what happened to the .32?

[Landric]

I really like the .32 H&R Magnum also. Its fun to shoot, accurate, light recoil, dirt cheap to handload for, and with the right handloads reasonably powerful. I find the .327 Federal interesting, but unless and until I can get my PD to approve something smaller than .355 caliber for BUG or off-duty carry, I'll be sticking to my H&R mags.

I don't mind that its not the popular, so long as some guns are available and Starline keeps making brass, I'm happy.

 

[Diggers]

Well who knew you CAN bring an almost three year dead thread back to life. HEH HEH

Yeah with the .327 out I doub't anyone will make any .32M (only) revolvers anymore. Just not good buisness sense.

With the CCW thing the .32 (and .380) have found a new fan club but its in ACP, not the better mag cartrige.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

That's the answer to the OP's original question. What happened to the .32? It evolved into the .327 Mag.

Now, if gunmakers will do the sensible thing and offer it in a suitable gun -- like the Ruger Single Six -- it ought to sell well. If not, well, it will probably slowly fade away.

 

[Dr.Rob]

I own a .32-20 Colt Official Police and honestly, an old Colt in .32 SW Long or in Colt speak .32 New Police would have to be MINTY and cheap to get me to buy it. That .32-20 is indeed a great 'walking around' gun. .327? I don't need no stinking .327 magnum!

Now an SP 101 in 32.20? That might be a hoot! Or imagine finding a no finish left on it Colt DS in .32... I'd bet you could convert it to 32-20. If you had more money than sense.

 

[45Frank]

Yesterday 04:56 AM
notbubba I have a Ruger single six birdshead in .32 mag.
Neat little gun, I like it a lot.

I have the dies, now I need to get bullets to start reloading.

Like this ??

 

[71Commander]

I own a S&W 431. I handload all ammo for it. I shoot a 100 SWC, using AA#7 and getting a velocity of 1285 chronoed. Not too shabby.

I just can't bring myself to sell it.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

That .32-20 is indeed a great 'walking around' gun. .327? I don't need no stinking .327 magnum!

I have annoyed several people on this and other forums by pointing out that the .327 Mag and the 7.62X25 are simply gussied up .32-20s.

 

[Old Fuff]

Ruger's Single-Six platform was designed around .22 rim-fire cartridges. While it has been adaped to .32 H&R Magnum by the manufacturer I doubt that they will come out with one in .327 Magnum. It is true that some gunsmiths have made custom conversions, but Ruger will require it to also stand up to a plus-20% proof load. I question if the custom makers are submitting their products to this test.

If they haven't discontinued it, Smith & Wesson was making a 5-shot/J-frame/.357 Magnum with a 5" barrel, and this package might be interesting in .327 Magnum; However I would much prefer a 6-shot make on the larger K-frame.

 

[ArmedBear]

S&W has made some 442s in .32 H&R -- 6 shot J-frame Airweights.

I probably wouldn't be in any hurry to ditch my .357 Model 60 pre-lock for a new .327, though.

What I don't really understand, though, is why the .32 is good for walking around in the woods. Maybe you have animals in other places, that we don't. A .22 WMR will take care of any edible rodents here, and if a badger comes at me or my dog, much as I don't want to shoot a badger, if I DID have to shoot it, a .357 would be my choice. My "walking around" .357 loads have 158 grain LSWCs in them, and I don't want anything less than that.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

What I don't really understand, though, is why the .32 is good for walking around in the woods. Maybe you have animals in other places, that we don't. A .22 WMR will take care of any edible rodents here, and if a badger comes at me or my dog, much as I don't want to shoot a badger, if I DID have to shoot it, a .357 would be my choice. My "walking around" .357 loads have 158 grain LSWCs in them, and I don't want anything less than that.

If "need" was a valid criterion for justifying a new gun and cartridge, there'd be a lot of nearly empty gun safes in this country.

A .22 LR will do about 99% of what you need done in the woods. In fact, here in the Ozarks I mostly carry a Colt Woodsman when I'm out and about. For 100% coverage, a .357 will do it -- especially with light .38 Special wadcutter loads for small game, and a few shot rounds.

Or I could carry one of my .45s -- I have two Rugers and a Colt New Service. They'll do for deer and black bear even better than the .357.

But still and all, a Single Six in .327 would be an awfully tempting gun.

 

[ArmedBear]

Oh, I didn't say "need" or "not need", I was just wondering about why it's a great gun.

AFAIK Elmer Keith's first revolver was a .32-20, but I'd have to read up on that again. He bagged small game with it, but he didn't appear to be enamored with the round, long-term.

 

[71Commander]

S&W has made some 442s in .32 H&R -- 6 shot J-frame Airweights.

432 and 431. 431 has exposed hammer and 432 is the Centennial. Both in 32 mag.

See my post above.

 

[OldCavSoldier]

An long-time family friend carries and shoots a really old .32 S&W snubbie that his father carried for many, many years when off-duty as a west Texas deputy sheriff. Actually, it is one of only three pistols he owns (the other two being an S&W Registered Magnum and a 1930-something Colt Government Model) and he shoots it weekly. In a perfect world, the ammo companies would still make the ammo for it, but, with things being the way they are these days, company economics has ruled out the .32 S&W in favor of .38SPL and 9mm.

Too bad. I love it when my friend lets me shoot "shorty."

 

[weregunner]

Might be able to help with the .32 S&W problem. As of late there have been more places to get the ammo from. Not a lot of them. Just a few more places.
Manufacturer Description Grain Bullet Category Rounds/
Box Price/
Box Price/
Round Location
1. Remington Lead Express Round Nose 88 Round Nose 50 $27.95 $0.56 AmmunitionToGo
2. Remington Lead Round Nose 88 Lead Round Nose 50 $41.75 $0.84 AmmoBank

These are from www.ammoengine.com .
Remington Centerfire Pistol Cartridges R32SW, 32 S&W, Lead Round ...
Remington 32 Smith & Wesson 88 Grain Lead Round Nose. This exceptionally broad line of handgun ammunition covers a comprehensive range of ... Caliber :32 S&W Bullet Type :Lead Round Nose Bullet Weight :88 GR ... Firearms for sale | Shotguns for sale | Rifles for sale | Pistols for sale | Black Powder Hunting ...
www.ableammo.com/catalog/product_info.php?products... - Cached - Similar

www.midwayusa.com
www.cheaperthandirt.com
www.natchezss.com

These are all places that stock the .32 S&W ammo.

 

[zfk55]

I have annoyed several people on this and other forums by pointing out that the .327 Mag and the 7.62X25 are simply gussied up .32-20s.

Its only annoying when you see the gussied up stats side by side.
32-20 Rifle (nominal) MV 1,210 Energy 325
32-20 3" Handgun (nominal) MV 850, Energy 160

.327 Mag 3" Handgun (nominal) MV 1,390, Energy 490

zfk55

 

[Dr.Rob]

I need to chrono mine to be sure but those numbers seem low, then again my .32-20 is a 5 or 6 inch.

Not that I need a .32-20 snubby, just might be 'neat.'

 

[eye5600]

Since the original .32 has about the same power as .22 WMR, it's a reasonable matter to offer the Single Six in .32, but upgrading to .327 Mag is a whole different story.

Per their web site, Heritage Arms offers their Rough Rider in .32.

 

[Steve in Merritt Island]

I must confess that "my" Smith M432 was purchased with the intent to give to my wife for our anniversary (Valentine's Day). Is it really wrong to covet the gift I bought for her? Am I a bad husband?

 

[zfk55]

Bad husband. Bad husband.
Covet not thy wife's revolver lest she smite thy checkbook from thy hand and withhold from thee thy future aquisitions!


zfk55

 

[Stainz]

I feel it necessary to update re my three year old posts on my Ruger .32s (4" SP101 & 4.6" BHG SSM). They were sold 5/08, a victim of their own poor QC, oversized chambers, and the .32 bullet 'problem'. The latter was availability driven - .38 lead, weight for weight, is cheaper and far more widely available - as it should be. The oversized chambers limited case life, as they resize to the commercial ammo size of .334" max - the two Rugers I had uniformly allowed 'expanded' cases a gnat's hair less than .338". That .004" increase doesn't sound like much, but consider the case OD - it's substantial. Ruger could argue the necessity of large .45 Colt chambers as in response to the 'blackpowder standard', but why here?

Oddly, the 3" .32 H&RM SP101 glut evaporated, with the intro of the .327 Magnum soon to follow... in the 3" SP101. Hmmm, re-ream deeper - re-stamp the caliber - voila, a new .327 Magnum! It would be easy. Sadly, they sit on my dealer's shelf - near the empty spot on the ammo shelves where that Federal .327 Magnum ammo should be.

Now, about the ammo... GA Arms 100gr JHP, a Hornady XTP, in .32 H&RM was fast - and nasty. I chrono-ed them at 1186 +/-16 fps from my 4" SP101 - nearly identical to my 4.6" SSM. Both could shoot 24-30 rounds before they were too nasty to continue. I always wanted a S&W 432 and had actually bought the GA Arms ammo - 500 rounds - for it (They were $339 locally then!). Ultimately, I bought a 642 (+P .38 Spcl). For protection, I'll stay with it - and +P 158gr LHPSWCs.

The .32s were fun - I did keep a bundle of .32 S&WLs. My mild reloads in .32 H&RM cases, 115gr LRNFP @720-730 fps , were fun - as were the sub-100gr lead loads in .32 S&WL I kept. I'll find a S&W .32 plinker - one day. I'm through with Rugers, however, until they 'do it right', ie, proper chambers and real adjustable sights.

In reality, the .32 died years ago - the .32 H&RMs had a never-awe-inspiring demand in their twenty plus year life. For me, it's .22 rimfire or .38 Specials... unless a decent S&W .32 plinker presents itself - at a decent price.

Stainz

 

[Steve in Merritt Island]

Kernel, thanks for the welcome party. The older I get, besides getting more ornery, I am tending to enjoy simpler pleasures again. And the .32 brings me back to happier, more genteel day.

Stainz, sorry to hear of your troubles with the .32 Ruger. I'd not experianced them in this caliber, but. as stated those .45 chambers are a bit sloppy.

While the .32 will never be any more (or less for that matter) than what it is, a small critter getter at best, it meets and exceeds my minimum daily requirements. The new J frame .327's from Smith, at close to $900 MSRP, seem a bit over the top. Don't really understand its role in the universe, but some like blondes, some like redheads and me, I enjoy picking blackheads.

My only complaint to date against the Ruger is the difficulty in loading such a dainty cylinder, especially on a cold day with gloves on.

Generally I am shooting a cast 105 grain FN with 3.0 grs. of Unique in S&W Long brass.

 

[crusty81]

wow lots of interest in 32 s sweet! we just got 400 rounds of nice once fired brass 32 magnum off gun broker the last box of 50 they sold went for $100 bucks, dam! we are loading barrys 71 gr plated bullets ,we will be listing them on gun broker in the next 2-3 weeks if anyone is interested. and yes the new 327 is a nice unit , the tests i have seen and the shooting i have done with my 32 h&r mag and my s&w 357 shows that the 32 mag is a formidable round,more than most 38 spl rounds could match.with much less recoil and a lot of stopping power the ladys love them!!!!keep on reloading those 32 mags ! shootem if ya gotem!!!!

 

[Onmilo]

I have always felt the .32 H&R Magnum chambered in a Marlin 1894CL rifle would be about the perfect little woods rifle.

 

[bluetopper]

I still would like to find a Smith model 16 at a good price.

 

[Steve in Merritt Island]

M16 Smith .32 H&R

Best of luck there. Smith would never made it again...especially with a six inch tube and a conventional half under lug....too much risk that people would buy it.