I was at a local pawn shop and saw a nickel 31 and a blued 30. I couldn't figure out what the difference was between the models while looking through the glass. The 30 was round butt while the 31 was square. Is the cylinder long enough for it to chamber .32mag and could the cylinder take that pressure?
Educate me on models 30 and 31
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Oscar Zulu
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One is square butt, the other round(Can't remember which is which). A quirk of S&W naming policy for sure.
Yes , the cylinder is long enough to chamber the .32 Mag, a number of members have done it with no ill effects. I have a (Whatever the square butt model is)that I am strongly considering having reamed to the longer cartridge.
OZ
Yes , the cylinder is long enough to chamber the .32 Mag, a number of members have done it with no ill effects. I have a (Whatever the square butt model is)that I am strongly considering having reamed to the longer cartridge.
OZ
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Model 30-1 with the 'round butt'.
Not rechambered.
enjoy,
bdGreen
Not rechambered.
enjoy,
bdGreen
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Model 30 is a round butt.
Model 31 is a square butt.
I believe that the no-dash variants (30 and 31) are considered "New" I frames with cylinders too short to fit 32 H&R Magnum. The dash 1 variants and later are J frames with longer cylinders which can be reamed to accept 32 H&R Magnum.
Model 30 (no-dash)
Model 30-1
Model 31 is a square butt.
I believe that the no-dash variants (30 and 31) are considered "New" I frames with cylinders too short to fit 32 H&R Magnum. The dash 1 variants and later are J frames with longer cylinders which can be reamed to accept 32 H&R Magnum.
Model 30 (no-dash)
Model 30-1
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Sometimes even S&W was confused. I have a Model 30 (round butt), although it is stamped as a 31 which shipped in 1961. I lettered it and it was just a mis-stamping by the factory. The associated shipping documents clearly showed the shipment to have been all model 30s; just a factory error, they happen.
Jeff
SWCA #1457
Jeff
SWCA #1457
They can be reamed for a 32 H&R Mag, but I don't think the long enough for the 327 Federal. I had several of the 30's and never reamed any as I could load the 30 S&W Long up to about 850 fps and thought that was enough is such a small pistol.
I do have a 432PD airweight, and it is fairly potent with the 32 H&R Mag.
I do have a 432PD airweight, and it is fairly potent with the 32 H&R Mag.
The round butt or model 30, is the .32 Hand Ejector. The square butt or model 31, is the .32 Regulation Police.
I can't imagine anyone reaming a 31-1 for 32 mag. The prices seem to be getting wonky lately. I found a 31-1 in exl condition a few years ago for $500. Those days are gone.
Not exactly sure what they might be good for but they're fun to shoot and don't eat much. Shot mine on Friday.
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OR, the factory put a mod 30 barrel on a 31 frame. I had one of these guns many years ago and sold it, which was dumb! The dash one on a mod 30 or 31 indicates it was made on the J frame. When S&W made the switch from names to numbers in 1957, they designated the RB a model 30 and the SB a model 31. This is the only time they changed model numbers for a grip configuration change!
jcelect
Yes mistakes were made but they were not always mistakes.
The .32 Hand Ejector which became the Model 30 and had a rd butt since it was introduced in 1896 was first offered with 2" barrel in 1949.
Originally the .32 Regulation Police was introduced in 1917 with the 4 1/4" barrel and a rd but grip frame adapted to square but grips and became the Model 31.
After WWII both models came with the barrel lengths of 2", 3 1/4" and 4 1/4". In 1953 they were standardized at 2", 3" and 4".
So the two models kind of got mixed with every variation; Hand Ejectors with sq butts and RPs with rd butts. And they would letter as either named model. The same thing happened after model #s were assigned with whatever Model # was stamped on them.
The Model 30 was discontinued in 1976 and both models were made as the Model 31 with rd or sq butt and any of the barrel lengths until discontinued in 1991.
They also changed model #s for the Model 32 .38 Terrier RB and Model 33 .38 Regulation Police Sq butt.
Another weird assignment of model numbers is the .22/32 Kit Gun and the 6" Target:
The 2" and 4" models became the Model 34 but the 6" became the Model 35. Not unlike the Model 14 and Model 15, same .38 Spl gun with different barrel lengths.
