Concealed Carry From 90 Years Past

OD made a great post in another thread discussing the old Smith & Wesson Carbonia blue finish. While I realize that the Forum is more about the latest in handguns and self defense techniques, take a look at a pretty fine example of the state of the art in revolver pocket carry protection from the World War I era.

Dropped my wife off last Saturday afternoon at Wal Mart in a nearby town and made the rounds of the local pawn shops. Found a Smith & Wesson Third Model .32 Hand Ejector with 3 1/4-inch barrel in eye-catching condition with a tag sporting a decent price stuck to its side plate. The kindly pawn shop owner knocked off $75 and said he wouldn't tack on tax, all without my prodding . Behaving rationally, I put it back and left to head back over to Wal Mart. Got there and wheeled up to the door just as my wife was coming out. Picked her up and then pointed the car back down the street towards the pawn shop as I decided I'd better fetch it home.

I love all antique and "classic" Smith & Wesson revolvers but have never been drawn to the little I-Frame guns quite to the extent that I admire the K-Frames and the N-Frames. However this one charmed me right off my feet. This .32 S&W Long looks to have been fired very, very little if at all and only has light handling marks. It's a good example of what the original finish looked like "back when." Serial number is 277768 which puts it somewhere between 1915 and 1919 as best as I can determine. Anyone who can tighten this date range up will be appreciated. The pawn shop owner said it came from the estate of a little ol' lady whom I assume "only carried it to church on Sunday." He said he'd only put it out for sale that morning.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...I/DSCF2230.jpg

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...I/DSCF2215.jpg

The streak on the left side of the frame behind the cylinder lug is only oil. Should have wiped it down better.

Smith and Wesson fiddled with this frame size in 1950, lengthening it a bit and ultimately coming up with the 5-shot J-Frame Chief's Special .38 Special which became the popular Model 36. This little revolver holds six shots of not highly effective .32 S&W Long ammunition. Still, an assailant could be said to be having a very bad day if he was struck with a bullet or two or three from this little revolver.

That is a classic pistol

Nice Find.

Oh my gosh that is nice. 100 years ago this year my grandpop carried a H&R .32 revolver where ever he went. At home he had a 10 Gauge Duck Gun and hunted with a Savage 99. He was a Colorado farmer in the Fleming area and I'd say they served his needs.

I think that is a extremely nice find...congrats.

:yup:That is a nice one. Not commonly seen,especially in that condition..32's were a very popular caliber for pocket carry in the first half of the 1900's. A lot of what you find from that era will show finish wear from carry and or use....Oh,now that you have that little jewel,you might as well let me take that crusty old Bankers Special off your hands.:scratchchin:............:rofl:.....:wave:

Hah, pistola! A crusty ol' career banker's got to have his Banker's Special.

I have fired one such. Sweet pistol!
It belonged to my best friend and was his mother's favorite apron gun; she was minute of Ace of Spades at fifteen feet with it.
It belonged to his uncle who was a butcher in Salesville. A big man, he was six three and 260 pounds and wore it on collection day when he made his rounds. One of the Eastern European immigrants gave him the hoo-raw one day: "Oh see da beeg man he wear-a da jacket on-a da warm day oh." The "oh" was uttered when said individual pulled up the unbuttoned jacket and saw the little Smith in its full flap holster. That ended the hoo-raw.
Never underestimate the effectiveness of the lowly .32. It will never be a full-house .357 and it will never be a mighty .44, but Uncle found it would penetrate a hog's skull clear back to the ham.
After this discovery he was forbidden from using that little pistol to kill hogs for slaughter ever again.

Great find ! By the way I love to read your stuff.

Wow , great find!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by bmcgilvray

Hah, pistola! A crusty ol' career banker's got to have his Banker's Special.

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I understand,Sir.:embarassed:

"Great find ! By the way I love to read your stuff."

Thanks Stormvet! I love what your bar signifies. Thank you for serving.


"Save the Opossums"

Besides which pistola, my Banker's Special has taken out a 'possum so might give you some heartburn if you had it.

That's a nice Smith, great find. I really like collecting the older smiths, if I'd see that one I'd have snagged it well.

Good luck with it, it's in great condition for a carry gun that old.

Brownie

Good looking. Nice catch.:smile:

Super nice classic wheelgun. Take really extra good care of those grips also. They are in rare condition.