pocket positive

[jstone]

Hello, fellas,
Brand new member here so forgive me if this has been asked before.
I just aquired a Colt Pocket Positive. The ser. # indicates it was made in 1910.

Other than that, I know little about the gun. most of the finish is gone, but it is very tight and mechanically sound. Good bore w/ strong rifling.

The barrel is stamped 32 Colt CTG. I am not familiar with this round and was wondering if anyone can tell me where to get ammo for it, and if it is called something else nowadays.

Thanks,
Jeff

[fourarmed]

I don't have my copy of Cartridges of the World handy, but I am 99% sure that the .32 S&W long is the same thing.

[KCSO]

If I remember right the 32 L/C and the 32 S and W Long were a few thou difference in case diameter. The only Cold 32 I ever had was a P/P and it shot S and W just fine.

[Bret4207]

I think you better find a copy of Cartridges of the World. The 32 S+W Long is the same as the 32 Colt New Police. I think there was a 32 Short Colt and Long colt and they might be heel style cartridges. If so they are not the same as the 32 S+W and 32 S+W Long.

[9.3X62AL]

J Stone--

Welcome to the board, sir. If the charge holes have a "step" from chamber into the throat, your revolver is chambered for 32 S&W Long/32 Colt New Police (same caliber). If the chamber is bored "straight-through" like a 22 LR revovler chamber, then your revolver is in 32 Colt, Long or Short, which had outside lubrication and heeled bullet initially. Later versions of the 32 Colt Long had undersized and inside-lubed bullets, and shot poorly.

32 Colt cartridges are .313" diameter over the case; 32 S&W Long cartridges are .335" diameter over the case. I suspect that many 32 Colt revolver cylinders got re-bored to 32 SWL in years past, so marking cannot always be relied upon to determine original or present chambering. If a 32 SWL cartridge won't fit into the charge hole due to insufficient radial clearance, you likely have a 32 Colt in original condition. If the cartridge fits, then another question arises--izzit original, or aftermarket-altered?

I have James Serven's 1954 Colt guidebook available for reference questions, as needed. I also have a Colt Pocket Positive x 6" in 32 SWL, original nickel.

[slughammer]

..... I also have a Colt Pocket Positive x 6" in 32 SWL, original nickel.


Pretty easy to see that gun owners in those days had deeper pockets! :groner:

[jstone]

Thanks for the info guys.
It is definitely still in original 32 Colt chambering. No other 32 caliber round that I could put my hands on would fit. As has been noted, all the 32 S&W stuff is too thick to fit in the chambers.
Any thoughts on where to get cartridges?
Thanks,
Jeff

[9.3X62AL]

Midway shows 32 Short Colt as being cataloged, 50 rounds @ $21.49, stock #813-489. All diagrams I've seen show the Short Colt to have an outside-lubed/heeled boolit.

A couple guys here have gone down this path, hopefully they will chime in with details about reloading these rare critters.

[floodgate]

j stone

We went over this a couple of weeks back with respect to a No. 2 Ballard in .32 Colt. The .32 Colt centerfire round, long and short, was identical in chamber dimensions to the corresponding rimfire .32's; the .32 S&W and .32 S&W Long copied the .38 S&W and .44 S&W Russian, in enlarging the case diameter so the bullet (and its lube grooves) would fit INSIDE the case, making for more secure fitting and cleaner handling. Deputy Al's tip is a good one; those .32 Short Colt rounds (IF indeed they are CF and not rimfires) will work just fine in your revolver, and be a bit easier on it to boot.

floodgate