This is my 3000th post and I thought I'd write about how I became interested in the .32-20 cartridge and the handguns and rifles in that caliber.
Well, it all started with Elmer Keith, writing about shooting game with a .32-20 Single Action Army. That peaked my interest, but it wasn't until I started reading Skeeter Skelton's articles that I decided that I NEEDED one. Ole Skeet wrote several articles about the grand old .32-20. One of his earliest was how obsolete it and the .38-40 and .44-40 had become. Of course, this was well before the interest in Cowboy Action Shooting.
Skeeter said that the first .32-20 he encountered was a Smith & Wesson carried by a hired hand. Other handguns that he ran across were the Colt Police Positive Specials, the Official Police, and of course the Single Action Army. Long guns that he talked about were the Winchester M92 and M53.
I decided that I had to have my own .32-20 and found a 5" Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector. It was a 5" nickel 1905, with a fair bore and pitted finish. But the price was affordable for a college student, so I bought it. I decided that it should be a round butt and I got out the hacksaw and files.
I carried this revolver quite often for several years, using it one afternoon to shoot at a water snake while wading a creek in the Tuskegee National Forest outside of Auburn, Alabama. My buddy who was wading with me that day swore up and down that the snake was swimming between his legs when I shot at it, but he was known to exaggerate a mite.
I liked the .32-20 cartridge as it shot very flat and had little recoil. But Lordy it is loud! I started reloading for it and used some loads that I really shouldn't have, but the Smith handled them just fine. Hopefully, I'm a bit smarter now, as I now stick to cowboy level rounds in my .32-20 handguns.
Later, as a deputy sheriff assigned to the jail, I would carry the old Smith on duty. A lieutenant with the city police offered to swap his M29 for my .32-20, but I refused. I've never been one to make the best deal.
Unfortunately, I loaned that gun to a "friend" and he sold it.
I have owned a number of .32-20s over the years and managed to hang on to most of them. One that I let get away was a M92, but it had "issues" with bent tangs. I still sold it too cheap though.
Here's a picture of the ones I own now. The top left is a S&W target model that I bought off of the Forum. The next one down is a 5" and yes, the Pachmayrs are ugly, but they fit my hand well and I have the numbered hard rubber grips put away. Number three was probably a 5" gun that was cut to 4" and the front sight is missing. I have a nice 4" nickel barrel tucked away to swap on some day.
What looks like a SAA is a pretty good Uberti clone, complete with the early bullseye ejector rod.
The other single action is a Cimarron Model P Jr, which is a 7/8 scale. It also has a .32 H&R Magnum cylinder.
On the right side, the top revolver is a 5" Colt Official Police. Sad to say, but I shoot this one better than I do my Smiths.
The next three are a trio of 4" Police Positive Specials, in various exterior conditions from very good to down right doggy. I'm not sure why I have three PPSs, but the price was good on each one.
The two rifles are a Marlin 1894 CL and a Martini-Henry Cadet rifle from Australia. Both are good shooters. The M-H is a real hoot.
I guess I have enough handguns in .32-20, although a 7 ½" SAA would be nice. As far as rifles go, I love rolling blocks and have been looking for one in .32-20 for years. Of course, a M92 or M53 would look good in the vault as well.
I know that Elmer and Skeeter have been responsible for a number of guns being sold. I'm just glad that they introduced me to the grand old .32-20 cartridge and the guns chambered in it.
Well, it all started with Elmer Keith, writing about shooting game with a .32-20 Single Action Army. That peaked my interest, but it wasn't until I started reading Skeeter Skelton's articles that I decided that I NEEDED one. Ole Skeet wrote several articles about the grand old .32-20. One of his earliest was how obsolete it and the .38-40 and .44-40 had become. Of course, this was well before the interest in Cowboy Action Shooting.
Skeeter said that the first .32-20 he encountered was a Smith & Wesson carried by a hired hand. Other handguns that he ran across were the Colt Police Positive Specials, the Official Police, and of course the Single Action Army. Long guns that he talked about were the Winchester M92 and M53.
I decided that I had to have my own .32-20 and found a 5" Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector. It was a 5" nickel 1905, with a fair bore and pitted finish. But the price was affordable for a college student, so I bought it. I decided that it should be a round butt and I got out the hacksaw and files.
I carried this revolver quite often for several years, using it one afternoon to shoot at a water snake while wading a creek in the Tuskegee National Forest outside of Auburn, Alabama. My buddy who was wading with me that day swore up and down that the snake was swimming between his legs when I shot at it, but he was known to exaggerate a mite.
I liked the .32-20 cartridge as it shot very flat and had little recoil. But Lordy it is loud! I started reloading for it and used some loads that I really shouldn't have, but the Smith handled them just fine. Hopefully, I'm a bit smarter now, as I now stick to cowboy level rounds in my .32-20 handguns.
Later, as a deputy sheriff assigned to the jail, I would carry the old Smith on duty. A lieutenant with the city police offered to swap his M29 for my .32-20, but I refused. I've never been one to make the best deal.
I have owned a number of .32-20s over the years and managed to hang on to most of them. One that I let get away was a M92, but it had "issues" with bent tangs. I still sold it too cheap though.
Here's a picture of the ones I own now. The top left is a S&W target model that I bought off of the Forum. The next one down is a 5" and yes, the Pachmayrs are ugly, but they fit my hand well and I have the numbered hard rubber grips put away. Number three was probably a 5" gun that was cut to 4" and the front sight is missing. I have a nice 4" nickel barrel tucked away to swap on some day.
What looks like a SAA is a pretty good Uberti clone, complete with the early bullseye ejector rod.
The other single action is a Cimarron Model P Jr, which is a 7/8 scale. It also has a .32 H&R Magnum cylinder.
On the right side, the top revolver is a 5" Colt Official Police. Sad to say, but I shoot this one better than I do my Smiths.
The next three are a trio of 4" Police Positive Specials, in various exterior conditions from very good to down right doggy. I'm not sure why I have three PPSs, but the price was good on each one.
The two rifles are a Marlin 1894 CL and a Martini-Henry Cadet rifle from Australia. Both are good shooters. The M-H is a real hoot.
I guess I have enough handguns in .32-20, although a 7 ½" SAA would be nice. As far as rifles go, I love rolling blocks and have been looking for one in .32-20 for years. Of course, a M92 or M53 would look good in the vault as well.
I know that Elmer and Skeeter have been responsible for a number of guns being sold. I'm just glad that they introduced me to the grand old .32-20 cartridge and the guns chambered in it.
