S&w 32 wcf

[dubber123]

I picked up an old Smith in 32 WCF, (32-20) from an online auction. The finish is atrocious, (I can fix that), but I was hoping the bore would be decent. (It's NOT:roll:). Pretty dark and pitty. Not owned by a believer in gun oil it seems.

I loaded some RCBS 98 gr. SWC's over 5.1 grs of GreenDot and gave it a whirl anyways. 6 shots at 50 yds. went into 2.95". There may be hope for it yet!. I just have to remember to never look down the bore again.....[smilie=1:

[ebner glocken]

I bought a model 1905 in the same caliber earlier this year in similar condition. Was hoping for a winter project. Keep us posted on how yours goes.

Ebner

[HeavyMetal]

Which model is it?

I've seen new fixed sight 32 barrels at Numrich and these can be very accurate!

Done right it would be worth the effort to screw on a new tube, especially if you could find a 6 inch barrel.

[mooman76]

Sorry you're disapointed. It is an older gun though and allot of them have dark and pitted barrels. Only takes one owner allong the line to not take care of it to get it looking bad. I bought a old Spanish mouser from someone I knew that swore up and down it was a shooter. Barrel dark and pitted. I couldn't hit a car at 50 yards much less a target. Even with factory jacketed round it shot very poor. Certainly not good enough to hunt with. Sounds like at least you have a fun shootable gun and I hope you can improve on it's shooting capability. It's kind of funny how some guns can can have a nasty looking barrel and shoot good and some can't hit squat. Maybe you got off lucky.

[dubber123]

Which model is it?

I've seen new fixed sight 32 barrels at Numrich and these can be very accurate!

Done right it would be worth the effort to screw on a new tube, especially if you could find a 6 inch barrel.

It was advertised as a Mod 1903, but the last patent date on the barrel is Dec. 29 14., so I'm not sure about this. It is a fixed sight, 6" bbl, Nickle, 5 screw model. The mechanics are NOT like the newer S&W's.

It shoots low, not surprising with the light RCBS boolits, so I may take advantage and square up the front sight slightly with a file, keeping the origional contour. That and some fatter boolits to fit the throat should help.

[Harry O]

I have a few of the old guns that were shot in the corrosive primer era -- and not cleaned well. It is surprising how accurate that badly pitted barrels can shoot. The problem is cleaning them up afterward. They take forever to clean what with all the corners and crevices for fouling to hide. As long as you have continuous top of the rifling (the bore diameter, not groove diameter), you can probably get it to shoot well. The other problem is that the 32-20 in a handgun is pretty finicky, even with a brand new barrel. Check out Ken Waters article on 32-20's in handguns (he also has one on the 32-20 in rifles -- they are different).

[HeavyMetal]

I had a K frame 38 special the dated out to 1908, yep the internals are a little different!

That's one of the reasons I bought it. I had heard the pre war guns were a bit smoother and sure enough this was was a lot nicer DA than a model 19 a friend had.

After adjusting the cylinder slop, setting the barrel back, recutting the forcing cone and re crowning the muzzle this gun was still ugly as sin but would put 6 shots in a one hole group at 20 yards!

Spent the better part of two years letting people "con" me into as little shootin match with it.

Never more than lunch or a few beers after the range visit but always fun! Finally a good friend, who thought this was a great way to have a laugh, offered me more money than I thought it was worth and I sold it to him.

Last I heard he was CASS-n- it in Denver. Wonder how many guys he's hussled out of lunch there?

Any way I think lots of room for improvement in the old 1903 The barrels will all be a standard thread size so I'd start lookin around for a fresh tube!

Always wanted a 32-20 just haven't had the right one at the right price ( particularly in Commiefornia) pop up.

[dubber123]

I thought of looking into sleeving this one if possible. It might be the cheapest was to go, and would leave all the bbl markings intact. If drilled straight, my sight regulation shouldn't change.

[woody1]

[QUOTE=dubber123;425895]It was advertised as a Mod 1903, but the last patent date on the barrel is Dec. 29 14., so I'm not sure about this. It is a fixed sight, 6" bbl, Nickle, 5 screw model. The mechanics are NOT like the newer S&W's.
QUOTE]

Mebe this'll help - I THINK you have a S&W Hand Ejector Model of 1905 - 4th Change. If so, the serial number should be in the 65,701 - 144,684 range. The 32 Hand Ejector Model of 1903 was the for the 32 S&W Long and used the I frame (smaller than the current J frame). Your Hand Ejector is essentially the M&P Model or 38 Hand Ejector but in 32 WCF and is the precursor to the current Model 10 and various other K frame models. Sounds just like one I've got that was carried for years by an old county sheriff. Regards, Woody

[dubber123]

Woody, that was my guess also, mod. 1905. I thought I recognized the patent dates from my 1905 Target .38. I wasn't sure what "change" it was though. Serial #69987 fits right in your description, Thanks!

I do have one of the "I" frame .32's, in MUCH better condition.

[mainiac]

I have an old hand-ejector target model in 38 special, with 6.5 inch barrell. Bought it real cheap, because the finish is about gone, and the forcing cone and first 2 inches of the barrell look just like the back of an alligator! I couldnt never find a boolit that would shoot anywheres near ON @ 25 yards, so i made a new front sight out of a penny. (front sight is pinned in) Anyways, this thing with rough bore will shoot easily inside of 2 inches @ 25 yards! It has the best action/trigger of any handgun ive ever experienced. Only problem is,that the sights are so stinkin fine, that in a few years, i aint going to be able to see them! Somebody told me that S&W sold some of these old ones to shoot in galleries, and the load at that time was a very light bullet, for in door range use. Maybe thats why i had to make a front sight MUCH taller than what came on it. Good old gun fer sure!

[Bret4207]

My standard advice with the 32WCF- the brass grows at different speeds and some shrinks! Take your once fired brass, trim to shortest length and watch your groups shrink.

Oh yeah, and wear ear muffs. The 32WCF in a peestol is LOUD!!!

[9.3X62AL]

Dubber--

If the present barrel shoots OK, I'd just shoot it as is. Why fix things (and spend money) on things that aren't broken?

I echo Bret's text, and add that Starline brass in this caliber is the single-best upgrade this chambering has been given in its long life. Much less after-fired dimensional weirdness.

Recipe for K-frame S&W, courtesy of Ken Waters........

Starline brass, WSP primer, 5.5 grains of SR-4756 powder, and Lyman 311008 or 311316 @ .313". Goes right to the sights of my pre-war K-frame.

[dubber123]

Al, I'm going to do my best to NOT spend any money, believe me! I have a few more tricks to pull to see if I can shrink average group size. If by some miracle I can get it to shoot pretty consistant at 2.5" at 50 yds. I'd be pleased.

The sights are probably the biggest threat to that right now. Both boolits you mentioned are 115-120 gr. offerings correct? The RCBS I'm shooting is sub-100gr.

[Bret4207]

Both designs Al mentions run 110-120 gr depending on alloy. I prefer the 311316 GC simply because the GC makes things easier for me. FYI-The 311008 is not, as many have said, simply the 311316 w/o GC, the profiles are different.

[9.3X62AL]

Sorry for the incomplete info, Dubber--and thanks for the back-up, Bret! :)

The RCBS 98 SWC is a fine boolit for the 32s, all right. It has been "best of breed" in the 32 S&W Long and 32 Magnum, and that includes over a dozen examples in those calibers to date. It has done well in the 32-20 revos, too--but as you point out, the 32-20s are regulated for the 115 grain bullets (my 3 examples seem to have been, anyway). There is a slight accuracy edge to the 115 grainers in the 32-20, too--and a definite accuracy edge for the 90-100 grain boolits in the 32 SWL and Magnum. For me, at least.

Lyman #311008 has no crimp groove--for revolver usage, just set the crimp over the ogive radius. This will do fine in rollerpistols, but might "telescope" boolits in a lever rifle. Just sayin'.

[Three44s]

Before I rebarreled or had it lined .... I would check out a book from Beartooth Bullets:


http://www.beartoothbullets.com/bulletselect/index.htm


Three 44s

[woody1]

Perhaps this should be a different thread but perhaps it fits here too. Fixed sighted hand ejectors & such......
Gentlemen, there is an adjustable sight that can be fit to these old(er) revolvers with a top sideplate screw and without alteration. The maker says it is adjustable for both windage and range (elevation). I have two of 'em but frankly haven't attached one yet. They've been around for a long time and the original maker has passed on the apparently the family finally got the business sold. Anyone here have one they've used. I think Chargar bought one a while back.
I was going to insert this info earlier but couldn't recall what they were called.
Here's a link
http://bellcharteroakholsters.com/wonder.html
Regards, Woody

[dubber123]

I did a little slugging on this one, and it looks like .314" throats, .312" bore. My fattest .32's are .3125", so a bigger boolit should help. I need a bigger neck expander, as anything over my current boolit diameter just crumples the cases.

[Bret4207]

Ah! The Wondersight!!! I haunted Ebay for months looking for one for my '17 Smiff. I finally found one, new in the box, and stole it for under $10.00. I later contacted the guy who must have sold the rights to the holster guy. I'm glad they're still being made. They are a nice sight and my groups in my '17 are not only centered now, they're much tighter. I heartily recommend them to anyone looking to add an adjustable sight to a fixed sight revolver. Even if you have to drill the upper frame for the screw, like I will do to my Colt Army Special if I ever get aroundtuit, it's worth it.

[dubber123]

Update: I shot some .314" Lee wadcutters at 50 yds. It was spitting sleet, and windy, but decent light. I fired 6 and went to look. As I got closer I couldn't see anything on the paper. Great! I thought, all in the black! (2-1/2" bull). Not so. NONE on the paper. I then noticed the groove in the lawn. looked about 2" wide, but at least a foot low.

I went in and loaded some with just 2.5 grs of Bullseye, hoping th slower boolits would at least shoot higher, (they did), 50 yd. group 2.6" with 1 flyer running it out to 4". I don't doubt it was my fault.

Walking back, I remembered the 3 oddballs I had put in my pocket, leftovers from working up a load for my Marlin. I stopped at 50 ft., and fired them double action, fairly quick. Just over 1/2" (.6") and RIGHT IN THE BULLSEYE! These loads had a larger flash, and all the noise Bret warned of. The bad part is, I don't know what the charge is, I didn't write it down! Arrrgh!

[dubber123]

There were a few guys who expressed some interest in my progress with this, so... I firelapped this revolver. I had always wanted to do one, but was kind of chicken. I did a 45-70 Marlin a while back, and was well pleased, this was no different.

I used .314" Lee wadcutters, and 320 grit valve lapping compound, rolled between steel plates to embed the grit. .8 grs of Bullseye will stick a boolit in the bore every time. 1.3 grains will stick a boolit in the bore about 50% of the time. 1.6 to 1.6 grs. worked in this 6" bbl.

I had noticed a definate tight spot in the forcing cone area, and you couldn't really make out the lands/grooves. 50 firelapping rounds later, the tight spot seems to be gone, and the top of the lands are very prominent now.

I only fired a few groups afterwards, and it does not appear that accuracy is greatly improved, but fouling certainly is, and the bore is a little shinier than before. I am not afraid of firelapping revolvers any more.

[StrawHat]

Glad to hear things are working out for you and the revolver.

The lyman 3118 is a good bullet for this cartridge. The group buy for the 32 Keith looks like a winner, if you got in on that one.

My S&Ws have 5" and 6 1/2" barrels. Both blue and worn in. I am looking forward to loading the Keith boolits when the mold arrives.

If you get the wadcutters to group let us know the recipe. Nothing like a full caliber meplat for hunting.

[dubber123]

Glad to hear things are working out for you and the revolver.

The lyman 3118 is a good bullet for this cartridge. The group buy for the 32 Keith looks like a winner, if you got in on that one.

My S&Ws have 5" and 6 1/2" barrels. Both blue and worn in. I am looking forward to loading the Keith boolits when the mold arrives.

If you get the wadcutters to group let us know the recipe. Nothing like a full caliber meplat for hunting.

The Lee WC mould I have is a TL design that I lube conventionally in a lubrisizer. Luckily the .314" diameter leaves enough lube grooves to allow this.

2.5 grs. of Bullseye shot under 3" at 50 yds., which is very good I think given the circumstances, (not so good bore, not so good sights). This load isn't likely much above .32L loads. I tried loading quite a bit higher, (5.0 grs. Power Pistol), and groups opened up quite a bit, (5"+).

The RCBS 98 gr. SWC is still the accuracy champ. I expect after a barrel crown touch-up, the accuracy average to be around 2" at 50 yds., (If I'm having a good day).[smilie=1:

[StrawHat]

The Bullseye load is not that much lighter than what I used in the 38 Special with a 150 grain WC. I was getting about 800 fps with that load. With the lighter and smaller diameter bullet you probably have a good hunting round out to 50 yards.

I don't see the wc mold in the Lee lineup any more, rats!

I will stick with my SWCs for now.