S&W hammerless safety .32?

[mac1911]

Pictured is a S&W top break revolver.....no model or cal. A little on line search I came up with hammerless .32 or 38 sw.
Im trying to figure out the value. Trying to date it has me stumped. The serial number T ???? four digit. placeing it at the early years of introduction if the info I have found so far this gun is pre 1900. It apears to be a VG shape for its age showing some wear and pitting. chamber and barrel look good also. locks up tight and all functions except I was told the fire pin is broken.
Of course the screws are a bit mangled already and very tight. I did not give it much of a try.

Are parts still obtainable? Anyone with some added info.
Also .32 and .38 comes in several variety- How do you know what it takes 32 long 32 short ect ect

 

[45collector]

I just checked Numrich gun parts for ya, they list a firing pin for a S&W .32 safety hammerless, but they are currently sold out. You can probably take a measurement of the cylinder to find out what it's chambered for. My best guess as to what that gun is worth based on your description and the picture is $425-475. Good luck!

 

[Dick]

It should be relatively simple to determine if the bore is .32 or .38, but from the photo, the cylinder appears to be too short to be the .38 (the dimensions are .95" for the .32 and 1.21" for the .38). So, assuming that it is in fact .32, then it has to be a .32 Safety Hammerless, 1st Model because of the shape of the latch mechanism and the pinned (vs. integral forged) front sight. These are the guns (that is, all 3 models of the .32 and all 5 models of the .38) that are also sometimes referred to as "Lemon Squeezers" because of the grip safety feature.

The serial number can't start with a "T" (S&W has never used a "T" except for the 3-letter prefix that they started to use for autoloaders in 1984). The best place to take the serial number from is the butt. If you're absolutely sure it starts with a "T" then it must be a copy, and there were many copies made by various other manufacturers. Does the S&W logo appear anywhere on the gun? S&W manufactured the .32 Safety Hammerless, 1st Model from about 1888 to 1902. The possible serial numbers for genuine S&W manufacture range from 1 to 91,417. The value (if a genuine S&W) ranges from a couple hundred dollars for good condition to perhaps several hundred for excellent condition.

The caliber is .32 S&W, which is not the same as .32 S&W long. The cartridge was originally designed to use black powder and I would not consider any of these guns safe to shoot with modern ammunition (even if you could find it).

 

[Pilgrim]

According to pictures and descriptions in the SW Standard Catalog, if the cylinder is .95 inches long you have a 32 safety hammerless 1st model which was made from 1888-1902. Serial number range is 1- 91417. Valued at around $300 +/-

if the cyl is 1.21.inches it's a 38 safety hammerless 2nd model which was made from 1887-1890. Serial number range is 5251-42483. Valued at slightly less than the .32.

The serial number should be on the butt.

It's very hard to tell the size by your photo, but I'd guess it's the .32.

I have the 38 5th model:

It's very hard to tell models without a real close look see as some of the model changes were very minor.

It's amazing that they don't hold value very well.



hope this helps