Colt Police Positive Special 32-20 Made 1910

[@nadieselgirl]

Wowsers I never knew about this cartridge. I've fired .32 special version of this and honestly it was accurate and easy. I wish they still made something like this. It was very pleasing. I think it was a 1938, family member took it with him to WWII as an airman.

[@1957Shep]

They do still make reproductions of the Colt Single Action Army in 32-20.

[@donshaffer4169]

I have the 32-20 made in 1924. I fired 10 rounds this weekend made from Nagant 7.62 mm brass. Worked well.

[@1957Shep]

You should do a video with it sometime.

[@sharpone40]

Always wanted a 32-20 rifle, bolt action, Was never able to find one in my price range.

[@1957Shep]

Savage made some bolt action in 32-20

[@walatsway7092]

Thank you fir all your videos they are truly showing and teaching us what really is the truth about certain weapons😊

[@1957Shep]

Glad you like them!

[@Blimpie1000]

I have this revolver, in great patina shape (thin finish but no rust) I love the hard rubber grips (perfect on yours and my 1919) I finally got some ammunition ( VERY hard to find) and am going to fire a few rounds as soon as can get to the range. Thanks for the video.

[@1957Shep]

You should do a video with it sometime.

[@DanielFrankHoffman]

You sure have a lot of cool old guns!

[@1957Shep]

Thanks.

[@thereindeertherabbitthebat592]

I have one in 38 Colt New Police (or 38S&W pretty much). I absolutely love it. My grandfather passed it on down to me, so there's a lot of sentimental value in it. He carried it on & off the job for years. I try to get it out at least once or twice a month & shoot it. It's def a fun one. One of the most accurate handguns I've ever shot for sure. It's a great cartridge to reload too, esp in this revolver. Speer 148gr HBWCs over 2.0gr of 700x 👍 An easy, mild shooting load but very accurate. I have a two cavity Lee, 148gr full wadd cutter mould that does great too. Saw one in 32long & another in 38sp at a gun show weekend before last but I just didn't bring enough cash to grab one of em along with everything else I bought... You know how it goes 😂 Great video & beautiful revolver. That 32-20 looks like it'd be a real joy to shoot in a Police Positive, thnx for sharing it!

[@1957Shep]

You should do a video with it sometime.

[@3ducs]

They are very nice revolvers. Mine is the same vintage but has the 6" barrel. I bought it the same day I bought a Winchester Model 1892 in 32-20 at another shop. When I saw the Colt I knew I had to have it, it was fate. There's an old Robert Johnson blues song called The 32-20 Blues, a woman shoots her cheating man with her 32-20 revolver.

[@1957Shep]

Someday I`d like to run across a Winchester 92 or Marlin 1894 in 32-20 at a reasonable price.

[@3ducs]

@@1957Shep There was an 1894 at a local shop recently, $600 but had a broken stock. It was in 44-40, the bore was shootable but had some pitting. There was also a very nice WWI Mauser Kar 98A, I bought that instead.

[@chuckles470s9]

I haven’t had the experience shooting this caliber. Seriously you rock.

[@1957Shep]

It`s about like shooting a 38 Special. A little louder, slightly less recoil.

[@bobkopchik3840]

Nice! I've got one like yours made in 1920. Thanks for sharing...

[@1957Shep]

Thanks for watching!

[@billy56081]

Nice interesting old gun, if it could only tell stories. It appears to have a different front sight on it. Thanks for sharing.

[@1957Shep]

Hard to tell. There were a lot of minor variations.

[@saltyshellback]

They had a lot of style back then too ;-)

[@1957Shep]

Yes they did.

[@davidglasgow5322]

you have some great guns, thanks for sharing

[@1957Shep]

Thanks for taking time to watch.

[@jerrynewman1380]

My great uncle was a nite watchman at a department store...he carried one of them...my mama shot my daddy with a 32:20 ..he lived and heal up just fine..mama shot him in the part of the body called the (buttocks).. she was mad at him...so that's how I come to learn about the 32:20.. the hard way...I'm 67 now and I still remember about the days of the 32:20..

[@slaughterhound8793]

It looks great Shep! Looks a lot newer than one made in 1910.

[@1957Shep]

I have 3 of them now. Bought this one and one made in 1937 (even better condition) from the same guy last year. And II already had a very crudely refinished one made in 1917 that I`ve owned for more than 20 years.

[@MegaBait1616]

That's in beautiful shape for that old....

[@1957Shep]

Thanks.

[@BOHEMIANHUNTINGCLUB]

Looks great for its age, nice!!

[@1957Shep]

Thanks.

[@GunSam]

That's pretty cool. I never heard of that caliber before. Looks like it's roughly the power of .32 H&R Mag based on Wikipedia info.

[@1957Shep]

The 32-20 is a bottle neck cartridge. The 32 H&R is straight wall. 32-20 was also called 32 WCF. 32 Winchester Center Fire. Dates all the way back to the 1870s. The 25-20 and 218 Bee cartridges use the same brass as 32-20, but necked down to 25 and 22 caliber.

[@olhemi1]

wow that is in awesome condition

[@1957Shep]

Thanks

[@Gunsandfun1961]

Love it shep....

[@1957Shep]

Thanks.

[@dustysnow6400]

What kind of ammo can you use it? I’ve been told to be careful buying any made for a rifle. I’d trust the guy that fires it in his though lol any advice on ammo would be great!

[@1957Shep]

I don`t think anyone has loaded high pressure 32-20 ammo for rifles only for years. And any that was would say "Rifle Only" on the box. The currently produced 32-20 ammo from HSM, Black Hills, Winchester, and Remington is fine for revolvers that were made after 1900 assuming they are in good working condition.

[@JG-xt9io]

That's a nice colt , the only 32-20 I've shot was a friend's grandfather's when I was younger. It was a lever gun can't remember what it was

[@1957Shep]

Probably a Winchester 1892 or Marlin 1894. There were others, but those were the most common.

[@paradiseroad6405]

...I have one in 38 Special from 1919...the year my Dad was born...

[@1957Shep]

You should do a video with it sometime.

[@daveybass655]

You got any 25-20's? Or 38-40's? I think those were discontinued with the transition to smokeless? I've never seen a smith in those calibers, only single action colts. I owned a smith in 32-20, it was nice. Never any of those odd caliber colts though. Had a Remington pump, in 25 Remington. It was odd caliber.

[@1957Shep]

The 25-20 and 38-40 were still fairly popular well into the 20th century. And with Cowboy Action Shooting games, it`s not hard to find ammo. But the 25-20 ammo is high priced. About $75 for a box of 50. And all it is is the 32-20 necked down to 25 caliber. But it never was as popular as the 32-20. Guy I used to work with has a nice old Marlin from the 1920s in 25-20. Never owned a 25-20 myself. I own 8 revolvers in 32-20, but no rifles in that caliber. I`ve got two 38-40s. A Colt New Service from about 1915 and a convertible Ruger Vaquero with 2 cylinders. One for 38-40 and the other in 40S&W. You can still buy new guns today chambered for 32-20, 38-40, 44-40, 44 Russian, 45 S&W, ect. They just are not very common. Mostly in reproduction guns. Last time I remember anyone making a rifle in 25-20 was about the mid 1990s Marlin chambered their 1894CL rifles in 218 Bee, 25-20, and 32-20 for a few years. And a few years later they made another batch of CLs in 32-20. You can still get new Colt SAAs and reproduction SAAs in 32-20, 38-40, 44-40. But in recent years those calibers in the real Colts were special order only. You can get reproduction 1873 and 1892 Winchesters in 32-20, 38-40, 44-40.But they are a lot more common in modern calibers. 38-55 can still be found in new lever actions. Same with the top break single action S&W reproduction revolvers. You can get them in 44 Russian, 44 American, and 45 S&W (45 Schofield) just like the originals. But most of the modern reproductions are in 38 Special or 45 Colt. Easier and cheaper to find ammo. You can get new Reproduction Sharps, Remington Rolling Blocks, and 1885 Winchesters in many of the old calibers like 45-90, 45-120, 50-70, 50-90, and 50-110. But again, most are 45-70 or 38-55 because it`s easier/cheaper for the ammo. I think Shiloh even made some of their repro Sharps rifles in 50-140. And you could special order them in any old caliber if they could get a chamber reamer for it.

[@elanmartin2495]

I got this same revolver for my birthday but I’m having trouble finding affordable 32-20 on a website that isn’t a scam (if any at all that isn’t a scam). Out of curiosity where did you find your ammo?

[@1957Shep]

Last time I bought 32-20 ammo I got it from one of the local gun shops. Right now, with the ammo shortage, 32-20 is going to be hard to find, affordable or not. At least 4 major manufacturers still catalog it, HSM, Winchester, Black Hills, and Remington. But with the shortage, they have suspended production on low quantity stuff in favor of filling orders on more common and more profitable cartridges. When supply catches up with demand they will probably resume production of stuff like 32-20 and 38-40, but it may be a while before that happens. Right now your best bet for affordable 32-20 ammo would be to reload your own. The equipment needed is an up front expense, but once past that 32-20 can be reloaded just about as cheaply as you can reload 38 Special. But it can be a bit of a pain to reload being a small bottleneck cartridge compared to a straight wall like the 38. Case trimming, bullet seating, and bullet crimping have to be set just right or you risk damaging the brass at the shoulder.

[@elanmartin2495]

@@1957Shep thank you so much for the info and feedback!

[@straightpipec6099]

Very nice Shep.

[@1957Shep]

Thanks.

[@txwingnut62]

Hi Shep. Long time subscriber and enjoy the old gun vids. How do you clean, lubricate and preserve these fine old guns that can't be replaced? Looking forward to the next vid.

[@1957Shep]

Just solvent and gun oil. And I keep a dehumidifier going all the time to prevent rust.

[@undeadbrosm41a39]

The grips with the old logo are cool

[@1957Shep]

Thanks.

[@undeadbrosm41a39]

@@1957Shep does it feel like a 38 special when you shoot it?

[@1957Shep]

@@undeadbrosm41a39 Pretty close

[@undeadbrosm41a39]

@@1957Shep cool

[@martinwall7297]

have one in 5" 32-20 colt. runs and shoots great. police positive special.

[@1957Shep]

You should do a video with sometime.

[@AntonioPerez-mc9do]

Hello!! I have a pistol 32 20 Smith & Wesson, but I don't know what's the size of bullets. One time I was used a very short bullets, but was impossible shot in the center of a brick in six yards. .would you help me with that?

[@1957Shep]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.32-20_Winchester

[@AntonioPerez-mc9do]

@@1957Shep thank you!!

[@dude55ist]

Do you make your own amm for it? If so how powerful do you load it? And how durable is this revlover

[@1957Shep]

I do reload it, or did. Damn hard to find primers right now. Think I was using factory ammo in that video. The round is kind of a pain to reload. The upper case wall is very thin and easy to damage during seating and crimping. Loads should be kept pretty mild for use in revolvers. About the same pressure levels as 38 Special. It can be loaded much hotter for use in good quality rifles like the Marlin 1894 and Winchester model 92 and model 53.

[@scottscheuerman8714]

Other than the stamping on the barrel what is the difference between the Colt police special and the one I have it looks the same other than it says army special on the barrel and was made in 1923

[@1957Shep]

The Army Special (called the Official Police after 1927) is built on a larger frame than the Police Positive Special. Back then Colt used four basic frame sizes for their double action revolvers. 32, 38, 41, and 44/45 frame sizes designed for those calibers. But they were often chambered for many different calibers as long as the frame size was big enough to handle them. The New Police and Police Positive models are examples of the 32 Frame. Detective Special, Cobra, and Police Positive Special are examples of the 38 frame. The New Service revolver was made on the large 44/45 frame. The Army Special, Official Police, Officer`s Model, Python, Trooper and many others were built on the 41 Frame.

[@scottscheuerman8714]

@@1957Shep that good to know this is the first older made Colt double action revolver I have ever had the chance to buy when the weather gets little better I will take and shoot it I bought 1 box of Winchester ammunition for it I will have to get some brass somewhere I reload for everything else and I think it won’t be nearly as expensive to reload for it maybe get a mold and cast bullets for it to

[@1957Shep]

@@scottscheuerman8714 MidwayUSA ought to have new brass for 32-20. It is generally loaded with 100gr or 115gr bullets, but lighter ones used in loading 32 S&W Long or 327 Federal will work ok. The big things to watch in loading 32-20 is the case length and die adjustments. The case walls are very thin at the shoulder and it can crinkle or even collapse during bullet seating or crimping if everything is not set just right. And not having all the cases trimmed to exactly the same length can cause the same problem. Be careful what loading data you use. Years ago there were hot loads intended for rifles only.

[@scottscheuerman8714]

@@1957Shep it’s kind of like loading for my single action colts that are in 38wcf and the 44-40 right now midway doesn’t have any brass for the 32-20 but eventually it will show up they’ll make some more or some at the gun show might show up you are right about watching out for rifles loads and it seems like 100grain bullets are the most common of the heavier ones I have found that with fixed sights there are certain weights that they are regulated to and you can load lighter or heavier to a certain point thank you for the suggestion and the information I appreciate it and the 32-20 is definitely a cartridge that needs reloaded

[@daveybass655]

What's it run per round? Awhile back it was about 77 cents a shell.

[@1957Shep]

Last time I bought some, it was about $32 for a box of 50. But it`s much cheaper to reload.

[@sqlwriter3524]

Nice classic. Those torpedos were really moving or you were pretty close to that steel.

[@1957Shep]

Both. It is high velocity, Compared to a 38 Special anyway. And the target was only about 50 feet away. I don`t put the target in camera frame anymore because the Google Nits may decide that that is promoting unsafe acts and demonetize the videos.

[@ApurtureSci]

Gorgeous piece! How it pains me that handguns are illegal in my neck of the woods. Nothing matches the aesthetics of a beautiful revolver in my opinion.

[@1957Shep]

Glad that I live where I do. But since that moron Biden just won, we will be on defense against the Gun Control NATSIs for the next 4 years. We keep beating them back, but those goose steppers never give up.

[@brandonmitchell3617]

Would you say shooting this gun in 32 20 is louder than the 38 special version

[@1957Shep]

Yes. A lot of 38 Special loads are sub sonic. These are not.

[@glennstanford7062]

I have one that belonged to my grandfather......32-20 The only thing different is it is an Colt Army Special.

[@1957Shep]

The Army Special is a little bigger than the Police Positive special. I also have an Army Special in 32-20. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fpfYhomvatN4pbM It was once a very popular caliber in both revolvers and rifles.

[@Donut.79]

I had a 32.20 revolver but I think it was a cimarron it wasn't single action it was old my buddy sold it to me for 30 bucks back in 99 it was fun to shoot but the ammo was pricey.

[@1957Shep]

Doubt it was a Cimarron. That is just an importation brand name. Cimarron is a recent brand name. The guns sold under that name are modern reproductions made mostly in Italy.

[@Donut.79]

@@1957Shep yea i wish i remember a little more about it at the time i didn't know much about guns the caliber was odd as hell to me.

[@olhemi1]

🙂👍😁

[@1957Shep]

Thanks.

[@Oppo1602-h4v]

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