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

If someone were looking for a flawless 16-4, 6", I might just have one for them.

Smith still catalogs two 32 H&R Mag revolvers, the 431PD and 432PD, the former a hammered gun, the latter a Centennial pattern, both in Airweight. I have been carrying one for years as a backup and occasional off duty gun. I love the 32 Mag cartridge, and wish Smith would release a Centennial 1 7/8" gun in 327 Mag, with no ports, etc....

Hi
The .32 S&W Long has always been a soft spot with Me ! That said I equipped my whole family with them. I used to carry a Pre-30 snub. I searched & Searched for one in Nickel to no avail so I bought a finish challenged Blued model and sent it to Ford's Refinishing in Florida and had them Hard Chrome plate it. That Gun rode in my Pocket for Five years before I gave it to Our Daughter as her Nightstand gun as her wedding Present. I Then replaced it with a N.I.B. Model 431 P.D. Chambered in .32 H&R Magnum. I later was at a Local Gun auction and came across a Nice Blued Pre-30 Five screw model with a 3" Barrel and bought it for $135.00 as it is shown below. I Gave that One to my Son In law the very next day after buying it, so both of my Kid's have I-Frame .32 Long caliber S&W's now. Last weekend I was at a Local gun show and spotted a model 30-1. The dash one designates the design change to make the revolver frame a J-Frame. Nickel Model 30's are a Very hard find so I found myself coming home with it. I gave it to my wife so now she has a S&W revolver chambered in .32 Long to carry. And so it goes the whole family is armed with S&W revolvers now chambered in .32 S&W Long shown below... TheGeneral.









Pre-30 Hard Chrome Snub that I gave Our Daughter the day she got married











The 3" Blued Pre-30 Five screw revolver that I gave my son in Law









The 30-1 That I Just found last weekend and now my wife has it to carry





[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v258/hammerdown-7/015e309c.jpg[/img]



The 431 P.D. Chambered in .32 H&R Magnum that I carry daily



[img]http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/431_with_magnas_2.jpg[/img]

[img]http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/431_With_Magnas_1.jpg[/img]

What is the advantage of the .32 H&R Mag. over a .38 in a snubby?

One More round as the .38 Snubs are Five shot where as the .32 H&R Magnum caliber revolvers are Six shots. The .32 H&R Magnum round has the same if not little more velocity than the standard .38 Special caliber and a lot less recoil. I am much more accurate with anything in .32 Caliber..TheGeneral.

Thanks, general.

It's a marvelous woods walker cartridge in very nice revolvers. I like the square butt J-frame. My loads are mostly Red Dot but I do find it necessary to weigh every charge - anybody have a powder measure that throws less than 2 grains of a fluffy powder to no worse then +/- .1 grain EVERYTIME?

clyde,

My only suggestion is that if you're thinking self-defense with a .32 caliber handgun, it's a neck up caliber: meaning that to be effective you're going to have to hope for a CNS hit.

I have a Stainless Chief's Special in .38 SPL that I consider to be a neck up gun, which is why I no longer carry it. With 158 grain +P ammo, it does have substantial recoil.


Buena Suerte,

R

The .32 has been my favorite pistol round for over 30 years now, all in Colt revolvers. (Sorry General!) Current "go-to" .32 started out as a minty 4" Colt Police Positive Special a few years ago, and is now a well used but not abused one. I like the round for it's low cost to shoot, accuracy, and low recoil. With cast bullets and a smidgeon of powder, the biggest cost is the primer which goes a long way toward affording to shoot it enough to be proficient. I don't carry a pistol (Maryland, you know) but if I did I wouldn't feel under dressed with a .32. .45's and .357's have come and gone for me but the .32 is constant.

General,

Your 431 is a little prettier than mine with those wood grips; looks nice. I like the feel of the standard Hogues, but the wood does look nice. What load do you carry? I have settled on the Federal Lead Flat Point. I haven't found ANY factory load that will expand from the 2" barrel.

Hello Kevin


I Hand load my carry ammo for my 431 as I do Not like the factory loaded stuff. I use 9.0 Grains of Accurate Arms # 5 powder with a 85 Grain Hornady XTP Bullet and CCI small Magnum primer... TheGeneral

seems to me a light single shot rifle, like a Low Wall, or one of the smaller Stevens, would make a nice place to put a .32 long for small game hunting & such. Nice companion to one of those fine old revos.

I have been keeping an eye out for a suitable (AND AFFORDABLE on little money) Stevens falling Block or Remington #4 rolling Block to do just such a deal. Someday, perhaps..................

Didnt Ruger make a few #1 single shots in 32S&W?

They're a dandy bunny gun. Mind you I wouldn't want to be shot with even a .22 LR, but I would personally reserve a 32 long for field & plinking use. Even a 38 spl with wadcutters make the 32 long look anemic. I have had 32 H&R in a single-Six, and a few DA 32 longs, but just couldn't warm up to them. Now 9mm & 38 Spl is as low as I care to go on the powerband. They would make a totally slick small game gun, especially in a lightweight rifle.

Question I'd like to throw in here for all you folks.....

Anyone have experience in the field with hardcast .32 long loads when the critters get bigger than small game? Say coon, fox and coyote?

I'm thinkin of carrying my .32 Single Six with me when I'm predator hunting instead of a .22 but I am a little worried about penetration with some powder puff, hardcast H&R loads I have worked up for small game and plinkin. Penetration on soft maple (I know, not the best test medium :P) is only about 1" to the back of the bullet and less than that of a HP .22lr.

BTW, loads are 2grs. of Titegroup behind a 98gr rnfp in H&R brass. Don't have a chrono so I don't know exactly where I ended up.

CB

I have used .32 Longs to kill a few garbage raiding coons, feral dogs, garden raiding groundhogs, and one fox. 98 grain SWC at whatever the velocity is with a "factory load duplicating" charge of Bullseye (never bothered chrono'ing it). Quick clean kills. All at under 25 yards. Bullets cast soft (wheel weights)- no need for hard cast bullets in a .32, they'll probably lead the barrel more than soft ones anyway.

Thanks for the info gnoahhh. Still a little worried about the power of these loads but I'll work something out. As for wheel weights vs. hardcast......... I'm buying not casting my own so I'm kinda stuck on the hardcast unless someone knows of some cast available that are softer.

CB

Buy the extruded bullets, they are softer by far.

IMHO..

Some old straight wall cartridges get made a little longer and get registered at a higher pressure.
They made a mistake with the 32 H&R mag, in that it failed to take advantage of how high the pressure could be and still not get stuck cases. To exploit that margin, the case had to be lengthened and the pressure upped a second time to the 327 Fed Mag.
Revolvers with a 6 at once extractor can get stuck cases at ~ 40,000 psi, depending on the thickness of the steel chamber wall:


38 special -> 357 mag
44 special -> 44 mag
45 Colt -> 454 Casull
32 S&W long -> 32 H&R mag -> 327 Fed Mag

I buy 100 year old Colt 32 S&W long revolvers and load them until the cases stick and then back off a safety margin.
I like 800X and LIL'GUN for the 32 S&W Long.

One problem I have had is blown out forcing cones in the old Colts.
The barrel is unscrewed, the forcing cone TIG welded up, and then re cut with a thicker profile.
The hot loads then proceed without incident.


John Bercovitz explaining the math of sticky revolver cases in 1993