Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 32 S&W long caliber

I saw an ad in my local classifieds for an INA revolver in 32 SW long caliber. The pistol looks to be in very good shape. Does anyone have experience shooting and reloading for this caliber? Thanks!

i've never reloaded for this caliber but have carried it for years i feel it is adequate for worst case situation.I use a colt police positive and an old top break hr.I use the this to kill all animals for slaughter on farm

In the .32 S&W Long I suggest you look for an older S&W. I have a Regulation Police of 1930 vintage that I love and the more recent model 34 and it predecessor the .22/.32 Kit Gun are just GREAT little guns and with more modern loadings are decent SD guns for folks that are recoil sensitive.
Reloading dies are available as are components.

The Colts are GREAT as well but command much higher prices and you have to shy from the .32 Colt chambering as the S&W will not work in them, you must make sure the Colt is chambered in the S&W caliber not their weaker and different loading (it is a heeled bullet much like a .22 rimfire and uses a smaller diameter case).

The INA revolvers are well made and should be comparable in strength to a S&W I or J frame in .32 caliber. A revolver chambered for .32 S&W Long will also safely use .32 S&W or .32 Colt New Police Cartridges (if you can find them).

Some INA revolvers apparently did not have forcing cones cut into the breech end of their barrels, and might spit lead to some extent.

The .32 S&W Long is easy to reload and very thrifty on powder. It has a reputation as a very accurate caliber and was used quite a bit as a target cartridge in its heyday.

It can be safely loaded to a bit more power than the factory loads, but don't try to make a magnum out of it. An 85 to 115 grain bullet is appropriate. Jacketed bullets are unlikely to expand at the velocities possible with the .32. I have loaded for 2 different .32's, a S&W I-Frame Hand Ejector and a Ruger Single Six.

The factory load is a 98 grain bullet at about 700 fps. Handloading can increase that to about 900 fps without straining a good revolver. However, there is no pressing reason to go much hotter than factory load levels for plinking or small game hunting.

As a defensive weapon, even with safely increased handloads, the .32 is certainly better than nothing, and was an accepted police caliber prior to the 1960's, especially for detectives and plainclothesmen. However, it will not be as effective as a .380 or .38, no matter what you use in it.

I know whrere there is an I frame Smith and Wesson revolver, 2 inch, in this caliber if any of you fellows want it. Pretty sure the owner ( a non shooting older lady) would sell it if a fair price were offered.

The INA is an unknown to me, but the .32 S & W, the .32 S & W Long and the .32 H & R Magnum are all familiar and pleasant to shoot. The .327 Magnum is probably in my future.

My "pocket pistol" top-break .32 S & W (.32 short?) is a poorly-made edition from the balloon-head black powder era. It was made here in the USA, but not proudly. It qualifies as an old wall-hanger. Other guns are much better quality nowadays and shoot with more authority. YMMV. I also found a 1904 edition of a nickled revolver .32 Long, which is more reliable and better made.

The M-31 S & W double action revolver is one of my treasures. Truly lovely, dating from the hay-days of Smith & Wesson production, with mirror blue finish, firing the Long cartridge. Sights are rudimentary, but adequate, and this revolver is simply graceful. Easy to shoot (and conceal), cheap to feed, lovely to look at.

The M-16 S & W double action .32 H & R Magnum was not very popular when it came out. Lots of shooters were hoping that Smith would bring back the smaller-framed target .32, but that didn't happen. It feels like it could have been a K frame at birth, with a hefty underlug and hand-filling grips, but that just makes it shoot better. With adjustable sights and a speed-loader, it is a serious pistola, getting a workout on rabbits. I generally use lead .32 Long cartridges in it, but it is a powerhouse with the .32 Magnum JHC loads. Reloading is a breeze.

The Ruger Single Six was made in .32 Magnum also and is fairly light and frisky at the Cowboy matches. I sometimes use the .32 Long loading, but mostly .32 H & R Magnum loads. I can use it for knock-down targets if loaded with 115-120 grain bullets really close to the 1000 fps limit for SASS, resulting in @ 255 ft/lbs of Kinetic Energy. That is the old standard for the 158 gr .38 Special load.

The .32 Short is underpowered, the .32 Long is under-rated and the .32 H & R Magnum is underused.

Handloading can change all that, so pick a gun and go to it. The lead loads range from @ 76/77 grains on up to 115-120 gr, which is generally listed as a 32-20 slug. I use faster powders, along the lines of WW-231 or AA#2 or Unique for the Long and Magnum shells. I have an old set of Redding dies for the .32 S & W. My RCBS dies are carbide and load both the .32 Long and the .32 Magnum. Jacketed bullets are also easily found, see Hornady XTP for several of my favorites.

INA
INDUSTRIA NACIONAL DE ARMAS
SAO PAULO BRAZIL
(the state owned ordnance factory that later became / developed into IMBEL - INDUSTRIA DO MATERIEL BELICO DE BRASIL, FABRICA ITAJUBA BRAZIL)

"... a small quantity of very well made and well finished .32 S&W LONG double action solid frame ordnance steel constructed revolvers manufactured in the 1960`s. issued to BRAZILIAN AIR FORCE OFFICERS and BRAZILIAN POLICE DETECTIVES these swing out cylinder 6-shot revolvers followed the S&W pattern. features: 2" BBL, cocobola checkered wood grips with inset brass "INA" meddalions, fixed combat sights, engraved "pouncing jaguar" on left of frame, case hardened trigger and hammer, high grade commercial blue finish. these guns are rarely encountered outside of BRAZIL."

also produced a commercial / for export model in the 70`s-early 80`s in several calibers mainly made for the AMERICAN market...

the early guns were of higher quality and finish and command $150-250...

the later commercial export guns were of average finish and quality, mass produced, and command $50-$100...

"Lots of shooters were hoping that Smith would bring back the smaller-framed target .32, but that didn't happen." Border Doc

Border Doc,

In the late 80'S S&W did come out with the J-Frame in 32 H&R Magnum, stainless, 4 inch barrel, 6 shot, adjustable sights. The Model number escapes me now...But it was the same gun as the S&W 63 only in .32 H&R...As I had one (Don't ask). Years ago I heard the price was through the roof!?

I also had the Model 16 in .32 H&R magnum, 6 inch BBl....very accurate, but hated that full barrel underlug as I used it for a woods-roaming pistol.

Taurus also came out with their K-Frame clone in .32 H&R, didn't have the full barrel underlug, so I bought one for a field pistol, was not anywhere near as accurate as the S&W 16, so it went.

Jerry

The J-frame S&W in 32 mag was the 631. They made a 4" with adju sights and a 2" with fixed.

I have a 631 that I bought new and it is a dandy little gun. Mine is quite a bit more accurate than my 22 lr m63. With 2.4 gr of Red Dot or BE and a Hornady or Speer swaged lead wc in 32 long cases it thinks it is a target gun.

I really don't understand why the 32 mag wasn't/isn't more popular, they are a fun little gun and a great woods loafing cartridge.

Stray,

Would you measure the length of your cylinder and report back? I am wondering if the I frame cylinder is long enough to be punched out to 32H&R. The I frame that an aquantance wants to sell has some discoloration of the blueing on its sideplate so is not a collector piece. Might make a dandy ultra small ultra light pocket piece if so altered.

1.340 will get it done, looks like. (I just measured some ammo here)

The I frame won't take the extra pressure Mark, don't do it.

I love .32s

Wildihaveawebleyandameyeballina6inchsmithAlaska ��2002-2011

It will for a little while!!!

Where's Shrapnel! I want a second opinion from a real blowing up guns expert!

You are a total dumbkoph if you even try it Mark, that will remove body parts if not kill ya.

I turned a guy down that even offered to buy me the reamers if I would do it. Well another 'smith in town (that is no longer in business) did it for him, he missed losing his left eye by less than a 16th of an inch, has a 1/4" wide jagged scar from the outer corner of his eye to his ear. It took off the whole top strap and top 3 chambers of the cylinder and the ends of two of his fingers as well as his whole thumb to the first knuckle.

This with factory ammo BTW, not hot reloads, just industry standard loads, his attorney had the remainders tested for the law suit he filed against the 'smith that did the work.

So if you feel that foolish...........

Seems like a Model 63 stainless kit gun, converted to .32 Long (not one of the magnums) would be a pretty neat, compact and mild revolver. The firing pin would need sorting out, however, come to think of it.

But now I'll play devil's advocate and ask what you'd gain over just loading down a .38 Special, which are common in the 3" Cheif's Specials with adj sights...

You'd gain nothing except one more round in the cylinder.

JerryWW and StrayR--

The M-63 "Kit Gun" is a .22RF stainless with a small J or I frame, (nice field revolver), and I have one. My buddy has a Kit Gun 22/32, centerfire stainless, in .32 Magnum, which looks just like my 63.
Maybe I'm remembering wrong. . .wouldn't be the first time. . . . ?
Wasn't the K-32 the HOLY GRAIL back in the late 70s? The darling of the bulls-eye crowd, carefully polished and blued and coveted because it was very accurate and pretty? .312 holes didn't score quite as well as .357 holes, but why quibble, Montgomery?

Then there was the Walther, shooting .32 Long Wad-cutters out of a semi-auto? WOW, just WOW. That said Olympics all over it.

The M-16 was all of that, but too hefty for some, especially if carried in a holster all day. The finger grooved grips turned away some would-be admirers and the concept seemed tainted, that a perfectly good target gun would show up with bulging muscles in an UnderArmor shirt.

Now they are sorta collectible. Not mine, however, cause the M-16 .32 H & R will shoot quite well and you can't pry it out of my safe. Many years ago, before the M-31 was sainted, some 'smiths did convert them to adjustable sighted rigs. See article in Gun Digest from @ 1981? There was an outfit in Deming NM called MMC (or something like that) who made electric checkering tools (they are beauties, too) and was also involved in sights and knew a guy by name of Skeeter. They probably all got sitting around a campfire and came up with some interesting projects.

As do we.

Good loads are easily found with either lead or jacketed bullets, depending on needs/wants. The Hodgdon manual and the Lyman 47th edition list the .32 "Short", Long and the Magnum. Accurate and Hornady get 2 of 3, deleting the Short. Sierra shows only the Magnum and my old Vihtavuori copy shows only the Long.

And Terry is right on the money.

Don't try to hot-rod such a puny caliber. For all the trouble, you can buy a Taurus .38 +P and be done with it.

The .327 Federal is even worse, coming up with very high pressure in just a slightly longer cylinder. Tempting?

I know, the .327 Special!

Check your insurance.

OK, OK! No 'I' frame 32 H&R's!

Was mostly funnin, would not want to go to the trouble with such a gun, as evidenced by my smiley face after my last post about the idea.