Shooting the Smith and Wesson Regulation Police Revolver

For years I heard of the legendary accuracy of the 32 Smith and Wesson Long cartridge and I came across a classic firearm that I could not pass up. That would be a mint condition Smith and Wesson revolver. The Regulation Police to be exact. Otherwise known as the Model 30 when Smith and Wesson went to numerical designations for their various firearms in 1957






The revolver is a light six gun with a 3 1/4 in. barrel, while many others came in a 1 7/8 in. barrel.

The Regulation Police evolved from the 1896 Hand Ejector Model which was found in police holsters at the turn of the 20th century. It was Smith and Wesson's only entry into the small revolver market until a beefier version of the I frame revolver, called the J frame, Smith and Wesson Chief's Special came onto the scene in 1950. With more and more police agencies going for the 357/38 revolvers than ever as well as the increased popularity of the Chief's Special, the Regulation Police was dropped from production in 1969.

The Regulation Police, or Model 30, is a pleasant gun to shoot. It was originally chambered in either .38 Smith and Wesson or .32 Smith and Wesson Long. The latter chambering can also use .32 Smith and Wesson cartridges. Both cartridges are more esteemed as target cartridges than self defense options but with the correct bullet choices loaded to proper velocity I would feel well armed, in my opinion.

The sight system on the gun consists of a half moon front sight traditional for early Smith revolvers and a trench rear sight and the sights are very easy to pick up. While it is tricky to cock the revolver one handed because of the petite lines, the single action pull is delightful and this is a bullseye gun as far as 25 yards. The double action is extremely nice with distinctive clicks at the end of travel to allow for great staging. Unlike other small revolvers, recoil is light and fast follow up shots are extremely easy. This would make it a relevant choice for those with recoil issues. Overall, this revolver may be overlooked but it will outshoot its human owners any day of the week.

Here is a video of this fine revolver shooting:

 

Ten yard doube action results.

The Smith and Wesson Regulation Police to the Left and the later Chief's Special on the right. Note the beefier dimensions of the J Frame Smith and you can see just how compact the Regulation Police is.