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The .32 Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector by Ed Buffaloe
The goal of this article is to trace the evolution of the first truly modern revolver. I focus on the .32 Hand Ejector because it was the first Smith & Wesson to have a swing-out cylinder, even though after the First Model many innovations were actually driven by, and appeared first in, the larger (K frame) Smith & Wesson revolvers in .38 S&W Special or .32 Winchester. The name “Hand Ejector” derives from the fact that earlier Smith & Wesson top-break revolvers featured what was referred to as “automatic” ejection when the gun was broken open, whereas the new swing-out cylinder required the ejector to be operated by hand. Detailed information included in this article is largely based on the book Smith & Wesson, 1857-1945 by Robert J. Neal and Roy G. Jinks, with additional information taken from The Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson by Jim Supica and Richard Nahas. I have also had generous assistance from several collectors from the Smith & Wesson Collectors Association.
I have tried to offer information about the standard production versions of small (I Frame) Smith & Wesson .32 Hand Ejector revolvers but for every generality there are usually several exceptions. Early and late examples of any model (or change) may show differences from standard production guns due to the use of left-over parts or to changes that may have been introduced before patent inscriptions were updated. I am not an expert on Smith & Wesson revolvers so please do not write to me asking questions about your gun. All questions should be addressed to the appropriate sub-forum of the Smith & Wesson Forum. However, I would be happy for people to send me photographs of their revolvers so I can learn more about unusual variations.*
Revolver Locks Most double action revolver locks of the late 19th century were based on the 1875 design by the Belgian Jean Warnant, as seen in the Swiss Army revolver of 1878 and also in the top-break Enfield and Webley revolvers after 1880. This design utilizes a V-shaped main spring, the upper arm of which tensions the hammer and the lower arm of which tensions a rebound lever which holds the firing pin away from the cartridge until the trigger is pulled. In 1877, the Colt’s Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company marketed a double action revolver with a uniquely complex lock designed by William Mason, but it proved to be a disastrous mistake. In his book Gunsmithing Guns of the Old West David Chicoine writes: “The internal mechanism Colt used in these [Model 1877 revolvers] is overly intricate, many of its critical components are as likely as not to break and these will often do so as frequently as the revolver’s action is operated, and that includes non-firing use.” Colt’s did a redesign of Mason’s double action lockwork for its Double Action Army Model of 1878, making it more robust and reliable, but Chicoine notes (in his book Antique Firearms Assembly/ Disassembly) that the guns “...are well known for their very long trigger pull lengths and hard double action trigger pulls.” Finally, in 1908 Colt’s adopted a variant of the Warnant lock, which they have used to this day with only minor modifications. These modern Colt revolvers have the hand in the left side of the frame to rotate the cylinder in a clockwise direction, and the sideplate covering the lockwork is also on the left side.
Well into the 20th century most revolver shooters preferred to manually cock the hammer and shoot in single-action mode, particularly with Colt revolvers—quite frankly because the Colt revolver typically had an awful double action trigger pull. I recently purchased a large frame Colt New Service revolver made in 1925 which has a fifteen pound double action trigger pull. Swing-Out Cylinders and Double Action Mechanisms As early as 1860, Daniel Moore patented a design for a revolver with a cylinder that swung out to the right for loading cartridges. At least three such revolvers are illustrated in Sawyer’s Firearms in American History, Volume Two: Revolvers. In 1865, William Mason, while working for E. Remington & Sons, patented a design for a revolver cylinder (U.S. patent 51117) that swung out of the frame on a crane or yoke. Karr and Karr, in their book Remington Firearms, aver that a small number of these guns were made under the name Mason Patent Revolver but there are no surviving specimens to prove this. In 1876, the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, in conjunction with Stephen W. Wood, created several revolver prototypes with a swing-out cylinder which opened to the right and featured Wood’s patented ejector system. However, Winchester never manufactured a production revolver. It was not until 1889, when William Mason was working for the Colt’s Patent Firearms Manufacturing Company, that Colt’s adopted Mason’s swing-out cylinder design for their Double Action Navy Model. The mechanism which holds the cylinder in correct alignment was redesigned in 1892 and this same basic design has been in use by Colt’s ever since. Daniel B. Wesson and his son Joseph H. Wesson had been working on various double action designs since before 1872 but the Wessons were perfectionists who had no intention of manufacturing a gun until it met their exacting standards. S&W’s first double action top-break model did not appear until 1880. But Colt’s Double Action Navy Model of 1889 put the onus on Smith & Wesson to come up with a competing design with a swing-out cylinder. The Wesson’s first gun with a swing-out cylinder did not appear until 1896. Double Action Shooting In examining the numerous patents filed by Daniel B. and Joseph H. Wesson, it seems to me the goal of their endeavours was to create a double action mechanism possessing a smoother, lighter trigger pull that could be operated with both speed and accuracy. But after all the Wesson’s hard work to create the modern double action revolver, the irony is that few people ever bothered to shoot revolvers in double action mode until people like John Henry Fitzgerald began to lighten the trigger pull on Colt revolvers in the 1920’s and people like Ed McGivern began to perform remarkable feats of speed and accuracy with Smith & Wesson double action revolvers in the 1930’s. In 1950 Bob Nichols wrote: “Actually, the principle of double action shooting is the fundamental principle of all practical pistol shooting.... Superior to single cocking, the double action principle confers the twin advantages of (1) more positive gun control..., and (2) more positive trigger control. These are simple...factors; yet they are recognized today by only a few pistolmen.” In a further chapter, he says: “In accuracy double action fire, using the gun sights, the Colt double action revolver cannot compete against the best American double action revolver—the standard long action Smith & Wesson double action revolver.” However, even today, in the third decade of the twenty-first century, few people bother to master double action shooting with a revolver of any brand.
First Model .32 Hand Ejector - Model 1896
The First Model .32 Hand Ejector did not appear until 1896 though, according to Roy Jinks, in his book History of Smith & Wesson, the frame sizes for I and K (small and medium) frames were determined in 1894 and “[t]he tooling for this model was completed in 1895....” The company name, address, and patent dates are recorded on the chamber walls of the cylinder, to be viewed from the left side of the gun. The cylinder inscription is in all-capital italic sans-serif characters, as follows: SMITH
As in their earlier revolvers, the Wessons split the V-spring found in the Warnant design and used a long flat spring to tension the hammer. A shorter flat spring, pinned to the grip frame, tensions the rebound lever and the trigger. The rebound lever itself is relatively small and pivots on a pin staked to the frame; it actually consists of two levers with independent actions, one of which is slotted into the other. A projection on the upper side of the rebound lever engages with the bottom of the hammer and prevents the firing pin from resting on a cartridge until the trigger moves all the way to the rear.
For unknown reasons, the Wessons decided not to use the left-mounted cylinder release mechanism they had patented in 1895 (U.S. patent 539497) and went with a pull-knob at the front of the cylinder pin. The First Model .32 Hand Ejector has no means of locking the position of the cylinder at the front but there is a spring and plunger built into the base of the cylinder yoke, at the point where it rotates, and there are two detents in the frame for the plunger to rest in, one in the fully closed position, and one in the fully open position. The spring-loaded plunger in the cylinder yoke and the corresponding detent in the frame may help to stabilize the front of the closed cylinder. The barrel has a narrow rib on top which supports a half-round front sight, pinned into a slot. The front target sight is a square-cut blade. The rear sight is a notch in the pivoting portion of the top strap, just over the pivot point, about 1.5 inches from the rear of the frame. The rear sight is near the middle of the top strap so it can be seen during double action firing when the rear portion of the top strap is pivoted upward. The rear target sight is adjustable for windage and elevation. The grip frame is rounded, and rather small for large hands. The grip stocks are of checked hard rubber with the S&W monogram in a circle at the top. Target stocks are oversize square-butt, also made of checked hard rubber. For standard stocks, the serial number is stamped or inscribed on back of the right grip stock. This was done because the standard stocks were hand fitted, whereas it was not necessary for the oversize target stocks. The Smith & Wesson trademark logo is stamped on the side plate.
The very early guns had three-screw sideplates, and some had the hammer and trigger heat treated to a straw color. The straw colored hammer and trigger are quite scarce; most hammers and triggers are case hardened. The three-screw sideplates appear occasionally throughout the serial number range, but are much more scarce than the four-screw. I have not observed the solid extractor rod knobs, so I assume they are scarce, but most photographs do not show the end of the rod so it is hard to know for certain. Two styles of hammer spur are found.
The First Model .32 Hand Ejector was made from 1896 through 1903. It had its own serial number range which ran from 1 to 19,712. The BATF lists the First Model as an antique, since all the frames were made and stamped with serial numbers before 1899. The First Model is the most easily recognized of the .32 Hand Ejectors, distinguished by its hinged top strap, its full length barrel rib, and the inscription on the cylinder. Second Model .32 Hand Ejector - Model 1903 - No Change The Second Model .32 Hand Ejector represents a major redesign of the original revolver.
The rebound mechanism of the lockwork is redesigned, and utilizes a long flat combination spring and lever. This spring tensions the trigger and the hand. The hand has a tiny lever on its rear to tension it in the forward direction. The rebound mechanism depends from the bottom of the hammer. Smith & Wesson refers to it as the rebound catch. A thumb operated cylinder release button is provided on the left side of the frame which locks the hammer when the cylinder is open. This cylinder release first appeared on the .38 Military & Police Model of 1899. A spring and plunger, mounted in a boss on the underside of the barrel, lock the cylinder pin at the front. The front cylinder pin lock first appeared on the Model 1902 M&P .38. The barrel rib is eliminated, and the address and patent dates are moved from the cylinder flats to the top of the barrel. The front sight and sight boss are integral with the barrel, except in the case of target models which have pinned front sights. The 3¼-inch barrel has its inscription on four lines in all-capital sans-serif characters, as follows: SMITH & WESSON SPRINGFIELD MASS. U.S.A. The six-inch length barrel inscription is on two lines in all-capital sans-serif characters, as follows: SMITH & WESSON SPRINGFIELD MASS. U.S.A. PAT’D APR. 9.89. MAR. 27.94 MAY The 3¼-inch barrel has its inscription on four lines, and the 4¼-inch on three lines, but all contain the same information. The Model 1903 continues to have the same standard grip stocks as the Model 1896, with serial number on the back of the right stock. Square butt enlarged target grips were available in checked hard rubber. A large Smith & Wesson trademark logo is stamped on the sideplate.
The innovations found in the above patents all appear, in one form or another, in the Second Model .32 Hand Ejector, No Change and First Change, which are the first production guns that are nearly identical, externally, to the modern Smith & Wesson revolver. The major difference remains the lockwork which will undergo further revision for several more years. The Second Model .32 Hand Ejector (No Change) was made from 1903 to 1904 and the serial number range extends from 1 to 19,425. The No Change is easily distinguished from later guns because it has no screw above the bow of the trigger guard, since the cylinder stop has an integral spring and plunger. Second Model .32 Hand Ejector - Model 1903 - First Change Smith & Wesson was in a time of nearly continuous innovation and made incremental changes to improve the Second Model .32 Hand Ejector for nearly two decades. The front target sight remains a square blade pinned into the front sight boss, and rear sights are the same as on the previous version, however non-target revolvers have an integral front sight forged as part of the barrel, like the late No Change guns. The rebound catch was altered with the addition of a roller, and other minor changes were made to the hammer and trigger. The cylinder stop is altered to not only move up and down but also to reciprocate back and forth very slightly. This required that the notches in the cylinder that engage with the stop be cut slightly longer. The spring and plunger to tension the cylinder stop have been moved into the frame, held in place by a small screw above the bow of the trigger guard. Neal & Jinks state that at “about serial number 48,000 the hammer nose rivet was changed from solid to hollow....” For the first time, extended square-butt checked walnut target grips were available, in addition to those in hard rubber. The Smith & Wesson trademark logo is moved to the left side of the frame and made smaller. The left side of the barrel is marked as follows: 32 LONG CTG The inscription on top of the 3¼-inch length barrel is on four lines in all-capital sans-serif characters, as follows: SMITH&WESSON SPRINGFIELD MASS. U.S.A. The .32 caliber Second Model .32 Hand Ejector First Change was made in 1904 and 1905, with serial numbers from 19,426 to 51,126. Externally, the First Change is seemingly identical to the No Change, but the the S&W trademark is on the left side, and there is a fifth screw above the bow of the trigger guard. Second Model .32 Hand Ejector - Model 1903 - Second Change
The Second Model
The left side of the barrel is marked as follows: 32 LONG CTG According to Neal & Jinks, the early inscriptions are the same as the First Change, above. Possibly they had a number of barrels that were already stamped which they needed to use. The late inscription on top of the 3¼-inch length barrel is on four lines in all-capital sans-serif characters, as follows: SMITH & WESSON SPRINGFIELD MASS. U.S.A.
Longer barrels will have inscriptions on two or three lines. Several patents were dropped from the inscription, and the final patent for the rebound slide was added.
Early Second Change revolvers have a rebound slide with no patent date, but the patent date was added to late Second Change revolvers. The Second Model .32 Hand Ejector Second Change was made from 1906 to 1909, with serial numbers from 51,127 to 95,500. The Second Change is externally identical to late First Change guns and are generally recognized by serial number. However, if you remove the grips you will see only a single flat spring instead of the two springs found in earlier revolvers. Second Model .32 Hand Ejector - Model 1903 - Third Change The Third Change represents a series of internal upgrades to the lockwork. The design of the lever connecting the trigger to the rebound slide is altered, as are the engaging surfaces on top of the rebound slide and the bottom of the hammer. The patent date now appears on the side of the rebound slide. Neal & Jinks state: “The trigger and sear were also changed to obtain a greater double action throw.” No changes to the barrel inscription or other externals of the gun are apparent and so the Third Change can only be distinguished from the Second Change by serial number. The Second Model .32 Hand Ejector Third Change was made in very limited quantities in 1909 and 1910, with serial numbers from 95, 501 to 96,125. Second Model .32 Hand Ejector -
Model 1903 - Fourth Change The Fourth Change represents very minor changes to the hand and the cut on the inside of the sideplate. Neal & Jinks state: “The hand was changed to allow more time for the cylinder stop to latch when fired double action.” Again, there are no external changes. The Second Model .32 Hand Ejector Fourth Change was made only in 1910, with serial numbers from 96,126 to 102,500. Second Model .32 Hand Ejector - The Fifth Change once again represents incremental changes to the functionality of the lockwork but these changes represent a major improvement in the double action trigger pull. Changes to the hammer and sear as described by Neal & Jinks don’t make much sense by themselves: “The hammer, trigger, and sear were redesigned to allow double action throw off the hammer point instead of the sear.” But greater clarity is obtained when one reads the 1909 patent (see below). The raised portion on top of the rebound slide is changed to allow a shorter rebound. The patent date is removed from the rebound slide. The positioning mechanism for the extractor star is changed to two pins on the front of the cylinder. Some guns have a small Smith & Wesson trademark logo on the left side and a few, apparently late, examples have a large logo on the sideplate on the right side, while some guns in this period have no logo whatever. The left side of the barrel is marked as follows: 32 LONG CTG Early Fifth Change guns retain the same slide inscription as the Second, Third, and Fourth Change. The barrel inscription for the 4¼-inch barrel of later guns is on three lines in all-capital sans-serif characters, as follows: SMITH & WESSON SPRINGFIELD MASS. U.S.A.
The Second Model .32 Hand Ejector Fifth Change was made from 1910 to 1917, with serial numbers that begin at 102,501 and run to approximately 263,000. Please write to me if you have a serial number in this range and can help make this last figure more accurate.* Third Model .32 Hand Ejector (or Sixth Change) & The Third Model .32 Hand Ejector represents a redesign of the interior of the gun, adding a hammer block in the side plate, though there are no exterior changes. McHenry and Roper called this gun the Model 1903 Sixth Change, and referred to the Regulation Police Model as the Third Model Hand Ejector, whereas Neal & Jinks lump them both together as the Third Model. There are good arguments for both ways of defining the category. The nomenclature is designed to help collectors know which gun they have, but there are inevitable grey areas. In McHenry & Roper’s defense, the gun is clearly the next step in the evolution of the Model 1903 and so Sixth Change is a naturally obvious designation. The patent for the side plate hammer block was filed two years before the patent for the stepped grip frame (see below). In Neal & Jinks’ defense, the Smith & Wesson catalog continued to list the guns separately at least until 1922, with the .32 Hand Ejector parts list showing a side plate with no hammer block and the .32 Regulation Police specifically referencing the hammer block which was also shown in the parts list. The Regulation Police revolver, with both hammer block and stepped grip frame was almost certainly manufactured prior to the addition of the hammer block to the .32 Hand Ejector with the small grip, so Neal & Jinks felt they should both be classed as “Third Model”. Whatever nomenclature we use, S&W discovered that if the revolver were dropped on its hammer, the foot of the hammer or the rear point of the trigger could break and a cartridge could be accidentally ignited. To positively prevent this it was necessary to design a hammer block mechanism that was only disabled when the trigger was pulled.
In the industry trade publication Hardware Age for November 11, 1916, Douglas Wesson introduces the new Regulation Police Model revolver. He says, “...by an ingenious method of undercutting the rear strap of the frame it becomes possible to fit the square butt stocks–somewhat shorter than the target stocks and yet affording a firm and pleasing hold for the biggest hand.” He is referring to the five shot .38 S&W model, but he says: “The mechanical features...are similar to the well-known .32 caliber S. & W. Hand Ejector...with the addition of a safety hammer block....”
The Regulation Police model was available with optional target sights, which are considered scarce today, whereas the Third Model .32 Hand Ejector was only available with standard sights. The primary difference between the guns is that the Regulation Police Model has a stepped rear grip frame to accommodate the extended square butt checked walnut grip. The Regulation Police Model was also available as a five-shot .38 caliber, chambered for .38 Smith & Wesson. Serial numbers for the Regulation Police Model were placed on the front of the grip strap, since the bottom of the grip frame was covered by the extended grips. Otherwise, the two guns are identical. The left side of the barrel is marked in all-capital sans-serif characters, as follows: SMITH & WESSON The right side of the barrel is marked: 32 LONG CTG Most of the Third Model will have the Smith & Wesson trademark logo on the left side of the frame but I have documented a number of early guns with no logo. The barrel inscription for the early Third Model Hand Ejector is identical to that of the Second Model Fifth Change. Supica & Nahas state that some early guns have no barrel inscription. Late inscriptions for the Third Model and the Regulation Police Model are in all-capital sans-serif characters, as follows: SMITH & WESSON SPRINGFIELD MASS. U.S.A. Heat treated cylinders came into use sometime in 1920, at serial number 321,000. The Third Model Hand Ejector was manufactured from 1923 to 1942 with serial numbers that run from approximately 263001 to 536684. The Regulation Police Model was manufactured from 1917 to 1942 with serial numbers concurrent with those of the .32 Hand Ejector Model, extending from about 259193 to 536000. Post-War .32 Hand Ejector (Pre-Model 30) According to Jinks, in his book History of Smith & Wesson, .32 Hand Ejector production was started again on 14 July 1949. Guns had been sold from existing stock in the interim years. The immediate post-war guns are nearly identical, externally, to the pre-war models, except that the ejector rod on the post-war guns is perfectly straight, with a checked area on the front instead of a knob. The Hand Ejector is now also available with checked “circassian walnut” grips with the S&W monogram as an option. Internally, the side-plate-mounted hammer block is eliminated and replaced by a hammer block that is attached to the rebound slide. Jinks states that the hammer block was developed in 1944. This was a simpler mechanism that was cheaper and faster to manufacture and worked just as well but also required the return of the hand spring on the trigger.
The Post-War .32 Hand Ejector was made from 1949 until 1960 (though it became the Model 30 in 1957), with serial numbers extending from 536685 to 712953. The Post-War .32 Regulation Police Model was made from 1949 until 1960 (though it became the Model 31 in 1957), with serial numbers, in the same range as the .32 Hand Ejector, extending from about 536000 to 712953. * Please write to edbuffaloe@unblinkingeye.com with photographs and information regarding your revolver. |
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Copyright 2021 by Ed Buffaloe. All rights reserved. |
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