1905 32-20 Target

[bruce5781]

This my first 32-20 and have not yet had a chance to shoot it. I'm sure it will live up to its expectations.
SN 1333XX should be fairly late production 4th change. I believe the serrated front and rear tangs were standard by then, but I'm not sure of the trigger. Sheard front sight looks to be marked 35-F and the rear blade is "U" cut rather than standard square cut.
Black smudges on the stocks above and below the serial appear to have been ink stamp of some sort but I can't make out what it may have said.
Numbers matching, serial penciled inside right stock.

Regards,
Bruce

 

[DWalt]

Any original target .32-20 is somewhat unusual, as not many are out there. Yours is an excellent specimen. For what it's worth I list SN 1328xx as shipping in 7/26. .32-20 revolver production ceased around 1929-30, but they were sold for the next 10 years or so.

 

[bruce5781]

DWalt,
Thank you for that shipping info. Puts it right at 90 years old then, my youngest Target.

Regards,
Bruce

 

[Drm50]

Been looking for hi condition shooter in Target 32-20 for a long
while. Fine looking S&W. Most of nice ones I have gotten are
4" fixed sight. Haven't give up yet. I like them because they
make good field guns for varmints & small game.

 

[bruce5781]

I have my eye on a couple of 4's and a 6 1/2. Just need to build the budget back up. I just sort of lucked into this one online at a very reasonable price.

Regards,
Bruce

 

[Alk8944]

13335x shipped 2/25/1928, but somewhat higher numbers shipped in 1926 and '27 from my list.

Very nice .32-20 Target!

 

[gjamison]

Been looking for one of those. Outstanding example!!

 

[bruce5781]

Been looking for one of those. Outstanding example!!

Thank you so much. It was quite a hunt to find an affordable ( to me ) example.

Regards,
Bruce

 

[Jebus35745]

Nice gun, love the bead front sight and U notch rear. We'll need a range report on this one for sure. Larry

 

[Green Frog]

That gun is #2 on my bucket list, right behind a K-32 or pre-War K frame 32 S&W Target. For the moment I'm "making do" with an I-frame 32 RP Target and a WW I vintage M&P 32 WCF, but I do have my dreams!

Froggie

 

[S&W ucla]

VERY Nice!! That looks to be a fleece lined Heiser full flap holster as well, also known as "Icing on the Cake!!"

 

[bruce5781]

Thank you. Sadly, that Heiser flap is only chamois lined.
The two fleece lined Heiser flaps I have were already occupied

Regards,
Bruce

 

[Art Doc]

That's a neat revolver. The 32-20 is fun to shoot (I realize you may not shoot this gun) and I have a beater S&W and a beater Colt Army Special that I like to shoot. Would like to find an interesting carbine in 32-20 like a Martini or a rolling block.

 

[bruce5781]

That's a neat revolver. The 32-20 is fun to shoot (I realize you may not shoot this gun) and I have a beater S&W and a beater Colt Army Special that I like to shoot. Would like to find an interesting carbine in 32-20 like a Martini or a rolling block.

I will shoot it some, but looking for one with a little more character to it for weekly use. I hope to pair it with a Model 53 Winchester.

Regards,
Bruce

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

This my first 32-20 and have not yet had a chance to shoot it. I'm sure it will live up to its expectations.
SN 1333XX should be fairly late production 4th change. I believe the serrated front and rear tangs were standard by then, but I'm not sure
of the trigger. Sheard front sight looks to be marked 35-F and the rear blade is "U" cut rather than standard square cut.
Black smudges on the stocks above and below the serial appear to have been ink stamp of some sort but I can't make out what it may have said.
Numbers matching, serial penciled inside right stock.

Regards,
Bruce

Visibility attempt.

 

[JSR III]

Like its cousin the .22/32, the Paine or Sheard bead front sights with the "U" notch rear sight are par for the course. Once they started placing the Patridge front sights on, the rear was changed to the square notch. For the .22/32's the official engineering change for sights was in August of 1923.

 

[Drm50]

I shoot a lot of 32/20, cast bullets for it. I have 92, 53, and 94
Marlin. Of the three, the old Marlin made in early 1900s shoots
the best. Minute of squirrel head at 50yds. It has good bore, the
Two Win.s have mirror bores. The only thing I can figure is the
riflings are better suited to lead bullets. I've had acouple BSA
310 Cadets, rechambered to 32/20, they weren't target guns.
Any one of my levers would out shoot them.

 

[rburg]

I like the gun, its a beauty. Around here that gun would sell for about $1500. A poor old guy had to die for me to get my 32-20 target.

 

[glenncal1]

I have one also, yours is in way better condition than mine. Still a great gun to shoot, 32-20 is a fun caliber. Good score!

 

[glowe]

Very nice target 32 Winchester. I would guess the front sight might have been changed since it left the factory. It appears that a rather amateurish attempt has been made to pin the sight in place. I have never seen the factory catalogs offer Sheard sights??

It has been suggested on this website that around 10% of 32 HE production was target revolvers, and around 90% of those target guns were 6".

It is interesting to put shipping dates of this model on a chart basis. Below is a line chart with production numbers through the years where you can estimate the age of any 32 HE. Shipping in serial number order requir high demand and low inventory. Neither of these occurred with the 32 Winchesters, so one can only estimate within a couple of years, the age without a factory letter.

I regularly shoot a 5" Model 1905 32 Winchester Target, shipped 1910, and find it to be great fun and very accurate. I have a Lyman front sight which was an offering in the 1912 S&W Catalog, along with S&W made sights. The same expert source has estimated that there were maybe 4% of 4" and 6% of 5" 32 Winchesters were produced. 32 Winchester Targets are not rare, but not often seen for sale. Using those percentages, an estimated 14,500 of all barrel lengths were manufactured.