I tried something new today, ordered this through the Cabela's gun library to my local Bass Pro shop in town. Never used this service before, I like that I can inspect and choose not to purchase if not as advertised. 32 S&W long, 4.25" barrel hand ejector. Should arrive in a week or so. Serial number is 353,662 so it should date to the mid 20s. Just something fun to plink with, hope I found a little gem.

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SWCA #3929, SWHF #1010

Nice.

It is actually a .32 Regulation Police.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

If that is your first 32, lookout. They tend to multiply.

Sent from my Pixel 7a using Tapatalk

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Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

With those stocks I doubt it is from the mid 30's. Big Larry

Good to know, thank you!

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SWCA #3929, SWHF #1010

Convex non medallion stocks and a mushroom head ejector rod dates it to the 1920s.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

No MADE IN USA, which started around 1922. With that serial number, guessing a 1921 ship date.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

Wow, this one is getting older by the post it seems. So if it around 1921, were they heat treating the cylinders by then?

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SWCA #3929, SWHF #1010

Yes. But it was overkill for the .32 Long.

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Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

I have a Regulation Police with serial number 354626 that shipped in August of 1921, so yours is very likely a 1921 gun.

Remember, I warned you about this caliber.

S&W 32s.jpg

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Robert
SWCA #2906, SWHF #760

You will just love shooting it. Literally no recoil, inherently accurate, and just fun to shoot. If you load for it it will only be pennies a load.

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H Richard
SWCA1967 SWHF244

That ones a beauty. They're not kidding when they say they multiply. I bought one not to long ago that's from the same time period (S/N 333XXX). I only got it because my wife thought it was "cute and unloved." Now I've got three of them (although two of them are Taurus 327s) and have started to reload the 32 Longs. They are fun to shoot as everyone says.

I know you'll enjoy it. I'm watching my LGS for another S&W. One like yours would be great.

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John 3:16 .

I just did a Cabela's transfer for a 48-7, pretty painless. It took a while to check out at the receiving store, some was waiting for background check, some was for all the Cabela's paperwork and procedures. Enjoy that .32, I have good luck in my .32s with Fiocci wadcutters.

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Jim
Many K and N Frames

I do reload .32s. I have two different bullets, both poly coated from Missouri Bullet Co. I have the 78 grain round nose and the 100 grain semi wad cutter. I use the 100 gr bullet 98% of the time over a “pinch” of Bullseye powder, CCI primer, Starline brass.

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SWCA #3929, SWHF #1010

Thoughts on these grips being original to the gun?

I hope to have it in hand later this week.

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SWCA #3929, SWHF #1010

May or may not have the serial number written in pencil on the right stock. After 100 years, some tend to have the serial number disappear or are very hard to see.
With the condition of this gun, I would think they are original. Mine are of the same vintage, and they have those same stocks. Big Larry

If the stocks seem to have pencil numbers on them but they are faint, take the right cheek piece outside and rock it back and forth under the sun. Even diminished graphite will reflect, and you might be able to paint enough of the number on your retinas to determine the whole thing.

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David Wilson

What he said!

I have a copy of a letter written by D.B Wesson in March of 1934 to an inquiring customer about heat treating. He notes the steel "as it comes from the mill" is entirely adequate for every single gun they made at the time----with no further treatment whatsoever. That includes the 38-44's---the hottest of the hot-rods at the time----which were commonly reamed to accept the later 357 Magnum cartridge.

That said, he goes on to state, "but we greatly prefer the increased margin of safety the 130,000 lbs elastic limit the treatment provides."

So if you have a 1930's Outdoorsman or Heavy Duty, and are inclined to commit the sacrilege of reaming it out for Magnums----it'll hold 'em.

Ralph Tremaine

And the used-to-be-my .32 Regulation Police Target #449510 shipped February 18, 1927---to Argentina, of all places!

And in the for what it's worth department, it is entirely plausible S&W didn't treat .32 cylinders at all---plausible, as in not for me to say one way or another---I wasn't there at the time----------BUT!! S&W was in business to make money. You don't make money by spending it doing things that DON'T NEED to be done. IF they determined a .32 cylinder didn't NEED to be treated, they wouldn't have done it. Harken back to the second sentence in the second paragraph here: "He notes the steel as it comes from the mill---------------------". He was talking to a guy who'd asked about the treating of his .22 Outdoorsman cylinder. He told him it wasn't treated because it didn't need to be treated. Then, when he was talking about the "increased margin of safety" the treating gives, he was talking about the other Outdoorsman the fellow had ordered------the big one---even though he'd already established NONE of the guns in production at that time needed any further treatment, because "the steel as it comes from the mill"--------------etc.

Their Mommas didn't raise no dumb kids! When they're selling big Outdoorsmans, they know a certain number of them are going to end up in the hands of folks who are going to be using BIG loads in them---and like I said, their Mommas didn't raise no dumb kids!!

UPDATE - I picked it up from my local Bass Pro earlier this week. Overall the process was pretty painless other than waiting around for them to complete all their paperwork and triple checks.

I think the old girl looks pretty good for 103 years old. Frame, barrel, and cylinder serial number all match. Pleasantly surprised that writing on inside of right grip panel is matching to the gun! So the grips are original. I knew that there was a chip on bottom of left grip that was poorly glued back, I will definitely be working on that to blend and correct.

Only thing I am a little disappointed in is some slight barrel pitting at 6 o'clock inside the barrel at the muzzle, maybe 1/8". I could not see this with inside lighting at the shop. Not sure what if anything I will do about this, definitely going to shoot it some to see if it really matters. It needs a complete disassembly and deep clean which I will do in the next couple of days. The ejector rod is slightly bent (no surprise) but nothing a quick trip through the Power Custom alignment fixture won't fix. A little bit of endshake that I will correct also. I have taken a bunch of photos...

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SWCA #3929, SWHF #1010