Haycreek
Member
I am looking at a Ruger Speed Six in 32 H&R Mag. Does anyone have opinions regarding this caliber? Seems a little weak to me, but how does it shoot and reload?
I had no idea such a gun existed.I am looking at a Ruger Speed Six in 32 H&R Mag.
Very true. I think of my 3" barrel .32 SP101 more as a kit gun than a concealment/defense gun.The Ruger is a little heavy for a snub in this caliber, you probably wouldn't know it went off if not for the bang.
Why anybody who shoots and isn't filthy rich doesn't reload is beyond me anyway.
Most of the above claims do not appear to be supported by the ballistic data I've seen lately. Some may hold up, but only if references to ".38 Special" are understood to exclude the +P loads that are overwhelmingly chosen today for defense use in .38 revolvers of all sizes.A .380 beats a .38 Spl 2" barrel by a wide margin. Therefore, it seems reasonable to assume a .380 would beat a .32 Mag 2" barrel by a wider margin.
A .380 is equivalent in performance to a .38 Spl 3" barrel. A 9x18 with typical 3.75" barrel is equivalent to a .38 Spl 4" barrel.
The only way a .32 Mag is going to match a .380, is if the .32 Mag has a 4" barrel.
False, unless we are excluding all the .38+P loads that people actually carry in snub .38s these days. Speer's short-barrel Gold Dot .38+P, for example, is widely available. It has been reliably clocked as pushing a 135 grain bullet to 860-870 fps from a 2" barreled snub. The Remington lead hollowpoints are good for 158 grains at 800 fps from a snub. Both rounds use effective expanding bullets.A .380 beats a .38 Spl 2" barrel by a wide margin.
If so, then it could not be on account of either bullet mass or bullet velocity. The Georgia Arms .32 Mag load has been clocked as pushing a 100 grain slug at around 975 fps from a 2" barrel revolver. The company claims its 85 grain .32 Mag load yields higher velocities than that. Most .380s use 90-95 grain slugs at 900-1050 fps (in barrels from 3.5" to 4"). In short, on both bullet mass and velocity, the .32 Mag snubby, with proper factory ammo selection, is right on par with a .380 pistol.It seems reasonable to assume a .380 would beat a .32 Mag 2" barrel by a wid[e] margin.
If the .32 Mag has a 4" barrel, one would expect it to be able to exceed the ballistics of a .380, given the numbers for .32 Mag snubbies above.The only way a .32 Mag is going to match a .380, is if the .32 Mag has a 4" barrel.