Other silly things we do when bored…
Sometimes you have to do things because you can.
I present: the Silenced revolver!:
I should know sometime next week how loud it really is.
Category: Revolvers
.32 revolvers Chapter 13: S&W model 30
The first S&W model 30 wasn’t actually a J-frame. It was an ‘improved’ I frame. The J-frame didn’t start until the 30-1. The improvement that make the ‘improved’ I-frame better than the original I-frame is the use of a coil spring instead of a flat mainspring.
This one has been treated to a cera-kote finish. It’s a flat latch version with a 3″ barrel and aftermarket grips.
This one shoots well, but I use my 4″ barreled 30-1 more often.
.32 Revolvers Chapter 12: Young America
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a large number of manufacturing firms started turning out small revolvers and the market was soon flooded with little saturday night specials, as they became known. One of the solid frame revolvers made was the ‘young america’ and they were available in .22, .32, and .38 calibers.
My version was a gift from a fellow gun nerd who knew of my soft spot for .32 revolvers, and while it’s not in great condition, it’s solid mechanically, requiring only a cylinder pin latch spring that I’ll get around to making one of these days.
I haven’t shot this one, but I own a .22 caliber version that I have shot. I can’t say much about the accuracy, but as a pocket pistol, I suppose one can’t have expectations that are too high. Rather than invent some standard of accuracy to make it sound better than it is, let’s be honest, it’s good enough to gut shoot someone at across the room distances, but I wouldn’t count on it down a long hallway.
.32 Revolvers Chapter 11: NEF R73 Ultra
The New England Firearms company bought out the remaining inventory from Harrington And Richardson in 1986 or 1987 after H&R went bankrupt. They brought out the R73 and R73 ultra shortly thereafter. The R73 is a basic model based on the 5 shot swing out cylinder frame of the old H&R 504. The R73 had fixed sights, and the Ultra version had adjustable sights.
My version has a 6″ heavy barrel and has been pretty solidly accurate. The revolver isn’t any stringer than the H&R guns of similar design, and as such loads need to be kept within book specs for the .32 H&R magnum.
Much like the H&R’s the NEF revolvers are usually a good value, and for someone looking to break into the .32 revolvers, it would be hard to beat.
.32 Revolvers Chapter 10: H&R 504
The .32 H&R magnum cartridge was introduced in 1984 with the H&R models 504 532 and 586. All 5 shot revolvers, the model 504 has a swing out cylinder and adjustable sights. My version has a 3″ barrel.
The little 504 is accurate enough, but I only shoot .32 S&W long loads in it to prevent unnecessary wear and tear.
The little H&R revolvers are generally a pretty good value, and will certainly do the trick. See the next chapter for info about the NEF version of the gun.
.32 Revolvers Chapter 9: S&W double action top break
When I was growing up, my father only ever owned one gun. It was given yo him by my grandfather when my parents were newlyweds and living in a less than ideal part of town. When my Dad passed a few years ago, I inherited the little revolver.
When I was a teenager, the little .32 S&W revolver was the first gun that I ever reloaded for. The cartridge is the .32 S&W cartridge, and not the .32 S&W long. The cartridge was one of the early centerfire cartridges, and was of course originally designed for black powder. Using roughly 8-10 grains of BP pushing an 85 grain bullet to about 650 FPS.
The revolver’s design dates back to the 1880’s when almost every gun maker, tool maker or manufacturing plant was making small pocket revolvers. The S&W design starts a little earlier than that, but the top break double action was essentially unchanged for nearly half a century when it went out of production in the late 1930’s. My Dad’s revolver came from the later era, an was most likely one of the last few thousand of the guns made.
I rarely shoot the old revolver, but when I do, I reminisce about Dad.
I can’t say that I would choose the gun as a first line of self defense, between the rather anemic loads and crude sights, it’s certainly not ideal, but it would be better than a pocket knife!
.32 Revolvers Chapter 8: S&W model 16-4
The S&W model 16-4 is a K-frame revolver chambered for the .32 H&R magnum cartridge. The dash 4 designation comes from the engineering changes incorporated since the dash 3 revolver. In this case, they are for the new chambering and the full under lug.
The 16-4’s where available with 4″ 6″ and 8 3/8″ barrels. Mine has a 6″ barrel. All barrel lengths had adjustable sights and “combat” grips like the ones you see on my revolver pictured below. My revolver was sent back to the factory after purchase and converted to single action only. This was a popular conversion for certain types of target shooting. Since I only shoot targets with the revolver anyways, and almost always fire such guns in single action mode, it didn’t bother me at all.
All model 16 revolvers are known for superb accuracy. the Model 16-4 is no exception, and my example shines. With 115 grain SWC bullets loaded at 900-1000 FPS, I’m not sure it’s actually possible to miss with the gun. It likes RN bullets as well, and wadcutters, and RNFP’s, and…. Well, it just seems to like everything.
Due to the weight, and the replacement cost, I don’t often carry the 16-4 in the field, and instead rely on a J-frame sized gun, or occasionally the Taurus 761. If I had a 4″ barreled version, perhaps I would carry it more often, but as it is, I’m perfectly happy using the 16-4 for target shooting and plinking, and using other guns for small game and trail duty.
.32 Revolvers Chapter 7: Taurus Model 74
The Taurus Model 74 in my collection dates to sometime in the 1970’s. It’s a blued steel gun, and was available in nickel as well. It’s likely that it was made before Taurus was making SS guns. The front site is a little funky looking because of how tall it sits of the pencil thin barrel, but it seems to work okay.
The Model 74 is the predecessor to the model 741 that I wrote about earlier. The 74 is much cruder in machine work and finish when compared to the later 741. It is roughly J-frame sized, and hold 6 rounds of .32 S&W long. The rear sight is adjustable for windage and elevation, though it seems to be somewhat limited in range. The 3″ barrel is pencil thin, and the revolver is very lightweight. Taurus also made the model 73 revolvers a little later, they were fixed sight models, and had slightly heavier barrels. Most consider them to be more aesthetically pleasing.
The firing pin is hammer mounted, and the double action trigger pull is a bit heavy, but smooth. The single action pull is stiff, but not unreasonable. The hardwood grips aren’t very well finished, but functional enough. As you can see in the photo, there are ridges in the cylinder fluting. Taurus did away with this sometime in the late 70’s or early 80’s from what I can tell, and the aesthetics of their guns improved immensely when they made that move. The model 73’s seem to have all been made with the smooth flutes.
The gun is accurate enough, but due to the sight adjustment limitations, Only lighter bullets can be put on target. One day I’ll modify the rear sight a bit, and see if that gives me enough room to shoot heavier bullets to point of aim.
I think with a little work, the little model 74 could be made into a very nice little kit gun. Maybe one of these days, I’ll get around to doing the work to make that happen…
.32 Revolvers, Chapter 6: Taurus 761
The Taurus model 76 and 761 are K-frame sized Revolvers built by Taurus in Brazil to compete with the S&W model 16. The Taurus model 76 and 761 differ only in the chambering, with the 76 being chambered for .32 S&W long, and the 761 being chambered for the longer .32 H&R magnum. My revolver is a model 761 in .32 H&R magnum.
When S&W chambered their model 16 in .32 H&R magnum, the new suffix for the model was -4 (S&W model 16-4) as there had already been other engineering changes. Along with the new chambering, the model 16-4 received a new full under-lug on the barrel. The Taurus model 761 didn’t receive the full lug with the new chambering, and as a result, carries less weight.
My model 761 has nice looking, but small hardwood grips, and excellent sights. The Firing pin is frame mounted, and the finish on the gun may not be as nice as the finish on the S&W 16-4 that I own, but it’s certainly serviceable.
I have shot my model 761 enough to know that it’s quite accurate, but haven’t spent enough time with it to really wring it out. Being a K-frame sized gun, it’s not too large for field carry, but since I have several J-frame sized guns that are superbly accurate, I don’t often carry the 761 in the field.
My overall opinion of the model 761 is positive, the only potential detractors are the not so great grips and a less than perfect factory finishing job (not bad, but not perfect). The good points are the excellent caliber, the great sights and good accuracy, it’s also a very nice looking pistol, with good lines.
.32 Revolvers Chapter 5: Rossi M293
The Rossi M293 is a bit of a mystery. I have only become aware of a total of 3 of them in the world. I’m certain there are more, but the owners have kept very quiet about them.
I got mine several years ago from a dealer with a table at a gunshow. He had purchased an estate, and the Rossi was one of the estate guns. It’s Roughly the size of a K-frame S&W, and holds 6 rounds of .32 S&W long. From the research I’ve done, it appears to date from about 1981 or 1982, and was imported to Canada before coming to the states. There is speculation that it was intended for Olympic style centerfire competition, but that is very hard to believe, as it’s far from the standard fare for such competition. It was almost certainly made for some type of competitive shooting though, based on the design.
The full vent rib and underlug are reminiscent of many revolvers from the era. One of the unique things about the underlug however is the grooves along the side that allow the under barrel weights to slide front to back. There are set screws on the weights to lock them in place once the desired balance is achieved. The sights are excellent, and the stocks are very nice, if a little small. The trigger is excellent, and seems to be factory set. The firing pin is attached to the hammer, and the guns finish is very well executed.
The Rossi M293 is one of the most accurate revolvers I have ever had the pleasure of firing. While it was a fluke, I once managed to fire a 5 shot group of a little less than 2 inches at 100 yards using the gun. While that group was a fluke (I can’t shoot that well with an open sighted revolver) It is consistently exceptionally accurate with most loads. It loves wadcutters, and will also shoot heavy bullets pretty well too. I’ve shot a fair number of 130 grain bullets designed for the .30 carbine through the revolver, and had excellent results at 50 and 100 yards.
If you manage to find a Rossi M293 at a reasonable price, I suggest you buy it. If for some reason you decide afterward that you don’t like it, please contact me, and I’ll be happy to buy it from you!