Model 30 vs ‘3rd model’??

[DollFace]

Hi! I was given a S&W .32 & I am kind of confused a bit trying to identify it. My father says the gunsmith he had it repaired at said it was a 'Model 30'… but there is no model number on it, & everything I see in videos & such… people refer to (what seems to be what I have) as a '3rd model hand ejector'.

Are these the same thing?? On top of the barrel it says 'S&W Springfield Mass.' and a date of: Feb 6-06-14 - 09 Dec. 29-14

The date on top seems kind of confusing, thought maybe it had to do w/ the patent or something…? Then when I swing the cylinder open it has '26998'

Included a few pix of the revolver. Any help would be great. I'm not very familiar w/ older revolvers. I really like this little guy though, can't believe its functional ability after 100+ years (I assume?)

Thanks for any help hope this is the right place to post this.. I just signed up.

P.S it's way nicer than the photo showed up, sorry… used the flash & it came out pretty bad!!

 

[murphydog]

Welcome! If the right barrel is stamped ".32 Long CTG" and you can give us the serial number from the flat bottom of the grip frame, likely six digits in the late 100000 to late 200000 range, we can give you its age pretty accurately. The barrel does have patent dates, which tells us it was made after 1914.

If a .32 Long, it's name is .32 Hand Ejector. The sub-type depends on its age. After 1957 a similar gun was named the model 30, but that was 40 or so years after this one was produced.

 

[two-bit cowboy]

... give us the serial number from the flat bottom of the grip frame....

Alan, I believe the serial number is stamped on the front of the grip frame on this one. .32 Regulation Police? Round butt stocks?

Got me wondering.

 

[murphydog]

You may be right, I can't see the front grip strap very well. If the rear grip frame is rebated/notched then we'll know.

 

[Retired W4]

I can see something stamped on the front strap, and just a hint of the rebate on the back strap. More pics are needed. And welcome to the forum from Metro Atlanta.

 

[Wiregrassguy]

Welcome to the forums from the Wiregrass! The serial numbers are stamped under the barrel on the extractor rod dock, on the rear face of the cylinder and on the front grip frame strap. They should all be the same and we only need the number from one of those places. The font is very small and numbers like 3 and 5 can look alike. However, I can tell you that your gun was made before 1928 and likely after 1917.

 

[Hondo44]

Welcome to the forum!

26998 is the assembly # and not useful to date the gun. Guy's date range above is right on. But with the serial # we can get within a year or so of when it was made.

It's a .32 regulation police model made on the I size frame that was 1st made in 1917 and was designated the model 31 in 1957. Many little changes/improvements were made during that period but it's the same basic gun. The round butt grips are from a .32 hand ejector model (later the Model 30); the original grips are square butt and longer extending down below the grip frame and fit in the notch of the grip back strap.

You'll love shooting it!

 

[Inland7-45]

Hi! I was given a S&W .32 & I am kind of confused a bit trying to identify it. My father says the gunsmith he had it repaired at said it was a 'Model 30'… but there is no model number on it, & everything I see in videos & such… people refer to (what seems to be what I have) as a '3rd model hand ejector'.

Are these the same thing?? On top of the barrel it says 'S&W Springfield Mass.' and a date of: Feb 6-06-14 - 09 Dec. 29-14

The date on top seems kind of confusing, thought maybe it had to do w/ the patent or something…? Then when I swing the cylinder open it has '26998'

Included a few pix of the revolver. Any help would be great. I'm not very familiar w/ older revolvers. I really like this little guy though, can't believe its functional ability after 100+ years (I assume?)

Thanks for any help hope this is the right place to post this.. I just signed up.

P.S it's way nicer than the photo showed up, sorry… used the flash & it came out pretty bad!!

I have serial #393524. It looks exactly like yours but still has the original square butt Regulation Police Stocks. Mine was made c. 1924. The large head on the ejector rod is correct for a Hand Ejector or Regulation Police from 1917 through the 1920's. I am not sure when the ejector rod head was redesigned but my other .32 Regulation Police that was made in 1940 has the smaller diameter head. The ejector rods were redesigned again after WWII with the rod being the same diameter it's entire length.

I also have a 2" blue round but .32 Hand Ejector that was made in 1955. This gun is made on the improved I frame and has the longer oval trigger guard, ramp front sight and checkered magna stocks. With no further design changes these guns were assigned model number 30 a few years later. So my 1955 gun can correctly be called a pre model number 30. In 1961 Smith and Wesson dropped the I frame and transferred production of .22, .32 and 38 S&W caliber small frame guns to the longer J frame that the Chief Special is built on. The guns built on the J frame were now stamped Model 30-1 for the .32 Hand Ejector Round Butt and 31-1 for the .32 Regulation Police Square Butt. The rebated frame was dropped during the post WWII transition and the .32 RP would have a standard square butt frame through the end of it's run. These little guns are a pleasure to shoot and are suprisingly accurate for such a small fixed sighted revolver. The workmanship and materials used to make them are the best. As long as the internals are'nt tampered with and the gun is well cared for it can last another 100 years.

If you have'nt fired it yet I hope you can find a few boxes of .32 Long so that you can try it out. I started reloading for this caliber a few years ago and it is good to have a steady source of ammunition for this caliber since it can be hard to find at times.

It would also be worth a look to see if you can find the correct square butt Regulation Police stocks. The correct stock is made out of walnut and is nicely checkered with a 1917 patent date stamped on the butt. Good luck and thank you for sharing your story.

 

[Hondo44]

Inland7-45

Your gun made in 1955 would be a Model of 1953 New I Frame. It followed the Improved I frame, 2nd version (ramp sight and barrel rib) which is the last RP to have the rebated back strap.

See page 144 in the SCSW, 4th edition.

 

[DollFace]

Thanks so much everyone! Kind of a late reply, but nothing stamped on the bottom of the grip. There was a number however on the inside (front) of the grip. I included a photo of that, & another picture of the gun in better light as well.

Number seems to be: 319176 hope that helps narrow down the date!

I really like it. Especially since I'm a fairly small female.. I like that it doesn't have much recoil. I have my CCL, & I usually have it with me when I travel.

I really was super impressed by wad cutter ammo in it… & then some people say round nose is better.. I was slightly torn, so I actually load it with 4 wad cutter, & 2 round nose lol.

I have gotten a chance to shoot it. I have an essentially sound proof garage that was used for a band years ago, so I have been able to set up a mini little range in it don't do anything more than .380 or 38special in it.. but yeah. I really like this little guy.

Was very impressed w/ the wad cutter ammo, I had major doubts about it when I first saw it… but after testing it against normal ammo… I was blown away!

Probably wouldn't be safe to use something like Buffalo Bore in this though right?? I thought… if I only used that for self defense & never target shoot B.B… then if ever needed.. my last worry would be if I damaged or cracked the frame using it?? Or could it be dangerous for the shooter to use hot rounds in it, even if it was ONLY for self defense? Always been curious about that!!

Thanks again everyone!

 

[DollFace]

P.S

Someone mentioned they have the same gun w/ a # of 393524… made in '24 mine is, 319176.

Would it be safe to assume mine then was produced somewhere around, 1920??

Thanks again everyone! Very much appreciate the feedback!!!

 

[Truckman]

I regularly carry .38 Spl. wadcutters in my EDC revolvers...I figure if they'll cut nice round holes in paper, they'll do the same thing if called upon to enter flesh...I think if I do my part, and the ammo does its part, somebody other than me is going to have a really bad day......Ben

EDIT: I have a few Regulation Police revolvers like yours also, pre-war and post-war, both .32 Long and .38 S&W (not .38 Spl.)...I like all mine...

EDIT AGAIN: My carry WC's are Buffalo Bore standard pressure low flash 150 grain wadcutters...

 

[DollFace]

I regularly carry .38 Spl. wadcutters in my EDC revolvers...I figure if they'll cut nice round holes in paper, they'll do the same thing if called upon to enter flesh...I think if I do my part, and the ammo does its part, somebody other than me is going to have a really bad day......Ben

EDIT: I have a few Regulation Police revolvers like yours also, both .32 Long and .38 S&W (not .38 Spl.)...I like all mine...

Yeah. I know .32 SW Long isn't a powerhouse or anything.. but I was always taught by my Dad… don't listen to those people who say you need a 45 or nothing… he would always say, 'a small caliber on you is 100x better than your heavy .45 sitting at home on the table!' Lol. Was good enough for 2 world wars, & police for many years… so while it's not the MOST ideal round… I've always been very confident feeling that it'll get the job done just fine.

And yeah, I love the wad cutter ammo, I was shocked the holes it punched into an old (1200+ page) baseball card price guide, & would regularly get to around page 750-800+ the hole the wad cutter punch… it's wild!! It looks like someone hole punched each page! Lol it makes almost a perfect circle. & they actually penetrated not much different than the round nose ammo… but the hole was easily 60% larger all the way in.

But I just stick with 4 wad cutter, 2 round nose.

Always loves revolvers. I have a few, including a 7 shot 686, & a Ruger Super Blackhawk 7" lol.

 

[Truckman]

Remind me to stay on your good side......Ben

 

[Wiregrassguy]

Would it be safe to assume mine then was produced somewhere around, 1920??

Yes. Your RP doesn't have a "Made in USA" stamp on the right front lower frame. So we know it was made before 1922. Based on the serial number it was likely made in 1920, as you surmise. Does it have a small trademark stamp on the left side of the frame?


After a quick search, I found this documented ship date:

.32 Regulation Police serial 322457 shipped in November 1920.

 

[Muley Gil]

Welcome to the Forum.

I would use the wadcutter ammo as your self-defense choice. Several of those in the upper chest or better yet-the face-will ruin most people's day.