Splitz Special .32 Long

[Biginge]

Boys, I just had to have it. Too cool to leave elsewhere. ith & Wesson. Obivously cut to 2 1/2 inch, probably began life as a 5 screw but 5th screw is somewhere with front of trigger guard. Serial # (all match except grips) is 245809 on butt, cylinder, crane and Bbl. S&W logo on right side plate, right side of Bbl. 32 Long Ctg., top of Bbl. Sept 14, 09. Serial # puts it in the .32 HE model of 1903 5th change, but markings on wrong side, etc. Interestingly, the front sight is machined into the Bbl. I like it.

Gun and holster been together for long time. I bought the gun, not the story, and it weren't much either. Allegedly LEO background, yawn. Should I disregard the C. Barrow on inside of holster?

What is this poor soul? I sure like it. Its the only "gat I got." Close as I'll get to a Fitz.

 

[SAFireman]

Bill,

It is pretty gosh darn cool....whomever owned before did a nice job of making it great carry piece....now, who is this C Barrow fellow anyhow?

 

[Cocked & Locked]

I'm liking it.

 

[05CarbonDRZ]

Where is the Holster? It looks like the Factory front sight was silver soldered onto the shortened Barrel.

 

[Dan M]

Thought it was called a Fitz special. Nice price imo

 

[Biginge]

Thought it was called a Fitz special. Nice price imo

Dan, it is. I was crossing Smith/Fitz and got Splitz. Most Fitz originals were Colts. He worked there for a while. See my last sentence in op.

Alex, here is pic of old holster. Got left out in original post. No marks at all on holster as to any maker, etc.

 

[vonn]

COOL! You are the daddy! Looks good,I like it. Needs MOP just to gangster it up a tiny bit.

 

[JohnRippert]

Looks like a nice homemade holster to me. I think that would qualify as a nice gat.

 

[Xfuzz]

Older I get the better I like old
Roscoe's like that.
Very cool.

 

[Hondo44]

What is this poor soul?

Pretty cool Bill! A .32 'heater'.

Your right, it's an "ITH & WESSON". First one I've seen! But it's a 32 HE Third Model, the extremely rare 4 screw model! A 3rd model because it has the pin on the left side of frame in front of the grip for the trigger rebound slide and coil spring; built into a 3rd model on a frame serial numbered in the M1903 5th Change serial range. Made about 1917.

Front sight must be soldered on. Cartridge rollmark on right side of barrel is correct for that vintage. It changed from the left side after the M1903 4th change.

How was the screw hole in front of trigger guard filled...a set screw or just plugged? Worked fine on all I and J frames after the Model of 1953 when the trigger guard screw was deleted on those frame sizes.

 

[wunderboy]

Clyde Barrow ? nah.

 

[THEMULE]

Clyde Barrow ? nah.

That would be cool

 

[shouldazagged]

I imagine Clyde wouldn't be too enamored of .32 Long, he being a BAR fan and all. But that is a sweet little gun, and I'm envious

 

[fat tom]

I like it too Bill,but may I suggest strict adherence to trigger discipline.
f.t.

 

[quinn]

Yup. I, too, couldn'ta left that one behind...

 

[Biginge]

I like it too Bill,but may I suggest strict adherence to trigger discipline.
f.t.

Bobby,

I'm thinking of having right trigger finger (mine) removed for safety reasons. I would feel more "secure".

Jim, (Hondo)

The void was filled. They really did a good job on that too. Thanks for all your input on this one of "questionable linnage."

 

[Munsterf18]

Very cool!
I probably would never go looking for that, but I'd definitely have to buy it if I saw it!
Congrats.

 

[Green Frog]

The void was filled. They really did a good job on that too.

I was curious about that as well... the "5th hole" had a very important function as access to a spring and plunger, a job currently filled from the inside with a blind hole. I'm wondering how, with the shortening of the available depth for said hole to hold current spring and plunger, that challenge could have been dealt with. This would not have been an insignificant matter as that spring and plunger must drive the bolt up sufficiently to engage the cylinder notches and lock the cylinder in place during the firing cycle. "Curiouser and curiouser."

Froggie

 

[Biginge]

Froggie,

I don't know how they made it work after they gelded it but it locks up, shoots well, etc. I did notice there is a single leaf spring. I want to think these had a coil spring originally? It does have a strain screw though. Perhaps some one can jump in here with real knowledge. Hondo you there?

 

[ringo1597]

All I can say, I like it!

 

[Hondo44]

Hi Bill,

I heard your call!

I love your word "gelded" for the front trigger guard removal. I see no issue with removing the cyl lock bolt spring screw as long as the hole is plugged which you confirmed already. The spring may have a slightly different tension based on its 'at rest' length determined by the depth of the hole plug. If the space for the spring was significantly shortened you'd have more tension on the bolt or the spring may have been clipped to compensate. Regardless I suspect little effect on proper bolt function, and indeed you confirm it works fine. It's basically the same change introduced on the Model of 1953 "New I frame" when the 5th screw was officially deleted by change order with the introduction of the larger 'egg shaped' trigger guard and larger grip frame. Thus the '5 screw' Improved I frame became the '4 screw' New I frame with an entirely new frame forging design.


All pre war I frames and pre war/post war Transistional I frames retained the leaf main spring with tension screw. The coil spring was first introduced simultaneously with the J frame (and only on the J frame) in 1950.

The coil spring was the "Improvement" introduced to become the Improved I frame; the lowest serial # known in my database being #554536, shipped 12/51, and still during the rd sight era. Thus the transitional I frame '6 screw' (a helpful designation coined by Froggie) became the '5 screw' Improved I frame.

By the way, as a sidebar, there were no 22/32 Kit Guns made on the Improved I frame and therefore no post war 5 screw Kit Guns. The Kit Gun evolved directly from the transitional post war I frame model with leaf spring & 6 screws, to the Model of 1953 New I frame with 4 screws (which became 3 screws post 1956 with deletion of the 4th screw, the top sideplate screw).

Hope this helps,

 

[Biginge]

Thanks Jim. Boys it sure is easier when you know where to go for the answers.

 

[Simmer down]

That's the sort of junk I snap up. 32 longs are not bad but it looks like you learned a 32 acp will also do in a pinch.

 

[Green Frog]

...Thus the transitional I frame '6 screw' (a helpful designation coined by Froggie) became the '5 screw' Improved I frame...

I can die happy! I've been cited as the originator of a useful collector term on the S&W Forum by a respected expert (and very helpful friend) Hondo44. Usually I have terms attached to me in a negative vein, so it's good to contribute something useful.

Like the OP, it took me a while to figure out the flat spring/coil spring thing, so I got in the habit of looking for that easily spotted "6th screw," thus the reason for suggesting the term. I consider it a quick and easy way to remove doubt immediately as to what one is looking at.

Back to the OP's gun, it would have to have that flat spring to have been produced in the proper time frame for the mods that were applied to it. The coil spring "improvement" came much later, as Hondo44 already mentioned. While I appreciate the sentiment of getting to the trigger quickly, I'm not sure I would be totally comfortable toting that gun around as an every day CCW or BUG. Even with my rather fat and clumsy fingers I can hit the space inside the trigger guard about 99 times out of 100 , so the modified trigger guard seems like a fine solution in search of a problem, but of course that's my personal opinion and worth just what you paid for it.

Froggie

 

[kaaskop49]

With that holster, that's a real carry piece. I would have saved it, too. Not a fan of the trigger guard removal, though.

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

 

[Biginge]

Do you have a trigger weight gauge to see it ever got a trigger job? That would be interesting.

I like it.

I do have an rcbs guage. It maxed out at over 8#'s. Not a chance of a trigger job (which is, in fact, I think, a good thing). Now if one is foolish enough to "capture" hammer in rear travel position, and take it to SA, a 4# pull is "available". Ain't goin there though.