What is a .32mag good for?

[Alan Fud]

... fox? coyote? wolf? bear? etc.

This is not really a hunting question but I think that this is the most appropriate forum to post this in. If moderators disagree, then please feel free to move this thread to a more appropriate forum.

I normally carry a Smith & Wesson 332 in .32mag in and around the house because it's light weight and I can easily slip it into a shirt pocket or even a PJ pocket without the weight pulling the garment off and I have relatively quick & easily access to more powerful firepower inside the home.

I also do not carry it when leaving my home / property and instead depend on either a .45ACP, 9mm, .357mag, etc. As I said, the .32mag is for carry in and around the house.

I recently moved from the FL swamps to the hills & valleys of PA where I'm out in the middle of nowhere and where neighbors have told me that coyote, wolves and sometimes black bear are often spotted in the area.

Just curious what the .32mag would be effective against ... fox, coyote, wolves, mountain lions, bears, etc.

 

[mete]

For mountain lions and bears stick to 41 mag or better.I think PA like NY still deny existance of the lions despite more frequent sightings. Bears in Pike county PA have reached 700lbs , official weight during hunting season. NY requires 9mm/38 or bigger for big game. For the 32 stick to coyote or smaller. BTW coyotes in the northeast can be as big as 70 lbs.

 

[Joe Demko]

Your neighbors are jerking your chain somwhat. Coyote and black bear are reasonably common in PA. Wolves have been extinct in PA for a very long time. There are rumors of occasional sightings of mountain lions, but there hasn't been a verified sighting since the 1800's IIRC.
IOW, your chances of being attacked by a wild animal in PA are pretty low. Feral dogs are a bigger risk than any of the native wild life.