The Firing Line Forums

Go Back   The Firing Line Forums > The North Corral > Curios and Relics

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old November 4, 2010, 12:55 AM   #1
WE0H
Member
 
Join Date: May 16, 2010
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 71
32 SW Smith & Wesson DA Safety hammerless question

Wednesday afternoon I was in an antique store in Kentucky and seen a 32 Smith & Wesson DA Safety Hammerless break top blue finish with a 3.5" barrel. It is nearly flawless and tight as my low time 586-2. The bore is shiny as a new bore would be. Is this anything special or just another old revolver?

I have been buying old 32 Iver Johnson & H&R revolvers & a 38 Iver Johnson. Never seen a Smith & Wesson 32 revolver in person before

tnx,
Mike

Last edited by WE0H; November 4, 2010 at 12:59 AM. Reason: Corrections
WE0H is offline  
Old November 4, 2010, 01:09 AM   #2
WE0H
Member
 
Join Date: May 16, 2010
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 71
A little looking around and I understand this is a third model made from 1909-1937 S/N range 163082-242981.

No clue on the value. Might have to find a local gun shop with someone knowledgeable in S&W's to figure that out.

Mike
WE0H is offline  
Old November 4, 2010, 05:31 AM   #3
mtnbkr
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 1, 2000
Location: Manassas, Virginia
Posts: 914
I have its "Hand Ejector" cousin. Based on your description, if it's less than $400, I'd buy it. The nice thing about the old 32 and 38 S&W Smiths is that few people want them due to lack of knowledge or because they aren't good choices for SD. You can sometimes find a nice example for next to nothing.

What price did they have on it?

Chris
mtnbkr is offline  
Old November 4, 2010, 06:14 AM   #4
WE0H
Member
 
Join Date: May 16, 2010
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 71
$380 out the door including tax I was hesitant at first but had some time to search online while at the store and kept coming up with values in excess of $400, so I said I'll take it Just couldn't see leaving something that nice behind wondering if I should have bought it or walked away. I have done that so many times on other gun's that I have seen in my travels. Not this time, she's mine now

I have been traveling for the past two months around the country and bought a H&R Young America 32, a Iver Johnson 38 break top, and this S&W 32 Third Model. This trip has been good to me I'll post pictures when I get home this weekend.

Mike
WE0H is offline  
Old November 4, 2010, 06:52 AM   #5
mtnbkr
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 1, 2000
Location: Manassas, Virginia
Posts: 914
Nice!

Can't wait to see the pics.

Chris
mtnbkr is offline  
Old November 4, 2010, 03:02 PM   #6
James K
Member In Memoriam
 
Join Date: March 17, 1999
Posts: 24,383
I have seen nice .32 breaktop Smiths go for $600. I paid that for a blued one NIB with all the papers. Blued ones are less common, as most were nickel plated. A word of caution, though. Some folks (like me) have taken guns with flaking nickel, had the plating removed electrically, then polished and reblued the gun. It does take a good eye to tell them from originally blued guns. (The wood grips are Model 36 grips; they fit the frame fine, just a bit long.)

http://thefiringline.com/forums/atta...5&d=1241579444

Jim
James K is offline  
Old November 5, 2010, 08:04 AM   #7
WE0H
Member
 
Join Date: May 16, 2010
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 71
Hi Jim,

Those two revolvers look awesome. I also bought a 38 Hammerless break top Iver Johnson on this trip which is nickle plated and could use either a replate or what you did by bluing. Can you explain how you removed the plating and what bluing process you used? They look like factory bluing

tnx,
Mike
WE0H is offline  
Old November 5, 2010, 04:27 PM   #8
James K
Member In Memoriam
 
Join Date: March 17, 1999
Posts: 24,383
They use different techniques today, but those old guns were electroplated. Removing the nickel involves simply reversing the process and that can be done by any good plating shop. (Most of them deal mainly with dinner ware, trophys and the like, so talk to them first; don't just waltz in with a gun.)

Once the nickel plating is gone, you polish the gun in the normal way. With a sideplate gun, you polish the gun with the sideplate on so there is no gap. Polish with a hard wheel or by hand using a sanding block to avoid dishing holes. The result won't fool an expert, but those guns of mine turned out pretty good. Copies are available of most old grips, since so many were made of hard rubber (gutta percha) and are broken or cracked.

The bluing is regular caustic blue (tank blue). Altering the polishing method can give anything from a soft blue to a hard black blue more like the original.

Jim
James K is offline  
Old November 6, 2010, 09:39 PM   #9
WE0H
Member
 
Join Date: May 16, 2010
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 71
Pictures as promised. I cleaned a little grime she had on her and oiled her heavily. There are some scratches that I would like to get repaired if possible without messing with the value. Other than that, she looks damn nice in my eye's







Side plate is actually jet black. The lighting shows it as brown


Mike
WE0H is offline  
Old November 6, 2010, 09:40 PM   #10
WE0H
Member
 
Join Date: May 16, 2010
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 71
Last picture



Mike
WE0H is offline  
Old November 6, 2010, 10:10 PM   #11
DrLaw
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 3, 2007
Location: Wild Western Illinois
Posts: 559
N I C E !!!!

The Doc is out now.
__________________
General McAuliffe said it best "Nuts."
DrLaw is offline  
Old November 6, 2010, 10:28 PM   #12
Jim Watson
Senior Member
 
Join Date: October 25, 2001
Location: Alabama
Posts: 18,491
Neat. The models coming out in the 1907-1909 range are the only ones David Chicoine recommends for smokeless.
Jim Watson is offline  
Old November 6, 2010, 10:35 PM   #13
WE0H
Member
 
Join Date: May 16, 2010
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 71
What year range does this appear to be from?

Mike
WE0H is offline  
Old November 9, 2010, 08:59 AM   #14
Magnum Wheel Man
Senior Member
 
Join Date: July 26, 2006
Location: Southern Minnesota
Posts: 9,333
Very nice... a 32 "lemon squeezer" is still on my list to buy... ( I need one to go with my 38 )



don't know if the 32's geometry is similar, but I don't really like shooting my 38... it's longer in the frame between the grip & the cylinder, than my other top breaks, & I don't feel it balances as well... irregardless, I still want a 32 "squeezer" to sit in the safe next to the 38...
__________________
In life you either make dust or eat dust...
Magnum Wheel Man is offline  
Old November 9, 2010, 09:47 AM   #15
mtnbkr
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 1, 2000
Location: Manassas, Virginia
Posts: 914
WE0H, that is a beautiful piece.

Chris
mtnbkr is offline  
Old November 9, 2010, 10:40 AM   #16
BlueTrain
Senior Member
 
Join Date: September 26, 2005
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 6,141
If I could post this question here, since there has been some references to bluing, what is "straw bluing, assuming I have the term correct? In the back of my mind I have the notion that it's something used only for small parts, especially on automatics. And also, when restoring old firearms, what is the best thing to do with case hardened parts, which I suspect, often as not, nothing may even be necessary.
__________________
Shoot low, sheriff. They're riding Shetlands!
Underneath the starry flag, civilize 'em with a Krag,
and return us to our own beloved homes!
Buy War Bonds.
BlueTrain is offline  
Old November 9, 2010, 11:12 AM   #17
WE0H
Member
 
Join Date: May 16, 2010
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 71
I just looked at my IJ 38 and IJ 32 break top's side by side and notice the length from the grip to the trigger is much longer on the 38.

Mike
WE0H is offline  
Old November 9, 2010, 12:52 PM   #18
James K
Member In Memoriam
 
Join Date: March 17, 1999
Posts: 24,383
Hi, Bluetrain,

"Straw bluing" would be an incorrect term, since it is not blue. It is a yellowish or golden ("straw") color which results from the heat treatment of parts. Originally a simple byproduct of the the heating, it was later done for decorative purposes by careful control of the temperature. It is not very permanent, but looks great when new. A prime example is the Luger; Pre-WWII era Lugers have the trigger, safety, magazine catch, takedown latch and ejector straw colored. Combined with the soft rust blue also used in that era, the result is a beautiful firearm.

Jim
James K is offline  
Old November 9, 2010, 01:07 PM   #19
R.O
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 11, 2010
Posts: 153
a pic of my S&W topbreaks ,I have one blue gun in my small collection, Jim the attachment in your previous post ,are those your guns ?
R.O is offline  
Old November 9, 2010, 02:43 PM   #20
WE0H
Member
 
Join Date: May 16, 2010
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 71
Wow beautiful collection there I'm jealous

Mike
WE0H is offline  
Old November 10, 2010, 08:57 AM   #21
DrLaw
Senior Member
 
Join Date: June 3, 2007
Location: Wild Western Illinois
Posts: 559
R. O., a question about your guns there.

R. O.

First, a statement. Great looking guns.

Question. Are they refinished?

The Doc is out now.
__________________
General McAuliffe said it best "Nuts."
DrLaw is offline  
Old November 10, 2010, 09:57 PM   #22
R.O
Senior Member
 
Join Date: August 11, 2010
Posts: 153
hi Doc the 44 russian with 4 inch barrel was refinished by smith &wesson in 1922 ,the others are original nickelplated, usually the refinished guns are completly nickelplated including the trigger ,all others are in original condition

Last edited by R.O; November 10, 2010 at 10:02 PM.
R.O is offline  
Old October 23, 2011, 07:47 PM   #23
mtbyrd
Junior Member
 
Join Date: October 23, 2011
Location: Western NC
Posts: 3
S & W Safety Hammerless 32 cal question

R O, I saw pictures of your Safety Hammerless and wondered if you could help me with a question. I am trying to find out some information for an 80 year young lady who owns one of these. She showed it to me today and asked if I could find out some info on the gun. I immediately recognized it as a "lemon squeezer" but didn't know much more than that. I've been doing some research and have found it to be a S & W Safety Hammerless in 32 cal, 1st Model. It is nickel and in 99% condition. The serial number on the bottom of the handel is 108XX. Any help would be appreciated.
mtbyrd is offline  
Old October 23, 2011, 10:28 PM   #24
James K
Member In Memoriam
 
Join Date: March 17, 1999
Posts: 24,383
Hi, mtbyrd,

You might notice that the last post on the thread is over a year old. I suggest you might want to delete your entry and open a new thread with pictures of the gun in question. You might get better results that way.

Jim
James K is offline  
Old October 23, 2011, 10:43 PM   #25
WE0H
Member
 
Join Date: May 16, 2010
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 71
Wow I didn't remember this thread being so old. Still cool to bring it back to the top as there are some damn nice pic's

Mike
WE0H is offline  
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 07:05 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
This site and contents, including all posts, Copyright © 1998-2021 S.W.A.T. Magazine
Copyright Complaints: Please direct DMCA Takedown Notices to the registered agent: thefiringline.com
Page generated in 0.07548 seconds with 10 queries