Curious about 32 S&W Revolvers

[Alpha Wolf]

My buddy bought one not knowing what it was. He thought it was a 32 long colt. But looks like an Iver Johnson/Smith and Wesson break top Revolver.

Cool looking gun. As he bought the wrong ammo we could not shoot it.. He put it away before I had a chance to really look at it.

Are there any things to watch out for in these revolvers?

Thanks. My buddy is not really a gun guy other than duck/deer hunting and I want to know if there is anything odd about his revolver.

 

[RJay]

Iver Johnson revolvers started being manufactured in the late 1800's, It was not until 1909 that Iver Johnson went to a stronger Smokeless Powder frame and internals. If your buddies gun was made prior to 1909 then any shooting should be limited to just a few rounds ( with modern ammo ). The pressure of both the black powder and Smokeless have been kept to the same level ( because of all the old guns still in existence ) because of the different power curves the smokeless cartridges will quickly shoot the older guns loose and cause parts breakage. For the older guns there are no parts sources and they use a lot of old flat springs which have become brittle. Most gunsmiths do not like to work on the older Iver type guns because the cost of repair is often twice the value of the gun and people refuse to pay, so the gunsmith winds up in the red with a lot of old guns hanging on the wall. This also true of the old Iver type guns made up until the 1940s, no one wants to work on them. Now after doing all this typing, I don't have the foggiest how old the gun is or whether it is a black powder or smokeless frame.

 

[James K]

.32 S&W, along with .38 S&W, were the most common revolver cartridges of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Millions (literally) of revolvers were chambered for them, made by easily a hundred companies. Quality varied from tops (S&W) to cheap junk. I strongly suggest that no revolver chambered for either cartridge be fired without being checked over by a gunsmith, or purchased without knowing what it is.

Jim

 

[Alpha Wolf]

Will tell him to have a smith check it out before he shoots it.

Not sure if it is a real Iver or some clone etc. Just did not get a good enough look at it before he put it away.

 

[carguychris]

He thought it was a 32 long colt... As he bought the wrong ammo we could not shoot it..

For future reference... virtually no gunmaker ever mass-produced revolvers in .32 Long Colt except for Colt itself, and Colt never made top-breaks.

Almost all S&W-style .32-caliber top-breaks are chambered in .32 S&W. A notable exception is a few H&R's chambered in ".32 H&R", which was an alternate name for a slightly lengthened .32 S&W variant marketed for Merwin, Hulbert & Co. twist-open revolvers; the longer case was used so shooters would have to buy proprietary MH-branded ammunition in order for the selective-ejection feature to work properly. OTOH this ammunition has not been sold commercially for 100 years or more, and the top-break H&R's work fine with .32 S&W, so this is essentially just an amusing historical footnote.

Not sure if it is a real Iver or some clone etc.

Be aware that IJ grips with the owl's-head logo are very common, but they reportedly fit a number of different brands of similar top-breaks, notably including the "U.S. Revolver Co." brand (IJ's budget line) along with many clones. IOW don't assume that the most readily apparent IJ hallmark- the grips- indicate that the revolver is in fact an Iver Johnson. This seems to be a commonplace mistake by shooters who aren't familiar with old top-breaks, which amounts to probably 99%+ of today's shooters.

 

[ZVP]

The .32 rimmed cartrige is rather anemic for self-defense purposes but with pratice can be used effectivelly. Accuracy is generally very good and it makes a fine target load.. I would hesitate to trust it too far as a self defense load. JMHO ZVP

 

[McShooty]

I can't tell what make the gun really is. The .32 S&W seems to be assumed here, but there is a chance it could be bored for the .32 S&W Long. The S&W short is not a good SD choice, but a handloader can stoke 'em up considerably, for a strong gun. Need pictures, markings, patent dates, etc.

 

[Mike Irwin]

I don't know of any breaktop revolvers that were chambered for .32 S&W Long.

It also sounds as if we're not going to be getting a lot more information on the gun, so there's no real point in continuous speculation.

Alpha, if your friend pulls it back out, see if you can get some good, clear pictures that clearly show the gun, NOT ones that look like they were taken at midnight in the Holland Tunnel and with square tires on the car.

If you can get photos, we can reopen the threat at that time, but right now it's not serving any legitimate purpose, so I'm going to close it.