Spanish Eibar Revolvers

[kevman0154]

I just picked up a Spanish S&W Clone, for 40$. The pistol says it is chambered in .32 long, which I am assuming is .32 S&W long. All the research on the Internet says to not shot the pistol, due to supposed dubious manufacturing and materials. However I have seen a few videos on youtube, where people are shooting their pistols without fear. I am aware of the history of the pistols and how they flooded the market in the early 20th Century and S&W injunction against the importers. Now I am wondering how this reputation was created? Is this just Fudd? Is this just S&W creating a Smeer campaign to protect their sales? Has anyone here shot their Pistols or give any insight on where this all started from? It doesn't make sense how the French Army in WW1 would commission thousands of Pistols from these Spanish makers only for these same makers to just crap the bed once the War is over.

[warbird]

i own a Spanish civil war double action that was nicely made. The Spanish revolver industry during this period was largely a cottage industry with questionable quality and material being used while the battle lines moved back and forth as in any war. Have a good gunsmith check it out but for $40 it is a good investment even for a wall hanger of a time gone by.

[kevman0154]

Yeah, a trip to the gunsmith is the first order of business. Have you shot yours at all? What is your chambered in?

[sealocan]

You asked about which cartridges it shoots because it's labeled 32 Smith & Wesson long. Interchangeability can be somewhat of a semi confusing issue when it comes to the many .32 Caliber cartridges.


" The .32 S&W Long headspaces on the rim and shares the rim dimensions and case and bullet diameters of the shorter .32 S&W cartridge and the longer .32 H&R Magnum and .327 Federal Magnum cartridges. The shorter .32 S&W may be fired in handguns chambered for the .32 S&W Long; and the .32 S&W Long may be fired in arms chambered for the longer H&R and Federal magnums; although the longer cartridges should not fit and must not be fired in arms (like yours) designed for the shorter and less powerful cartridges.

The .32 S&W Long and .32 Long Colt are not interchangeable. At one time it was widely publicized that these rounds would interchange, but in truth it has never been deemed safe to do so."

I've even seen people put .32 ACP pistol rounds into top- break revolvers that were built for the earlier designed .32 short cartridge. They fit right in the cylinder chambers and they are short enough but it's not going to do anything good for the gun and it might not be good for your health either.

If I were you and the gunsmiths gave it the okay I would still go the route of using light handloads.
And even then I might do the old gun tied to the tree with a long string attached to the trigger testing method for the first few cylinders.

$40 gun are a bargain,
hand surgery is more pricey... and things could get more expensive than that even.

The .32 is of those calibers that's actually still popular in parts of the world (like India) because of governmental restrictions on the diameter / caliber of bullets allowed for civilian use in handguns.

[kevman0154]

If I were you and the gunsmiths gave it the okay I would still go the route of using light handloads.
And even then I might do the old gun tied to the tree with a long string attached to the trigger testing method for the first few cylinders.

$40 gun are a bargain,
hand surgery is more pricey... and things could get more expensive than that even.

Yeah I agree. I do not want to play any games when it comes to certain pistol.

[warbird]

aging of the fatigued metal, questionable modern day loads compared to what they used back then, possible loss of finger or hand mentioned above, and a dozen other things that could go wrong all add up to hanging it on the wall and making it a conversation piece. And the gunsmith might fire one or six rounds through it but the next one might be the one that nails you. It is worth more as history than a shooter. Good luck and enjoy it.

[Mike Armstrong]

Quality depends a lot on who is the maker. Who IS the maker?

And does the caliber marking say ".32 Long Cartridge" or ".32 Largo Ctg."? It looks like they should mean the same thing, right? They don't.

".32 Largo" which literally means ".32 Long" when translated into English from Spanish, is actually a very common Spanish designation for the .32-20 WCF cartridge and many Spanish revolvers are so marked.

Likewise ".44 Largo" means .44-40 WCF, not .44 Russian or .44 Special, also fairly common Spanish revolver chamberings.

A good place for Spanish handgun expertise is the "Spanish Handguns" forum, which is 'way down the forum list on www.gunboards.com. You don't need to register to read that forum, just if you want to ask questions.

[omega]

back then pistols were carried more than fired, usually carried by Officers or as a sign of rank and rarely used, thats one reason they held up long enough to get through the war

I had a wartime German P38 that was all matching and in mint condition, but the slide broke after only firing 2,000 rds, and I also made sure to replace the recoil springs, the soldiers of WW2 probably didnt fire them as much as modern shooters these days, but they lasted long enough to make it through the war as intended.

I wouldnt shoot it either if they say not to fire it, it's more of a historical collector's piece

the same reason why I only buy modern M1911's for regular range use

[kevman0154]

Quality depends a lot on who is the maker. Who IS the maker?

And does the caliber marking say ".32 Long Cartridge" or ".32 Largo Ctg."? It looks like they should mean the same thing, right? They don't.

".32 Largo" which literally means ".32 Long" when translated into English from Spanish, is actually a very common Spanish designation for the .32-20 WCF cartridge and many Spanish revolvers are so marked.

Likewise ".44 Largo" means .44-40 WCF, not .44 Russian or .44 Special, also fairly common Spanish revolver chamberings.

A good place for Spanish handgun expertise is the "Spanish Handguns" forum, which is 'way down the forum list on www.gunboards.com. You don't need to register to read that forum, just if you want to ask questions.

The pistol says "32 Long Ctg" I also am weary about putting modern loads thru this pistol.