Eibar 32-20 Spanish revolver

[tctender]

Bought a 32-20 revolver today. Thought it may work with factory power loads or less with cast bullets.Has 1924 stamped on butt of grip. Anyone have any knowledge of these as they supposed to be a s&w copy of the old m&p revover. Man i bought it from had two and said he had shot them some and had no problem with them.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

The problem is that they were made by about a dozen Spanish gun companies, and some are better than others. Many shooters and collectors hold the entire breed in poor favor, but I believe that the better makes are safe to shoot with standard pressure and lesser loads. Are you able to determine the revolver's manufacturer? I own one that is only marked "GAC Firearms Mfg. Co. 32/20 U.S. Service Ctgs.". It's in very nice condition and I've fired it several times without incident.

[tctender]

The only markings i found was the proof marks on barrel,frame and cylinder with Eiber 1924 on but of grip with made in Spain. It appears in good condition and barrel is marked 32-20 WCF CTG with the cylinder catch at the front of the cylinder.

[Ballistics in Scotland]

Bought a 32-20 revolver today. Thought it may work with factory power loads or less with cast bullets.Has 1924 stamped on butt of grip. Anyone have any knowledge of these as they supposed to be a s&w copy of the old m&p revover. Man i bought it from had two and said he had shot them some and had no problem with them.

I think a dozen companies is probably pitching it low. General Hatcher had high praise for a considerable proportion of the best Spanish revolvers. As with shotguns the best was very good, but there were plenty of others. Unlike Belgium I don't believe the low end went for revolvers as much as automatics.

I don't think Spanish proofmarks of the period were the most highly regarded in the world, but a great deal better than nothing, and it was unlikely that this revolver was made in the supposition that only black powder would be used. You should examine the finish and build quality very carefully, and scratch a concealed area of the cylinder to see if it is hard. But I think it is likely to be safe with any conventional .32-20 round loaded for pistols. It is S&W-shaped, and genuine Smith and Wessons didn't depend on any esoteric alloy steels in those days.



The gun trade in Spain was complex, with lots of firms contracting work out, or marketing the work of small independent workshops. Some might bear no name, or the work of a quality firm might omit their name when producing a contracted quantity for someone else. 1924 would be a very plausible date for a revolver of this type, but is just as likely to be a serial number unless a different number accompanies it. They often started serial numbering at 1 for a big customer's order.

General Hatcher describes the "El Tanque" revolver as withstanding savage overloads, and at a guess they might have use a tank as a trademark. He also regards the "Destroyer" as extremely rugged, and speaks well of Gaztañage y Trocaola and of Alfa (who were no relation of the better-known arms and surplus dealing Alfa, Adolf Frank of Hamburg.)

He is extremely interested in the revolvers of ATCSA (SA in Spanish just meaning "Inc." or "Co. Ltd). Although your revolver bears no name, they had a latch on the crane. I don't know whether it allowed the cylinder to swing out, but it certainly allowed quick changing of cylinders. The one he illustrates has the name ATCSA, and he says (in 1935) that they were only interested in police and military sales, which wouldn't have been a .32-20. In 1937 Spain began an exceptionally beastly Civil War, which produced great changes, but probably not in the direction of sending revolvers in civilian chambering overseas. It is quite possible that small companies copied the ATCSA latch, which may not have been patentable. After all, Smith and Wesson had done frontal latching with the Triple Lock.

Certainly General Hatcher tells us foreign inventions could only be protected by Spanish patents for three years, unless the item was put into production in Spain. The US attempted a reciprocal arrangement, which foundered when "the spokesmen for the United States were handicapped by a number of laws, customs, rules etc. which affected the interests of Spain adversely." I've lived there, and know the feeling.

[ShooterAZ]

I inherited one these 32-20 pistols from my grandfather in 1977, and it was basically a piece of junk. It was not in good condition, and not well cared for. Again, it was just marked Eibar , and Spain. I never shot it, and it ended up being disassembled and thrown in a dumpster. I also inherited his 6.5 Arisaka that he brought back from the Soloman Islands from WW2. This ones is much better shape, and I still have it.

[tctender]

It does have a serial number on the butt also. The other one the man had a very hard trigger pull and overall did not seem as good as this one. It had the push cylinder latch at the rear of the trigger as s&w has.This one overall worked smoother and has a decent trigger.It is not in bad shape for a pistol of this age.I am going to try it quick as i can get some brass and dies.

[tctender]

Thanks for your replies.

[9.3X62AL]

"Eibar" is a city in Spain known for arms making and metal working. It has a large Basque population.