32 Hand Ejector

M

mduncan915

Inactive
I just bought a 32 hand ejector. I know nothing about the gun, the age or anything other than what I can see. I have never owned a a revolver before. I found a few different numbers on the gun, and any help with this would be greatly appreciated. The serail number is 952xx. The number behind the wheel is 44443. And the last Patent date is Feb 6, 1908.

attachment.php


attachment.php


attachment.php


attachment.php


attachment.php
 
According to the serial number, the gun is a .32 Hand Ejector Model of 1903, 2nd Change. Production of this model ran from 1906 to 1909. However, the 952xx serial number is very close to the supposed serial #95501 switchover to the 3rd Change, and the 1908 patent date strongly implies that this gun may actually be a 3rd Change or a transitional model with a mix of features. Although most reference sources suggest that there were definitive serial number cutoffs between models, this is not actually the case with most S&Ws in this time period.

FWIW this gun is built on the I frame, the predecessor of the modern-day J frame. The cylinder window on the I frame is not long enough to accommodate a .38 Special cartridge, so S&W lengthened it in 1950, creating the J frame. The I frame was dropped ca. 1960 and all I frame guns in the catalog were replaced with an equivalent J frame.

Mandatory Warnings!
  • This gun does NOT have a heat-treated cylinder. Standard-pressure .32 S&W Long loads are perfectly safe, but you should NOT try to push the limits of the cartridge using this gun like some people do with postwar S&W .32's.
  • This gun does NOT have a hammer block and should ALWAYS be carried "five up" with an empty chamber under the hammer. Like an old Colt SAA, you should NOT load all six chambers unless you intend to empty all of them right away!
  • Early S&Ws like this one have some substantial differences in the lockwork compared to later models. Although all of these guns are fairly stout, be aware that if you break it, finding parts may be difficult. Furthermore, early non-heat-treated guns generally have soft cylinders and tend to develop lockup problems if subjected to frequent double-action rapid-fire. This gun may make an occasional fun shooter, but if you're looking for something that will see hard use, I would recommend a post-WWII gun.
  • Do NOT attempt to remove the grips unless you really, really, really need to do it. They get brittle with age and tend to break apart in chunks during removal. Dixie Gun Works used to offer reproductions but they apparently stopped. :( FWIW post-1952 I and J frame grips will fit this gun but will overhang the butt by ~1/4". Grips for the earlier "short grip" models are out there but may be difficult to come by.
 
Thank you for the information carguychris.
First off I did make a mistake on the Patent date. It was 1906. Eyes are going, and it sucks. :(
As for the ammo you were referring to use, is this something that will be easy to find?
One of my main concerns is, whether I should have it refinished, or leave it as it. I know this is always a mixed argument, some say don't ever refinish an original gun, and other say make a piece of junk into something nice. So what do you think? You seem very knowledgeable in these guns.

Thank you again.
 
If you MUST take the grips off, a trip to the deep freeze for a day or two is in order.

It will help pull apart any adhesions that have formed between the grips and the frame.

Not a guarantee, but when you're dealing with the old hard rubber grips, every advantage you can give yourself is a plus.

Just wrap it well in plastic wrap and leave the gun come back to room temperature before you attempt removal as cold will make the grips even more brittle.

The plastic wrap (or a ziplock bag) will help prevent condensation from forming on the gun when you take it out of the freezer.
 
As for the ammo you were referring to use, is this something that will be easy to find?
Click to expand...
The gun takes standard .32 S&W Long. This cartridge is not carried by most big-box sporting goods discounters; many local gun stores carry it, but prices may be high because it is a slow seller. It is, however, widely available at reasonable prices by mail order.

This gun can also fire the shorter and slightly lower-powered .32 S&W round (aka ".32 Short"), but this cartridge is generally more expensive and harder to find than .32 Long, so there's little reason to do this unless you already have a stockpile of it.

The gun can physically chamber and fire .32ACP (aka .32 Auto or 7.65 Browning), but I would NOT recommend doing this because it operates at higher pressures, and the very small case rims can cause gun-damaging ejection problems. :(
One of my main concerns is, whether I should have it refinished, or leave it as it. I know this is always a mixed argument, some say don't ever refinish an original gun, and other say make a piece of junk into something nice. So what do you think?
Click to expand...
IMHO you should leave it as-is. The nickel finish on your gun is actually better than most S&Ws from this era. :)
 
"the very small case rims can cause gun-damaging ejection problems."

Ejection problems, yes, but I don't think I'd qualify them as gun damaging...

Friend of mine has an early first change in nickel that is absolutely pristine.

I'm certain that it's the original nickel finish and was just stored well and probably was never shot.
 
"the very small case rims can cause gun-damaging ejection problems."
Click to expand...

Mike, let me start by saying I do respect and appreciate your opinion. That being said, the very small case is what would worry me. With something this old I believe that the small case becomes a little more likely. Maybe I am just overly cautious, but I believe if and when I fire this, I will be as safe as possible.

Thank you again for you opinions and answers. I am learning a lot from you all.
 
Mduncan,

Don't get me wrong, you absolutely SHOULD NOT fire .32 ACP out of this gun!

That said, I was questioning Chris' apparent assertion that the small case RIM could somehow lead to gun damage.

I simply can't think of a way in which the small brass rim on a .32 ACP case could cause physical damage to the gun.

The significantly higher pressure developed by the .32 ACP? Oh hell yeah that can not only damage the gun, it can destroy it.
 
Mr. Irwin, I never thought that you were misleading me in any way. I understood what you were talking about. And as for the rim fire causing damage, I believe you to be correct in now knowing how it could do damage. With a gun that I have never seen fire, and is over 100 years old, I will just be extra careful.

Once again I do appreciate all of your opinions and information.
 
That said, I was questioning Chris' apparent assertion that the small case RIM could somehow lead to gun damage.
Click to expand...
My concern is a bent or broken ejector star after a .32ACP case becomes wedged in the chamber by the impact of the firing pin. :(

This has been brought up by other posters in past threads on this topic, and I'm convinced that this is the reason one occasionally encounters old S&W .32HE's with one prong of the ejector star broken off. With a low-pressure round like .32 Long, it's hard to imagine that a case could bulge or split badly enough that it's necessary to pound the ejector rod with enough force to break the star. Split .38Spl cases don't take that much force to extract.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top