Improved I Frame change over

[sfal7418]

I finally picked up the .32 Long...was curious about its time frame
in regards to changing from a 5 screw to a 4 screw to 3 screw

from my first post about this gun
https://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-hand-ejectors-1896-1961/736413-info-help-38-44-i-frame-32-a.html

From what I have read in 1953 the Cyl stop screw is deleted
and in 1956 the upper sideplate screw, so mine would fall somewhere in between 53 and 56..

mine sn 612333 is an improved frame, with coil main spring and ramp sight, with 4 screws, with barrel, right grip, cylinder and extractor star being sn matching

one of my questions is (always trying to learn) when the cyl screw is deleted, they went to a different cyl stop spring (see pic) was this because the frame is to small to have the spring and detent put in from inside with removal of the front screw?

or is this an interm measure while setting up machinery to drill hole on inside of the small I frame?

which would lead to another question, were these new I frames cyl stop springs ever drilled inside before being phased out to the J frame?

All these changes only ran for afew yrs before the I frame is dropped in favor of the J frame, and if I remember correctly the first model 36's in .38 were built on the I frame

as always love the history
thanks for any help/input
al

 

[mtgianni]

Do you mind posting a picture of the grips? Mine came with franzite and now wear J frame grips from the 60's or 70's.

 

[JP@AK]

if I remember correctly the first model 36's in .38 were built on the I frame

Al
This is not correct. The I frame cylinder window was too small to accommodate the cylinder length needed to house the .38 Special cartridge. When the Chiefs Special (later named the Model 36) was introduced in 1950, it was built on a brand-new frame - the J frame. Hence, the Chiefs Special was always a J frame.

 

[two-bit cowboy]

Jack reads and types faster than I do.

His post is spot on, and I sincerely hope the supposed "knowledgeable"
folks who continue to proliferate the fiction of the Chiefs Special being
built on a I-frame will take note and stop making false noises.

I hope Jim (Hondo44) sees this thread and replies with exact details
about your I-frame. It underwent many more changes than the J, and
he's the guru on the topic.

 

[sfal7418]

Thanks for all the help/input
heres a pic of both sides...I also read that I frames were phased out in 61 due to the J frame.

With a 4 screw "window of less than 3 yrs I would guess they would be the least variation produced?
Love the history
al

 

[Green Frog]

The confusion over the Chiefs Special frame size comes because of the “Baby Chief”, when first introduced, the Chiefs Special did indeed have the slightly lengthened frame to allow the longer 38 Spl cylinder. However, it retained the shorter I frame grip frame, making it the smallest 38 Spl that Smith ever built. I believe that’s where the “I frame Chiefs Special” confusion comes from.
Of course the Improved I frame retains all of the dimensions of the earlier I frames differing only with the change to coil spring which caused the loss loss of the strain spring. That’s where the OP’s 32 HE would seem to fall.
Froggie