32 Police Cartridge

but

Just picked up an old Colt revolver in good shape for a good price.
The barrel is marked 32 police.

Can anyone tell me what this cartridge is? I can't find any reference to this cartridge on the net or in any of my books. Is it some kind of oddball that was discontinued long ago?

I tried an old 32 S&W cartridge but it is too large and wouldn't enter the chamber. Thanks in advance, Tom

richbug

Was the 32 s+w too long or too large in diameter? What is the diameter of the chamber? Could it be the old 32 sw short. .339 dia and .600 inches long.
rich

mark christian

but, what you've got is an old and very obsolete Colt .32. The body diameter of the Colt case is .318 while the S&W .32 is .337, that is why the S&W will not chamber. I think that this Colt cartridge was introduced around 1875 and was of course loaded with black powder back then. It made it into the smokless age, but it did not last beyond WWII- if even that long. The Colt NEW POLICE is interchangable with the S&W .32. I believe that this round may still be loaded in Europe where it was known as the .320 revolver. There are a few countries which allow their citizens to own pistols which are chambered for these otherwise obsolete cartridges, so a lot of these rounds still live on, although quietly. Most folks never even bother thinking about shooting these old pistols now a days. I'm sure the attics of America are packed full of such pistols. This is the reason I always laugh when some nut screams in outrage that there are 60 million handguns in the USA. ONLY 60 million? I'll wager there are two or three times that number!

Mark T. Christian