Any humans shot with .32 magnum rounds yet?

[BSA1]

Good question by Chompiras.

What we DO know is there are too many variables with the human body to make definitive statements about handgun stopping power.

However GENERALLY speaking faster is better and expanding bullets create more tissue damage.

We also KNOW that reliable bullet expansion is largely dependent on it's velocity. The threshold is about 1100 fps.

Then we get into the argument that if faster is better then a the 327 must be a better stopper than the 32 Magnum. After all most everyone will agree that the 32 Magnum is a more effective self-defense round than the 32 S&W. In the case of faster must be better we reach the point of diminishing returns.

The lack of commercial success is not necessarily a judge of the effectiveness of the cartridge. Personally I think a 6 shot J-Frame revolver in 32 Magnum is superior to a 5 shot 38 Special. I think less recoil and a additional round would make it very desirable for conceal carry and by shooters with small hands and weak wrists such as women.

But just goes to show what I know.

 

[loose noose]

The department I was with didn't specify .32, however .32 was the smallest caliber that was allowed, and we had to qualify with it. ( once quarterly) Fact is I bought it at Big 5 Sporting goods store back in '71 in LA county.

 

[dickydalton]

A Big Boy doesn't fit in your pocket and:
"My only complaint with .32 is that it requires velocity to be effective, which translates to blast/noise. If you ever had to touch off a .327 indoors in self-defense you would soon be talking by waving your your hands."
I rest my case.

 

[Water-Man]

A Big Boy doesn't fit in your pocket and:
"My only complaint with .32 is that it requires velocity to be effective, which translates to blast/noise. If you ever had to touch off a .327 indoors in self-defense you would soon be talking by waving your your hands."
I rest my case.

Before you rest your case, have you ever touched off a .327 indoors? I didn't think so.

 

[Varminterror]

Before you rest your case, have you ever touched off a .327 indoors? I didn't think so.

I have.

They're not quiet by a long stretch. I wouldn't personally consider them to be any better or worse than any other self-defense effective round, as ALL of them are too loud to be shooting without hearing protection.

 

[Water-Man]

I have.

They're not quiet by a long stretch. I wouldn't personally consider them to be any better or worse than any other self-defense effective round, as ALL of them are too loud to be shooting without hearing protection.

Why not share with us how you happened to do this.

 

[Walkalong]

I wouldn't personally consider them to be any better or worse than any other self-defense effective round, as ALL of them are too loud to be shooting without hearing protection.

True, they are all too loud to be shooting without ear protection, but those of us who grew up shooting guns with no ear protection due to ignorance can tell you the .45 ACP boom is much easier to handle and overcome than the earsplitting crack of the .357 or .32-20. The.327 is going to be somewhere in that ball park. Same goes for the Boom of some rifle calibers vs the Crack of others. Partly shaped my like/dislike for certain calibers in my developing years.

Always, always, always, wear ear protection. Plugs under muffs is even better.

 

[Varminterror]

Why not share with us how you happened to do this.

It's not rocket science, and I expect you'll be disappointed if you're expecting some wild tale of home-raiding zombies.

I'm a firearms instructor and do most of my classes in an indoor range. Forgot to put my earmuffs back on after talking through DA/SA revolvers, but my Single 7 reminded me when I went to demonstrate DA pull vs. SA live fire. Unfortunately, I've had the pleasure of hearing pretty much every pistol cartridge known to man without protection and under low ceilings over the years, whether by my own shots, or that of students - I use electronic muffs now, for myself and my students. Best $2,000 I ever spent.

True, they are all too loud to be shooting without ear protection, but those of us who grew up shooting guns with no ear protection due to ignorance can tell you the .45 ACP boom is much easier to handle and overcome than the earsplitting crack of the .357 or .32-20. The.327 is going to be somewhere in that ball park.

Good clarification - I did neglect the 45acp, as I was too much in mind of 38spcl+P, 357, 327, 9mm, etc. I don't see many folks adopting the 45acp any more, sadly, so I often forget to consider it. True 38spcls are in the same boat - too loud, but not quite as loud as these others - but I also don't consider the 38spcl most of the time, since so many folks are focused on +P or mag's for defense.

 

[ThomasT]

My uncle was a Homicide detective for many years and saw many people shot with different guns. So he knew what was effective and what was not. He gave his wife a S&W model 31 with a 2" barrel for HD. He would not have done that if he didn't think it would work.

Read the last paragraph in this article from Gunblast. Keep in mind that the gun used was a 32 long. A 32 mag or 327 would be even more effective.

http://www.gunblast.com/WBell_SW32s.htm

 

[sgt127]

I would look at the track record of the 32-20. It was a pretty respected cartridge back in the day. And the .327 is hotter.

 

[RealGun]

Come now, RG... The 45 colt's outlook isn't quite as bleak as all that - it enjoys a happy following in M25's and Redhawk's (and super Redhawk's, for that matter). Certainly not in the volume of the single action 45c revolvers, nor in the DA or SA 44mag hunting revolvers, but the old Colt is still hanging on strong, with more followers than just fellas running around with stick horses in their gun carts.

To the topic at hand, however, I've not heard/read any accounts of 32 caliber cartridges being used in defensive shootings which are fresher than any which were rehashed in the early 2000's when Ruger tried to revive the 32H&R.

In the killing of animals with 32H&R and 327FM, I can say it's not as potent as 38spcl, but it is sufficient. Certainly more potent than .380acp. My only 327FM currently is a 4" SP101, as even though I am a huge fan of the 32 caliber magnums, I find myself better suited with other options. For a firearm of the size of the LCR or SP101, I prefer more punch in .38spcl or 357, even 9mm frankly, and for something in its power class, I can carry a smaller pistol, like the LCP or LC9.

For small and medium game hunting, on the other hand, I find more pleasure in very few things than I do in the .32H&R or .327FM. If I can get my new mill running right and get a mount cut, I'll be quite content to have an Ultradot on my 4" SP101 for smoking bunnies, and maybe start improving my average on coyotes with it.

A more careful reading would reveal that I was referring to ammunition and gun offerings in the current market. Anyone shopping for 45Colt with an experience similar to mine will tell you that there is little on the shelf locally except 255 ball and maybe even labeled "cowboy".

 

[Varminterror]

My comments were meant in good fun, but after ANOTHER careful reading, since I did read it carefully the first time, I get the same impression as when I first commented...

A more careful reading would reveal that I was referring to ammunition and gun offerings in the current market. Anyone shopping for 45Colt with an experience similar to mine will tell you that there is little on the shelf locally except 255 ball and maybe even labeled "cowboy".

Sure doesn't read that way to me, since you mention GUN manufacturers and cowboy GUNS...

Gun and ammo manufacturers cannot be counted on to support anything long term except 38 Spl, 357 Mag, and 44 Mag revolvers. 45 Colt hangs on only by way of Cowboy guns and mild shooting, lead ammo.

I hearken back to gradeschool English classes - if you cut out the "and" statements, you can say the statement without and it remains the same: "Gun manufacturers cannot be counted on to support anything long term except 38 Spl, 357 Mag, and 44 Mag revolvers. 45 Colt hangs on only by way of Cowboy guns."

Again - my statements were made with lighthearted intent, but your words are what your words are.

 

[RealGun]

My comments were meant in good fun, but after ANOTHER careful reading, since I did read it carefully the first time, I get the same impression as when I first commented...



Sure doesn't read that way to me, since you mention GUN manufacturers and cowboy GUNS...



I hearken back to gradeschool English classes - if you cut out the "and" statements, you can say the statement without and it remains the same: "Gun manufacturers cannot be counted on to support anything long term except 38 Spl, 357 Mag, and 44 Mag revolvers. 45 Colt hangs on only by way of Cowboy guns."

Again - my statements were made with lighthearted intent, but your words are what your words are.

I chose to defend my statements. Any offering of new 45 Colts in other than historic style single actions is marginal to the companies' lines. Ruger dropped the 5.5" Redhawk in 45 Colt (which I own). Smith offers mostly their Classic, as in old fashioned, lineup. I expect finding one for sale new and locally might be challenging. As far as ammo is concerned, Hornady Leverevolution is not accurate in a revolver, and I find that I have to shop online if I want any ammo not meant for soft shooting "cowboy" stuff. I load my own, but all I have found in my area for any notion of defensive use is the kits for my Judge or Hornady XTP.

 

[Water-Man]

I chose to defend my statements. Any offering of new 45 Colts in other than historic style single actions is marginal to the companies' lines. Ruger dropped the 5.5" Redhawk in 45 Colt (which I own). Smith offers mostly their Classic, as in old fashioned, lineup. I expect finding one for sale new and locally might be challenging. As far as ammo is concerned, Hornady Leverevolution is not accurate in a revolver, and I find that I have to shop online if I want any ammo not meant for soft shooting "cowboy" stuff. I load my own, but all I have found in my area for any notion of defensive use is the kits for my Judge or Hornady XTP.

Why don't you guys start your own thread? This one is NOT about 45s in case you haven't noticed.

 

[RealGun]

Why don't you guys start your own thread? This one is NOT about 45s in case you haven't noticed.

The context remains that the 32, like 45 Colt, is not among the big three calibers that the typical gun shop supports in their ammo selection.

 

[Water-Man]

The context remains that the 32, like 45 Colt, is not among the big three calibers that the typical gun shop supports in their ammo selection.

That's your context, not the OP's.

 

[Merle1]

The context remains that the 32, like 45 Colt, is not among the big three calibers that the typical gun shop supports in their ammo selection.

Which really isn't the context of this thread, is it?

 

[RealGun]

Which really isn't the context of this thread, is it?

Read post #11. If there is a need to harrass that, there is something else going on.

 

[Merle1]

Read post #11. If there is a need to harrass that, there is something else going on.

The fact that you derailed this thread way back then does not change the fact it is not pertinent to the OP.

 

[Varminterror]

Read post #11. If there is a need to harrass that, there is something else going on.

Ammo availability doesn't really seem to pertain to Chompiras' question.

Okay, so I know that it's a rather morose topic to discuss. But being as how my EDC is an LCR in 327, I cant help but to at least ponder the question. The 327 has been around for nearly 10 years and the 32h&r mag since '84. Anyone privy to hearing of actual human shootings with one of these rounds?

I don't tend to get too hung up on published statistics, as there are simply too many "but if's" a person can call, and of course, when you fail to make up your own mind and simply follow suit, these statistics inevitably become self-fulfilling. There are plenty of instances of more powerful AND of less powerful cartridges used in defensive shootings, so interpolating the 32H&R or 327FM's performance isn't difficult. There are also plenty of reports of hunting done with both cartridges which can also be extrapolated to 'on-human' performance.

 

[Water-Man]

Read post #11. If there is a need to harrass that, there is something else going on.

You just don't seem to get it, do you?!

 

[Walkalong]

OK guys, let's get back on track.

 

[cal44mag]

Lots of shootings with 32 long going all the way back to TR adopting it for the NYPD.

Also, the 32-20 (similar ballistics to 32 h&r magnum) was a popular sd and hunting round for 100 years.

More recently, 32 acp was used by police and military in Europe thru the mid 20th century -- and it's about equal to 32 long as well.

 

[mnrivrat]

I am unable to answer the question regarding shootings with the .32 H&R. I do however carry a very nice Taurus Model 731 Total Titanium in that chambering.

I have been fortunate to not have to use it for SD. I do not feel under gunned, but I also recognize where my gun falls on the energy scale. I am in a wheel chair and the M731 Titanium carries well in a high riding belly band holster, shoots well (reliable), It is light weight and is accurate.

I have always felt that shot placement is a critical factor, and I am pleased with my .32 H&R. I will let you know if I find any data regarding effectiveness, but agree that looking at information for the .32S&W Long, and The .32-20 WCF will give you part of the information you seek.

 

[Water-Man]

The 32 H&R Mag is about equal to the 38 +P, depending on the ammo.