Questions on 32 Regulation Police

[epidoc]

A local gun shop just acquired a pre-war Regulation Police pistol chambered for 32 S&W Long. The serial number is in the 380,000 range. It is all matching with 4.25 inch barrel. Finish would rate about 95% with high edge wear. Grips do not have the medallions and show little wear. The asking price is $350.

Questions - Is that a reasonable price for this pistol?

Can you still obtain 32 S&W Long ammunition?

(I never ask you guys if I should buy a Smith because I know the answer will always be yes!)

 

[hsguy]

Hello, if it is a true 95% gun that is a reasonable price. These are great little guns and very pleasant to shoot. 32 Long is still available but tends to be a bit pricy.

 

[Green Frog]

A local gun shop just acquired a pre-war Regulation Police pistol chambered for 32 S&W Long. The serial number is in the 380,000 range. It is all matching with 4.25 inch barrel. Finish would rate about 95% with high edge wear. Grips do not have the medallions and show little wear. The asking price is $350.

Questions - Is that a reasonable price for this pistol?

Can you still obtain 32 S&W Long ammunition?

(I never ask you guys if I should buy a Smith because I know the answer will always be yes!)

To answer the last question first, yes, the answer is yes... and if the condition and originality are there, that is a middle of the road to good price, at least around here.

Grips w/o medallions are right for the revolver... they should come up onto a slight cut on the back of the grip frame, then go beneath the frame to extend it and give a squared profile. They may or may not be numbered to the gun (none of my three pairs is. ) You should, however, see matching serial numbers on the front of the grip frame, the bottom of the barrel (under the ejector rod) and the rear face of the cylinder. I'm currently working the kinks out of a 6" that is a bit older than the one in question, but the important thing is that they both are above the number where heat treating the cylinder makes them stronger. Enjoy!

Regards,
Froggie

PS Oh yeah, they make ammo for it all the time, and it is factory loaded to a low enough pressure to be safe to shoot in that gun a lot. You can also load the round very easily and get even lower pressure if you like. My e-mail friend DC Wilson posted recently that he likes to use wadcutter loads in his I-frame .32s, but I can't seem to find a good source for them around Central VA.

 

[DCWilson]

I get it from online sellers like ammunitiontogo.com. I buy about 10 boxes of Sellier and Bellot .32 wadcutter ammo at a time. That's a Czech company. The ammo smells a little funny, but it's pretty good and not too expensive when it comes to match ammo.

 

[Green Frog]

Thanks for that information, David. I should have asked you about it myself earlier, but I just assumed you had some special, hard to find source. I'll look into that company myself. What little I have heard about Sellier & Bellot has been pretty positive, and they've been in the business forever. Can I assume that their brass is boxer primed/reloadable?

Regards,
Charlie (the Frog)

PS But then again, I'll have to go downstairs and do a little reloading to make it through the weekend anyway.

 

[PMRet]

I have several revolvers chambered in .32 long and .32 magnum. I buy most of my ammo from The Sportsman's Guide online. Fiocchi .32 long wadcutters are $14.03 per box of 50, and you can usually get a $10 off coupon or free shipping with orders of $100 or more.

 

[spinnerbaitor48]

yep, sportsmans guide and ammoman.com are my sources...did pick up some at a gun show last week....85 gr hollowpoints for $20/50.....