My new wheel gun

[milsurpaddict]

As far as I can tell this is a 1920's era S&W copy from Spain made by Garate Anitua & Co Eibar (Espana) chambered in 32/20. The research I have done suggests that most of these old Spanish revolvers are not safe to shoot. I tore this gun down and cleaned it and stripped and re-blued it and I think it is a nice little shooter. Still I wanted to be cautious so I loaded 24 light loads of 2.2 grains of trailboss with a 100 grain .311 lee bullet. The pistol shot very nice however I think the load was a little low as the accuracy was not the best. Nevertheless I like this little revolver. I do have one question. If you look at the third picture the primers seem to be hit very hard and deep. I was told that these old pistols did that as the primers where harder back then but I am not sure if that is correct. None of the primers were pierced but they are deeper than all my other pistols and rifles make. Any help or information would be appreciated.

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[44Vaquero]

Big firing pin and low pressure loads leave nice dents in the primers. You should see the craters my War Finish .38 S&W Webley puts in the primers! Nothing like positive ignition!

[crazy mark]

I have one and feed it the same loads as my early S&W's. One S&W was made in 1907 and the other in 1911. My garate looks like it was used to tack up wanted posters and the barrel has some small plier marks.

[jonp]

Try some harder rifle primers but unless they are pierced I wouldn't worry about them. That is a nice, old gun

[birch]

I just got the new Guns and Ammo mag, and there is a nice article on spanish service revolvers/pistols. Your pistol in one they reviewed.

[rintinglen]

Um, have somebody check the hammer pivot pin. Back in my fledgling gunsmith days, I came across two of these spanish "Smiths", both had untempered hammer pins that the hardened hammers swiftly wore out--one of which was unshootable, and the other well on its way by the time I came across them. Later on, the Spanish got their act together, but their pre-WWII stuff makes a Davis Derringer look like a Smith and Wesson M-29. I've seen a 32 Ruby with a cracked slide as well. The old Water pistol Astas were pretty good guns, and the later production Stars as well, but the older stuff is of very questionable metallurgy.