I picked up this revolver last weekend for not much money ($130). Finish challenged. A bit of cylinder shake. Serial number 119776. SCSW says made in a wide range from 1915 to 1940. The grips appear to be 1920s style. SCSW says barrel should be marked .32 WCF CTG, but this one is marked 32-20 CTG, All numbers match on grip, barrel, cylinder, cylinder star.

Is it OK to shoot the "cowboy action" loads in this revolver? Thanks.

"Is it OK to shoot the "cowboy action" loads in this revolver? Thanks."

Sure. Enjoy that old Smif. I like the old .32-20 cartridge and have for many, many years.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Yes. Rifle only .32-20s haven't been made for a long time and all were loaded with jacketed bullets. Besides, "cowboy action" labeling implies mouse power in all handgun cartridges.

This is the first operational S&W for under $150 I've seen since the 1990s.

I had one like that.


With help from the knowledgeable people here, it was determined one was returned to the factory at some point where the barrel, extractor rod, and stocks were changed.

Look under the barrel for a diamond mark at the serial number. This indicates a replacement barrel.


There might be a factory return date stamped into the left side of the frame under the stock.


A star by the serial number on the butt indicates a return to the factory.


Do the inside of the stocks have a serial number stamped or written on them? If so, are they numbered to your gun?

Nothing under the grips. I do notice that on the barrel flat in front of the serial number is a "B".

Serial numbers on these are a bit tricky after about 1920. But this one is interesting. It has the Made in USA on it, which is usually associated with 1922. And it has .32-20 CTG, also started in that same year. It has 1920s style stocks on it.
A reasonable guess, based on those very issues, would be that the gun dates to 1922 or slightly later. The rod knob was changed in about 1927.
"But only her hairdresser knows for sure!"

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

That just means the original finish was blue.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

No, this would be the second one you have seen, as I have posted mine several times. I was into mine for around $85.00, I traded this Ruger standard semi-auto for it.

I fired this ammo out of my S&W and Colt PPS with no problems.


My old Colt.

I suspect faulty accounting that does not take into consideration how much your Standard Auto went up in value while you owned it. However, I did not read your threads.

I have a couple of questions while we are on the subject:
1). when did they began putting the Made in USA on the right side frame. Mine does not have this.
2). Mine has the cartridge designation on the left side of barrel (32 long ctg)
3). mine has the pattent dates on top of barrel.(July 9,1903 ) as last date.
4). also someone said here that the eject rod nut was changed in 1920. Mine is same as thye one posted.
5). mine has the star with the date 9.15 under the lft grip.
approx. when was mine made .


Gary S.

[QUOTE=ColbyBruce;138146858]I fired this ammo out of my S&W and Colt PPS with no problems.

At first I was going to say I'd have a hard time firing ANY ammo at that price. Then I remembered those are 50 rd boxes and finding any factory ammo for under $1 per round is getting harder to do. Looking at the last box of factory 32 WCF I have it's Winchester and marked $21.95. I'm sure I felt cheated when I bought it, good thing 32 WCF is easy to reload.

I've bought exactly one box of 32-20 factory ammo-the same stuff as Colby Bruce shows above. I shot it out of my c. 1920 hand ejector.

This is definitely one of those cartridges where reloading pays off very quickly. Components can be a bit difficult to find(stock up on Starline brass when you see it available) but otherwise is simple other the the occasional crushed case mouth. I average 1-2 ruined cases per 100. Taking the time to trim all the brass in a given lot to a uniform length helped a lot with this.

Lately, I've primarily been using a 100gr LRNFP from Missouri Bullets. I think it sells for a little over $30 for 500, and shoots great out of my gun.

From that SN and the "Made in USA" stamping, the OP's M&P is almost certainly from later 1922, about when the USA stamping began. I list one with a SN about 10,000 lower which shipped in early 1921. It's theorized that S&W actually ceased production of their .32-20 M&Ps (or at least their serial numbered frames) in the late 1920s, but they continued to catalog and sell them from inventory until ca. 1940. There was evidently a very low demand for them by that time. Colt also ceased sale of their lines of .32-20 revolvers before WWII.

Remington's prominent use of "Rifle" on the above-pictured .32-20 boxes is confusing to many, as it is nothing like the early high-velocity rifle loadings which have not been made since the early 1960s. While I suppose it's technically correct as it can be used in any .32-20 rifle, it is really a lead-bullet revolver load.
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Regarding handloading, I have loaded the .32-20 for many years, and find it no more troublesome to load than any other caliber. For some reason, even in revolver use, the cases require more frequent trimming to length than would normally be expected. If you are interested in guns chambered in .32-20, you had better plan to take up handloading.

sarg1c, you are probably holding a 32 Hand Ejector in 32 S&W Long caliber, a smaller platform called the I-frame, rather than the 32 WCF or 32-20 built on the larger K-frame that is being addressed in this thread. If you want a good audience and some additional information, you might want to start a fresh thread describing it as suggested in the sticky at the top of the forum page. The I-frames have become quite popular of late and you'll probably start some lively discussion.

Regards,
Froggie