I went on a .32 shooting jag the other day, a spree, a bender – here are the results. Half the guns are older and half are newer, but I decided to drop them all in the 1896-61 forum folder for simplicity. The targets are at 20 yards and are 11x17 paper with one-inch grids, and a square in the center that is rotated 90 degrees and is five inches from corner to corner. For a lot of these guns it's the first time I've shot them. Ammo was primarily Fiocchi .32 S&W Long 100 grain wadcutters.
Smith & Wesson .32s
The first gun is my oldest .32, an 1896 1st Model Hand Ejector. That is, the first hand ejector design that Smith & Wesson built. It has a funky bolt stop built into the topstrap that the rear sight is a part of, and so the rear sight ears go up and down as the gun is cocked. An odd arrangement. This was before they figured out how to put the cylinder latch on the side of the frame, so the cylinder is unlocked by pulling the ejector rod forward. There is also no underlug lock as found on later models. Scrawny little pearl grips. This is the first time I've shot it.
1896 1st Model Hand Ejector
As you can see it shot pretty high and to the left – one shot was about an inch and a half off the left side of the paper.
The next gun is a 1905 M&P in .32-20, also the first time I've shot it. I found it on Gunbroker and the seller was forum member broknaxl. It came with non-matching diamond magnas on it but I found some nice diamond service stocks of appropriate vintage, also via GB.
1905 M&P .32-20
It shoots pretty well but it's no picnic to do so. The rear sight is about the shallowest little groove I've ever seen, or just barely seen.
This is the .32 that I've owned the longest, a Regulation Police 4". Saw it at a local gun show in 2006, thought it was cute and the price was low. Better sights on it than the .32-20. The action is a bit sluggish when cocked, I should probably look into the innards and see if it's gunked up.
Regulation Police 4" blue
This is another 4" RP but in nickel, with faux pearl stocks that I installed. I bought it primarily to fill the I frame slot in a lineup from M to X frames for a picture I wanted to take – http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-hand-ejectors-1896-1961/226247-amazing-colossal-ladysmith.html.
Regulation Police 4" nickel
It has a nice light single-action trigger that surprised me on one shot, but luckily I was on target at the time.
I bought this reblued RP just for its longer 6" barrel. Target RPs are very pricey and seldom found, and this is as close as I am going to get for the money I'm willing to spend. Shooting it was an experience, and not a good one. First two shots went okay, then a click on the third trigger pull. Held it… held it… decided it wasn't a hang fire and opened the cylinder. The hammer had fallen on the second fired cartridge. "Odd" I thought, and cocked the hammer again. The cylinder didn't rotate. Decocked it, pulled the hammer back slowly and noted that the cylinder still wasn't rotating. Helped the cylinder along manually and got it locked in place with the hammer back and a live round under it. Aimed, fired. Had to repeat the process three more times. Apparently the hand was not engaging the ejector star, another gun that needs its innards looked at.
Regulation Police 6" blue
I picked up this pup at the November 2012 Wanenmacher gun show in Tulsa, some of you may remember the thread I started on it. http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-ha...-nov-2012-32-target-pics-added-post-17-a.html
First time shooting for it. It didn't have a rear blade and I was given a replacement by Sheryl Cheely but as you can see, it's too tall. Rather than file on this one I think I'll probably just fabricate one of the appropriate height from scratch. It's just a flat piece of metal so filing out a profile shouldn't be beyond my talents. Compared to the previous guns the stocks on this one qualify as "comfortable".
Target .32 I frame
All these pre-war guns have a definite cool factor, but honestly their sights are just terrible. Even the Target .32 has a skinny little front blade that would be near invisible when my closeup vision was good, not to mention being completely out of focus with my 55-year old eyes. It was a real relief when I picked up this Model 16-3 for its turn, with nice wide black sights that I could at least see as a dark blob, although still out of focus.
The scrawny little stocks on the old guns are nothing to write home about either. This one came with S&W factory targets which go wrong the other way and are far too fat – for shooting I put some nice comfortable Sile grips on it. http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-re...-new-merwin-hulbert-s-w-model-16-3-sorta.html
Model 16-3
I pulled the shot at the upper right, so consider the five together the actual group.
Model 16-4, in .32 H&R Magnum. Nice sights and a set of Sile grips, and it's obvious that this is the gun out of this bunch to shoot if I actually want to hit something. I've shot it before and I like it.
Model 16-4
I figured as long as I was bringing out the .32s I might as well exercise my Rugers as well, both in .32 H&R Magnum. First up is a fixed-sight Vaquero with 4-5/8" barrel. Bought this from CDNN when they were being closed out. I've shot it before.
Ruger Single Six Vaquero 4-5/8
Not too shabby, although it hits low. Though the sights are fixed, they are nice and wide and relatively easy to see.
This is a Single Six .32 Mag that I picked up via GB a few months ago, first time shooting. Shoots pretty well, and I can almost focus on the front sight!
Ruger Single Six 9-1/2"
I thought I'd also try the .32 H&R Magnum guns with the Fiocchi wadcutters. They don't seem to work quite as well as the .32 mag handloads.
Ruger Single Six Vaquero 4-5/8 – wadcutters
Ruger Single Six 9-1/2" – wadcutters
Model 16-4 – wadcutters
Smith & Wesson .32s
The first gun is my oldest .32, an 1896 1st Model Hand Ejector. That is, the first hand ejector design that Smith & Wesson built. It has a funky bolt stop built into the topstrap that the rear sight is a part of, and so the rear sight ears go up and down as the gun is cocked. An odd arrangement. This was before they figured out how to put the cylinder latch on the side of the frame, so the cylinder is unlocked by pulling the ejector rod forward. There is also no underlug lock as found on later models. Scrawny little pearl grips. This is the first time I've shot it.
1896 1st Model Hand Ejector
As you can see it shot pretty high and to the left – one shot was about an inch and a half off the left side of the paper.
The next gun is a 1905 M&P in .32-20, also the first time I've shot it. I found it on Gunbroker and the seller was forum member broknaxl. It came with non-matching diamond magnas on it but I found some nice diamond service stocks of appropriate vintage, also via GB.
1905 M&P .32-20
It shoots pretty well but it's no picnic to do so. The rear sight is about the shallowest little groove I've ever seen, or just barely seen.
This is the .32 that I've owned the longest, a Regulation Police 4". Saw it at a local gun show in 2006, thought it was cute and the price was low. Better sights on it than the .32-20. The action is a bit sluggish when cocked, I should probably look into the innards and see if it's gunked up.
Regulation Police 4" blue
This is another 4" RP but in nickel, with faux pearl stocks that I installed. I bought it primarily to fill the I frame slot in a lineup from M to X frames for a picture I wanted to take – http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-hand-ejectors-1896-1961/226247-amazing-colossal-ladysmith.html.
Regulation Police 4" nickel
It has a nice light single-action trigger that surprised me on one shot, but luckily I was on target at the time.
I bought this reblued RP just for its longer 6" barrel. Target RPs are very pricey and seldom found, and this is as close as I am going to get for the money I'm willing to spend. Shooting it was an experience, and not a good one. First two shots went okay, then a click on the third trigger pull. Held it… held it… decided it wasn't a hang fire and opened the cylinder. The hammer had fallen on the second fired cartridge. "Odd" I thought, and cocked the hammer again. The cylinder didn't rotate. Decocked it, pulled the hammer back slowly and noted that the cylinder still wasn't rotating. Helped the cylinder along manually and got it locked in place with the hammer back and a live round under it. Aimed, fired. Had to repeat the process three more times. Apparently the hand was not engaging the ejector star, another gun that needs its innards looked at.
Regulation Police 6" blue
I picked up this pup at the November 2012 Wanenmacher gun show in Tulsa, some of you may remember the thread I started on it. http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-ha...-nov-2012-32-target-pics-added-post-17-a.html
First time shooting for it. It didn't have a rear blade and I was given a replacement by Sheryl Cheely but as you can see, it's too tall. Rather than file on this one I think I'll probably just fabricate one of the appropriate height from scratch. It's just a flat piece of metal so filing out a profile shouldn't be beyond my talents. Compared to the previous guns the stocks on this one qualify as "comfortable".
Target .32 I frame
All these pre-war guns have a definite cool factor, but honestly their sights are just terrible. Even the Target .32 has a skinny little front blade that would be near invisible when my closeup vision was good, not to mention being completely out of focus with my 55-year old eyes. It was a real relief when I picked up this Model 16-3 for its turn, with nice wide black sights that I could at least see as a dark blob, although still out of focus.
The scrawny little stocks on the old guns are nothing to write home about either. This one came with S&W factory targets which go wrong the other way and are far too fat – for shooting I put some nice comfortable Sile grips on it. http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-re...-new-merwin-hulbert-s-w-model-16-3-sorta.html
Model 16-3
I pulled the shot at the upper right, so consider the five together the actual group.
Model 16-4, in .32 H&R Magnum. Nice sights and a set of Sile grips, and it's obvious that this is the gun out of this bunch to shoot if I actually want to hit something. I've shot it before and I like it.
Model 16-4
I figured as long as I was bringing out the .32s I might as well exercise my Rugers as well, both in .32 H&R Magnum. First up is a fixed-sight Vaquero with 4-5/8" barrel. Bought this from CDNN when they were being closed out. I've shot it before.
Ruger Single Six Vaquero 4-5/8
Not too shabby, although it hits low. Though the sights are fixed, they are nice and wide and relatively easy to see.
This is a Single Six .32 Mag that I picked up via GB a few months ago, first time shooting. Shoots pretty well, and I can almost focus on the front sight!
Ruger Single Six 9-1/2"
I thought I'd also try the .32 H&R Magnum guns with the Fiocchi wadcutters. They don't seem to work quite as well as the .32 mag handloads.
Ruger Single Six Vaquero 4-5/8 – wadcutters
Ruger Single Six 9-1/2" – wadcutters
Model 16-4 – wadcutters
The 32 lover's work is never done! 
