32 son of a gun...

I posted this in another thread, but here the little girl is again (But I know, we all like pictures)...a Colt Police Positive circa 1907 in .32 Colt. (It's the one on the bottom)

The top is a K-22 from 1946... new, in comparison. 

You might guess that I’m a big fan of the 32 caliber rounds. I would wager that nearly everyone that would buy this 31-1 would never notice or check to see if it had been reamed .080” deeper to accommodate the 32 magnum. It’s no different than shooting 38 special in a 357. For the difference in pressure it is no issue. Keeping it sane in reloading should be observed. Like another poster mentioned, you can load the 32 long nearly as stout as the magnum and Buffalo Bore does make two different defense loads for the 32 long.

Not arguing for this conversion as if everyone should do it, but, within reason it is fine. It has changed the gun but in no way has it harmed it or damaged it.

GeoDudeFlorida said:

Was. Once it's reamed it's only worth what a used shooter in .32H&R will bring. No collectible value at all.

FWIW, there's no need to ream out a Model 31. The .32S&W Long loaded with the same bullets is perfectly capable of stopping a "bad guy" with good shot placement. But, it's his gun. Darn shame he couldn't find a beater to chew up and spit out but, that's how it goes. Just makes the few remaining nice ones worth more.

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I think 32 Magnum factory loads have considerably more kinetic energy than 32 S&W Long factory loads. Like about 300 ft/lbs vs 120 ft/lbs. Even the light 32 Magnum loads seem to be 170-185 ft/lbs. With hollow point bullets, I know which one I would want.

On the other hand, I have a bunch of 32 S&W Long pistols, whereas I sold both the 32 Magnums I ever owned. 32 Long is just a sweetheart to shoot, which is conducive to both practice and accuracy. Those are also valuable qualities.

Riomouse911 said:

The nice thing is the MAP for these loads aren’t too far off, roughly 15,000 psi for the S&W Long and 21,000 psi for the H&R, so you should be fine with H&R loads that are sensible in the Model 31-1.

I load some 115 gr LSWC H&R loads that are pretty stout for my Single Six on occasion. Those I would not fire in a Model 31 conversion or original H&R revolver.

Let us know how she shoots it when you get a chance.

Stay safe.

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If that is true, then I should also be able to fire 32 ACP out of it (Wikipedia says 32 ACP is Maximum pressure20,500 psi (141 MPa)). I bought a 31-1 from my LGS and they have a full time gunsmith, and he would not ream it for magnums. Is this something one can do at home and is it really advised to increase the pressure by ~ 33%? I have heard of it being done. They have another, a 30-1 that has the hammer bobbed and a rubber replacement grip, maybe I buy that to experiment on. But a 30-1 is an older gun and may not take the higher pressure as well as the 31-1?

aaaaa said:

But a 30-1 is an older gun and may not take the higher pressure as well as the 31-1?

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I am not qualified to, and will not, comment on weather or not the 30-1 (or the 31-1) will withstand 32 H&R pressures.

I will however tell you that the only difference betwixt the two models is that the 30-1 is round butt, whilst the 31-1 is a square butt.

That's all. No difference in metallurgy, and the 31 is not a later version of the 30.

aaaaa said:

If that is true, then I should also be able to fire 32 ACP out of it (Wikipedia says 32 ACP is Maximum pressure20,500 psi (141 MPa)). I bought a 31-1 from my LGS and they have a full time gunsmith, and he would not ream it for magnums. Is this something one can do at home and is it really advised to increase the pressure by ~ 33%? I have heard of it being done. They have another, a 30-1 that has the hammer bobbed and a rubber replacement grip, maybe I buy that to experiment on. But a 30-1 is an older gun and may not take the higher pressure as well as the 31-1?

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Generally, the problems with using 32 ACP in a 32 Long or Magnum revolver are said to be centered on the semi-rim, which is both thinner and smaller in diameter than the rims on the revolver cartridges. This can lead to uncertain ignition, due to the thinness, and unreliable extraction, due to the reduced diameter. This last is probably why we never see star-extractor type revolvers made specifically for 32 ACP; all of the few revolvers made for it that I can think of are rod-ejector types.

However, I have never tried 32 ACP in a revolver myself, so I have no first-hand knowledge. Some people who have posted to the High Road have, and some report good results. You could try search for reports.

You are perfectly correct about the difference between the S&W Model 30 and 31, as I understand it. It goes back to the days when S&W gave names to their revolvers, rather than numbers. S&W hoped the square butt version would appeal to police, and therefore called it the "32 Regulation Police", rather than just the "32 Hand Ejector", which is what the original round-butt version was called.

My decision to ream the cylinder of my 31-1 was based on posts on the S&W forum and my own, non gun related, experience in the manufacturing of metal parts. Yet, I can certainly understand why a gunsmith would not do the work. I would not do it for a friend but did loan him the reamer. To be clear, at the time I could not find a 32 magnum that had the 3” barrel. I now have an SP101 in 327 and the Charter Arms Professional in 32 magnum. Both have a three inch barrel and 31-1 eats 32 longs.

So the 31-1 and 30-1 are chambered for 32 S&W Long. What are the options moving up? I recall there are several and the H&R Federal Magnum is the most powerful, so perhaps there is something a little lighter than the magnums that could go in this gun?

Also, once reamed for the longer case, can it still shoot the 32 S&W Longs?

aaaaa said:

So the 31-1 and 30-1 are chambered for 32 S&W Long. What are the options moving up? I recall there are several and the H&R Federal Magnum is the most powerful, so perhaps there is something a little lighter than the magnums that could go in this gun?

Also, once reamed for the longer case, can it still shoot the 32 S&W Longs?

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Moving up in power, pressure, and length:
32 S&W, 32 S&W Long, 32 H&R Mag, 327 Federal Mag.

The 32 S&W can be chambered and safely fired in all the longer chambers.
The 32 S&W L can be chambered and safely fired in all the longer chambers.
Etc, on up the line.

To be specific: a 32 Long can be chambered and safely fired in a 32 H&R Mag, and also in a 327 Fed. Mag.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/940412233

Model 761 for sale on Gunbroker.com.
Has extra.32-20 cylinder.

I’ve considered getting a M-76 cylinder and having it reamed to .327Fed.

re; .32acp in revolvers.... I’ve shot.32acp in my Ruger Single-7. It works! Like shooting.22rf Shorts in a .22lr cylinder.
However, a .32 Hand-ejector would not, as rims “fell into” the larger chamber.
I’ve also got another.32 Hand Ejector that has timing issues from allegedly long time firing of .32acp.

The 32acp thing comes up pretty often.

Don't shoot it out of 32 S&W long revolvers. It is higher pressure than what they were designed for and is not good for them.

32acp won't hurt 32 H&R magnum or 327 magnum revolvers. They were designed for higher pressures.

I've attempted to shoot 32acp out the of six 32 magnum revolvers I've owned over the years: two wouldn't ignite it at all, two would make some of the rounds in the cylinder go bang, two went bang every time. Two of the revolvers were the exact same make and model, but one worked and the other didn't.

Love my .32 S&W Long Bullseye Pistols, but would love to find a 4" revolver with target sights or even a 6". Anyone selling one?

Bob

Here’s my two 31-1s. Lovely pistols to shoot.

rkittine said:

Love my .32 S&W Long Bullseye Pistols, but would love to find a 4" revolver with target sights or even a 6". Anyone selling one?

Bob

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https://www.gunbroker.com/item/940412233

Taurus also made a 741 That’s a J-frame size .32 H&R that occasionally comes up for sale.

My 31-1

rkittine said:

Love my .32 S&W Long Bullseye Pistols, but would love to find a 4" revolver with target sights or even a 6". Anyone selling one?

Bob

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I don't know of a new one but I have seen a picture of a 4" Regulation Police Target.
Look hard, bring money.
Six inch RP and Police Positve Targets are less uncommon but K32s are wild.

I remember when a distributor got a bunch of Officers Model Target .32s. They have to be somewhere.

Manurhin made some .32s.

LGS has a MOdel 30-1 I would buy in an instant but they want $475, which is a great price as I think I paid $550 for my 31-1, but, the 30-1 has a bobbed hammer and an aftermarket rubber grip. So, hardly worth $475 IMO. If they marked it say $350 I would jump on it, then have it reamed for HR Magnums. Not going to ream my stock 31-1 though.

Instead of reaming for H&R Magnum, could shoot 32 ACP, but may have some issues with extraction and probably poor accuracy since the OAL is a lot shorter. But 32 ACP and HR Magnum are both around 21,000 pressure.

Some nice Smith 32s fellas!

Most of my Smith 32’s. The lower right is a 32 magnum. Just acquired the lower left 30-1 with 4” barrel.

Here is my SP101 327 and 194732 S&W Long hand ejector.
r .

I continue to watch for an SP101 in 32.

With 32 you get 6 shots!

I would consider relinquishing my 38 Spl SP101 French Railroad Police with the Trausch grips to get a 32.

Target, huh? Of course this came with adjustable rear but with my, call it...mature eyesight...the red dot is outstanding.

Hooda Thunkit said:

I continue to watch for an SP101 in 32.

With 32 you get 6 shots!

I would consider relinquishing my 38 Spl SP101 French Railroad Police with the Trausch grips to get a 32.

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For those of you who, like me, were curious about Trausch grips, here is an article with pictures of them: https://mossycreek.wpengine.com/trausch-grips-for-the-sp101/

Unfortunately, the article is from 2013 and says that the owner of the Trausch company had died and production had ceased.

Hooda Thunkit said:

I continue to watch for an SP101 in 32.

With 32 you get 6 shots!

I would consider relinquishing my 38 Spl SP101 French Railroad Police with the Trausch grips to get a 32.

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You get 6 shots with the 30-1 and 31-1 as well.

I have one of each, as well as the 3" SP-101 and 2" Charter Undercoverette. All hold 6 rounds.

This is my S&W 32. It's ugly, and the sights and trigger are poor, but it still goes bang every time.