32 long colt

Status
Not open for further replies.
R

ridgerunner1965

Member
Joined
Dec 11, 2010
Messages
768
i recently received my maternal grandfathers 32 s&w double action revolver.

i somewhat remember him owning it when i was a child.. it is prob the only gun of his we never took shooting.

it is a 4 inch barrel with unshrouded ejector rod and a rounded butt. case hardened trigger and hammer.

the barrel is marked 32 long ctg on the right side of the barrel and on top is smith and wesson springfield mass with patent dates under that.

i assume it is 32 long colt caliber? and also assume it will also shoot 32 short colt?

my main question is ammo.is it available at a resonble price anywhere? i looked on gunbroker and the long colt is available for over a 100$a box.

any info on the gun or ammo would be very appreciated!
 
Likely 32 S&W Long. But im no S&W expert by any means. Ill let someone else confirm.

If that is the case, it would be able to shoot 32 S&W Long and short as well as 32 Colt New Police which is the same thing as the S&W long. The 32 Long is still relatively available for a caliber that old. These days of turmoil though have made it scarce.

Looks like midway usa actually has a selection of it currently. I cant paste links because of a glitch in some system so you will have to search for it.
 
There is a difference in the cartridges. S&W and Colt refused to chamber a gun marked with them other's name.

After a few years, Colt dropped the .32 Colt cartridges and began chambering for the S&W cartridges. Still refusing to stamp S&W on a Colt firearm, the designated the cartridges as Colt New Police.
 
well thank you men for the quick replys. it does appear that the 32 long smith and wesson is a diff cartridge than the long colt.

i dont have any pics of the gun but it is a pretty ordinary example of this model. it is in very nice condition as were all my gpas things. he took very good care of all his possesions..

i will purchase a box of shells from midwayusa. i will shoot it a bit to honor my grandfather. he was a fine man and i miss him and my grandmother very much.
 
ridgerunner1965 said:
well thank you men for the quick replys. it does appear that the 32 long smith and wesson is a diff cartridge than the long colt.

i dont have any pics of the gun but it is a pretty ordinary example of this model. it is in very nice condition as were all my gpas things. he took very good care of all his possesions..

i will purchase a box of shells from midwayusa. i will shoot it a bit to honor my grandfather. he was a fine man and i miss him and my grandmother very much.
Click to expand...

Look for the .32 S&W Long wadcutters. They seem to pop up more as they’re still used by Bullseye shooters.
 
Last edited:
Did we actually determine which 32 it is?

Colt has a heeled bullet, smaller case, and relatively larger rim. S&W uses a normal bullet, has larger case, and slightly less proud rim. Colt bullet diameter is .314" and S&W is .312". S&W is also a bit longer.
 
ridgerunner1965 said:
i recently received my maternal grandfathers 32 s&w double action revolver.

i somewhat remember him owning it when i was a child.. it is prob the only gun of his we never took shooting.

it is a 4 inch barrel with unshrouded ejector rod and a rounded butt. case hardened trigger and hammer.

the barrel is marked 32 long ctg on the right side of the barrel and on top is smith and wesson springfield mass with patent dates under that.

i assume it is 32 long colt caliber? and also assume it will also shoot 32 short colt?

my main question is ammo.is it available at a resonble price anywhere? i looked on gunbroker and the long colt is available for over a 100$a box.

any info on the gun or ammo would be very appreciated!
Click to expand...

Please post picture of gun and caliber stamp. Then we can give you the correct answer.
 
This is a caliber I've recently begun to learn about, as I picked up an old Charter Arms Undercoverette (1970-1971 vintage) in it. It came on consignment with 50 rounds of LRN ammunition, PMC or something, I think, six of which were discolored from having been stored in the cylinder. Haven't tried it out, yet.

Yes, ammunition is running high, one rolled-up dollar bill per chamber. ;)
 
Last edited:
S&W used the “ctg” on many of their revolver barrels, most of my older Smiths have it. As Steel Hayes pointed out above, it’s just an abbreviation for “cartridge”.

Let us know how the revolver shoots for you when you get a chance. The .32 caliber rounds are easy to load for, accurate, fun and inexpensive to put together… once you have all the stuff. :thumbup:

Stay safe.
 
So it's like one of these? If so, and is a Smith and Wesson, then it's .32 Long.

32s.jpg
(Don't let the grip adapters throw you off, that's not original to the gun.) These are all S&W in .32 Long, with the top one a "Hand Ejector" and the bottom two "Regulation Police." Main difference between the two types is the grip.
 
Last edited:
It’s a fantastic target cartridge. I spent a decent time searching for a .32 S&W chambered revolver with adjustable sights. I missed the first & only (most likely) deal on a Colt PP Target in .32 about 5-years ago.

I settled for a Ruger SP-101 in .327 Fed. & shoot more .32 S&W Long w/ 100-gr. round nose bullets then anything else. .32 H&R mag is fun also but no real difference punching paper.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

U
  • Locked
.32 S&W Long?
Replies
3
Views
706
uscs
U
N
  • Locked
.32 Smith and Wesson pearl handle value
Replies
1
Views
2K
rcmodel
R
U
  • Locked
.32 S&W Long?
Replies
12
Views
3K
gunfan
G
M
  • Locked
age/value of S&W 32 long ctg revolver
Replies
1
Views
849
Jim K
J
MatthewVanitas
  • Locked
.32 Police Cartridge = .32 S&W Long? (NOT "New Police)
Replies
5
Views
4K
loosecannon
L
Back
Top