.32 Magnum. Is Federal underpowdered?

Are you talking about the .327 Federal Magnum? Or is this some other cartridge?

whm1974 said:

No the .32 H&R Magnum..

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Oh. Sorry, I can't help with that.

The Hornady critical defense is listed at 1150 out of a 4" barrel. Were you looking at the target or defense line of 32 H&r for federal?

Depends on what you mean by "under powered". As a self defense round, an 85 grain bullet at 1050 fps is not viable in my opinion. But as a small game round it's darned near perfect. Too, there aren't that many CC type revolvers chambered for it...a better choice for CC use would be the .327.

The .32 H&R was the brain child of...ta da...H&R and Federal. It was offered in one of H&R's revolvers that's really not up to any sort of hot-rodding. Ruger's Single Sixes as well as S&W's offerings will stand a bit more in that regard...

For many of us, the .32 H&R round makes up into a nearly perfect trail gun...definitely a woods loafer's dream. It comes in a couple of useful light weight, easy to carry, single actions that ride easy on the hip and are a lot of fun on the range, or back it the woods. The round can be improved significantly through judicious reloading if you're so inclined, though 1050 fps is plenty for most trail, camp, and small game uses...and there are lots of threads on that interesting topic both here and on other forums.

My own choices in the caliber, are Ruger's Single Sixes, and I have a pair of them: a 4-5/8" bbl'd bird's head and a 5-1/2" bbl'd plow handle model. Either will hold well inside 2" at 25 yds from a rest with LSWC's, home cast; or with Hornady's excellent 85 gr XTP bullet. My third .32 is a S&W M16 with a full lug 4" bbl. It's a fine shooter, crafted on their venerable "K" frame, but is a mite too heavy for my liking when carried in an OWB holster while hiking. It too groups extremely well at 25 yds, edging out the Rugers and turning in 1-1/2" groups pretty much on demand...I just wish it were lighter.

So if you're looking for high velocities, say up around 1200 fps with a good .32 H&R gun, it's going to be a reloading proposition, other wise, get a .327. Pic below is of my two Rugers. Best regards, Rod

Rodfac said:

Depends on what you mean by "under powered". As a self defense round, an 85 grain bullet at 1050 fps is not viable in my opinion. But as a small game round it's darned near perfect. Too, there aren't that many CC type revolvers chambered for it...a better choice would be the .327. The .32 H&R was the brain child of...ta da...H&R and Federal. It was offered in one of H&R's revolvers that's really not up to any sort of hot-rodding. Ruger's Single Sixes as well as S&W's offerings will stand a bit more in that regard...

But, for many of us, the .32 H&R round makes up into the nearly perfect trail gun...a woods loafer's dream as opposed to a CC caliber. It comes in a couple of useful light weight, easy to carry, single actions that ride easy on the hip and are a lot of fun on the range, or back it the woods. The round can be improved significantly through judicious reloading if you're so inclined, though 1050 fps is plenty for most trail, camp, and small game uses...and there are lots of threads on that interesting topic both here and on other forums.

My own choices in the caliber, are Ruger's Single Sixes, and I have a pair of them: a 4-5/8" bbl'd bird's head and a 5-1/2" bbl'd plow handle model. Either will hold well inside 2" at 25 yds from a rest with LSWC's, home cast; or with Hornady's excellent 85 gr XTP bullet. My third .32 is a S&W M16 with a full lug 4" bbl. It's a fine shooter, crafted on their venerable "K" frame, but is a mite too heavy for my liking when carried in an OWB holster while hiking. It too groups extremely well at 25 yds, edging out the Rugers and turning in 1-1/2" groups pretty much on demand...I just wish it were lighter.

So if you're looking for high velocities, say up around 1200 fps with a good .32 H&R gun, it's going to be a reloading proposition, other wise, get a .327. Pic below is of my two Rugers. Best regards, Rod

View attachment 918241

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That bird's head. Man is she pretty.
I've been dreaming of an 8 shot 32 H&R in a bird's head configuration for a long time now. One day I'll have to do something about that.

Rodfac

My own choices in the caliber, are Ruger's Single Sixes, and I have a pair of them: a 4-5/8" bbl'd bird's head and a 5-1/2" bbl'd plow handle model.

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Not long after the .32 H&R Magnum cartridge was introduced I had two Ruger revolvers chambered for it. One was just like your Single Six with a 5 1/2" barrel and the other one was a Single Six Bisley with a 6 1/2" barrel. Both guns were well made and nicely finished. Only problem at the time was finding factory .32 H&R Magnum ammo for it. I didn't handload and even if I did I still couldn't find brass or bullets to reload them with anyways. I eventually traded them in on some other guns but I wouldn't mind having either one back nowadays, especially the Bisley Model. It just looked great and balanced nicely in my hand.

You guys are talking me into a single seven as a trail gun. You need to stop, I have so many other guns on my list...

somethingbenign said:

You guys are talking me into a single seven as a trail gun. You need to stop, I have so many other guns on my list...

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You're welcome! We're all just a bunch of enablers her on THR.

somethingbenign said:

You guys are talking me into a single seven as a trail gun. You need to stop, I have so many other guns on my list...

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Or look into a 327 Fed Magnum GP100. They are nice as well.

cfullgraf said:

Or look into a 327 Fed Magnum GP100. They are nice as well.

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^ Not a bad idea. For a bit more of a
packable gun the SP101 in 327 would be a good way to go if you don't mind the shorter 4" barrel length

cfullgraf said:

Or look into a 327 Fed Magnum GP100. They are nice as well.

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Sneakshot92 said:

^ Not a bad idea. For a bit more of a
packable gun the SP101 in 327 would be a good way to go if you don't mind the shorter 4" barrel length

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I do already have a SP101 in 327 with a 4" barrel. I just don't have any SA revolvers and need to fix that.

This thread prompted me to just now go look at the limited .32 H&R Mag data accrued from my own reloads and found that with Accurate #7 pushing a 100 gr. XTP I was getting 1150 FPS out of a SS Birdshead with 3.75(?) inch barrel. That’s the fasted I have in my log.

As I was getting into reloading the .32 H&R Mag Ruger released the SS7 in .327 Fed Mag. That derailed me. Got a boatload of my own .327 FM data. I suppose I should work up some rounds for the range and keep going with the .32 H&R Mag.

I have shot a box of it in my 327 when I didn’t have 327 handy. It did seem weaker than I expected. Similarly, fed American eagle 327 is kinda weak, especially from a snub.

This likes both 327 and 32HR. My SP101 3" also. Now I want a rifle!View media item 3052View media item 2873

bannockburn said:

Rodfac, Not long after the .32 H&R Magnum cartridge was introduced I had two Ruger revolvers chambered for it. One was just like your Single Six with a 5 1/2" barrel and the other one was a Single Six Bisley with a 6 1/2" barrel. Both guns were well made and nicely finished. Only problem at the time was finding factory .32 H&R Magnum ammo for it. I didn't handload and even if I did I still couldn't find brass or bullets to reload them with anyways. I eventually traded them in on some other guns but I wouldn't mind having either one back nowadays, especially the Bisley Model. It just looked great and balanced nicely in my hand.

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I bought one of those 6.5 inch Ruger Single Six Bisleys in 32 Magnum too. Beautiful gun, built like a bank vault. Very accurate. I learned three things from it: 1) Ruger makes good guns, 2) My hands are not big enough for that gun to balance well for me, and 3) I hate loading and emptying SAA-type guns. In particular, lining up the cylinder for either process seemed very fussy, because the cartridges seemed like a close fit in the gate. I got rid of it in under a year.

PS - If you want a gate-loaded rod-ejector gun that's a breeze to load/unload, get an 8mm Rast & Gasser 1898. I guess they are pricey now though.

Here are most but not all of my 327 magnums. I shoot mostly 32 H&R magnums and 32 S&W longs. Just bought a Ruger LCRx in 327 !!

Monac

Some years ago I was at a gun show and I came across a table where the seller had two limited edition Rugers on it. One was a Mk.II semi-auto .22 target pistol; the other was a Bisley Single Six, also a .22. They had nicely polished and blued upper receivers and polished stainless steel grip frames. They were both priced the same and I only had money enough for one of them. Really loved the way the Bisley looked and handled but then I started to think about it and how it was only a 6 shot revolver and how slow and tedious it was to get those tiny little .22s to line-up properly for loading and unloading that I decided against it and went with the Mk.II instead.

No regrets there either as I had been without a .22 target pistol for some time and that's what I was looking for when I came across these two Rugers. And the MK.II has been great; very accurate, very reliable, and very good looking!

But still, every now and then, I think about that Bisley!

Nick Ecker of Charter Arms mentioned the Undercoverette 32 H&R is now being manufactured as a 6 shot ... Aluminum frame models will weigh in at 12oz steel 16oz
To me the 32 H&R is a viable self defense round ..
especially for such a light recoiling cartridge.....
and you can shoot cans with 32 Long ...

I very much enjoy my 6.5" Single Six in 32 H&R magnum.

The trigger on my 4" SP101 in 327 magnum is pretty stiff. I should get some work done on it.

My 2" Undercoverette in 32 H&R is what I leave out for my wife on the rare occasions I am out of town.

They're all good shooters. The Single Six is waaaayyy more accurate than I am.

@Tallball
I’d really like to get a 6 shot
Charter Undercoverette...
with a black aluminum frame , and black nitride cylinder and barrel

Just to expand a bit on my Post #6...I really like that compact bird's head model with the 4-5/8" bbl. for carry here on our farm. But there are cpl of things about it worth mentioning. All in all, though, if you're looking for a good, small game gun, or a trail companion without excessive muzzle blast, a good .32 H&R is a fine choice ... and I'd personally recommend Ruger's excellent Single Six..with adj. sights and a 4-5/8" bbl.

Bird's Head Ruger: First the painted on color case hardening that Ruger went with is no substitute for the real thing. Mine has worn in several locations over the years and I sure wish Ruger had gone with a plain blued finish.

Sights: The hog wallow rear sight on my bird's head leaves much to be desired from an accuracy standpoint. It just takes me a lot longer to get a good sight picture with them, and any adverse lighting condition throws my shots where I hadn't anticipated.

Now, I'll readily admit that I'm an adj. sights advocate on any revolver and understand objections raised that they're more fragile than fixed; but I've been thrown from horseback twice without damage, nor loss of the gun and the sights stayed put. I'm pretty careful with my guns, but do spend considerable time on tractors, 4x4's, two jeeps and a half dozed horses and have never had a problem.

That said, adj. sights just make sighting in to one's personal POI/POA a breeze. When new, that bird's head of mine was off by over 2" at 15 yds...and so I tried lightly tapping the front sight to bend/correct it...that's a big no-no padnuhs. Mine broke off, and I had to silver-solder it back on, correcting the windage problem in the process.

Adj. sights would have made that a non-event. So my opinion is that for any use other than pocket concealed carry, (where an inadvertent hang up can be devastating), adj. sights are the way to go. In addition, if you like to work with different bullet weights in your guns, and don't care to "hold off" to get on target, then the necessary sight adjustments can more easily be made.

Balance: The 5-1/2" bbl. Single Six shown in my 1st pic just doesn't balance as well as the bird's head....a subjective opinion I know and one that can be corrected with enough practice, but still, there it is. Too, the add'l inch of sight radius (and the stand up, adj. sights) seem to make no difference in group size inside 12 yds or so. Beyond that, the better/bigger sights and longer sight radius do tighten things up.

Conversely, the bird's head, with it's shorter bbl. and notch rear sight, is easier to carry in an OWB holster, and balances better. It sports a steel frame which pulls the balance point back into the hand somewhat, and the bird's head grip may play a part as well. I do know that as I've gotten older, the shorter bbl. lengths in SA guns are more appealing and I find that I often choose them over my longer bbl'd models. My predilection for shorter bbl's is true also with S&W DA/SA's. Rugers with bbl's longer than 4-5/8", or 4" in S&W's, just stick down too far to be comfortable on any modern conveyance. I make my own holsters for a 3:30 o'clock carry position, and have found that if I locate the belt loop low enough on the holster, to keep a longer bbl'd gun out of my short ribs, it's then too high to allow a non-gymnastic draw movement. But hey, I'm 73 now and most any twisting movement is getting to be a PITA...YMMV but see if I'm not correct as you get older.

Lastly, here are some pics of my "sequestered" activities over the last two months. No new holsters but I've been building grips for son and self. Best Regards, Rod

1st Pic: Four of my guns from the top: Ruger .44 Special Flat Top with white and black ebony grips; my son's Single Six .22 sporting fiddle back maple; a 3-screw Ruger OM in .41 Mag with spalted poplar grips (made from old weathered horse fencing); and lastly, a 50th Anniversary Ruger .357 Flat Top with Jobillo wood grips.

2nd Pic: The .22 Single Six & .41 Mag. 3-screw, Rugers riding in my home built version of the century old, Tom Threepersons open top, design. Lined in vegetable tanned pig skin which minimizes potential rust issues, either is comfortable for all day carry on a good belt. Carefully fitted to the individual gun, they haven't needed a keeper thong or strap for safe carry even on horseback.

somethingbenign

You guys are talking me into a single seven as a trail gun. You need to stop, I have so many other guns on my list...

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Need to stop? We haven't even started yet! Muuhahahahaha! (evil laugh)!

Rodfac

You do very nice work with both your grips and your holster making! Fine collection of Rugers too!