Anyone heard of a Courier 32 with a steel cylinder?

[ssgunnip]

I have this gun on reserve to buy and it is NIB. I will definetly get it lettered but was curious if anyone else had seen or heard of this variation?

[gunbroke]

Yes, the .32's came with both alloy and steel cylinders during the production run. The .22's only came with steel cylinders.

[elliotf]

My Courier .32 has a alloy cylinder. I have not seen one with a steel cylinder. Maybe the Judge will jump in?

However the blue book does state "Some .32 New Police (S&W) cal. models can be found with alloy or steel cylinders."

[ssgunnip]

That's what I thought. I believe the steel cylinder is rarer but I may be wrong. Thnks for all the responses.

[JudgeColt]

I have never seen a Courier with a steel cylinder, and none of the literature shows a heavier weight indicating a steel cylinder.

That said, I am sure that a .32NP cylinder from a Detective Special, Police Positive Special or Cobra would interchange, so that may be the source of the .32NP Couriers with steel cylinders. Engaging in a little wild speculation, could it be that some stories about Smith & Wesson alloy cylinder failure in Chiefs Special Airweights or Colt Aircrewman revolvers were published or rumored, and Colt agreed to replace alloy .32NP Courier cylinders with steel cylinders for customers who expressed enough fear of the alloy cylinder? (A .32 chamber would have thicker walls than a .38 chamber so the .32 cylinder would be much stronger. Add the fact that .32NP ammunition probably operates at a lower pressure than .38 Special ammunition, and I speculate that there probably never has been a .32NP alloy cylinder failure.)

A Courier .32NP with a steel cylinder will be nearly identical to a .32NP Cobra, except for the shorter butt. To me, the alloy cylinder would have been the main reason to buy a Courier over a .32NP Cobra, so I cannot imagine the reason for one with a steel cylinder.

Further speculating, if an alloy .32NP cylinder was a good idea, why was not an alloy .22LR cylinder an even better idea? Now THAT would have beaten the alloy-cylinder Smith & Wesson Airweight Kit Gun (Pre-Model 43) by over a decade and the M317 by about half a century! Oh Colt, what were you thinking?

[ssgunnip]

Thanks for the input. When I get the gun, I will post the details.