32 help, please?

susie

I had a couple of Rugers, a Single Six and a Bisley, in .32 H&R Mag. Both were great guns but at the time that I had them .32 H&R Mag. ammo was hard to come by and kind of pricey when you did find it. Eventually I traded them in on other handguns that I was more interested in. Like most of the Ruger revolvers that I sold or traded away I would love to have them back again.

If you like .32 caliber pistols you should try the .327 Magnum. It shoots almost every .32 caliber pistol round
and is one nice shooting gun. Ruger makes it in a 7 shooter the size of a .22 rimfire.
Zeke

At one point, I owned over 20 PAIRS of the Ruger Single Six Vaquerito .32 H&R mag. Absolutely LOVE the little roaring devils. Had the SP101 in 32H&R, now one in 327, as well as a Single 7 327FM.

I wouldn't hesitate to pick up a Single 7. Even if it doesn't run right, Ruger will replace it. I like the SP101 better than the Single 7, but for a longer range small game killer, I do wish the SP101 came in a 6". That's the only reason I kept the 7.5" Single 7 - threw a scope on top and just it for blasting bunnies.

S&W Model 16s (K-frame 32 cal) are few and far between and will be expensive. Only 3000 or so Model 16 through 16-3 (32 S&W Long) were made and about 8000 Model 16-4 (32 H&R Magnum). The 16-4 is very nice to shoot

At least in my area, J-frame 32 caliber revolvers, early or late production, also do not show up much on the used market. One with adjustable sights is on my bucket list but I think I have only seen one with fixed sights in the last 3 years.

I'm not sure how frequently they show up on the auction sites but when spending the kind of money they get on the used market, I would rather fondle one first before shelling out the cash.

susieqz said:

i saw a model 31 for $500 on gunbroker.
not familiar with 16s but i'll look them up.
thanks for the lead.

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As far as smith and wesson goes, smith and wesson models 30 and 31 are both well made guns in 32 smith and wesson long. The model 30 is a round butt and the model 31 is a square butt. There are also smith and wesson models in 32 smith and wesson long made before they used model numbers. They would be the hand ejector ( round butt) and regulation police (square butt). All of the above have external hammers. The smith and wesson model number 431 and 631 in 32 H&R are more recent models with an external hammer that can fire 32 S&W, 32 S&W Long and 32 H&R magnum. The smith and wesson .327 models were only produced for a short time and the prices they command are very high.

I just purchased this Single Six in .32 H&R off GunBroker two weeks ago for $525 plus $20 shipping.

thanks guys.
no one has shot the 31?
nah, i'm not interested in a single 7.
the idea of sending a new gun back to ruger offends me.

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I like 32 caliber guns myself. I own two model 30s a 2" and a 3", A 4" model 31, A 4" model 631 32 mag, a model 431PD in 32 mag and two Ruger Single Six 32 mags with 5.5" barrels and adjustable sights.

As much as I like the S&W guns and that 631 was my Holy grail gun for many years I still like the two Rugers I own best of all. They are not hideouts or night stand guns but for me field guns to be used for trail walking and woods carry. The others will work for that but the Rugers just seem to do it better. And thats just an opinion. The S&W 631 is a very close second to the Rugers and just a little lighter in weight and a little more handy to carry. Worth every penny I paid for it and I paid a bunch of them.

So a lot depends on what your target use is. I have no plans at all to sell the S&W models 30 and 31. They are just such neat little guns and accurate with ammo they like. I reload for the 32 long and 32 mag and cast the lead bullets I need so ammo is not a problem.

I am not sure I agree with the statement that S&W is better than Ruger. They are two different guns to be judged on their own merits. And I sent one gun back to Ruger and the service from them was what service from anyone else should be measured by. It was top notch. So I don't know how sending one back would "Offend" you?

Triggernosis I have been watching those for a while. Ya did good. What a fantastic firearm to own.

susieqz said:

i expect a new gun to work instantly. i couldn't stand not being able to shoot new gun instantly. i don't care about customer service. i don't wanna use it.
s&ws won't shoot all 3 types of 32 ammo?
i really want that capability.
i'm not knocking rugers. i own 2.
they just don't display the craftmanship of older s&ws.

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the models 30, 31, hand ejector and regulation police are chambered in 32 smith and wesson long so they can also shoot 32 S&W but not 32 H&R Magnum. Their cylinders can be reamed to accept 32 H&R. The firearms are built well enough to be able to handle it. The models 30, 31, 631 and 431 can use 32 ACP but the accuracy suffers.

I admit to being confused by what you are looking for. Do you want a gun for defense that is light recoiling? Do you want a trail gun? Do you just want a plinker?

Your Sig line says "rimfire plinker". Are you new to guns? Nothing wrong with being new. We all were once. And if you didn't know that the S&W models 30 and 31 were 32 long and the hard to find 32 S&W round then you are short on knowledge of what you are asking about. You may want to do a little more research on your guns of interest. And the odds of having to send a gun back to Ruger are very, very small. The one I sent back didn't need to be sent back. I just thought it did. New guy.

A 32 caliber gun for the most part is not about power but fun, easy to shoot guns. And yes you can ream a 32 to 32 mag with a newer S&W gun but you totally ruin the collecter value. The better route would be to reload a little hotter 32 long round. I do that. But I don't try to match 32 mag velocity. But I do have 94gr LEAD bullets getting 900fps from my 32 longs. If I need more power I have a bunch of guns that will give more power without risking a valued firearm.

And where do you live that a gunstore is 90 miles away? Most gunshops will not have the models 30 and 31 in stock. They are pretty much gunshow finds or internet gun auction finds. They have been discontinued for many years. Well good luck with your search.

susieqz said:

s&ws won't shoot all 3 types of 32 ammo?

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For clarity...

From shortest to longest, there is 32 S&W, 32 S&W Long, 32 H&R Magnum and 327 Federal Magnum. Besides the power of the round, the difference between them is the length of the case.

So, guns can shoot any of the rounds that are shorter than the one they are chambered for. A 32 H&R Magnum gun can also shoot 32 S&W and 32 S&W Long.

Kind or like 38 Special can be shot in 357 Magnum guns and 22 Shorts can be shot in guns chambered for 22 long Rifle.

32 H&R Magnum, released in 1983, and 327 Federal Magnum, released in 2008, are fairly new rounds so guns chambered for them are also fairly new.

So, with 32 caliber S&W revolvers, things get a bit confusing during recent production. The knowledge is above my "pay grade".

That gun poster by triggernosis in post #9 would be one of the best bets you could make on a 32 caliber handgun. Especially since you stated you only shoot single action.

Your best bet for a light recoiling gun might be to start reloading. For what you are looking at spending for a 32 you can get a nice reloading set up for your 38. And if you use 110 to 125gr bullets in the slightly heavier 38 gun the recoil will be almost the same as the 32. I have 124gr loads in 38 cases that are not much more than a 22 in recoil. Those are lead bullets I cast for my 9mm auto. They make great low recoil rounds. Hopefully you have been saving the brass from you 38 shooting.

OK. I don't know what you read in a book. Once set up you just load. You do not measure over and over. The progressive presses like the Dillon are harder to set up. They are not really first time loader presses. I still use the single stage press I started with 38+ years ago. Its not fast but instead of watching TV I load ammo when I need it. It is relaxing.

I still don't know where you are or if there are other loaders who could help you. If you are near the Burleson Tx area I will be happy to give you some lessons on rolling your own ammo. But I suspect you are not. It seems that every point you are given you have a counter point why it will not work. Good luck.

Despite my favor for all things stainless, I do hold a soft spot for this particular salt & pepper set of .32 H&R Single Six Vaqueritos:

susieqz said:

thanks guys.
no one has shot the 31?
nah, i'm not interested in a single 7.
the idea of sending a new gun back to ruger offends me.

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I have a 31-1 and used to carry it for a while.

It's my most accurate snub. And easiest to shoot.

I carried it with Buffalo Bore 32 S&W long wadcutters.

But mostly shot it with cheaper factory 32 S&W long ammo.

It also works with 32 ACP. I haven't used it a whole lot with 32 ACP, but I didn't notice any problems with accuracy.

You can't go wrong with a 31 (square butt) or 30 (round butt).

Mine is a 31-1 2":

30-1 3". It's a beauty, and it's accurate as can be too.

i bought my S&W model 31 at auction for a very good price as some had installed a s&w adjustable rear sight and a micro front sight on it. my wife took it for her protection revolver while taking her walks on out land, she likes it better than her s&w 36 in 38spl . she can keep a soda can jumping at 20 yards. eastbank.