Colt New Police .32 Revolver

[lambert97850]

I have an old Colt Police Positive .32 New Police revolver. The ammo that I have actully says WRA 32 Colt NP on the bottom of the cartridge case. What ammo is this interchangeable with in the ammo that is available today? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Kleanbore]

Same thing as .32 S&W Long. Gun will also handle .32 S&W.

 

[Old Fuff]

Most Colt .32 New Police revolvers were made between 1897 and 1908. These were chambered in .32 Long Colt, not .32 New Police.

Open the cylinder and look at the chambers. If they are bored straight through with the same diameter back to front you need .32 Long Colt cartriges which in theory are still available but difficult to find and expensive when you do.

If the chambers have a reduced step toward the front (called a "throat") then it is chambered in .32 Colt New Police that's identical to .32 Smith & Wesson Long.

You can sometimes chamber .32 Colt New Police/.32 Smith & Wesson Long rounds in a revolver chambered in .32 Long Colt, but the practice is not recommended. Keep in mind that your revolver is over 100 years old.

 

[Jim K]

FWIW, the Colt 1905 catalog said of the New Police Double Action Revolver:

Unless otherwise ordered, will always be furnished to take .32 Colt Cartridges.

When stamped on the barrel "Colt D.A. .32", it takes the .32 Long and Short Colt cartridges, and when stamped on the barrel "Colt New Police .32" takes the .32 Colt New Police (special cartridge) or the .32 S&W Long and Short cartridges.

So I think Lambert's revolver takes the .32 S&W or .32 S&W Long, as well as the .32 Colt NP he has.

Jim

 

[Jim Watson]

Weren't they standardized on NP = S&W chambering by the time the Police Positive came out? Any road, the OP describes the revolver as Police Positive .32 New Police which pretty well pins it down.

 

[AirForceShooter]

.32 long is hard to find?

Check any on-line resource and get all you want.

I think it's popularity is coming back big time

AFS

 

[Old Fuff]

I think you may have confused .32 Long Colt with .32 S&W Long.

.32 Long Colt was obsolete by the early 1900's, but remained in reduced production because of the many revolvers (and a few rifles) chambered to use it.

.32 S&W Long (also known as .32 Colt New Police or .32 Colt Police Positive) largely replaced the .32 Long Colt and still remains popular today, but largely in revolvers chambered for .32 H&R Magnum and .327 Magnum, as well as older model Smith & Wesson, Colt, H&R and Iver Johnson revolvers.