A Lifelong Love Affair With The 32-20

[delta-419]

When I was young, growing up in the Red River country of Louisiana and roaming the bayou network that fed into the Red, it was where I spent all of my time. Full of mallard ducks, geese, deer, wild hogs, and cottonmouths. Whats not to like! We were poor and buying shoot'in irons was not on my grail list other than to help put meat on the table. I had a cajun friend that admired an old .303 British Endfield that looked to have been run over by a tank in France. It shot well! I said, what do you have to trade! He said that there was an old Winchester 32-20 in the back room. Its in parts?? It was, with the barreled action holding up the window in the old 135+ year old farm house. The stock was on the floor along with the tang screw. I traded even for the old 1892 rifle with a dark brown finish and little or no rifling that I could see. After much work (cleaning, oiling, etc.) It worked and the rifling was there, buried under a ton of lead. Thus begins my story of my passion for the .32WCF in any and all configurations. The number has grown over the years along with my small collection of shooter grade S&W revolvers. Here are 3 of the 4 Smiths in my collections. Serial numbers top to bottom, 107046, 31551, and 76025. They are great shooters and they get shot a lot as do my 1873 and 1892 Winchesters.

 

[Johnnu2]

YOU DONE GOOD on that deal brother...

NICE WORK.... yup I love .32-20's too..... I have two, maybe three (?)

J.

 

[Charlie Foxtrott]

I am with you on the 32 WCF round.

I think that it is a great small game round. I have two rifles in it that I hand load for and really like. I always have my eye out for a handgun chambered in that round.

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

Love the caliber! Had 4 revolvers, three S&Ws and a Colt Clone. Am down to 1 smith, a 5" round butt 2nd or 3rd change. And two rifles, a Stevens 44 single shot and a model 92 Winchester. I cast my own bullets and reload and thoroughly enjoy shooting them all.
Seeing a 32-20 thread always makes me happy too! There is just something about that old cartridge that tickles my fancy.

John

 

[oddshooter]

My first handgun was a 1st gen Colt SAA in 32-20. I can't imagine a better handgun to start a lifelong journey; accurate with almost no recoil.

I was in a little Texas town named Albany and there was nothing but cowboys. How could I not start with that Colt SAA when shooting came up?

Oh course now, it's the Ruger Buckeye and Vaquero, the Colt Army Special, a Smith HE of 1903, the Dan Wesson, and the T/C.

Life has been good to me.

Prescut

 

[Muley Gil]

I read Skeeter Skelton's story about him and the ranch hand that had a 4" round butt .32-20. That inspired me to buy my first .32-20, a 5" square butt S&W, around 1975. I altered the butt to use a Pachmayr Compac RB grip.

Since that time, I have owned a number of S&Ws, including a target model. Colt revolvers have been in the safe, as well as Cimmaron/Ubertis. Long guns have been a Winchester 92, a Marlin 1894 CL and a Martini.

Currently, I have a S&W 5" 1899 and a 5" 1902, a 4" Colt Police Positive Special, a 5" Colt Official Police and a 4 3/4" Cimmaron Model P Jr, which has an extra cylinder in .32 H&R Magnum. I have rechambered that cylinder to .327 Federal Magnum. I still the Martini as well.

 

[BearBio]

Had a Colt SAA in 32-20 but it never grabbed me. Always preferred 38-40 or 45 Colt in revolvers. Also, had several 41 LC.

Bear guns are: 454 Casull, 45 Colt or 41 mag (wife).

 

[old tanker]

I also have a weakness for .32 WCF

http://smith-wessonforum.com/139316593-post14.html
http://smith-wessonforum.com/139316603-post15.html

 

[dwh]

I started my love of the 32-20 with a 92src as well. Its quest that doesn't seem to be weaning any time soon either.
1 4in m&p
3 target hand ejectors
1 number2 rolling block
1 high wall
1 92src
1 colt lighting magazine rifle (traded off long ago. One of the regrets)

 

[Muley Gil]

I started my love of the 32-20 with a 92src as well. Its quest that doesn't seem to be weaning any time soon either.
1 4in m&p
3 target hand ejectors
1 number2 rolling block
1 high wall
1 92src

Thou shall not covet thy fellow Forum member's rolling block.

 

[dingomann]

I think Skeeter got several guys interested in the .32/20. Starting in the late '70s, I got a S&W 5" (also a favorite barrel length of Skeeter's), a pair of Colt Army Specials, a Win. Model 92 and a Spanish Alfa revolver. The Alfa was a pleasant surprise, since it resembles a S&W 1905 HE and is of good quality. I have ran several thousand rounds through it.

 

[mtgianni]

Great story and some nice revolvers.

 

[LaVistaBill]

I Love the .32-20 WCF Too!

My first .32-20 was a S&W Hand Ejector 4th Model, blue with a 6" barrel. It is a fine shooter. Next I found one of the coolest little guns around; a Remington Model 25 slide-action carbine, with a 16" barrel and 6-round tubular magazine. Everyone that shoots it tries to buy it from me. It also inspired me to start hand-loading for the .32 WCF. Yesterday, I added a new .32-20, this one a Colt Police Positive Special with a 4" barrel and nickel finish; I can hardly wait to shoot it!

 

[Green Frog]

Speaking of Skeeter, one of his articles reminisces about the first SAA he bought with his mustering out pay from the military. It was a 32-20 that he quickly had converted to 45 Colt by replacing barrel and cylinder. His love affair with the 32-20 came later.

Froggie

 

[LEO918]

the .32-20 is fun side line interest of mine.

 

[DB404]

I recall my brother years ago bringing in a blacktail forked horn buck taken with his new to him Remington 25. He commented that the speed of operation of the pump helped offset the lack of killing power of the factory ammo. IIRC, the buck had 7 holes in it.
All the best - Dave