Regulation Police Re-Habbed

[Michael Tinker Pearce]

I've wanted an I-frame S&W Terrier for some time, but they are just too expensive these days. When I happened across a rough, affordable Regulation Police .32 with busted grips just before Christmas I snapped it up. I bobbed the barrel to 2-1/2", re-mounted the front sight and 'ramped' it with 40 LPI checkering, bobbed the hammer, relieved the trigger-guard and re-fitted a set of J-frame grips in American Holly. It's now a sweet little pocket-piece and a lot of fun to shoot.

 

[wcwhitey]

Love it! Nice work!

 

[Rule3]

Any before pictures??

 

[Tallball]

Great project! It must be a lot of fun to shoot.

 

[ontarget]

MTP, do you enjoy the building process or shooting more?
I ask because you seem to do a new project more often than some guys go to the range.
Nice work.

 

[Michael Tinker Pearce]

MTP, do you enjoy the building process or shooting more?
I ask because you seem to do a new project more often than some guys go to the range.
Nice work.

LOL- I go to the range a LOT, but I love the projects, and I don't have to leave the house...

 

[bannockburn]

Tinker

Another nice and handy "rescue"!

Love the "ivory-look" of the American Holly grips!

 

[Jim Watson]

Holly looks enough like ivory for me to leave Tantor alone.
What is its surface texture and the usual finish?
Does the grain of the wood collect dirt?

 

[Pat Riot]

@Michael Tinker Pearce
You make the coolest toys!

 

[bannockburn]

Jim Watson

Holly looks enough like ivory for me to leave Tantor alone.
What is its surface texture and the usual finish?
Does the grain of the wood collect dirt?

That's what I thought the first time I saw grips made out of it. These were done by Private's Custom Grips (unfortunately no longer making grips), and they fit my Blackhawk Flattop .44 Special perfectly, even though I didn't have to send him the frame for the correct fit. The wood itself is very smooth and pretty much free of any sort of imperfections. I don't know what he used to finish them with but they do have a nice, not too glossy appearance. No problems with any dirt, oil, or powder residue. For a natural product they sure do look nice and are a fraction of what ivory (if you could even find any), goes for.

 

[Sarge7402]

Nice piece. Have an old nickeled reg with the barrel trimmed to3" . nice32 caliber kit gun

 

[Michael Tinker Pearce]

Holly looks enough like ivory for me to leave Tantor alone.
What is its surface texture and the usual finish?
Does the grain of the wood collect dirt?

Nice and smooth; I finish it with lacquer and have no issues with it picking up dirt, oil etc.

 

[adcoch1]

That is a nice job MTP! How did you reattach the front sight? Solder? Welded? Glued? Very curious...

 

[entropy]

Good repurposing of that I-frame, Micheal!

 

[Michael Tinker Pearce]

That is a nice job MTP! How did you reattach the front sight? Solder? Welded? Glued? Very curious...

I slotted the top of the barrel then silver-soldered the front sight back on.

 

[Driftwood Johnson]

Any before pictures??

Not Michael Tinker Pearce's pistol, but this is what a typical Smith and Wesson 32 Regulation Police looks like. This one shipped in 1924. Notice the large mushroom shaped cap on the end of the extractor rod, typical of S&W revolvers of that time.






The 38 Regulation Police and 32 Regulation Police revolvers had very distinctive grips. The steel grip frame was relatively small, so the wooden grips were inletted so they could be larger than the metal grip frame.






Smith and Wesson obtained a patent for this design of the grips in 1917.






Unlike most S&W revolvers, where the Serial Number was on the bottom of the butt, the Regulation Police revolvers had the serial number stamped on the front of the metal grip frame.