32 Long Indentification

[The Rattler]

Can someone help me identify an old revolver passed owned by my wife's grandfather and passed down to my wife from her mother? I am not supposed to tell my wife's age, but her grandfather died in his 70s in the 1960s.

When we found the revolver, it was terribly pitted and rusty wrapped in a paper sack. The cylinder was difficult to rotate. It had been neglected for over 40 years. It was nickel plated. I took it to my gunsmith who said it would have to be outsourced for re-plating. The company to do the work said that the nickel was too pitted to be repaired and it would not be able to preserve the engraved information on the gun by repairing it. It recommended what I believe is "brush nickel plating" or "nickel brushing" (or nomenclature similar to that), which I authorized. The metal finish was so bad I thought something similar to its original appearance is better than an alternative. In any event, I just received the re-finished product back.

1. Model # -- There is none, just plain numbers.

2. Type -- Hand Ejector

3. Serial # -- The plastic handgrip (with the S&W logo) covers the entire handle and covers any serial # information on the end of the handle. There is nothing on the metal strip on the trigger guard side of the handle. However, the following is located on the bottom side of the barrel covered by the rod for the hand ejector -- 1415 XX. There is a space between the 4th digit and the last 2 digits. It is possible that the first number is an "I" instead of a 1.

4. Caliber -- On the left side of the barrel, it states "32 Long CTG."

5. Barrel -- 4 .25 inches.

6. Sight -- Fixed

7. There is a strain screw.

8. It has 5 screws on the right side with one in front of the trigger guard.

The last picture is the before picture, while the first 2 are the after pics.

All information will be appreciated, including estimated value.

 

[Absalom]

From the looks of it, you have a Hand Ejector, Model of 1903. If the serial number is indeed 1415xx, it is a Fifth change, probably shipped around 1910-12. I have #147xxx, which shipped in Nov. 1911. The factory probably didn't ship in numerical sequence. Your gun has factory target grips.
The value is not very high. The Fifth change is quite common; they made about 160.000. I paid $150 for mine. And any collector value on yours disappeared with the refinish.

 

[JP@AK]

As a shooter, this gun is significantly enhanced by the original target stocks. I have a 98% Model of 1903 that dates from 1915 and I like it a lot, but the standard (and properly numbered) stocks make it a bit too small for me to shoot comfortably. I've been looking for some I frame targets for it.
Since this is a family gun, the refinish doesn't matter much, since I assume you don't want to sell it outside the family.
Nice old gun to own, despite the loss of any collector interest in it.
Go shoot it and enjoy it.

 

[The Rattler]

32 Long

Thanks a lot.

Is there a way to determine the exact date or year of manufacture?

 

[Absalom]

No. An archive letter from Roy Jinks will give you the date on which the gun shipped from the factory. How long it spent on the shelf before that is a different question. Sometimes the year is obvious; the literature, as well as the letters, contains information as to from when to when the model was made. So if your model for example was made from 1910 to 1917, and the shipping date is in 1910, that's obviously the year of production. If it shipped in 1911, it could be either, etc. You get the idea. It becomes a matter of probability.
As an example, I have a S&W Safety Hammerless.38. Based on the serial, it was made right after the changes were introduced that made this a Third Model in 1890. Yet it didn't ship until June 1892; so it may have spent around two years sitting in the warehouse.

 

[The Rattler]

Archive Letter

How does one obtain an archive letter from Roy Jinks? I could not find a reference to it on the web site. Perhaps I overlooked it, but any help will be appreciated.

Thanks for all the information.

 

[glowe]

You can get within a couple of years with most S&Ws. The SWCA database indicates your revolver would have shipped late 1911 or early 1912. A factory letter costs $50 and there is very little you can find out about a Model 1903, since almost all were sent to distributors. A letter will tell you that you have a 32 Hand Ejector, Model of 1903, Fifth Change. The letter will also tell you the original finish, configuration, stocks, where it was shipped, and exact date the gun left the factory.