Mr_Flintstone
Member
This is not intended to say that the .32 S&W long is something it is not, and please don’t let it devolve into “Why would you want to shoot a .32 when you can shoot a 10mm?” or “It’s better than a pointed stick.”
What I’m really asking is whether the .32 S&W Long of yesteryear was or is an effective self defense weapon; not against a methed-up junkie, gang of thugs, or hoard of zombies, but against a typical non-terminator type bad guy? I know you’ll never get .5” of expansion from the little round, but ballistics seems to suggest that you get consistent 12”-18” penetration even from a 2” barrel. https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/pocket-pistol-caliber-gel-test-results/
We all know bigger is better, and a .45 far outclasses a .32, and when using a .32 caliber, the .327 Fed Magnum is light years more effective than a .32 S&W Long, but just because one is better doesn’t necessarily mean the other is ineffective. Thoughts???
What I’m really asking is whether the .32 S&W Long of yesteryear was or is an effective self defense weapon; not against a methed-up junkie, gang of thugs, or hoard of zombies, but against a typical non-terminator type bad guy? I know you’ll never get .5” of expansion from the little round, but ballistics seems to suggest that you get consistent 12”-18” penetration even from a 2” barrel. https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/pocket-pistol-caliber-gel-test-results/
We all know bigger is better, and a .45 far outclasses a .32, and when using a .32 caliber, the .327 Fed Magnum is light years more effective than a .32 S&W Long, but just because one is better doesn’t necessarily mean the other is ineffective. Thoughts???