32 cal revolver

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I received as a gift from my father in law a S&W pistol with the serial no. 68590. It has a 4" barrel, fixed sights, with the markings 32WCF CTG. While not new looking it is in very good shape. Could anyone give me a guess as to it's date of manufacture and as to its approx. value. Also is the 32 Long the same caliber as the barrel markings I mentioned. I want to know what type of ammo to purchase.

Thanks for any information.
 
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I received as a gift from my father in law a S&W pistol with the serial no. 68590. It has a 4" barrel, fixed sights, with the markings 32WCF CTG. While not new looking it is in very good shape. Could anyone give me a guess as to it's date of manufacture and as to its approx. value. Also is the 32 Long the same caliber as the barrel markings I mentioned. I want to know what type of ammo to purchase.

Thanks for any information.
 
Your revolver IS NOT chambered for .32 S&W Long. .32 WCF (Winchester Centerfire) aka .32-20 or simply .32 Winchester is a slightly larger, tapered or bottleneck cartridge. It was originally designed for the Winchester model 1873 rifle. Both Smith and Colt made revolvers chambered for it prior to WW2. It's still readily available at most gun shops. Both Remington and Winchester still make it, as well as several other small companies for cowboy action shooting. Any of this modern ammo is safe to shoot in your revolver. Some of the really old stuff was loaded hotter, and labeled for rifle use only.

As to date, I can only ballpark it at between about 1915-1920 based on my books. It would be called a Model of 1905, 4th change. The 4th change started in 1915 at #6571 and went until 1940 at 144,684. Others here can probably narrow down the date better by comparing yours to some they have factory letters for. A factory letter is the only way to tell exactly when it shipped.

As to value, without actually seeing it, I would guess between $200-400. It varies a little with these across the country, but condition is the biggest factor. Many of the .32-20s have rough bores from corrosive primers and neglect. They are great shooters, and most were used a lot.

Hope this helps,
Chris
 
.32WCF ser.# 69729 was shipped in Aug. 1916, so while S&W didn't ship guns in serial number sequence, yours was probably shipped in 1915-16.
 
132XXX would be the middle to later 1930's.

They were not selling well towards the end
of their produiction, so you would need a
letter to know the date.

Later, Mike Priwer
 

Sounds like a nice revolver, it has been my limited experience that a 1905 in 32-20 if it is in good condition and the bore is not damaged commands a fair premium over the 38 Special and seem to sell in the $300-600 range. Also be advised that there is current ammo available in 32-20 that is labeled for rifle only, I looked at some the other day, believe it was Remington so please be careful and do not use it in a handgun! Most of the cowboy action ammo is lightly loaded and will be safe in your gun. John.
 
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