.32 Regulation Police times two!

[wbraswell]

Last week was a good S&W week. A very, very good week. On Tuesday, I was able to acquire a great post-war .32 Regulation Police that I had been hunting for, from our member Truckman. On Saturday, I received this outstanding 1 of 196, 1957 Regulation Police Target, with letter, and this stunning custom box, from our member nickelman. Thanks to these two men, my I-frame infection has eased for now.

 

[TJm15.38]

Beautiful .32 revolvers. Congrats!

 

[rct269]

Thank the late Herbie Harris for those 196 "pre-war/post war" .32 RPT's. He (principal of H.H. Harris Co.,Chicago based S&W distributor) tells this story of their origin:

S&W came across 200 barreled frames in a dark, dusty corner of their warehouse. Knowing Harris was a fan of any and everything weird (non cataloged barrel lengths being his favorite), they contacted him, asking for ideas on what to do. His reply: "Put them together with pre-war parts, finish them in Bright Blue, and I'll take all of them." Done and done!

I was a teenager working part time in a carriage trade gun store in St.Louis during all this, had spoken with him/his staff on and off, and were on a first name basis with one another---never mind we'd never met face to face. He called me at home several years later---"You call yourself a collector of S&W target guns, I've got one you have to have." My new bride and I drove 600 miles out of our way on our honeymoon to pick it up---her first real introduction to lunatic fringe gun collectors.

I got a second one quite a few years later at Knoxville gun show. It was laying on a table with a tag that read ".22/32--.32 Caliber----$450" It was off the table and in my grubby little paws in short order!

Ralph Tremaine

 

[Truckman]

That's a nice looking RP, Wayne...Would you care to sell it?......Ben

 

[raljr1]

Nice.............

 

[wbraswell]

That's a nice looking RP, Wayne...Would you care to sell it?......Ben

Not any time soon, Ben. Without you, this thread wouldn't be here. To use old Army Air Corps terminology, buying your gun was a mission, the RP Target was a "target of opportunity".

 

[jcelect]

32 RPTs

These guns are interesting in many ways! I believe the factory built these guns to use up old inventory in stock. The boxes and grips of these guns come in many different types! Here are my two, please note the different boxes and I owned a third with a different box. I have seen these guns for sale in a Red Box!

jcelect

 

[rct269]

Now that brings up an interesting question!

Did the S&W folks build boxes?

If I was a bettin' man, I'd bet they didn't---pretty much any amount you'd care to lay down on the table!

I really hate it when I say things like that, 'cause I'd sure hate to lose that bet---even more than making it in the first place! But then again, I might win it---and I figure I would.

I sure hope the answer to that question isn't written down in any book I should've read---or did read---and missed it!!

The bottom line here is why would folks who've spent a ton of money building an outfit to make guns out of steel, be building boxes out of cardboard?

Ralph Tremaine