Identify Two S&W Revolvers

[123rmp]

I am not not a gun guy. I own an old .303 Lee-Enfied and Remington model 32 16 ga, which I used to hunt with as a teenager. These are my first pistols.

First one is a .32 Long with a 6" barrel. On the butt it has 146969. Under the barrel in front of the cylinder it has B 146969. This was found in a truck I inherited and has surface rusting. The mechanism works but the big spring in the grip is shattered in three pieces. The trigger comes back but won't fall unless I push it and it is not under any pressure then, just loose falls.

Second one I inherited from my uncle who got it form my grandfather who carried it as a sheriff deputy in about 1938-41. It is a .32 long with a 4" barrel. In front of the grip, facing trigger guard it has 369145. Inside the place where the cylinder hinges on the frame itself it has 14259. This one will not advance the cylinder when cocked. And you have to hold the cylinder release switch back (it stays forward all the time I think) in oder to cock the hammer. But the hammer fires when you pull the trigger.

Both of these were subjected to moisture and time and I have soaked them in penetrating oil and cleaned as much rust form them as i can. I washed them in hot soapy water a couple times too. Neither one will be much to look at, as there is pitting on the surfaces, but if repairable I'd like to try to at least keep the one my granddad carried and make it usable.

Any help identifying, suggesting repairs or other advice is much appreciated.

 

[murphydog]

Welcome! The first is likely a .32 Hand Ejector model of 1903, probably from the early-mid 1910 decade. A replacement leaf mainspring should be fairly easy to find.

The second one is probably a .32 Regulation Police. The original wood stocks covered the bottom of the grip frame so the serial number was stamped instead in the place you described. The published production dates are fairly vague, perhaps late 1920s? Parts for this one are also available, but it may take a trip to a knowledgeable gunsmith to diagnose and repair the problems.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

Welcome to the forums from the cotton and peanut covered plains of the Wiregrass! Post some pictures. Video Tutorials on Posting Pictures

 

[DGNY]

Sorry that I have no technical information to pass along to you. I do admire the 32 Long cartridge. I think it may, in these times of constrained reloading supplies, have a future as a economical cartridge that is still a good deal of fun to shoot.

Please also except another warm welcome to you and your request for information. This is one of the finest firearms forums that you will ever run into!

Wishing you best of luck, and unfolding bits of information that will assist you in the return to service, if possible, of those revolvers.

 

[Beemer-mark]

I like the 32 S&W long (as opposed to the different 32 Colt long). Interesting fact is that today the round is typically loaded with 98 gn bullet pushed along sedately at 740 fps. In your Grandfather's day (based on my 1960 and earlier Lyman reloading manuals) it pushed the same 98 gn bullet around 1000 fps.

 

[Hondo44]

Welcome to this forum.

Having repaired so many of these dandy little .32 I size frame S&W revolvers I can tell that all of the problems you listed are due to faulty (rusted) or broken springs. If you want to tackle repairs, when I get home tomorrow I can post a video of how to properly disassemble them for repairs and where to acquire replacement springs.

 

[123rmp]

Jim, I wold be interested in seeing the video. I am somewhat mechanically inclined, so might try it. I definitely will need to replace some rusted parts as, for example the cylinder on the 4" model has rusted such that some the small cutouts that grab to lock the cylinder from rotating have rusted the edge off. I will try to upload some pictures.

 

[123rmp]

First pictures-

 

[123rmp]

Second pictures.

 

[Hondo44]

First, the top revolver needs a soak in a 50/50 solution of ATF (tranny fluid, any brand) and acetone in a sealed container for about a week. Put it in the trunk of your car and drive around with it for a week. The vibration in the car is important for rust removal and good cleaning. The sealed container is very important otherwise the acetone will rapidly evaporate. And you don't it to leak in your car.

2nd, the video: Disassembly and Care of the S&W Revolver ~ Learn how to from a Factory Trained Armorer! - YouTube
The gun shown is not exactly like your guns but close enough for your use. It also provides part names that will help you identify and order new parts.

3rd, a good supplier of the parts you'll need:

Gun Parts Corp: Successor to Numrich Arms; many gun parts.
226 Williams Lane, West Hurley, NY 12491
Phone: 845-679-2417
e-Mail: [email protected]
Web Site: Gun Parts & Firearm Accessories | Numrich Gun Parts

The specific page for your guns is: Smith & Wesson Model 32 Hand Eject Parts | Numrich Gun Parts

Although the short barreled gun is a .32 Hand Ejector and the other is a .32 Regulation Police, they are the same gun, the internals are virtually identical.

 

[123rmp]

Great info and advice. Much appreciated. I will take the acetone/ATF advice and watch the video, etc.

Will update when I make any progress.

thanks again

 

[123rmp]

What "model" are the these? The parts site you list above is out of stock on several items including the main spring. I checked another place which has more stock but the mostly have stock for "2nd and 3rd Models". Just trying to get the nomenclature right so maybe I can call these guys and get them to talk me through what I need. I know on both a couple of those flathead screws are rusted such that I will be lucky to get the screw out...the slot for the screwdriver is almost gone.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

They are two different models but it shouldn't matter. The actions are pretty much the same on both and the mainsprings should be identical. IIRC, any flat I frame mainspring should work in either gun. eBay is a good source for parts. If soaking for several weeks or months doesn't loosen up the screws, you may need a machinist or gunsmith to extract them.

 

[JSR III]

I second the motion regarding the bath in ATF and acetone. Only instruction left out was to remove the stocks first. The wood does not need to be soaked.

The only screws that need to come out for now are the ones holding the stocks. Let the solution work for quite a while before attempting rusty screw removal. Once you bugger the screw slot then screw removal jumps into another league. In addition to the solution, sometimes adding a little heat helps with removal. A heat gun or a soldering iron applied to the screw head expands the metal to metal connection and can break the rust.

Based on my database of the .22/32 which alternated serial number blocks with the .32 revolvers, I would say that the gun with serial number 369145 shipped between May and October of 1923. The ones in my database close by are 368970 shipped 5/1923 and then jumps to 384104 shipped on October 4, 1923.

It appears that the .32 caliber revolvers might have used serial numbers between 369XXX and 383XXX.

 

[123rmp]

Thank you for the insight James. I did remove the wood stocks.

 

[Hondo44]

Model numbers were not used until after 1957. Your guns only have Model names:

1. ".32 Hand Ejector" - this is further identified as a 2nd Model of 1903, 5th Change. It immediately preceded the Third Model below so it shares almost all parts.

2. ".32 Regulation Police" which has exactly the same interior parts as a .32 Hand Ejector 3rd Model. The difference from the 2nd Model 5th Change above is the 3rd Model cyl hand and its spring which operates a safety built into the underside of the side plate.

You now know more than the parts people you'll be ordering from. Hope that helps and any questions just ask,

 

[123rmp]

I restore old cars as a hobby. I thought the crazy detail and amount data between model years and various options you had to know to do it right was staggering there. Guns are on another level for this kind of detail. When you consider how long the same manufacturers have made certain platforms, all the changes they went through and how many manufacturers there are it must be impossible to be an expert on all this detail unless you specialize. I have to say I am enjoying finding out the details about these guns.

And, I loved the video of the armorer showing how to strip the gun down. He not only showed you what to but explained so much about the manufacturers process and logic in design. The background was entertaining.

I am going to make these guns operable. Already checked and I can get the outside screws out of them, so If those rusted ones come out I believe I can take them apart to clean and replace parts. They won’t win a beauty contest for sure.

 

[123rmp]

The 6" .32 Hand Ejector side plate came off without any trouble. The top screw near the top of the hammer almost has the slot rusted way but enough remained to come out. I note that this one is before the hammer block addition that the guy in the video warns you to never remove.