Mid 1930s S&W 32-20 Revolver... Need more info
- Thread starter Ledford
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Welcome to the forum. Assuming the serial number is 112148, you have a 32-20 Hand Ejector of 1905, 4th Change, these were made from 1915 to 1942. This gun has been re-blued, evidenced by the plum coloring of the cylinder, thus taking away the collector value. Who ever did the re-blue was correct in not blueing the hammer & trigger, as they show the original case hardening. The grips are from a later era, original would have Diamond Magna stocks. The numbers that you mentioned are assembly numbers used to keep parts together during the manufacturing process. Your gun looks to be in great shape and should be a good shooter. As to pricing I will leave that to others, who I am sure will be along shortly.
Again welcome and we hope you stick around, there are a lot of great people on this Forum that are willing to share a wealth of knowledge.
Again welcome and we hope you stick around, there are a lot of great people on this Forum that are willing to share a wealth of knowledge.
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AJ
US Veteran
Nice piece. .32-20 is a great round. I had a Winchester Model 1892 in .32-20 a long time ago. If I had, had a revolver in the same caliber I might still have it. Enjoy.
Welcome to the forum.
Welcome to the forum.
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I'll take a WAG at the value; probably around $300 given the re-blue and lack of correct stocks. Less to a collector but that much to someone who wants a 32-20 to shoot. Pretty nice job on the re-blue, take the stocks off and see if there is a date stamp on the left side of the grip indicating a return to the factory (like 6.50 which would be June 1950) and/or a RB stamp indicating a re-blue. A factory re-blue is worth more than one done elsewhere. I have two of the 4th Models from the '20s and paid $400 or less for each in original condition although showing some use. They are fun although ammo is expensive and not found at Wally World. If you reload it is an easy cartridge to load and very inexpensive to shoot with cast bullets. Not much more than what we were paying for 22LR in the not too distant past but more than the $2-$3 a box 22LR can be found for now.
Jeff
SWCA #1457
Jeff
SWCA #1457
Welcome to the Forum. Are you any kin to the Ledfords from Hickory NC?
Although the .32-20 was in the catalog until 1939-40, it appears that production ended in 1929-30. Demand dropped off after WW I. Yours looks nice, even though it has been reblued.
Although the .32-20 was in the catalog until 1939-40, it appears that production ended in 1929-30. Demand dropped off after WW I. Yours looks nice, even though it has been reblued.
Absalom
SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
Indeed. Shipping dates aren't chronological, but I found a 115- and a 117- both shipped in 1924, so your 112- was definitely manufactured before then.
I had contacted S&W an they was the ones that told me it was built around mid 1930s.. Sooo maybe their crazy idk.. Might have been a newbie .. "shrugs" Ill check as soon as i can about it may having been factory reblued if it was how much would that improve price of the gun.. It honestly doesnt look like its been shot very much.. I cant find a single scratch on the gun.
Also, I dont believe im kin to Ledfords in Hickory , most of my family lives in NC now but were from Jonesville VA
Also, I dont believe im kin to Ledfords in Hickory , most of my family lives in NC now but were from Jonesville VA
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A few comments.
First, Gil is correct. Production stopped around the end of 1929, possibly early 1930. The model was cataloged until 1940 and then dropped forever.
Second, Absalom is correct. Your gun was produced before 1924. I show 113623 shipping in February, 1923. Yours could have shipped as early as late 1922. 106473 shipped in August, 1922. But, as mentioned above, they did not ship in serial order.
Third, calling S&W about dates for older revolvers is a complete waste of your time. The young folks who answer the phones there these days seem to have no real knowledge and most of their answers seem to be be pure guesswork. To get the straight scoop you are better off coming here. To get certainty, you have to buy a letter from the SWHF.
I agree this gun was reblued sometime. And the stocks date to no earlier than 1967.
Welcome aboard!
First, Gil is correct. Production stopped around the end of 1929, possibly early 1930. The model was cataloged until 1940 and then dropped forever.
Second, Absalom is correct. Your gun was produced before 1924. I show 113623 shipping in February, 1923. Yours could have shipped as early as late 1922. 106473 shipped in August, 1922. But, as mentioned above, they did not ship in serial order.
Third, calling S&W about dates for older revolvers is a complete waste of your time. The young folks who answer the phones there these days seem to have no real knowledge and most of their answers seem to be be pure guesswork. To get the straight scoop you are better off coming here. To get certainty, you have to buy a letter from the SWHF.
I agree this gun was reblued sometime. And the stocks date to no earlier than 1967.
Welcome aboard!
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Absalom
SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
In our experience, the customer service folks at S&W are trying hard to be helpful, but are generally not well-informed about older guns. So unfortunately, giving dates that are years or even decades off, and sometimes actually failing to correctly identify the model, is not uncommon.
LOL dont say that.. Im still a good 30 minutes or so from KY
I am a little confused where the serial number 112148 came from? The number on the butt of the revolver looks like 332342? 
Ed
Ed
Does anyone know more about this gun.. im trying to figure out anything more about it or around how much its worth? any knowledge greatly appreciated.
There are numbers on the inside of the revolver chamber number is 74559
Absalom
SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
I am a little confused where the serial number 112148 came from? The number on the butt of the revolver looks like 332342?
Ed
The smiley makes me wonder how serious you are, but I also read the first two digits as 3's on first glance
Individually die-stamped digits can be hard to read, when a bit blurry, especially before S&W went to the larger font in 1941/42.
Fortunately, the barrel or cylinder serial usually provides supplementary clarity.
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The smiley makes me wonder how serious you are, but I also read the first two digits as 3's on first glance
I was smiling so you did not take offense! And now that you pointed out the numbers I can see them!
Ed
Absalom
SWCA Member, Absent Comrade
That fits with the appearance. They came off a post-WW II K-prefix gun. Although there being no diamond around the screw puzzles me at that low number. Someone else will probably have a better explanation.
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The 32-20 target with the number 114655 on the butt shipped August 21, 1923-----went all the way from Massachusetts to Maine.
Ralph Tremaine
Ralph Tremaine
saaman
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