An Oldie ! ! "

[Ben]

Yes, this one is an Oldie ! !
I'd love for it to start talking, I'd like to hear the story.
I was in one of my favorite gun shops in Huntsville, AL yesterday.
I spotted this one. I always pick up these old Smith's and H & R's. Usually the bore is gone in every one of them.

NOT THE CASE for this one.
The bore is pristine.
This one has been wrapped in an old oily sock and put away for I don't know how many years.

After " offer and counter-offer", I finally got to a spot that I thought the price was reasonable for the condition of the revolver, I bought it !
And before you say it, I know the .32 is questionable as a " one shot - fight stopper".
How many of us have large , heavy pistols that are " one shot - fight stoppers" and because of their bulk and weight just don't carry them ?

So easy to drop this one in your pocket. I take a 1.5 mile walk each morning, this one may be some good company for me on my walk.
I figure that five of these .32's in a fellow's chest would take a lot of fight out of the " bad guy."

At any rate, I bought the revolver. An H&R, .32 S&W, 5 shot .

Ben

For it's age, the bore is in fantastic condition !

 

[Dale53]

Ben;
I am VERY interested in how it shoots! I suspect, that with a good bullet with a nice flat meplat, that could have some actual "utility" value. It'll be interesting to see if it shoots well enough (and to the sights) to use for a small "walk around" gun in the woods and fields.

Waiting to see...

Dale53

 

[Ben]

Your thoughts ( and hopes ) run parallel to mine Dale.

Thanks,
Ben

 

[KHornet]

That is an interesting little gun! I would guess you will find a way to
wring out it's potential Ben!

Paul

 

[Ben]

That's my goal Paul.

Ben

 

[Ben]

Paul,

I have this 84 gr. wadcutter .32 Cal. mould.
It drops at .315".
Might be just about right at 84 grains.
Notice , that it appears that a worker at Lyman originally stamped the mold as .311 and then changed his mind and re-stamped it 313.

 

[S Mac]

Pretty neat Ben. At the risk of thread drift, I've been wondering if wadcutters are always seated fully into the case or are there occasions that they protrude more like other style bullets.

 

[Creeker]

Love the gun but when you have time sharpen that knife.

 

[fiver]

all the button nose type wad cutters I have ever dealt with have a drive band exposed.
as to the others I have seen them set up for different way's.
flush and exposed and some with crimp grooves on both ends of the boolit, with one lube groove in the middle, and with one little lube groove on either end so you could align them up or down.

that little pistol is in super good shape, clean crisp rifling and good throats.
tiny little guy too, might be about the right size to start teaching a youngster revolver shooting with.

 

[S Mac]

That is what I thought may be the case. I have an H&G 50 with what I took to be a crimp groove. I'll try that in a 357 I have on layaway when I get it paid for.

 

[fiver]

the crimp might not be needed I don't use it on the 091 [super similar to the 50] with the light loads of fast powders and use a taper crimp instead.
but when I wind the little guy up with unique or slower I use the crimp groove.

 

[RicinYakima]

Congratulations on your treasure! They are fun little guns, just be careful not to work them too hard. The guts are casehardened very deep and brittle.

 

[Ben]

Congratulations on your treasure! They are fun little guns, just be careful not to work them too hard. The guts are casehardened very deep and brittle.

That is some great advice.
Thanks Rick ! !

Ben

 

[RicinYakima]

H&R, like S&W in the early 1900's, hardened all the internal parts, but left the frame, cylinder and barrels soft. So if something bad happened, they would bulge and move rather than blow up. I shoot black powder in mine, but make sure I lube, with grease, the rubbing and contact points between the working parts and the structure of the revolvers. HTH, Ric

 

[Ben]

Good Info Ric ! !
A few say this is a toy and wouldn't hurt anyone.
I'm not too certain that I believe that.
5 of these in the center of a man's chest would take a lot of the fight out of him.

Ben

 

[9.3X62AL]

We all know about Lyman design and dimensional "poetry", so there is my caveat for what follows. My late-1970s example of Lyman #313492 falls out at a fat .314", and that front nose is smaller in diameter than the drive bands. While in the 32 S&W Long I place the light roll crimp just ahead of the front drive band, in the 32 S&W my first attempts would be to fill only the bottom lube groove and set the crimp into the center groove. Those 32 S&W cases don't have much space.

That is a fine example in great condition. It appears to be a spurless hammer, rather than a "hammerless" per se. Reminiscent of my Webley-Enfield DAO in 38/200.

 

[Ben]

It appears to be a spurless hammer, rather than a "hammerless" per se. Reminiscent of my Webley-Enfield DAO in 38/200.

Al,

Yes, you're correct. Spurless is the term.
It has a hammer ( with no spur ) and is DA only.

I've done a bit of research. It appears that I have a 5 shooter in caliber.32 S&W . Mine is a 2nd Model PREMIER small frame auto ejecting , 2nd Variation (circa 1906 - '08)

It is not the black powder model, but rather the smokeless model.
Modern ammunition is OK to fire in the gun.
Obviously, being a top break, there can be no " hot - roding " when I reload for the revolver.

Ben

 

[Ben]

Today, I tapped a full wadcutter that miked .315" down the barrel of my new ( to me ) top break .32 S&W revolver.
The groove measures .3095"

I took different dia. cast bullets and tried them in the cylinder mouths.
A .311 goes through each one with light resistance.
A .312 must be tapped through with a wood dowel.

I was expecting a .314 groove............NOT SO !

Ben

 

[JWFilips]

Ben,
I was going to ask if yours was a BP gun.
I'm trying to sell a nice Iver Johnson for a friend on GB ( 5 Shot 38 S&W) It has a rather unique SN which puts it Between the 1st & 2nd models so I feel it is BP only. ( my wife has her eye on it since she is a 38 S&W junkie but I told her I'm not dealing with this one!) Just want to sell it for him But GB sale on IJ are pittyfull!
The gun wasn't shot much & only one owner But the machining on the bore is pretty crude Even so; these period break tops are pretty solid & neat
Jim

 

[Ben]

Wow, yours is VERY CLEAN.
Hopefully you'll be able to sell it for your friend.

Best,
Ben