Another 32 WFC

[kwfun]

Hello,

I am new to the forum, but I see that there is a lot of good info floating around. The revolver pictured came to me as gift many years ago. I realized that I would be a terrible collector, because I immediately found some ammo and went shooting.

The ammo I found was Remington KleanBore (I think) copper soft points. First and only group I shot was about 2" at 20yds. I figured that was good enough and plinked away with all but six of the remaining rounds. It has sat for more that 20yrs since, except for a periodic oil and wipe.

Before it came to me, it spent an unknown number of years holstered at the bottom of a chest. Other than some muzzle wear from that holster and a ding/chip in the grips (from me), it is in great condition.

It appears to be a 1905 of sorts. Maybe made in 1923ish. If anyone can tell anymore, I would appreciate it.

Ser: 102XXX on the butt. Barrel flat has a B before the SN
32 W.C.F.
6 1/2" barrel
5 screw
Fixed Sights
Hand-Ejector

 

[ParadiseRoad]

...if it says MADE IN USA on the right side of the frame...it's from between 1922 and 1927...if the MADE IN USA isn't there it is earlier than that...32 WCF is also and more commonly known as 32-20...nice revolver...welcome to the forum...

 

[Muley Gil]

Welcome to the Forum.

.32-20 chambered firearms are one of my passions. I've had Smiths, Colts, Uberties, a Marlin, a Winchester and even a Martini-Henry Cadet rifle in the bottle necked .32.

 

[Chromedhearts]

That is nice


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[JP@AK]

It appears to be a 1905 of sorts. Maybe made in 1923ish. If anyone can tell anymore, I would appreciate it.

I think it is slightly earlier than 1923, although shipping could be that late or later. See my further comments, below.

Ser: 102XXX on the butt.
32 W.C.F.

I show 99052 shipping in April, 1921, and 106473 shipping in August, 1922. The barrel stamp for the cartridge designation changed from 32 W.C.F. CTG to 32-20 CTG in the summer of 1922.

Remember, they did not ship in serial order and the .32-20 was a slow shipper by the 1920s.

Barrel flat has a B before the SN

That just means the gun left the factory with a blue finish.

6 1/2" barrel

This seems doubtful. The 6 1/2" barrel was discontinued in about 1909. After that 6" was the standard longer barrel.

 

[DWalt]

Ammunition availability is a problem, but it can be found.

The closest M&P SN on my list to yours is 1027xx which shipped in 6/21. Yours should not have the MADE IN U.S.A. frame stamp. The MOP grips are not factory original but they are a worthwhile addition. You should find a cheap pair of K-frame grips for shooting as MOP grips can be easily damaged. Yours is in somewhat better condition than these are usually found in.

"It appears to be a 1905 of sorts."
S&W just called it the Military and Police (M&P) Model (square butt) at that time. .32-20 production ceased around 1929-30 after only about 144000 were made. It was not a big seller. Colt offered a somewhat greater range of different revolvers chambered in .32-20.

 

[kwfun]

Thanks

Thank you for the info.

The barrel is 6 1/2" unless I measured wrong. I went end to end.

There is no Made in the USA

As far as ammo goes, I found some new Ultramax while I was in Oregon. Looks like Starline brass. Cases are just a touch shorter than my old Remington cartridges. Lead flat-nose 115gr. Curious to see how they shoot.

If I plink with it enough, I may reload for it.

Shooter grips sound like a great idea. I am still frustrated that I dropped it in the first place.

 

[DWalt]

6-1/2" was not a standard S&W barrel length offering for that time, but it's not impossible for several reasons. Barrel length is measured from the front face of the cylinder to the muzzle. Reloading is a good idea if you have plans to shoot it much. Components are more easily found than loaded ammunition, and considerably less expensive. Probably the only reason .32-20 ammunition is still loaded is that it is still popular among some Cowboy Action Shooters who use .32-20 rifles and revolvers.

 

[JP@AK]

The barrel is 6 1/2" unless I measured wrong. I went end to end.

It is possible, just unusual for a gun this late in the game.

There is no Made in the USA

Yes. Not surprising. That is another reason to believe it was assembled before mid-1922. Only a letter can tell you when it shipped.

 

[kwfun]

Well I solved the mystery. I don't know how to use a tape measure.

So I have a 1905 4th Change manufactured around 1921-22 ish timeframe.

Another question: I understand that the cartridge was originally based on black powder. For an older firearm, these seem well built. What in the timeframe of these guns requires them to be loaded as light as they are? Metal/Consistency/etc. I am vaguely familiar with the concept. I just thought it applied to earlier firearms.

 

[JP@AK]

Yes. Originally black powder. The cartridge was introduced by Winchester in 1881 for use in the Model 1873 lever action gun with toggle linkage (not a particularly strong action). However, the powder charge was adequate for the intended use in rifles and the Model 1885 Low Wall single shot rifle was extremely popular in this cartridge. In fact, more Model 1885 rifles were sold with this chamber than with any other cartridge.

When Colt's, S&W and others began to chamber revolvers for the .32 W.C.F. cartridge, the standard rifle loading was entirely acceptable for its use in this way. When smokeless powder took over, the new charge was intended to achieve approximately the same pressure as the BP loads, to remain safe in all types of firearms chambered for the round. In the case of S&W hand ejectors, the cylinder was not heat treated until 1919.

In c. 1920, a higher pressure rifle-only version of the .32-20 became available on the market. Its box label contained a warning that this ammunition should not be used in revolvers. This ammo was produced up until c. 1960. With the exception of these cartridges, the .32-20 has been consistently loaded to approximately the same pressure levels throughout its history.

 

[DWalt]

Do not worry about any .32-20 ammunition you can find today being dangerous to fire in your revolver. The old high velocity loads for rifles haven't been made in over 50 years. There is a lot of steel around those .32-20 chambers.

 

[Plain Old Dave]

My 32-20 wears a Pachmayr Presentation I paid less than $10 for. Very accurate piatola.

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[shouldazagged]

Very good-looking revolver to be almost a hundred years old.

Welcome aboard, kwfun. I hope you'll stick around--this is a splendid forum. Lots of knowledge, experience and mutual support here, not to mention some wonderfully odd humor in the Lounge.

 

[DocB]

Wow. That gun in 32-20 in that condition is so hard to find around here. For some reason, people who bought the 32-20 just shot the fool out of them leaving us with some pretty junky guns. Even worse, I can't count the number I've seen that have been re-nickeled. Wish I could find one in that condition.

 

[bulletslap]

Those MOP stocks look very similar to the one on the 20s M&P I bought earlier this week.

Five years ago, if you would have told me I would look at a revolver twice that MOP stocks on 8t, 8 would have told you to go easy on whatever you were drinking

 

[kwfun]

Do not worry about any .32-20 ammunition you can find today being dangerous to fire in your revolver. The old high velocity loads for rifles haven't been made in over 50 years. There is a lot of steel around those .32-20 chambers.

Until this revolver, the only ones I have put much time in on are the .44magnums of varies sorts. It will be a plinker, but I was more curious about safety of loading a more modern load.

As far as the grips go, I am surprised they look like they do. They survived a 5 foot drop.

As silly as it may seem, is there any way to repair the MOP grips, or is it even worth while?

The amount of information on this forum is awesome. I found info for what was my next question about my 29-2 skipping chambers.

 

[bulletslap]

How big is the ding or chip in the grips ?

If it is small, I would try and fill in the chip with something like super glue and polish it after it hardened for a few days. If larger, fill in with a scrap of MOP, and work it down.

You have to always think about making a small problem worse, however.

I have ordered a set of these faux vintage grips for shooter grips - Vintage Gun Grips S&W K-Frame Square Butt Polymer Black - MPN: 3905

 

[DWalt]

The best place to find cheap K-frame grips is eBay. I prefer the rubber kind - Hogue of Pachmayr.

 

[Texas Star]

So, is the barrel six or 6.5 inches? I'd guess the latter. Some 6.5 inch barrels probably didn't get used until years after the length was discontinued.

Haven't checked .32-20 vs .32 Long specs. Can .32 Long wadcutters be loaded in .32-20 cases? Might be a good small game and defense load. I suspect that hard-cast bullets would reach 1,000 FPS or more in that gun. ??

 

[kwfun]

Ding is not big. You can see it on bottom right corner.

The barrel is 6 inches. Apparently I am still learning how to use a tape measure.