32 S&W Long Revolvers

Walkalong said:

Model 31. It gets carried occasionally.
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I was just thinking I need to drag mine out and drop a pic. I have the same but square butt.

Pre 1930 Regulation Police.

You guys sure have some nice .32s here! Gotta love the old Smiths.

I have a Ruger Single Seven chambered in .327 Federal magnum. Naturally, It shoots all the shorter versions as well.

The .32S&W is like popcorn, and the power level goes up as the case gets longer. Loaded with the .327s, it makes a formidable defense piece that would not leave me feeling under gunned at all.

Here it is with my Single Six.





It's a shame that the .32 is not more understood these days.

This little pistol's ability to shoot at five different power levels and it's small size makes it ideal for teaching. It will do anything you might want to do with a handgun, and it's just plain fun to shoot.

The only .32 that I have is this pre model 30 from 1955 that was gifted to me by my father in law just prior to his death. He acquired it from an individual in the late 50s or early 60s who had fired it only several times. The revolver was put away with the remaining ammunition until he gave it to me last year. The previous owner had installed the genuine mother of pearl grips which are from the incorrect era for this gun. I lettered the gun and found that it shipped with walnut RB diamond magna grips. I have a period correct set of grips but, the wife wants me to leave it as it was which I will do.

That's a very handsome revolver, wildcatter109. And an excellent photo. Thanks for putting it up, it's a pleasure to see.

Yes, it's beautiful!

kscharlie said:

I needed a Model 16 for my K-frame accumulation, and picked this one up a bit over a year ago, for considerably less than the going rate.
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See, this is why I hate THR.

cfullgraf said:

My mustang is green fueled, four on the floor and all terrain.

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Yeah, fullgraf, but it's only 1 HP.

One other note on the regulation police. It's my understanding that the RP is the first hand ejector to use that particular grip on an I frame. S&W patented it and the patent date is on the butt of the grip. June 5th, 1917. It's easy for me to remember as it's the day my grandfather was born.

There seems to be a bit of confusion regarding Hand Ejector vs Regulation Police. Both of these revolvers are actually round butt. However, the RP will have the cut on the backstrap to accommodate the round to square conversion stocks, properly called extension stocks in this instance. Irrespective of the grip/stock differences, the serial number on the Hand Ejector will always be on the bottom of the grip frame. The serial number on the Regulation Police will always be on the front strap of the grip frame. So, the placement of the serial number will tell you whether or not you have a Hand Ejector or a Regulation Police.
One other item of interest regarding the .32 Regulation Police is that the term "Regulation Police" is never stamped on the side of the barrel, as it is on the .38 S&W Regulation Police. Only the ghosts of S&W past know why they did what they did....

This conflicts with the confirmation I previously received on this revolver, it does have the serial Number on the bottom of the grip. But it is a "B" prefix, and was told this designates it as a Regulation Police. The revolver is in excellent condition and is a long time family heirloom, from grandfather, to father, to me. It is the only Smith & Wesson in my arsenal, so I don't place much emphasis on keeping up with the Smith model's as I rely have no interest in adding another my handguns. But I think I should call Smith and get an official clarification just because the family history with this revolver. Thanks for posting this kschalie, I do appreciate it!

wildcatter109 said:

This conflicts with the confirmation I previously received on this revolver, it does have the serial Number on the bottom of the grip. But it is a "B" prefix, and was told this designates it as a Regulation Police. The revolver is in excellent condition and is a long time family heirloom, from grandfather, to father, to me. It is the only Smith & Wesson in my arsenal, so I don't place much emphasis on keeping up with the Smith model's as I rely have no interest in adding another my handguns. But I think I should call Smith and get an official clarification just because the family history with this revolver. Thanks for posting this kschalie, I do appreciate it!

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S&W, over the years, made so many "models" and variations that mis-information is not at all uncommon. S&W never used a "B" prefix on their .32 Hand Ejectors, so that has me puzzled. If you could provide a picture of the butt along with a pic of the right side of the revolver, it would be useful for further identification. The serial number also appeared on the bottom of the barrel flat, visible when the cylinder is open. The letter "B" stamped at that location indicates the gun left the factory as a "Blued" gun, as opposed to "Nickel". It won't hurt anything to call S&W, but quite often the information you obtain from there is also incorrect.

At any rate, your S&W .32 is a very nice example and you should be proud to own it as a family heirloom.