Looking for a 32 revolver

fxvr5 said:

The OP specifically stated he was looking at the 4.2" SP101.

Any gun can be used as a 'kit' gun, 'tackle box' gun, 'truck/car' gun, 'range' gun, 'hunting gun', defense gun, etc. Even the GPs.

I suspect Ruger would disagree that the only purpose of the SP101 is a carry gun. I suspect they would say it can be used for much more than what you claim (see above). For example, Ruger has a Match Champion SP101 for competition. That kinda shoots down your claim.
https://www.ruger.com/products/sp101MatchChampion/models.html

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OP never stated he was looking at the SP, he said other than that revolver what else is out there with a 4 to 6 inch barrel. The only currently produced .32 revolver with barrels that long is the SP101, which is why OP mentioned it.

Nobody who is a serious competitive shooter would buy the Match Champion SP101 over a similar GP100 and while I prefer a smaller revolver for the .32 caliber, that doesn't mean the OP feels the same and if he wants a .327 for range shooting only the GP100 is better than the SP101 in that regards.

There are no .32-20 carbide dies, so you will have to lube each case.

Howdy Again

As with dies for other tapered cartridges, such as 44-40 and 38-40, there are no carbide dies available for 32-20. That means you have to lube your brass.






Left to right, the three rounds in this photo are 44-40, 38-40, and 32-20. Each one has a taper. Carbide dies are only available for straight cases because the piece of carbide in the base of the die is a disc with a hole in it. Since the cartridge case is straight, the diameter of the case gets resized for its entire length as it runs through the carbide disk. This would not work with a tapered cartridge.






So yes, 32-20 cases need case lube applied to them before running through the sizing die. It is not a big deal, I stand 50 cases at a time in a loading block and give them a quick spray of Hornady One Shot case lube. 44-40 in this photo. It's like the old Brylcreem commercials, a little dab will do ya. A quick spray around four sides of the loading block is all that is needed. Spray too much case lube on the brass and you will leave droplets. Droplets will cause creases in the brass, so just a quick spray is all that is needed. I usually load 200 rounds at a time. I set them all in loading blocks like this, give them a quick spray, and set up my dies for what ever cartridge I am loading. By the time I am done setting up the press, the lube is dry to the touch and I am ready to start loading.





As stated earlier, loading tapered cases can be a bit fussy. The brass at the case mouth tends to be thin, usually around .007 or so. I have some 32 S&W Long cases here and they are running around .012 thick at the case mouth, which is pretty much the same as 38 Special or 45 Colt. The thin brass at the mouth of tapered cases can crumple easily unless you set up your dies very precisely. Also, you have to run a little bit slower than with straight cased brass. If the case mouth happens to bump into the bottom of the sizing die on the way up, it will probably crumple. The more robust brass of 45 Colt would shrug off the blow. I run my 44-40s through my progressive press a bit slower than 45 Colt, so if I feel a case mouth bump into the bottom of the sizing die I can let off the pressure before any damage is done. I have loaded thousands of rounds of 44-40 over the years and can't remember the last time I crumpled one.

"If I had to replace the ones I own I would get another Ruger single six in 32 mag."


Likewise. I have a bunch of 32 revolvers. My Single Six is my favorite to shoot. It has a 6.5" barrel and is very accurate.

I would love to have a K32, but not at that price. If I am paying $3,000 for something, I'd better be able to drive it or live in it.

A used GP100 sounds like an excellent idea.

I got an SP101 327 magnum 4.2" when they first came out. The trigger is stiff and SP101's don't fit my hand well.

It's possible that Taurus put out a K-frame sized 32 S&W long in the olden days, maybe with adjustable sights. I think I have seen one before.

Oh, and as for recoil...

32 S&W long - not much more than a 22lr

32 H&R magnum - not much more than 32 S&W long

327 magnum - lots of flash and you definitely know you shot something, but doesn't kick as much as 357

I had a few 32’s in the past .. when I was young and dumb ... one that sticks out in mind is the one I owned the longest .. was a old Charter 6 shot
32 Long ... I carried for a couple of years ...

Id like a another 32 pocket revolver.. I have been looking for a affordable S&W 432 PD ,
Charter has now added a extra hole in their Undercoverette.. so its now a 6 shot , steel frame Should weigh around 16oz the Aluminum frame should weigh around 13oz .. which would fill the bill,
affordability...

I recently got a .32 S&W long “Regulation Police.” It’s a very accurate little gun, recoil is light, and it’s very portable due to its relatively small size, meaning it’s pretty lightweight even though it’s an all-steel gun. Pretty sweet for walking in the woods.

Maybe not the best for bench competition, but for offhand “practical” accuracy, its great. Only real problem is, it’s a bit hard to see the sights, but I imagine a little paint might remedy that. It does have fixed sights, and I haven’t really wrung it out with several different loads to see how dramatically POI differs, but I imagine it’s probably pretty consistent, at realistic .32 long distances. I know I was ringing a 12” gong every time without even trying too hard, at 25 yards. And I don’t consider myself a good pistol shot, nor do I practice a bunch, so I imagine someone who really knew what they were doing could really shoot, with one of these.

My .32 Long revolver is an 1895 Nagant. Works like a charm.

I just bought another 327. It's a brand new 6 year old Single Seven stainless with a 5 1/2" barrel.View media item 3143

Walkalong said:

H&R 832. Fun little .32 Long that can be had cheap. They made a 4" model as well.
View attachment 927897

Taurus .32 Mag, small, fun, shoots very well. Might e able to find one right.
View attachment 927898

1905 .32-20. Can be had right if you are patient.
View attachment 927900

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How is that 832? When I reminded myself that H&R made .32 revolvers with adj sights I started thinking about them.

sean m, I have a small collection of vintage .32-20 Colt and S&W revolvers.

I have developed Trail Boss loads for both 100gr & 115gr lead bullets. Mild loads. Think ~800fps.

None of my .32-20 (a.k.a., .32WCF) revolvers sports adjustable sights but I have never found that to be a negative.

They are a LOT of fun to shoot and quite accurate.

Here is a quick pic:

So, the OP originally said that he was looking for a revolver in .32 that is cheap and fun to shoot.

So here is something different, but fun nonetheless, and super cheap:

I have a 5 shot H&R Top Break Hammerless in .32 S&W (short). This thing I believe dates somewhere in the first decade of 1900's and was originally meant for black powder, so I wasn't going to tempt fate and put any real rounds through it. So I came up with my own loads:

I bought a couple of hundred of cases (I don't remember what I paid, but they were cheap, then I bought a Lee dual cavity mold, and a good quality hot-glue gun.

I think by now you can see where this is going, right...

I cast my own bullets by injecting the Hot-glue in the molds, then I prime the cases, and push the bullet in the case (no press required). The primer can push the 8-9 grain rubber/hot-glue bullet with enough force to punch paper at about 5-6 yards. You can shoot these indoors (in a garage), although the primers make quite a bit of noise and smoke. You can put a pinch (and I mean a pinch) of Goex or Pyrodex and give it a boost, but sometimes the bullet gets partially melted. Anyway, something fun to play with on those cold and rainy days when you can't go to the range.

BTW, the reloading cost, once you paid for the cases and the mold, are about 5 cents ( 3 cents for the primer and about 2 cents for the hot-glue in the bullet)

Excellent box for the 32 hammerless, Dudemeister. I wish I could do things like that. The lining is handsome.

I used to have several 32 caliber revolvers. Now, a 32 Hand Ejector and a 32 WCF S&W Winchester Model revolver. Both are relatively inexpensive to load. The problem for me is the small diameter bullets make it a bit harder than larger caliber cartridges. The cases are not that fragile. Unless you are a total klutz. The 32 WCF is tapered! The mouth of the cartridge is smaller than the base. This means the dies act like a funnel. Too many people echo what they have read about fragile cases.

In my book, the easiest and least expensive to reload is the 38 S&W Special. Casting your bullets will also help cut costs.

Kevin

I have a box of .45LC that were specially made for wax bullets. The primer pocket was drilled out and recessed to take a #209 shotgun shell primer. That will push the wax bullet with enough force to go through light cardboard at 25ft.

fxvr5 said:

The 4.2" SP101 is strictly a carry gun? Hardly.

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My thoughts exactly. My SP101 in 32 H&R is fantastic fun st the range.

I load "Ruger Only" 32 H&R loads, but standard pressure also works fine.

If you have a reasonably competent gunsmith handy, you could consider what I am still considering... find a decent looking 32-20 m&p revolver, or one that could at least be made to look decent, and then get a 32swl cylinder made for it from a loose S&W k frame 22lr cylinder, or better yet from bar stock. Poor boys k-32, but not really anything cheap about the process, but it would easily come out cheaper than buying a K32.