S&w 30-1

[crazy mark]

Saturday at the gun show I decided to trade my FEG 9 and some cash for the little shooter below. It came with 2 sets of grips. The ones on the gun and an oversize wood set. Haven't shot it yet but have plenty of 32 long to burn.

[Bret4207]

Lucky dog! The only J frame 32 I've seen available was a really beat up snubbie for a lot of money. Not my cup of tea. Good on you!

[Guesser]

I have been watching for a 30 for a couple of years. Found and secured a 31-1 about 3 years ago. I'm really fond of the "J" frame 32's, they compliment my Colt Police Positives in 32. Get them all laid out and it is a satisfying picture. But I need a 30; yes sirree!!!!!!!!!!!

[EMC45]

Nice one! I have a 30 and a 31. Both fun guns. They don't eat much either!

[Green Frog]

Danger, danger! This is an addictive little gun. It will be so much fun to shoot you will find yourself finding excuses to go to the range and to spend lots of time at the reloading bench. Be afraid, be very afraid! You have been warned. ;)

A fellow "Sufferer"
Green Frog

[EMC45]

You are right GF! I have shot my little .32s so much that when I grabbed my Model 10 it felt "weird" in my hand. My hands had grown accustomed to an I/J frame grip....The K frame felt massive.

[scrapcan]

glad to hear I am not the only one with the syndrome. I have been shooting a hand ejector quite a lot. It and the model 15 seem to always find their way into the range bag.

Couple those little 32 wheel guns with the rcbs 98gr or clone ( I like my group buy mould by the way) and you have loads of fun. step up to the 3118 at 115 grains and you have just as much fun.

[pipehand]

Have a model 31 with a 4 inch barrel that I love to shoot. Is the difference between the mod 30 and the mod 31 the shape of the grip frame? Sometimes the S&W model numbers can be misleading- for instance, the model 32 is a 38 S&W chambered gun, and the model 357 is a scandium framed 41 mag. Go figure.

[gunfan]

Good stuff, Maynard! :bigsmyl2: I WANT ONE!

Scott

[crazy mark]

The -1 is when they changed from an I to a J frame. Other than that I'm not sure of the difference other than maybe the sights.

[Green Frog]

The difference between the 30-x and the 31-x is nominally the round vs square butt respectively. I don't see as many square butt snub nose guns out there, but the do exist, and toward the end of their active production, the 31 took over and came in both RB and SB configurations if I read SCSW correctly. If it has a model number, it will be a J-frame, which is slightly larger than the I-frame. There have been several discussions over on the S&W Forum under S&W Hand Ejectors: 1896 to 1961. I'm trying to get out with my I-frame 32 HE snubbie and burn up some of this ammo I've been loading for it... I've gotta make some empty brass to refill from the 314008 NOE bullet mould I just got. :D

Froggie

[NoZombies]

That is a great gun indeed. And the difference between the J-frame, and the improved I-frame (improved with a coil spring) was the grip frame length. the J-frame is 1/8" longer in the frame. I've been eyeing a 30-1 with a 4" barrel for a while... I just know one of these days it's gonna follow me home...

[9.3X62AL]

NICE FIND, indeed! I have sworn a great oath for 2012 to get some long-delayed gunsmithing done before buying any more war toys......but a 4" J-frame in 32 SWL would force me to re-think that idea. As would a Colt PP of the same barrel length. Of course, one of the above-listed projects involves a nickel 6" Pocket Positive in 32 SWL, so I need to stay focused.

[Slowpoke]

There is a lot of info on the web if you want to date your revolver

I have a 31-1 that was born in 1969.

100 gr bullets shoot to the sights.

90 gr's shoot 3" low

115 grs shoot 3" high

one RB shoots low , 2 shoot to the sights

I had Tom at AM make me a copy of the 98 gr RCBS SWC its the 31 100 R "nice mold"

Have fun

[Green Frog]

That is a great gun indeed. And the difference between the J-frame, and the improved I-frame (improved with a coil spring) was the grip frame length. the J-frame is 1/8" longer in the frame. I've been eyeing a 30-1 with a 4" barrel for a while... I just know one of these days it's gonna follow me home...

Not Quite, NoZombies. The coil spring was introduced first in an I-frame length version, as seen in the "Baby Chief" variety along with quite a few five screw Improved I-frames. The actual change to J-frame involved lengthening the main frame to accommodate the longer window for a cylinder long enough to hold a standard factory length .38 Spl round. Enlarging the rest of the frame came a couple of years later and at that time S&W started moving toward consolidating the manufacturing lines to use a single frame (J) for all of the "little guns." There's lots of good info on this and other matters about I- and J-frames over on the Smith-Wesson dot com board.

HTH ~ Froggie

[EMC45]

Like this one fellas? Looks like a mini Model 10.


http://www.theoutdoorstrader.com/showthread.php?t=123524

[NoZombies]

Froggie, You're right about the frame changes, I had a brain-fart I guess.

EMC, yup, that's the animal.