL LADYSMITH!!!.


Regulation Police 4” nickel



It has a nice light single-action trigger that surprised me on one shot, but luckily I was on target at the time.


I bought this reblued RP just for its longer 6” barrel. Target RPs are very pricey and seldom found, and this is as close as I am going to get for the money I’m willing to spend. Shooting it was an experience, and not a good one. First two shots went okay, then a click on the third trigger pull. Held it… held it… decided it wasn’t a hang fire and opened the cylinder. The hammer had fallen on the second fired cartridge. “Odd” I thought, and cocked the hammer again. The cylinder didn’t rotate. Decocked it, pulled the hammer back slowly and noted that the cylinder still wasn’t rotating. Helped the cylinder along manually and got it locked in place with the hammer back and a live round under it. Aimed, fired. Had to repeat the process three more times. Apparently the hand was not engaging the ejector star, another gun that needs its innards looked at.

Regulation Police 6” blue





I picked up this pup at the November 2012 Wanenmacher gun show in Tulsa, some of you may remember the thread I started on it. Tulsa Nov 2012 - .32 Target *pics added, post #17

First time shooting for it. It didn’t have a rear blade and I was given a replacement by Sheryl Cheely but as you can see, it’s too tall. Rather than file on this one I think I’ll probably just fabricate one of the appropriate height from scratch. It’s just a flat piece of metal so filing out a profile shouldn’t be beyond my talents. Compared to the previous guns the stocks on this one qualify as “comfortable”.

Target .32 I frame






All these pre-war guns have a definite cool factor, but honestly their sights are just terrible. Even the Target .32 has a skinny little front blade that would be near invisible when my closeup vision was good, not to mention being completely out of focus with my 55-year old eyes. It was a real relief when I picked up this Model 16-3 for its turn, with nice wide black sights that I could at least see as a dark blob, although still out of focus.

The scrawny little stocks on the old guns are nothing to write home about either. This one came with S&W factory targets which go wrong the other way and are far too fat – for shooting I put some nice comfortable Sile grips on it. Traded a brand new Merwin Hulbert for a S&W Model 16-3 (sorta)


Model 16-3



I pulled the shot at the upper right, so consider the five together the actual group.



Model 16-4, in .32 H&R Magnum. Nice sights and a set of Sile grips, and it’s obvious that this is the gun out of this bunch to shoot if I actually want to hit something. I’ve shot it before and I like it.

Model 16-4





I figured as long as I was bringing out the .32s I might as well exercise my Rugers as well, both in .32 H&R Magnum. First up is a fixed-sight Vaquero with 4-5/8” barrel. Bought this from CDNN when they were being closed out. I’ve shot it before.

Ruger Single Six Vaquero 4-5/8




Not too shabby, although it hits low. Though the sights are fixed, they are nice and wide and relatively easy to see.


This is a Single Six .32 Mag that I picked up via GB a few months ago, first time shooting. Shoots pretty well, and I can almost focus on the front sight!

Ruger Single Six 9-1/2”






I thought I’d also try the .32 H&R Magnum guns with the Fiocchi wadcutters. They don’t seem to work quite as well as the .32 mag handloads.

Ruger Single Six Vaquero 4-5/8 – wadcutters







Ruger Single Six 9-1/2” – wadcutters







Model 16-4 – wadcutters

Wow quite a nice bunch of 32's.....that 16-4 likes you.
I can't wait a week to try out a new gun.

Tom K,
Fun group of revolvers. Just curious. Did you use a center hold or a 6 O'clock?

What a great report. I have a bunch of mixed-age .32s. I need to get them to the range sometime too.

I agree with you about target sights on prewar I-frames. I hear from other people that they can shoot them well, but I sure can't.

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David Wilson

As a plinker I always use a center hold. A six o'clock hold makes sense only if you are shooting at exactly the same diameter target every time, as a bullseye shooter would do.

And David, it isn't just the target sights on the old guns, it's the fixed ones too. Skinny little front blades and a tiny notch in the rear is the norm. I guess they must have thought back then that if you had time to use the sights at all, then you had all the time in the world and 20/10 eyesight.

*edit* Of course some of the old target guns had a decent width front blade, just so happens mine does not.

Great report - thanks for sharing. Gotta love those 32's!

I have a 16-4 and it is one of the most accurate revolvers that I own and absolutely love to shoot it but your collection is a wonderful selection of range delight.

What a great day at the range. Thanks for letting us tag along.

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Why, I aughta.....

Nice presentation. 32 caliber is fun to shoot. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for sharing. This was a very broad show of "thirty two-ness" at the range. I need to do the same thing myself. One thing I want to do is see how my hitting with pre-War Target and Regulation Police will compare with my newly made "616" and my Ruger SS BH Eight-shooter. I agree that the pre-War front sight blades leave a lot to be desired.

Also, I want to use 32 S&W Long in all to see whether the later guns will retain their accuracy when used with shorter than chamber length rounds. Of course I also have to see what the best ammo in 327 FM will be for the late model stuff.

Oh yeah, I've gotta get the little 32 snub out as well and make sure it is still as accurate as it has always been for belly gun ranges... after all, it is the one that does CCW duty! The 32 lover's work is never done!

Froggie

Tom, your having a great time collecting them and we appreciate the range reports!!

Just missed a deal on a .32 Long at a good price last week.
The usual problem, funds already allocated.
It lasted about a day and a a half on a site that I check every now and then.

Good deal, much appreciate your presentation, especially using all the same wadcutter ammo.
20 yards gives a realistic picture of how and where the guns shoot.
Thanks!
Steve

"Shot a batch of .32 guns the other day"

Do you keep one in your "pocket for fun?" How about a "razor in [your] shoe?"

Thanks for the range report. The 32 is my favorite caliber by far, and I promise to post a report myself soon. I have a target model that prints pretty well, and it will be interesting to see how it compares.

I have a general ammo question on shooting old revolvers that were designed for black powder. What kind of loads do you use? Is smokeless OK as long as the pressure is low enough? I've read lots of different opinions, but would like to know what an actual shooter thinks.

Thanks again for the great post!

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AGM-28
S&WCA 3711, S&WHF 809

I'd love to get my hands on a Model 16! Thanks for sharing the pics.

Great read. Enjoyed it very much.