The Earliest (for now) Regulation Police Target Revolver

[DCWilson]

EDITED 8/17 TO ADD: Yes, that's a provocative thread title change ("fairly early" --> "earliest"), but I just learned that this revolver shipped in May 1919, months before the RP Target I mentioned with a slightly lower serial number. For now this .32 RP Target has the earliest shipping date known to me. If anyone has one of this model that letters earlier or has a lower serial number, please let me know.

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I took possession of this one yesterday: .32 Regulation Police 276254. I will be lettering this one, but based on nearby numbers it probably shipped in 1919 or maybe very early 1920. Since the Regulation Police was introduced in 1917 beginning around S/N 263000, and since the target models are uncommon, this is a fairly early specimen of the adjustable sight version. I know of only one other RP target with a lower serial number, and it is numbered less than 50 below this one. (Not that my records are that complete; there could be a bunch of these things with lower numbers that I just don't know about.)

The lockwork is bright and shiny with no sign of corrosion or staining; under the sideplate everything looks like it is 90 days old rather than 90 years. The external surface has seen some wear and bluing loss; backstrap and forestrap, along with trigger guard, have lost almost all blue and show a developing patina. Other exterior surfaces have differential preservation of the blue, with the cylinder looking patchiest. The stocks are in pretty good shape, and the RP grip patent stamp on the bottom of the left panel is clear and undamaged.

The front sight has been worked on with no particular skill. Somebody tried to file it lower and succeeded mostly in rounding it off. There are pliers-jaw marks on the vertical surfaces that make me think somebody tried to adjust for lateral displacement in the old fashioned way rather than use the screws on the rear sight. But the blade isn't bent; it's just marred.

Here's your basic distorted "Magnum Force" photo, but since the gun is only a .32 maybe I should say "Minimum Force."

The trigger pull on this one is just one step to the good side of horrible: about 4.5 lbs. pull, and a grinding release. Double action is also stiff, as it is on almost all I-frames. The single action sear has a really deep step in it, and some judicious stoning can improve that. Also, there is a lot of trigger travel after release that can be improved with some invisible or almost invisible modifications to the moving parts.

End play is non-existent and side play at lockup is minimal. As one might expect with that gigantic sear shelf in there, there is no push-off problem. The bore is good. The chambers are a little rough and will benefit from some attention. The face of the trigger and inner surface of the trigger guard were the roughest parts of the gun, but they smoothed out nicely with some brass rubbing.

I bought this as a shooter; I have another RP target (379160: 1923), but that one is too nice to take to the range all the time. I will be getting acquainted with this new one on Monday. I'll post a range report if I can hit the paper, but I haven't been that effective with I-frame target revolvers in the past. Maybe this one will help me get better. I like the .32 Long as a target round.

 

[william iorg]

A wonderful little handgun. I sure enjoy the I and J frames and the .32's in particular.
S&W should have looked back to this gun when the 32 H&R Magnum came out.
With HB wadcutters or a round nose bullet this one should be a lot of fun, I look forward to your report.

 

[Jebus35745]

Wow, thats a neat little gun. I can only dream of owning one. Definately let us know how it shoots, Have fun. Larry

 

[DWFAN]

David that's a top notch shooter. I to am a big fan of the pre 30 and 31 I frames. These little devils have more going on with them as far as changes go. I have not been able to aquire a target model yet but I am sure it will come to pass.
Paul

 

[DCWilson]

Well, my I-frame range experiences continue to be less than satisfactory. I fired a bunch of rounds with this gun trying to sight it in at 25 or 50 feet, and found it shot high and made big random perforation patterns at any distance -- just like my other RP Target. Finally I just aimed where I needed to in order to put a few rounds in the red at 25 feet and called it a day.

My other RP Target (1923), with the same front sight, gives me the same kind of performance.

In both cases, the dark dot shows where I had to aim to hit the red -- a low six o'clock hold.

Two hands, Weaver-like stance. S&B .32 wadcutter match ammunition.

I dunno. At 25 feet every hole should have been in the center four squares. I can't hit very well with .22/32 target models either. I'll just keep practicing as time allows.


Side note: I recently learned of two other RP Target models with the same barrel finish problems that my 1923 gun has. The serial numbers are close. Looks like the factory just had a bunch of barrels with a bad finish come off the line at the same time.

 

[DCWilson]

In case anybody is interested, this is the RP Target page from a mid-'20s catalog.

It's my understanding that after 1917, the only small-frame .32 revolver that could be purchased with adjustable sights was a Regulation Police model. Prior to that, target models were available in the regular .32 Hand Ejector line (mostly second models, I would think), but they are not often found. For that matter, the RP Target models are not often found, either.

 

[Speedo2]

Very nice addition, Mr.Wilson. I wouldn't give up on their accuracy without trying a couple of things first; specifically, try to find some HBWC ammo and play around with a few loadings. I don't reload for the 32, so I can't offer any recommendations.

Also, I'd maybe resort to one of those Merrit Optical devices in order to try and improve the sight picture. I had an old 22 single shot which I believe a had similar (if not slightly smaller) sight picture. With my old eyes it was not accurate unles I attached a Merrit to my shooting glasses. My kids, and some of the competitive shooters from bygone days, had much better results with it. Although somewhat improved, I could not withstand the hoots and laughter that were emitted from my kids and range competitors whenever I wore the Merrit (...that thing does look goofy), so I eventually gave up on my 22SS. Good find, great photos (as usual) and thanks for posting. I appears that you're starting to control the market on I-32's. -S2

 

[perrazi]

really neat gun. i have some 32 long loadings that have worked for me in the past. if you want them,lmk via pm. have you tried changing grips to a larger one like a target type. i don't have very big hands but i just can't grip the small frame guns good enough to hit very well with them. with target grips i do much better.

 

[DCWilson]

really neat gun. i have some 32 long loadings that have worked for me in the past. if you want them,lmk via pm. have you tried changing grips to a larger one like a target type. i don't have very big hands but i just can't grip the small frame guns good enough to hit very well with them. with target grips i do much better.

Perrazi, thak you. Look for a PM.

I know that the grip size can be a problem, but I'm not sure that's the issue here. I have some of the I-frame extension target stocks that I can borrow from another revolver (it's a .22/32), but I already know I can't shoot that one very well either. I think it has something to do with weight. I tend to use a lot of shoulder when I'm shooting, and very little forearm. When I have 3-5 pounds of steel hanging out there, it seems rock solid to me. But if the package is under two pounds, it feels like the gun is just floating around at the end of a rope in zero gravity and I can't control its position very well. I think I may put on a wrist weight the next time I shoot and see if that does anything.

I'm also thinking of brazing a piece of 1/16" brass rod to the top of the front sight to give me something bigger to look at as well as raise its height a bit.

 

[bmg60]

hi Dave

I think this one is earlier than yours. its 98% condition.

 

[DCWilson]

Jim, that RP Target of yours is a beauty! It definitely has a serial number almost 100 lower than the gun with which I started this thread, so in that sense it is younger. I also had a private communication about 276211, another RP Target numbered lower than mine.

But I'm still going to maintain that my RP Target is the earliest known example because it was shipped in May of 1919. Yours was shipped in November of that year, and the other one in December 1919. It almost makes me think a run of about 100 RP Targets was produced in early 1919, stacked on the shelves in reverse order, then shipped out as the boxes fell to hand for the rest of the year (and maybe into 1920, but obviously we would need additional data points to support that theory).

Do you have any idea how many Regulation Police target models were produced? They are obviously scarce, and it seems to me they show up for sale even less frequently than other seldom seen models like the prewar .22/32 Kit Gun.

 

[bmg60]

hi david
If I had to guess I would say that the total number of Reg Police models in Target in 6 inch would be less than 800. this is going on the rate of then we see them for sale and the ones we can account for
in collections. I have two and 3 of the 1903 Targets 2 6 inch and one 4 1/4 inch.
I would say that there are more of the 1903 targets than Reg Police models because they were made for a longer period of time. !903 thru 1940. where the reg. police models were made 1917 thru 1940.
just my best guess.
jim fisher

add these to the one above from before.
I don't have a picture of the 4 1/4. the serial number is 181496 which would date it about 1918.

 

[Pontiaker]

Here is my Dads four inch, will get the number for ya buddy!
Matt

 

[DCWilson]

Here is my Dads four inch, will get the number for ya buddy!
Matt

Matt, that looks like another example like the one on the bottom right in Jim's post -- 1957 production, but assembled from prewar parts. I bet the serial number starts with 657. There are fewer than 200 of those. Nice gun!

Because I let myself think that the late assembly date on the 657xxx guns meant they should not be considered prewar design, I had never looked closely at them. I am surprised to realize that they had four-inch barrels. (Or is it 4.25"?)

Now that I have looked at them closely and understand what they are, I guess I need to add one of these to the wish list.

 

[DCWilson]

Another range trip

I decided to give myself a low-anxiety range day and just pop off half a box of wadcutter ammo on a single close-in target to see what kind of group resulted.

For the distance (25 feet), this group needs to be a lot tighter. But I can see where the rounds tend to cluster and that will help me develop a hold and an aimpoint that will be more productive in the future. Gun still hitting high, as I expected, and just a bit left.

So the education continues...

 

[DWFAN]

First time out with a gun your not used to shooting. Why are you complaining? I wouldn't.
Paul