While I was at my LGS with my wife, the owner showed me an older hand ejector. It is chambered in .32 S&W Long, has what appears to be a 4.25" barrel per the measuring tape, the half-moon front sight, and a narrow fixed rear notch. The serial number is on the barrel flat by the ejection rod, on the chamber side of the cylinder, and on the front strap. It is 402xxx. The grips are wood, seem to be stepped midway at the rear of the frame, and have a patent marking on the bottom.

Am I correct that this is a .32 Regulation Police made sometime in the middle 1920s? If so, what is the value of the revolver as a shooter? It has some finish wear and minor pitting on the sideplate (I would say it is about a 65% gun) but mechanically has good lockup. The bore is bright and shiny. The action is a bit stuff which appears to be due to oil turning to lacquer, and it needs a good cleaning.

I figure this would make an excellent field revolver due to the light weight and the options available in .32 S&W and .32 S&W long handloads. I already load for the .32-20, so I have some 100-grain 0.312" bullets. I will need a set of .32 S&W dies and the brass. The dealer has some .32 S&W ammo, but no .32 S&W Long ammo. Any reason to not use 100-grain bullets in this revolver?

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Scott

Yes - you have described a RP. Most times you will see a patent date stamped on the bottom of the wood grip. I'm not sure, but MOST RPs are from the 1920s, I have one (357117) that I think is from the early to mid-20s.

Yes, .32 Regulation Police. A similar RP with nearby serial number shipped in 1925. The June 5, 1917 patent date on the bottom of the stocks refers to the patent for the design of the RP stocks, which will fit on no other S&W revolver without modification either to the wood or to the steel grip frame.

Leaving out collector grade guns, RPs have been selling in the $300-500 range for the last several months depending on condition. The one you ask about sounds like it might be in the $350-400 range, but without photos or a hands-on inspection that's just a guess.

I don't see why you couldn't use the bullets you have on hand in your own loads for this gun. My favorite cartridge for the prewar .32s is the .32 Long wadcutter target, which has a 100 gr bullet -- very accurate, almost no recoil. You should be able to shoot any modern commercial .32 Long loads in that revolver with no problems. Bullet weights for these are mostly in the 85-98 gr range.

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David Wilson

Thanks for the very informative replies. The asking price is $324 OTD ($300 plus 8% sales tax), so the price seems fair. Looks like I am getting a new-to-me old revolver.

Pics to follow once it is in hand.

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Scott

The old RP has been one of my long-time favorite revolvers for casual carry (ie "woods loafing") and seems to be the perfect platform for the 32 S&W Long. I like the 95-100 grain bullets (LSWC or HBWC) in front of about 2 gr of Bullseye (+/- 0.2 gr.) I've got a fairly early '20s vintage one that is nice mechanically and pretty nice cosmetically but has had a replacement 6" barrel installed. I'm looking at it strongly with the idea of changing it to the shorter barrel like the one you mention and perhaps having King Super Police Night Sights replicated by USNRigger. Now THAT would be a super little carry gun!

Regards,
Froggie