Recently a local gun shop listed an H&R Model 733 revolver with 2.5' barrel for $125. The going rate on seems to be at least $150 to $300, from what I've seen. The 733 is the chrome (early) or nickel (later) version of the blued Model 732. It's marked '.32 S&W' on the barrel, but is in fact chambered for .32 S&W Long.
I've been on the lookout for a low cost wheelgun in .32 S&W Long and this seemed to fit the bill, so I called and had them hold it for a few days until I could go in to check it out in person.
Upon inspection the gun seems to have been fired very little and wasn't very dirty. I inspected it carefully. It appeared to have sat in a drawer for most of its life, with maybe one box of ammo ever being shot through it. It locked up well with no endshake, so it came home with me, along with a pound of Alliant Reloder 7 powder for use in my .44-40 rifles.
The serial number starts with 'AH', placing the date of manufacture as 1971. It looks like it was made yesterday and had maybe a box of ammo through it.
One known weakness of relatively early H&R 732 / 733 is a plastic tip on the end of the hammer spring guide rod, which bears on the hammer. Before I bought the gun I'd done some research and apparently, it's not uncommon for it to break. So, I wanted to remove the grips, make a drawing of the part if mine was plastic, and replicate it in brass.
Naturally, that part shattered when I removed the grips. Just a little bit of lateral pressure on the mainspring assembly while pushing the left side grip off managed to break it. The old plastic literally crumbled so there was no way I'd be able to replicate it in a stronger material.
<sigh>
After much cussing, I went online to search for a replacement. Luckily, Numrich has them, in either plastic or steel. I of course ordered the metal part for $35.99 after shipping. Even with the cost of the part the overal cost of the gun is in line what they go for nowadays at retail. I got the replacement about a week later and it dropped right it.
I took the H&R over to a friend's place on New Year's Day to try it out. We got the chance to put 30 rounds of Prvi Partizan .32 S&W Long 98 grain LRN through it, plinking at an 8' steel gong from about 5 - 7 yards. As long as I did my part it rang the gong (albeit softly). Recoil was negligible.
So why a revolver in .32 Long? They are just fun to shoot, in my opinion. If looking for a low recoil, compact self defense gun, compared with a .22, it shoots a bullet over twice the weight and 1/10th of an inch larger in diameter. With wadcutters, it has the potential to punch a ~5/16' hole in a miscreant deep enough to reach the vitals. And in general, centerfire ammunition is more reliable than rimfire ammo.
Where legal, a lead .32 wadcutter or semiwadcutter performs well on small game without destroying a ton of meat. (Unfortunately, that doesn't include PA.)
Next up will be to shoot the gun at paper targets to verify point of impact.