.32 vs .38

[Tallball]

Buckeye -

I've had good luck with CA also. I haven't sold any of them so far, but I sure would to double my money.

I'm also a 32 fan. My Colt 1903 was the first centerfire semiautomatic pistol that my daughter ever shot. She and I still enjoy it. She shot plenty of S&W 32 long before that, and it's still a cartridge we both enjoy shooting. When people say that they are going to use 22 for SD because 38 hurts their wrists, I am always confused why 32 S&W long isn't considered as an option: very minimal recoil, but a bullet 1.5 times fatter and twice as heavy as 22lr. Oh well.

Then you can step up to 32 H&R or 327 magnum and have an adequate or more than adequate SD round.

This one is from 1915-16. The finish is ruined, but it's still a good shooter. I figured it was worth a gamble for $120-something.

Smith and Wesson Hand Ejector in 32 S&W long

• Tallball
• Jan 1, 2018

 

[Buckeye63]

@TTv2

About the comment about 38Spl ammo in a 2in barrel VS 4inch barrel
I couldn't agree more ... Seem like with alot of both 38spl and 357mag SD ammo they seem to really " up the ante" with a four inch barrel...

Thats the one thing I like about 9mm/40s&w in a snubbie revolver .. so many short barreled options in those calibers that work ..

 

[TTv2]

@TTv2

About the comment about 38Spl ammo in a 2in barrel VS 4inch barrel
I couldn't agree more ... Seem like with alot of both 38spl and 357mag SD ammo they seem to really " up the ante" with a four inch barrel...

Thats the one thing I like about 9mm/40s&w in a snubbie revolver .. so many short barreled options in those calibers that work ..

That 2 inches of barrel is about the same length that 9, .40, and .45 get in the subcompact semi autos. The problem with stuff like .38, .44 Special, and .45 Colt is they were made for black powder and the cases are too long for smokeless, so the pressures are off, velocities are lower in comparison.

If ammo manufacturers would make self defense ammo in shorter cases (.38 Colt, .44 Russian, .45 Schofield) with a more proper powder charge, the velocities could be higher, but pressures wouldn't exceed SAAMI spec for the longer .38 Special, .44 Special, or .45 Colt.

Ammo makers won't do that because the marketing is a nightmare to the low information gun owner and they wouldn't want some doofus buying modern .38 Colt ammo to be shoot in their great great grandfather's 1892 Army revolver that's been sitting in a closet for 50 years.

 

[tubeshooter]

I certainly wouldn't want a .32 pointing at me, thinking it's harmless I'm sure has put many men down for the count.

I would actually go so far as to say I doubt this has happened very much - if ever.

.32 cal started out as a duty/service round, and was respected quite a bit more in days past (more so in Europe than the US, to be fair). No, it's not a barn-burner, but I seriously doubt anybody ever had a .32 pointed at them and said to themselves "That won't hurt...". Nowadays or back then, either one.

I believe even those who say something similar regarding .25 ACP are overstating things for (melo)dramatic effect.


As someone who has had a gun pointed at them, I can definitely report that I didn't spend a lot of time looking at the barrel end to determine if the caliber was sufficient to demand my respect and fear for my life. YMMV.

 

[The Evangelist Cowboy]

I would actually go so far as to say I doubt this has happened very much - if ever.

.32 cal started out as a duty/service round, and was respected quite a bit more in days past (more so in Europe than the US, to be fair). No, it's not a barn-burner, but I seriously doubt anybody ever had a .32 pointed at them and said to themselves "That won't hurt...". Nowadays or back then, either one.

I believe even those who say something similar regarding .25 ACP are overstating things for (melo)dramatic effect.


As someone who has had a gun pointed at them, I can definitely report that I didn't spend a lot of time looking at the barrel end to determine if the caliber was sufficient to demand my respect and fear for my life. YMMV.

You can doubt all you want there has been weirder things that have happened in this world.

 

[golden]

somethingbenign,

I would count HORNADY as a major ammo maker and use their FTX loads in my alloy frame revolvers and some of my semi-autos. However, I am not sure that the .32 H&R FTX load will offer a real advantage over their 110 grain "standard pressure" .38 Special load, which is mild recoiling, even in my S&W model 12. In fact, it is the load that I keep in the model 12 now, since I do not want to shoot +P ammo in them if I can avoid it.

Jim