A .32-20 Thread.

[Plain Old Dave]

Those that have been here a while will recall my penchant for the archaic; Lemon Squeezers, I-frames and Police Positives. Seemed like a thing to do to have a 32-20 Thread, as my "EDC" is a 1920s vintage Smith and Wesson Military and Police. Mine seems to like heavier bullets better; if I do my part she's developing a very satisfying habit of putting multiple bullets in one hole. The HSM 32-20 is loaded more warmly than Remchester, and has a large, flat bullnose profile.

 

[Patton]

It seems like up till a month ago I never saw much of the 32-20 and pretty much ruled it obsololete and all guns chambered in it sitting in private collections that never got shot.  

Well, I stumbled up a fairly honest Police Positive for $200.  I kept thinking it was a nice candidate for a Fitz Special project.  I passed, but it seems like every gun shop I go to has a used 32-20 something or at least a box of ammo for it.  

[KahrMan]

I bought my first .32-20 about two weeks ago. It was a 1929 Police Positive Special. I posted on here looking for some ammo. Got a message saying I have about 100 rounds plus an old Colt if I am interested. Turns out the the Colt was a 1929 Police Positive Special just like the one I had bought except with a shorter barrel.

Now I have a 6” and a 5” Colt Police Positive Special in .32-20. Now I just need a 4” to complete the set.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

[Sunfish]

Your doing the rite thing staying with the Colts that are in decent shape. Smiths of that era are bad to shave lead with bad timing and don't lock up as well. Some of the last Smiths that were J frame made in 32-20 were of better quality and are scarce in very good shape. Like all the two number cartridges is was black powder to begin with. They really woke up with smokeless and were a pretty flat shooting round in a carbine or pistol.    

[Plain Old Dave]

1 hour ago, Sunfish said:

 Smiths of that era are bad to shave lead with bad timing and don't lock up as well.

 

Like all the two number cartridges is was black powder to begin with. They really woke up with smokeless and were a pretty flat shooting round in a carbine or pistol.    

Firstly, I have seen a lot more rattly old Colts than Smiths. A K-frame has two locking points instead of the one Colt stayed with throughout the revolver era. Smith and Wesson realized the one locking point system was inferior as early as 1902 when the nub under the barrel on both revolvers I posted pics of was introduced on the K-frame. Was introduced on the smaller I-frame in 1903. Biggest problem with Colts is one part performs several functions; one example being that the hand in a Colt is part of timing as well as cylinder advance where in a Smith the hand simply advances the cylinder. And the Police Positive Special was a "hot rodded" small frame revolver; I know of people that have tried to shoot the old "rifle only" 32-20s through PPSs and warped the crane enough to bind up the revolver. Not really an issue on the more robust Smith K-frame or the Colt ".41 Frame" Army Special/Official Police. The Army Special/OP eventually became the Python...

 

Secondly, well said on chesty "two number" cartridges. The standard velocity smokeless 32-20s are another topic altogether. Factory stuff is anemic and was known to stick bullets in barrels. However, reloading data exists to get the 32-20 up in the neighborhood of 38 Special +P. Peace officers in Appalachia preferred the 32-20 for years and many 32-20s come down out of the hills. You could have a rifle AND pistol in the same caliber. The 32-20 wouldn't destroy meat on smaller game, either; it may have been the very first "general purpose" cartridge. The .38/.357 didn't supplant the .32WCF til the 50s-60s in some areas and there are probably a few older TGO members that can recall broken boxes of .32-20 ammo in the local Co-Op or dry goods store, sold for a few cents each to farmers to re stock their Smith or Colt revolver and Remington/Winchester/Mariln/Savage rifle after they had dispatched a fox or some other game.

[Jimbo100]

 

[i1afli]

32-20 Blues...a song about the 32-20 compared to the .38 special...never would have thunk such a song existed. 

I've got several old 32-20's...love'em. 

[Alleycat72]

I have a 25-20 rifle. Fun gun

[Bob Wright]

To the best of my knowledge, I have never even shot a .32-20, more's the pity.  But I have always thought an ideal set-up would be either a mid-frame Three Screw Ruger, or a Colt New Frontier, with 7 1/2" barrel in .32-20.  Just seems to me to be the ideal small game/varmint sixgun.  Just a tad lighter bullets than the .357 Magnum and at pretty fair velocities.

 

As a matter of interest, the .32-20 revolver at one time was on the verge of being the standard police caliber instead of the .38 Special.

 

Bob Wright

[gregintenn]

Here's my meager entry. A decent Smith and Wesson hand ejector. It's shoots great!

[leroy]

Interestin stuff Brother... When i was a boy, about 60 years ago or so; we used ta see lotsa these pistolas in both Colt and SW flavors... They were pretty popular around here in East Tennessee, for the reasons ya indicated, i think... Lotsa folks used them for hide hunting foxes and coons... Ltttle holes... Little damage to the pelt... They are a great thing...

leroy...

 

[SWCUMBERLAND]

On 12/4/2017 at 5:11 PM, leroy said:

Interestin stuff Brother... When i was a boy, about 60 years ago or so; we used ta see lotsa these pistolas in both Colt and SW flavors... They were pretty popular around here in East Tennessee, for the reasons ya indicated, i think... Lotsa folks used them for hide hunting foxes and coons... Ltttle holes... Little damage to the pelt... They are a great thing...

leroy...

 

The .32 ammo we have around at my store is Winchester .32ACP with a 71 grain FMJ flat nosed projectile. What sort of weight was / is the .32-20 pushing?

SWC

[leroy]

6 hours ago, SWCUMBERLAND said:

The .32 ammo we have around at my store is Winchester .32ACP with a 71 grain FMJ flat nosed projectile. What sort of weight was / is the .32-20 pushing?

SWC

SW..

I wanta say that the old 32-20 pistol loads were 115 grain lead slugs... There were tw variations...one for pistols and one for rifles... I dont think i ever saw any rifle ammo...

leroy

[SWCUMBERLAND]

On 12/4/2017 at 12:28 PM, gregintenn said:

Here's my meager entry. A decent Smith and Wesson hand ejector. It's shoots great!

A good, solid piece. I wonder if it would hold up to refit in .327 Fed? Just a thought...perhaps if its doing all right in .32-20, best to leave it there.

 

SWC a/k/a KI7CIL

[gregintenn]

1 hour ago, SWCUMBERLAND said:

A good, solid piece. I wonder if it would hold up to refit in .327 Fed? Just a thought...perhaps if its doing all right in .32-20, best to leave it there.

 

SWC a/k/a KI7CIL

Shut your mouth!

[MacGyver]

The moment Greg drills a classic pistol to feed some flavor of the week we'll know that it's time to start worrying about him...

I'll call his wife and kids to get them to secure the rest of the collection before he can harm himself or any of the guns.