Why no love for 32 H&R?

Well, yeah. All four of those calibers are good ones to reload for.

I like keeping a 32 mag or 327 around. You have a choice of ammo. 32acp, 32 short (SW), 32 long, 32 mag, or 327 federal if the cylinder is long enough.

I have a 94 marlin cowboy and a ruger single six(non adjustable sights) In 32 H&R mag and a ton of cases to reload. eastbank.

A 3" SP101 in 327 mag is on my list. It's the smallest revolver I find appealing and since I reload, well I anticipate a lot of H&R level loads to be shot, and maybe some hot rods for woods walking.

entropy said:

You do realize it will also fire .32 S&W, and .32 S&W Long, right? While both aren't available at Walmart, they are not that hard to find.

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While my 30-1, 32SWL is very pleasant to shoot, I can accomplish the same at the range with a 22, starting mild and working up to the magnums. When I shoot my 327 Federal Magnums, I shoot only the real deal ammo. Why wouldn't I, if the gun is as substantial as a Single Seven or SP101 chambered for it? For carry, I have the SP101 chambered in 32 H&R.

Mr_Flintstone said:

I live in a gun store dead zone. There used to be five within five miles. Now the closest one is 30 miles away. The closest 32 H&R ammo is a little past that, and the closest 32 SWL is nearly an hour away. The closest 32 S&W (that I've found) is over 100 miles away. So unless I want to make a special trip, or order from the Internet, I have to do without.

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Gun stores in my parts have gotten so pitiful for the gun related things I buy that I do not bother going anymore. I just order off the internet when I need something. I have a minimum inventory threshold that triggers me to order for replacement product.

Cost are lower and I do not spend the time or gasoline running around not finding what I need.

It is a shame but it is what it is.

There are two types of handguns that I tried and promptly abandoned, the 9x18 Makarov and the 32H&R. Now I have nearly twenty 9x18 handguns and ten revolvers that are either 32H&R or 327 Federal Magnum. Can't explain it nor do I feel the need to, just really enjoy the various 32's. I will agree though that it did compel me to get into reloading. Same with the 45 Colt round.

When looking at this cartridge I say to myself, what will it do that my 38 wont? Nothing really. Therefore if I'm going to buy one it's just because I want one. Sometimes finances don't allow that to happen.

Charliefrank said:

When looking at this cartridge I say to myself, what will it do that my 38 wont? Nothing really. Therefore if I'm going to buy one it's just because I want one. Sometimes finances don't allow that to happen.

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How about, when you pull the trigger for the sixth time, only the 32 goes bang.

Mr_Flintstone said:

I live in a gun store dead zone. There used to be five within five miles. Now the closest one is 30 miles away. The closest 32 H&R ammo is a little past that, and the closest 32 SWL is nearly an hour away. The closest 32 S&W (that I've found) is over 100 miles away. So unless I want to make a special trip, or order from the Internet, I have to do without.

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Let me amend my statement :

entropy said:

Well, yeah. All four of those calibers are good ones to reload for.

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And order ammo online, as well as reloading components.....

The factory ammo is expensive, even online. I can't justify $1 a round for this small cartridge, but I can for .357 because it's .357 and blah blah blah.

I do reload it and I can reload good defensive loads with XTP bullets for way less than half the cost of factory ammo, but my focus is on plinking loads and to use some extremely low velocity loads in the Henry .327 Big Boy that are about as powerful as a hyper velocity .22 LR.

.32 Mag is a great choice for concealed carry, it recoils less and is less deafening than .327, but in the field it's also got a lot of nice aspects to it, but .32 Mag just doesn't have the following .38 does. People who just want a revolver for self defense and nothing else aren't interested in such a niche cartridge. .38 is cheap, plentiful, and well known to non-shooters. There are defense loads out there that have the same recoil as a .32 does.

After I shot that particular ammo I even had the thought it makes .32's pointless. If I, a fan of .32 revolvers, think that, then what do you think the general public would think?

RealGun said:

How about, when you pull the trigger for the sixth time, only the 32 goes bang.

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That's really the only selling point the .32 has right now. If in the future laws come down on magazine capacities not exceeding a certain amount, but revolvers are excluded, then I can see the popularity of a 10 shot .32 revolver the size of the Redhawk or N or X frame revolvers going into the atmosphere.

TTv2 said:

The factory ammo is expensive, even online. I can't justify $1 a round for this small cartridge, but I can for .357 because it's .357 and blah blah blah.

I do reload it and I can reload good defensive loads with XTP bullets for way less than half the cost of factory ammo, but my focus is on plinking loads and to use some extremely low velocity loads in the Henry .327 Big Boy that are about as powerful as a hyper velocity .22 LR.

.32 Mag is a great choice for concealed carry, it recoils less and is less deafening than .327, but in the field it's also got a lot of nice aspects to it, but .32 Mag just doesn't have the following .38 does. People who just want a revolver for self defense and nothing else aren't interested in such a niche cartridge. .38 is cheap, plentiful, and well known to non-shooters. There are defense loads out there that have the same recoil as a .32 does.

After I shot that particular ammo I even had the thought it makes .32's pointless. If I, a fan of .32 revolvers, think that, then what do you think the general public would think?

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If we use the logic that caliber x is not much different from caliber y so we don't need it, then something like 80% of all calibers would need to be canceled. Especially rifle calibers.

Sometimes the differences are small, but it's nice to have choices -- even if we don't absolutely need them.

TTv2 said:

That's really the only selling point the .32 has right now. If in the future laws come down on magazine capacities not exceeding a certain amount, but revolvers are excluded, then I can see the popularity of a 10 shot .32 revolver the size of the Redhawk or N or X frame revolvers going into the atmosphere.

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I still think the main selling point of the 32H&R is low recoil. I have not found any 38 ammo that does not hurt when shooting it out of a 12 oz revolver.
The 32 H&R did not get any sales momentum, I think, because gun sales people did not stock them nor recommend them to shooters who would benefit from it. In addition, only a couple of gun companies were interested in selling revolvers in the 1990s (today too). The gun companies moved decisively to polymer semiautos so that's what the stores carried and pushed.

Zendude said:

I still think the main selling point of the 32H&R is low recoil. I have not found any 38 ammo that does not hurt when shooting it out of a 12 oz revolver.
The 32 H&R did not get any sales momentum, I think, because gun sales people did not stock them nor recommend them to shooters who would benefit from it. In addition, only a couple of gun companies were interested in selling revolvers in the 1990s (today too). The gun companies moved decisively to polymer semiautos so that's what the stores carried and pushed.

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There is always a chicken or egg problem with a new caliber.

The ammo makers don't have much incentive to turn out lots of different types of ammo in quantity if there are hardly any guns around.

Likewise people don't buy guns if they can't get ammo.

So it's tough to get the market started.

Sort of like the question of who buys the first telephone? -- When there is no one to call.

I think recent interest in 327 Federal along with the guns churned out by Ruger are finally generating interest in 32 H&R mag.

I think it's the perfect round for "non-gun people" who don't like recoil. If something is going to sit in a drawer untouched for ten years, then suddenly needs to be used, it's probably better that it's a low-recoil revolver with decent "stopping power".

Zendude said:

I still think the main selling point of the 32H&R is low recoil. I have not found any 38 ammo that does not hurt when shooting it out of a 12 oz revolver.
The 32 H&R did not get any sales momentum, I think, because gun sales people did not stock them nor recommend them to shooters who would benefit from it. In addition, only a couple of gun companies were interested in selling revolvers in the 1990s (today too). The gun companies moved decisively to polymer semiautos so that's what the stores carried and pushed.

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I'll take back what I said. I wasn't thinking about the weight of the revolver when I shot it, which is 25 ounces... about double what the lightest light weight .38's weigh.

As for why the .32 revolvers didn't move in the 80s and 90s... maybe it just came out at the wrong time? By the late 80s everything was indeed moving to autos and the .38 had long been established. Maybe if the H&R Magnum came out in the 50s or 60s it would have stood better chance

It's all history now, the focus here is on why .32 isn't getting much attention today and IMO, it has to do with the existence of .327, the price of ammunition, the general rarity of the ammo, and the lack of new guns being made in the chambering.

cal44mag said:

If we use the logic that caliber x is not much different from caliber y so we don't need it, then something like 80% of all calibers would need to be canceled. Especially rifle calibers.

Sometimes the differences are small, but it's nice to have choices -- even if we don't absolutely need them.

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The difference in rifles is very noticeable when you change the distances and other variables. I would agree though because there's a list of rifle cartridges I have that I see no reason to get into another one.

Sorry .416 Rigby. I have no use for you.

But, that's just me and a lot of people have different needs. In a self defense revolver though, the whole point is personal protection. If my 25 ounce .38 revolver loaded with 90 grain Hornady recoils less than .32 Mag does, it makes it hard for me to recommend the expense of .32 Mag to a woman who wants a simple gun that's reliable and has low recoil. It makes it hard for a gun salesman who never stocks more than 3 boxes of .32 on the shelves to recommend them too.

However, the differences are small and in handguns, which are difficult to shoot accurately compared to rifles, I see the need for the .32 to exist. I'm just saying that low recoil .38 opened my eyes a bit when before I was all on the .32 train. Unfortunately, there's not a lot of media out there that tests the ballistics, penetration, and performance of .32 revolver ammunition, so I can't go much more into detail on if that low recoil .38 Hornady ammo is better than .32 H&R Mag or .327 is.

I have a Dan Wesson 732 Pistol Pac in .32 H&R. It’s a great gun.

RealGun said:

How about, when you pull the trigger for the sixth time, only the 32 goes bang.

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If you want to argue the virtues of capacity you aren't going to carry a revolver at all. I can get an automatic with smaller dimensions than a J-Frame with 10+1 9mm. The reason to carry a revolver in today's world, aside from non-terminal factors, is power. If you think .32 (.327) really is just as good as .38spc or .357mag then it makes a lot of sense to prefer 32 caliber for the +1 capacity, but if you think .38spc or .357mag meet or exceed .327 then there is no reason to ever pick a 32 caliber (.327) in my opinion. Average gunfight ends in 2 or 3 rounds.

sequins said:

If you want to argue the virtues of capacity you aren't going to carry a revolver at all. I can get an automatic with smaller dimensions than a J-Frame with 10+1 9mm. The reason to carry a revolver in today's world, aside from non-terminal factors, is power. If you think .32 (.327) really is just as good as .38spc or .357mag then it makes a lot of sense to prefer 32 caliber for the +1 capacity, but if you think .38spc or .357mag meet or exceed .327 then there is no reason to ever pick a 32 caliber (.327) in my opinion. Average gunfight ends in 2 or 3 rounds.

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To me, a revolver is more reliable and it suits me. The idea of carrying a 9mm wouldn't occur to me. Before I started heavy into revolvers I carried my Kimber Compact CDP II, which has a shorter 7 round mag for 45 ACP. The thing about 6 rounds of 32 is that I like my revolvers to be "sixguns", more sentiment than logic, so I don't pick it apart like you do. I don't have but one "pocket" gun, which is rarely a primary carry. In 38 and light weight frame it is a little beast to shoot. If it was available I would rather have that light J-frame in 32 H&R, bringing it back to six shots..