Odd .32-20

[Skeetr57]

On page 130 of the 3rd edition of SCSW, under a paragraph titled .32-20 Target Models, there is a picture of a revolver with post war rear target sight, but with a service revolver front sight. This appears to be a "Frankengun" to me, as it has a post 1948 frame with short action and speed hammer as well as the postwar rear sight, but the barrel is plainly pre 1927 with the mushroom ejector rod an the appropriate cut out in the barrel. I believe that I also see the front of the frame was milled for a heavy ribbed barrel.
Has this gun ever been discussed on here, and does anyone know if it is factory work or not? If not, how did it get into SCSW?

 

[jmace57]

I see references on this board to "half targets" occasionally...and it seems that some came from the factory that way. I'm sure the true experts will pipe in soon.

Or is a half target a target sight on the front and standard rear?

 

[murphydog]

I have to admit, I recall looking at the photo in question and not noticing those details (before today, that is ). I believe the person listed in the caption is online here and may be able to answer your question.

A "half-Target" has a front Target sight, and the standard rear notch.

 

[Alk8944]

It is definitely a "Frankengun", for exactly the reasons you cite. The day I received my SCSW3 I did a lengthy post addressed specifically to Jim Supica about it, but as has been known to happen my computer puked it up before posting! I was a bit frustrated!

The gist of the post was "You are kidding, right?". I didn't have the ambition to re-do the post and just let it go. Jim is a member here BTW.

If the gun didn't have the mushroom extractor rod cut on the barrel, and the front sight were high enough to resemble that on the 1917s I may have been inclined to buy a tool room one-off custom "Half Target" style gun, only in reverse, but, with the standard low .32-20 style sight which it has the gun would shoot so high that it would have no utility as a firearm. It would probably shoot to POA at something over 300 yards!

FWIW, one day in Omaha, at S&Ws traveling show, Roy Jinks told me that he has almost exactly that, a one-off .32-20 L-Frame which was built for him! I had mentioned to him that I would really like to have an N-Frame .32-20. That was something like 20 years ago, and I still don't know if he was serious, or giving me a line of baloney!

 

[handejector]

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-re...ndard-catalog-smith-wesson.html#post136007855

 

[Skeetr57]

I have a hard time believing that the gun in question is factory work. At the time the frame was built, probably between 1948 and 1956 by the style of the hammer, extra barrels and cylinders in .32 S&W long would have been available from .32 Masterpiece production, and it would have been much simpler to install one of these barrels and re-chamber the cylinder to make a ,32-20 target. There were probably even cylinders for late.32-20 M&P revolvers still in the factory repair parts inventory available at that time.