1889 S&W lemon squeezer in .32

[glassman]

I saw a S&W break top hammerless lemon squeezer in .32 dated at 1889 today. It was described as a 'new departure' safety series. It had a nickel finish that needed a bit of work but otherwise seemed to be in pretty good shape. It had a three inch barrel and mother of pearl grips. Price was $99. Would this gun be safe to shoot with today's ammo? Given it's antique status, I'm not sure I would shoot it but it would be nice to know.

 

[Radagast]

I would expect it to be safe to shoot, but it would suffer accelerated wear. The S&Ws were a cut above the competition in fitting and materials, but you are still talking about steel that is 111 years old.

I am not a gunsmith, so take this with a grain of salt, but I have read on multiple occasions that the lockwork on these was quite intricate and it is hard to find a gunsmith who can or is willing to work on them.

In 2006 the Standard catalog of S&W gave a value of $235 in very good condition, $75 in poor condition, so allowing for inflation $99 seems right.
Personally I would hold out for a gun is very good condition or better, as you may end up spending more than the gun cost to get it working.

If shooting one of these does interest you, shop around for a .32 Safety Hammerless 3rd Model. These are basic
ally the same gun, but manufacture from 1909 to 1937 in the serial range 170000 to 242981. Manufactured after the widespread uptake of smokeless powder, hopefully the steel is of better quality than on the earlier guns.

 

[owlhoot]

The 1889 is probably referring to the patent date. The little breaktop .32's were manufactured right up to WWII. Most of them had no serial numbers so it is almost impossible to tell their ages. However, I think the S&W's did have serial numbers so you could probably track down the date of manufacture.

Factory ammo is fairly mild stuff because of the many ancient revolvers still doing duty in dresser drawers. Ammo is way too expensive to use your .32 for plinking. Chances are you'll be content to fire a few rounds to satisfy yourself that the gun will shoot.

I have several of the .32 breaktops and they aren't that much fun to shoot for a variety of reasons. And they certainly aren't worth reloading for.

.32 acp will chamber and usually fire in the breaktop .32's. This is, of course, a dangerous practice. The pressure level is considerably higher with the .32 acp round. However, as stated, the .32 S&W round for which these revolvers are chambered is a low pressure round, and should be quite safe in a revolver in decent condition.

As noted by Radagast if the gun was actually manufactured in 1889 then I would be very circumspect about firing it. period.

 

[forindooruseonly]

Also check the bore to see what condition it's in. The corrosive ammo from way back when did a number on many of those old guns if they weren't cleaned religiously after shooting. Some I have seen are so pitted that I half-expected to see pinholes in the sides of the barrel. Definitely not shootable in that condition.

 

[glassman]

If I get this gun, it would be more of a paper weight/curiosity/conversation piece. Not a gun to shoot; more of a 'nice to have' gun. Not sure if I would leave it in it's raw state or have it refinished.


radagast...Every time I read your sig line, I get a chuckle. Thanks for that.

 

[Old Fuff]

All of the S&W Safety Hammerless revolvers had a serial number, and it should be found stamped on the butt.

Shooting those made before before 1902 (serial number 91,417) is a questionable practice because of a number of reasons. The barrel latch is a weaker design, and the cylinders were made from low-carbon steel bars that could contain seams. During the revolvers' entire production they were never heat treated because it wasn't considered necessary. However the later guns/cylinders were made from better materials.

Concerning black powder era guns, the greater problem is that smokeless powder burns faster then black, so while the maximum pressure of current loads isn't greater the faster burning powder puts more stress on the cylinder because the pressure peak is reached sooner.

So does this mean the cylinder will blow? Probably not, but why take chances? If you do want a shooter (and they are accurate little guns) follow the advise in post #2.

Concerning price. If the pearl stocks are in good condition they alone would be worth between $30 to $50 dollars - more if they were factory original. Without question the revolver is worth the asking price as a collectable, if not a shooter.