Another old one

[Igiveup]

Today I purchased a 32-20 five inch barrel and nickel plated. In fact, my first nickel plated revolver. Curious to date of manufacture. Sn: 19882x. Smith & Wesson on right side plate, 32-20 ctg on right side of barrel, and has regular diamond magna grips. I think the grips may be wrong. I don't have the ability right now to post a picture.

 

[Muley Gil]

Please check the serial number. .32-20s were in their own SN series and those stopped in the 144K range.

 

[murphydog]

In that era the SNs were deeply stamped, and 1/7 and 3/5/6/8/9 can look the same. Have a close look at the SN at an angle with good light, and maybe a magnifier.

 

[handejector]

In that era the SNs were deeply stamped, and 1/7 and 3/5/6/8/9 can look the same. Have a close look at the SN at an angle with good light, and maybe a magnifier.

Also-
The numbers on back of cylinder and bottom of barrel are usually easier to read accurately even though they are smaller.

 

[cmansguns]

need a range report when you get a chance

I agree to recheck the serial number as SCSW 4th also lists 144XXX as 1940 and the end of this line production.

Mine is s/n 105093 and shipped October 1921 per Roy. The gun is also a 5 inch and a lot of fun to shoot. I have to find an outdoor range as local indoor (only 1 left now..the other in Richmond closed permanently earlier this month) will not allow soft lead bullets due to their expensive air handling equipment.

The last time I had it out it was high and left at 15 yards (the max distance I shoot my revolvers) but that was probably all me with those teeny sights.

Heat treating of the cylinders began with this Model at s/n 81287 per SCSW 4th, so with 6 digits you are good to go with modern "cowboy action" ammo if you can find it.

 

[glowe]

I agree to recheck the serial number as SCSW 4th also lists 144XXX as 1940 and the end of this line production . . .

There are some that state the end of production was actually in the early 1920s, and the company did not sell them all until 1940. This model has always been a big question in my mind, since I have never found any documentation showing this to be true, but would like to see anything alluding to this claim.

 

[JP@AK]

There are some that state the end of production was actually in the early 1920s, and the company did not sell them all until 1940. This model has always been a big question in my mind, since I have never found any documentation showing this to be true, but would like to see anything alluding to this claim.

Gary

First, I would refute the idea of "the early 1920s." In fact, I don't believe I have ever seen anyone make that claim. On the other hand, several of us do think actual production ended sometime around 1929 or 1930. Here is some evidence leading us to that tentative conclusion.

First, the established highest serial number is 144684.

Next, here are some confirmed ship dates by serial number
141040 - December, 1928
141045 - March, 1929
141399 - March, 1928
142578 - September, 1929
143236 - March, 1930
143556 - September, 1930
143607 - October, 1931
143697 - October, 1931

The listed numbers are getting very close to 144684 - less than 1,000 on one that shipped in the autumn of 1931. Hence, the tentative conclusion that production did not continue for another 10 years. As for the 1940 date, the only thing we have is that the model was still listed in the catalog that year. No documentation has ever confirmed that production lasted until then. You can add to that the fact that, by the 1930s, the .32-20 HE was a slow seller.

As you suggest, we don't have definitive proof of our belief that the .32-20 HE was out of production by sometime in the early 1930s, but there is enough evidence in my opinion to warrant that suspicion. Perhaps someday the production logs will be made available (assuming they still exist), and then we will have more information on this question. Meanwhile, we have what we have, and we are left with a reasonable, but not proven, theory.

 

[glowe]

That would mean there were over 5,000 32-20s in inventory by the late 1920s? It seems like way too many completed guns at once. Maybe all frames were stamped, but actual manufacture took place as they were ordered. Of course the frame of both these K frame calibers were the same except for the serial number range. Still confusing.

 

[Alk8944]

The "Winchester Model", the .32-20 Hand Ejector, was cataloged until 1940, but production ended in 1929 or 1930. The last gun, actually two guns, of this model were actually shipped sometime in 1965. I have no idea what the SN of those guns were, and I cannot recall the reference I read this information in. The 144,000 number above is the last recorded serial number of this model manufactured.

I wish I had known in 1964 that those last two .32-20s were still in the warehouse, I would have special ordered both of them!

 

[JP@AK]

The last gun, actually two guns, of this model were actually shipped sometime in 1965. I have no idea what the SN of those guns were

I believe one of them was 141611, but I don't have proof of that. It's in my database but I don't know the source of the information.

 

[Igiveup]

I double checked frame number, 198820. The cylinder and barrel numbers match each other, but not the frame. Those numbers are 116529. Perhaps this revolver was put together on another frame? Fun to shoot, though.

 

[murphydog]

Likely a .32/20 conversion from a .38 M & P.

 

[DWalt]

The logical answer is you have a .32-20 barrel and cylinder mounted on a .38 frame. Indeed, strong evidence exists that at least .32-20 components (frames, cylinders, and barrels) went out of production in the late 1920s. It is also possible that a few .32-20 revolvers could have been much later assembled from old components remaining in inventory.

 

[cmansguns]

Quote from Roy..would not he have had access to actual production info?

Direct quote from Roy's book "History of Smith & Wesson" Revised Tenth Anniversary Edition, pages 160/161:

"The last of the .32/20 Hand Ejectors was produced on September 8, 1939. In the same year, the firm officially dropped this model from its catalog after producing 144,684 revolvers."

Notice the quoted words: produced, & producing, which to me certainly means manufactured.

Wouldn't Roy have researched the heck out of physical plant records during writing of his book. Have any of these statements by Roy ever been commented on, or refuted, appended, etc. over the years since the book's 10th printing in June 1991?

 

[glowe]

This is the question I have always been curious about. All of the model entries in Roy & Robert's book state manufacturing dates in the model descriptions. In the 32-20 Military & Police, 4th Change, the dates from 1915 to 1940 are called manufacturing dates?

 

[Igiveup]

Thanks for the replies. Seems like my luck to come accross non-conforming Smith revolvers.

 

[Truckman]

Seems like my luck to come accross non-conforming Smith revolvers.

We should all be so lucky......Ben

 

[DWalt]

Look at #7. 143697 shipped in 1931. If 144684 were produced, that means fewer than 1000 were “made” from 1931 to 1940. And that number makes no sense as indicating active production for that period. S&W would not have bothered for such a small number. The only thing that makes sense is that actual manufacture of key components ceased prior to 1930, but sales continued in minor numbers from completed guns in inventory and possibly including small numbers of .32-20 guns assembled and finished during the 1930s using available old .32-20 specific components remaining in inventory. When those were gone, around 1940, .32-20 M&Ps were simply dropped from S&W catalogs.

 

[handejector]

First, I would refute the idea of "the early 1920s." In fact, I don't believe I have ever seen anyone make that claim. On the other hand, several of us do think actual production ended sometime around 1929 or 1930.

144450

 

[JP@AK]

144450

144450

Yes. And 143932 also wore 1930s style stocks. Unfortunately, I do not have a ship date for either of these two revolvers.