Howdy. I was given a model 1905 smith & Wesson side ejector revolver.The serial # is worn off.It says Winchester 32 ctg on barrel.I fired a 32 longcolt and it sparked pretty good and cracked the casing. someone told me to use 32/20 ammo.Could someone shed some light on what is safe to shoot in this old gun?
help with ammo
- Thread starter popcorn
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Skeetr57
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.32-20 is correct. They may be marked .32WCF, .32 Winchester or .32-20 depending on when they were made, but they are all .32-20.
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Popcorn Welcome to the forum.
Please don't don't fire any ammo in any gun until you are certain you have the correct ammo for it. For instance a 357 Magnum round will fit the chambers of a Colt Army 38 cal. model but would most likely result in a catastrophic failure. We want to keep you around for many more years.
Please don't don't fire any ammo in any gun until you are certain you have the correct ammo for it. For instance a 357 Magnum round will fit the chambers of a Colt Army 38 cal. model but would most likely result in a catastrophic failure. We want to keep you around for many more years.
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You also need to be certain that your pistol wasn't made for black powder. In any case, I wouldn't use a full power 32-20. Definitely not the ones made for rifles and hunting.
Maybe someone can help me with my .32 caliber problem. I recently got a good price on a S&W New Model Number 3, single action target revolver with windage-adjustable rear sights. The barrel is marked "32-44 S&W CTG". The serial number is in the range of 4200 to 4300. From my measurements, the length of the cartridge should be about 1.03". From the internet, I understand the cartridge uses an 83 grain, 0.321" diameter lead WC, loaded all the way into the cartridge mouth. They stopped making it in 1910, so even if you can find a box, it's really expensive, and I wouldn't want to shoot it anyway.
I suppose I could cut down .32 H&R brass down from 1.075" until it headspaces correctly and fire-form it to the right diameter. My question is: could I use 0.315", 85 grain lead bullets and expect any accuracy? If anyone has any info on this cartridge, I would appreciate whatever you can tell me. Thanks.
Maybe someone can help me with my .32 caliber problem. I recently got a good price on a S&W New Model Number 3, single action target revolver with windage-adjustable rear sights. The barrel is marked "32-44 S&W CTG". The serial number is in the range of 4200 to 4300. From my measurements, the length of the cartridge should be about 1.03". From the internet, I understand the cartridge uses an 83 grain, 0.321" diameter lead WC, loaded all the way into the cartridge mouth. They stopped making it in 1910, so even if you can find a box, it's really expensive, and I wouldn't want to shoot it anyway.
I suppose I could cut down .32 H&R brass down from 1.075" until it headspaces correctly and fire-form it to the right diameter. My question is: could I use 0.315", 85 grain lead bullets and expect any accuracy? If anyone has any info on this cartridge, I would appreciate whatever you can tell me. Thanks.
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Popcorn, your revolver uses .32-20 ammunition. It's a little difficult to find (and expensive), but it is still loaded and out there if you look for it. And it is safe to use in your revolver. Everyone seems to always want to jump in with a dire warning about how dangerous it is to fire the high-velocity rifle round in a revolver, but that is untrue. First, back in the day, it was done all the time, and revolvers did not blow up. Second, that HV rifle ammo has not been manufactured in over 50 years, and you are not likely to find any. All .32-20 ammo of current manufacture is perfectly safe to use in .32-20 revolvers, including yours. Those revolvers with the barrel stamped as .32 Winchester are early ones, 1914 and earlier. The .32-20 K-frame revolvers were serial numbered separately from those in .38 Special, and there were only about 144,000 of them made from 1899 until the late 1920s, as compared to millions made in .38 Special, so they are a bit unusual.
Your revolver is not an antique, and further questions should be posted in the hand ejector portion of the forum.
Your revolver is not an antique, and further questions should be posted in the hand ejector portion of the forum.
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Welcome to the Forum. First of all, your revolver is either a Model 1899, 1902, or 1905 depending on the serial number, so it can not be an antique. No need to worry about black power issues. Second, the high velocity 32-20 round has not been manufactured for at least 50 years and you will not run into any at your local retailers. There is a current Remington round with the word rifle on the box, but actually loaded to 1200 fps in a long barrel rifle, which will equate to around 850 in a short barrel revolver. 32-20 Winchester registers just over 1000 fps in a 24" barrel rifle. All current manufacture ammo should function fine in a good condition revolver.
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