Dad's Secret .32....

[MacTech]

Could this be what gets Mom into shooting?

This morning, Mom made a fun discovery....

She was going through my late Dad's dresser drawer, when she found a leather pocket holster....

Inside was a top break hammerless 5 shot pocket revolver in .32 S&W, looked to be a 3" barrel, nice deep bluing, low profile grips, I couldn't find a manufacturer stamp or any identifying marks on it, I didn't have much time to inspect it though, as I was getting ready for work, I'll inspect it closer tonight

I asked her what she wanted to do with it...

She thought for a few moments, then said "I'll keep it in the dresser drawer for now, it looks like a nice little gun, funny that he never mentioned it before, he never told you about it?

Nope, first I heard about it, he never mentioned it to me....

Normally, Mom is pretty apathetic when it comes to guns, not an anti, but also not a hobbyist, they're just "things" to her, nothing special, take it or leave it

This is the first time she has expressed interest in holding on to a firearm at all, normally, the gun would be handed down to me, but something about this little revolver has struck a chord with her....

I fully intend to exploit it, if Dad's Secret .32 can get her into the hobby and into the RKBA mindset, so much the better....

Would I like to add it to my collection? Of course I would, it's a cool little gun, but I already inherited Dad's Single Six, Winchester '92, and Parker VH, I have the heirloom guns I want, adding the Secret .32 to my collection would just be too greedy for me, I'm not the materialistic type

I will, however use this as an excuse to pick up reloading dies and components in .32 S&W, I'll bet the Secret .32 would be quite fun with some Trailboss loads

 

[David E]

I will, however use this as an excuse to pick up reloading dies and components in .32 S&W, I'll bet the Secret .32 would be quite fun with some Trailboss loads

Find out if its a .32 Short or Long before buying brass. The Long will shoot both, of course.

Factory loads are already quite light, so no need to wait til you get some loaded up.

Good luck!

 

[Leanwolf]

When I was a child, my father was a lumber dealer and was sometimes out of town. This was just after WW II. We lived in a rural town in North Arkansas. Not much crime but it was a pass through between New Orleans, Little Rock, to St. Louis and Chicago.

My mother always kept her Colt's Police Positive Special .32-20 WCF on the bedstand beside her bed. She knew how to use it too, as she and my father would go out in the woods and practice. He had a S&W .38 Spec.

My mother never had to use her revolver but she pulled it once on a bum who would not leave our yard when she told him to and he became angry at her. He left very quickly after she pointed that .32-20 at him.

Women should know how to protect themselves and family.

L.W.

 

[Fryerpower]

There are a bunch of different .32 ammo types out there. My father in law has a .32 revolver. He picked up a handful of various .32 ammo for it (for free from an hardware store that used to sell guns). None of it matched what was stamped on the side of the barrel, but he had it loaded anyway. He may have had a good combination, but I was not comfortable. I tracked down a box of the correct ammo (Colt long I think, but it was four years ago) and bought it for him. It was expensive at $1 a round, but what was stamped on the barrel matched what was on the box so I was happy. Solid lead, non plated rounds.

 

[AethelstanAegen]

Inside was a top break hammerless 5 shot pocket revolver in .32 S&W, looked to be a 3" barrel

That sounds an awful lot like a S&W Safety Hammerless or one of the many imitations (like Iver Johnson). If it's .32 caliber, I'd be rather surprised if it wasn't .32 S&W ("short").

 

[BSA1]

I would be careful about shooting a no name turn of the century handgun. Thousands of them were made overseas and are of questionable quality. If a part breaks you will not be able to find replacements and the cost of having the part made will exceed the value of the gun.

If you want a little 32 revolver to shoot buy a Smith & Wesson and put Dad's gun in a display case.

 

[Backroad]

Sounds exactly like the one my dad had in a trunk in the basement. he brought it home from Naval duty in 1945.

Al

 

[MacTech]

I fully intend to thoroughly inspect the gun tonight, the lack of any manufacturing info on the gun troubled me, I want to make sure it's safe to fire before anyone even contemplates firing it

I'm pretty sure it's not a S&W, it had no grip safety like a hammerless safety model

It may end up as a wall hanger if I'm not comfortable with it, don't want Mom shooting a dangerous gun, and as Dad preferred inexpensive firearms, it's more likely a value model like an Iver Johnson, H&R, or similar

 

[marv]

If you don't find Smith&Wesson prominently displayed check the top of the barrel. I think Iver Johnson stamped their name and info there. Also the top of the grip panels may have a logo.

 

[MacTech]

I have the gun in front of me now, and I can confirm that it Is an Iver Johnson safety hammerless, according to googling, a second edition that is designed for black powder cartridges only, and NOT safe to fire modern ammo in, the gun was made in the early 1900's

Looks like Mom's going to need a newer gun if she wants to get into the hobby

I'll let her know that it's not safe with modern ammo and let her decide what she wants to do with it....

I say keep it as a memento, the holster looks like something he made himself, I'll just let her know not to store it in the holster, maybe make a display box for the gun and holster and place it on display in Dad's study

 

[MacTech]

Well, talked with Mom, told her it was only safe to shoot with black powder, and not to use modern smokeless loads....

She said to take it to the gun shop then and see if it's worth anything, I don't want it, if you want it, take it

So, I stopped into KTP, long story short, they didn't want to take it in in trade, and offered a measly $50 to "dispose" of it....

Sorry, not interested, especially after I took off the grips to find Dad had snuck one of our old RFD address labels inside the mainspring housing, it was an unexpected personal touch, I couldn't part with it, besides, I have black powder at home, all I would need are bullets, dies and primers, I actually think a classic Lee Loader would be perfect and appropriate for this gun....

When I got back home, I decided to give the new family member a little TLC, a liberal application of Ballistol in the trigger group removed about 70% of the gritty pull, now it's just basically a long, heavy pull, there are a few rough spots in the rifling that may be surface rust, so I'm doing a Ballistol soak there too

I may never end up firing it, but I'm treating it with the same respect as any of Dad's heirloom guns, or my guns in general, and it has a place of honor in the collection, as well as an amusing story behind it, the Mystery Gun, the gun none of us knew Dad had.....

...when did he get it, how long has he had it, was it a family heirloom *he* inherited, did he buy it new, did he buy it used because it was a "good deal", why .32 S&W? Did he know it was Black Powder Only? Was this for protection on business trips away from home?

....why did he tell no one about it, not even his wife, or his son?

...I guess we will never know....

 

[03fatboy]

Mac tech I have asked myself the same things, whether it's a gun,tractor or who used to live on that place.
and the only people who know are gone ,so every time you look or hold the pistol I'm sure it will put a smile on your face.

 

[Gaucho Gringo]

My wife of 30 years who was also apathetic to my gun hobby did an about face when I showed her the IJ .32 I bought over a year ago. I about had a heart attack when she expressed her interest in shooting the gun after 30 years of not wanting to shoot any kind of firearm. We now own 5 of them in various configurations and manufacturers, she has her own nickel plated one in pristine shape. I load black powder for the ones that are not made for smokeless and we have fun. Now my 27 yo daughter wants to shoot one. It must be they hit some nerve in the fairer sex, but you won't hear me complaining about it. I realize the H&R's, IJ's, H&A's are not S&W's but they are a serviceable non threatening type gun if in good shape and appropriate ammo to get a non shooter introduced to the sport with minimal cost.

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Cool story and a great find.

 

[4v50 Gary]

Mom needs to be taken to the range and taught how to use it. Get some dummy cartridges too for snap cap/sight picture training.

Do safety and handling training at home. That way she will be comfortable with it at the range and valuable range time won't be wasted on learning things like safety, grip, stance, sight picture.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Mom needs to be taken to the range and taught how to use it. Get some dummy cartridges too for snap cap/sight picture training.

Do safety and handling training at home. That way she will be comfortable with it at the range and valuable range time won't be wasted on learning things like safety, grip, stance, sight picture.

I agree, mom needs to learn how to shoot.

BTW, was there no ammo anywhere in the house for that revolver? You can answer at least that question if there is any in the house.

Look around and see if you can find a more current revolver that looks similar and make it a gift to Mom. For something more current Charter Arms is making 4 revolvers chambered in 32 H&R Magnum, one is even in pink or lavender.

 

[MikeJackmin]

I have an old Iver Johnson topbreak .38 S&W that I inherited from my dad.

He graduated High School in NYC and joined the Army Air Corps as a teen, to train to be a bomber pilot. His pilot class was canceled as WWII drew to a close, and he spent the rest of his hitch as an MP guarding German POWs, in Kansas, I believe.

I was told he picked up his gun in a NYC bowling ally before going off to war. I don't think it was ever registered.

After he died I was able to put it on my permit and make the old girl legal. It'll still shoot, but it's loose and it's not really safe to play with too much. I'll never part with it.

 

[mr.trooper]

90% chance its an Iver Johnson.

They made LOTS of revolvers like that, and sub-contracted most of the other similar revolvers for the other manufacturers of the time.

They can be good little revolvers if they are like new. The service life is not very high though, as far as rounds fired. Its the nature of their metallurgy that they ware out after several hundred to a thousand rounds.

 

[rondog]

Funny - after my grandfather passed away we found a pretty nice rifle in his closet, caliber was .22 Winchester Automatic, not a normal .22 Long Rifle or any other common ones. Nobody had any idea that he had that, where it came from, or how long it had been around. There was a box of ammo for it, so I had to try it out. It was accurate, but that ammo was weak and pathetic. Kind of a "bang...whack, bang...whack". Very slow stuff. My oldest brother still has the rifle.

You just never know what oldsters might have secreted away that you've never heard of!