S&W .32 hand ejecton revolver
- Thread starter eastbank
- Start date
Mike Irwin
Staff
DAMN! 
That's a Model of 1896 Hand Ejector!
That is THE gun that took Smith & Wesson into the modern age of handguns!
How much did you have to give for it?
It is most decidedly NOT a suicide special!
Jealous doesn't even come close to describing what I'm feeling!
That's a Model of 1896 Hand Ejector!
That is THE gun that took Smith & Wesson into the modern age of handguns!
How much did you have to give for it?
It is most decidedly NOT a suicide special!
Jealous doesn't even come close to describing what I'm feeling!
Winchester_73
New member
For once, I agree with Mike! That is monumental in as of itself.
In all seriousness, that is a great collector's piece, often called the Model 1, it was as Mike said S&Ws first hand ejector model. Yours looks to be in good shape. It amazes me the ignorance of dealers/sellers of guns.
I am currently looking at one thats $650, nicer than yours and in nickel, but yours is still very nice. What a great historical piece. You probably got it for peanuts.
In all seriousness, that is a great collector's piece, often called the Model 1, it was as Mike said S&Ws first hand ejector model. Yours looks to be in good shape. It amazes me the ignorance of dealers/sellers of guns.
I am currently looking at one thats $650, nicer than yours and in nickel, but yours is still very nice. What a great historical piece. You probably got it for peanuts.
Mike Irwin
Staff
"For once, I agree with Mike!"
No you don't. I won't let you.
No you don't. I won't let you.
Mike Irwin
Staff
"the other pistols were from 100-200 dollars,the S&W was in the middle."
Must...
Suppress...
Jealous...
RAGE!
Very nice catch.
Must...
Suppress...
Jealous...
RAGE!
Very nice catch.
Winchester_73
New member
I can do $250 for it. PM me if interested.
Mike wouldn't even pay that.
Mike wouldn't even pay that.
Mike Irwin
Staff
"I can do $250 for it. PM me if interested."
You're right. I wouldn't.
I wouldn't insult the man by offering such a trivial, piddling amount for such an important piece of firearms history!
You, sir, are a cur!
Eastbank,
I'll give you $251.50 for it.
You're right. I wouldn't.
I wouldn't insult the man by offering such a trivial, piddling amount for such an important piece of firearms history!
You, sir, are a cur!
Eastbank,
I'll give you $251.50 for it.
carguychris
New member
FWIW the .32HE Model of 1896 has a top-mounted cylinder locking tab that is driven downwards by a wedge on the hammer; it is the only S&W swing-out cylinder revolver that locks up this way. Later models all use the familiar bottom-mounted (and more reliable) spring-loaded locking tab that moves as the hammer is cocked.
This model is also the only one with a cylinder that is released by pulling on the ejector rod. The .38M&P Model of 1899 lacks a front locking lug, but the cylinder is released with the familiar LH-side push-forward thumb latch. The .22 Hand Ejector (aka Ladysmith) 2nd and 3rd Models use a release knob under the barrel, but it locks into a recess at the end of the ejector rod; the rod itself is not pulled forward to release the cylinder.
Ditto!
I'd go $252.75 if I wasn't broke.
Mike Irwin
Staff
I'm not broke, so I'll knock the competition out of the fray and go to $253.00...
Mike Irwin
Staff
Fine.
$255 and Carguy Chris AND Winchester 73's first born children.
$255 and Carguy Chris AND Winchester 73's first born children.
Winchester_73
New member
My whole collection, Mikes Colt Official Police and Carguychris's TFL handle/name!
Think about it: you could instantly be one of the S&W authorities on the TFL! And you know Mikes official police has the rare provenance of being owned by Mike Irwin. I never even saw a Mike Irwin gun except online. Never in person. As for my collection, its mostly junk but maybe you could sell it, and then get some good collectible stuff
or if you like junk like me, just keep it all
Think about it: you could instantly be one of the S&W authorities on the TFL! And you know Mikes official police has the rare provenance of being owned by Mike Irwin. I never even saw a Mike Irwin gun except online. Never in person. As for my collection, its mostly junk but maybe you could sell it, and then get some good collectible stuff
or if you like junk like me, just keep it all FWIW, a year or so ago, I paid $450 for a Model 96 in not as good a condition and thought I did OK. If you follow the S&W design from that gun to the 1899 to the various versions of the M&P to the modern guns, you can see a steady progression of design features, all with two goals - making the guns more reliable, and making them less labor intensive and less costly. That is why I don't get excited about MIM and other new S&W design features; they are not some radical departure, they are just part of a steady company philosophy of producing a better (not necessarily prettier) product at an affordable price.
BTW, that cylinder stop is made like the one on the old No. 1 and 1 1/2, so it was quite a step backward. It is a split spring, designed so a projection on the hammer will lift it up out of engagement with the cylinder, then release it to re-engage. When the hammer falls, it spreads the two spring arms of the cylinder stop so the stop stays engaged. It is not a bad system but the spring arms can break so it is not as good as the coil spring powered cylinder stop used in the later revolvers.
Jim
BTW, that cylinder stop is made like the one on the old No. 1 and 1 1/2, so it was quite a step backward. It is a split spring, designed so a projection on the hammer will lift it up out of engagement with the cylinder, then release it to re-engage. When the hammer falls, it spreads the two spring arms of the cylinder stop so the stop stays engaged. It is not a bad system but the spring arms can break so it is not as good as the coil spring powered cylinder stop used in the later revolvers.
Jim
Mike Irwin
Staff
Oh, one other thing, Eastbank...
Those grips? If they are in as good of condition as they appear to be, by themselves they're worth more than what you paid for the gun.
If you decide to remove them, use EXTREME CARE!
Those hard rubber grips become very brittle with age and are very easily chipped or broken.
Those grips? If they are in as good of condition as they appear to be, by themselves they're worth more than what you paid for the gun.
If you decide to remove them, use EXTREME CARE!
Those hard rubber grips become very brittle with age and are very easily chipped or broken.
Winchester_73
New member
Mike is right to be careful but IIRC those grips are not very valuable. The reason being is that those grips are not individual to that gun. That grip frame of that revolver is the same as a 38 DA or a 38 new departure aka safety hammerless. These 1896 guns were only 32 S&W long. I have an extra set myself and they can be found for $50 or so. They would be considered the new model 2 frame, which is the final generation of the famous original S&W model 2 "army", which was originally 32 rimfire. The model 1 1/2 later became the 32 DA and 32 safety hammerless. The model 1s in 22 short did not ever get upgraded and improved to top break, different cals or double action in later years. They were discontinued in the 1870s IIRC. The model 3 was the 44 cal frame with many different variants which was produced for approx 30 years.
Later these frame sizes for different cals / capacities in the 19th century became the groundwork for the latter letter frames we all know today.
Mike Irwin
Staff
I've been seeing original grips in very good to excellent condition at gunshows in Northern Virginia for double to quadruple that for several years now.
"These 1896 guns were only 32 S&W long."
Over the years there have been rumors that about a dozen were factory chambered in .32 Smith & Wesson.
To the best of my knowledge no one has ever found a verified example, but if they did it would probably rank among the top 10 in most valuable S&W revolvers.
"These 1896 guns were only 32 S&W long."
Over the years there have been rumors that about a dozen were factory chambered in .32 Smith & Wesson.
To the best of my knowledge no one has ever found a verified example, but if they did it would probably rank among the top 10 in most valuable S&W revolvers.
Winchester_73
New member
Hey mike, did you get the OPs gun? He forgot to PM me his address for the money order of $250. If you got it, hows $300 sound? That's 20% profit for you which is pretty good.
$275 andI'll nail the competitions testicles to the bench to keep them from raising me. Considering this is a well armed crowd, the nailing would worth plenty to watch. 
On a more serious note that is one nice refugee from a cardboard box. If it could only talk; looking at some honest wear on it I'll wager it had an interesting life. That was not a dresser queen.
Considering this is a well armed crowd, the nailing would worth plenty to watch. On a more serious note that is one nice refugee from a cardboard box. If it could only talk; looking at some honest wear on it I'll wager it had an interesting life. That was not a dresser queen.