This listing is for a Smith & Wesson, model 1½, Single Action Revolver, .32 S&W center fire caliber, 3-inch barrel with original hard rubber grips. Serial number - 218XX. The last patent date is 1877. It appears as though the firing pin has been filed. I have not test fired this handgun.

Smith & Wesson Model 1 1/2 was a .32 caliber spur-trigger pocket revolver produced by Smith & Wesson in three successive variations during 1865 to 1892.

The Model 1 1/2 First and Second Issue revolvers, produced from 1865 to 1875, followed a 'tip-up' design like the Smith & Wesson Model 1 and the Smith & Wesson Model 2. The Model 1 1/2 Single Action Revolver, introduced in 1878, was a top-break revolver and was the first revolver to use the .32 S&W cartridge which was designed specifically for it. The Model 1 1/2 Single Action Revolver also introduced a rebounding trigger meaning that it was the first revolver that could be safely carried with the hammer over a loaded chamber. 

The Smith & Wesson Model 1 1/2 was Smith & Wesson's second .32 caliber revolver, intended to combine the small size and convenience of the .22 caliber Model 1 with the larger caliber of the 6-shot "belt sized" Model 2, which was introduced in 1860. Chambered in .32 Rimfire, its cylinder held 5 shots. It was produced in three varieties from 1865 through 1892, with total production exceeding 223,000.

The third issue of the Model 1 1/2 is known as the "Model No. 1 1/2 Single Action Revolver". It differs substantially from the first two issues by breaking at the top (just in front of the hammer), consistent with the design of the Safety Hammerless or S&W .38 Single Action. It can be readily distinguished from the first two issues by its lack of ejector rod under the barrel, the large hinge in front of, and just below the barrel, and the extractor that ejects spent cartridges when the barrel is hinged downward. The grip is rounded at the butt, and is similar in appearance to that on the 2nd Issue. This revolver marked the debut of the .32 S&W centerfire cartridge.

Serial numbers ranged from 1 to approximately 97,500.

 

Manufacturer  Smith & Wesson

Model              1 1/2

Type                Revolver

Gauge              32 CF

Barrel              3 inch solid rib

Finish              Nickel

Grip                 Checkered/hard rubber

 

Specifications

(1865 - 1892)

Type: Revolver

Caliber: .32 rimfire, .32 S&W

Barrel length: 3 in (7.6 cm), 3.5 in (8.9 cm), 6 in (15.2 cm), 8 in (20.3 cm) and 10 in (25.4 cm)

Feed System: 5 round cylinder

Fire Modes: Single action
 

Used, fair - good condition.