Couldn't pass it up. At a local pawn and gun store. Inside their curio cabinet was this M&P in 32-20. The bore cleaned up very good with just a little pitting and very strong rifling. I tried slugging it with a .314 Hornady lead soft SWC and it seemed like it was choke bored somewhat. As soon as the bullet cleared the barrel it got looser as it was pushed to the cylinder. It had a .310 groove at the muzzle. Is this normal? I checked and there does not seem to be any evidence of any swelled areas along the barrel that I have read is common from people shooting out squibs. It is in really good mechanical condition. I have already loaded up some standard shooting loads with Unique and 231 along with 100 gr. RNFPs and 115 gr. flat noses. Eager to test it out. The serial number is 130,3xx and from what I gather it was made somewhere either the end of the 1920's or the beginning of the 1930's if I am close.
Also I feel the grips are not correct . When did S &W start using the Magna style handles?

... a 4", it was great fun and had apparently been great fun for others as it was fairly deeply eroded in the top strap above the barrel cylinder gap. The pin was the only thing keeping the barrel from turning off the frame and that slight "wiggle" of the front sight didn't help accuracy but I still managed to kill a squirrel with it. My .32-20 load of choice is the Lyman 3118 over 5 gr. of Unique. I also replaced the original grips with a set of Magnas until I traded it.

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Sincerely,

Hobie

Nice find, one of my favorite cartridges. Don't know anything about the old 'Smiths but it should be fun to shoot. Use whatever size the cylinder throats measure.

MAGNA'S ARRIVED AFTER 1935 WITH THE .357 MAGNUM.

That's the exact configuration I've been kind of, sort of looking for.

I suspected the stocks weren't correct. I have the same revolver in 38 Special from the same time period and the stocks are the old timey ones with worn checkering. I'll be glad to bump up the loads I have been using since my other 32-20 is a Police Positive. Right now my first handloads will be using around 4 grains of Unique and 3.5 grains of 231. With the little Colt it was 3.0 gr of 231. I need another mold like I need another hole in my head but I'll locate me a Lyman. I knew I should have slugged the throats. Been slugging too many old Mausers lately.............Bob

I have seen both of those in person. You kept a pretty good eye on me though.

Bob, that's a dandy. It seems that the .32-20 was quite popular among the gunny folks over in our eastern mountains.

Which brings up a question; Last night I was reading an article about the Cades Cove community in East Tennessee. There was a photo of one of the prominent families in the cove, dated 1930. The two older sons, as was the custom back then, were posing with their handguns prominently displayed, and one of these gentlemen was holding what appeared to be a K-frame S&W with a 5-inch barrel. Just above the web of his hand was what appeared to be the top "horn" of a Magna grip. Seems to me that 1930 was a bit early for Magna stocks. Anyone have an idea how this could be, or was the author mistaken in his dating of the photo?