32 ACP in a 327 magnum revolver?

My 2 cents...I like the .327...looking at getting the SP101. I have a bunch of .32 H&R brass laying around for years gone by. I would like to get a SP and shoot both out of it...yes....the carbon ring sucks. But like I have done for many years with my .44 mags...I just stick to shooting the mags...I have shot .44 Specials...but I have had .44 Special revolvers around for more years than I can remember. As I get older I get a little more lazy about scrubbing chambers. So I am just going to keep shooting each gun in the caliber it was intended for. :)
 
Before my FiL started reloading 32 S&W long for us, I used to shoot 32acp out of my 32 h&r snubbies fairly often. 32acp was much cheaper and much easier to find locally. Shooting with a snubby at seven yards, the acp's and the longs seemed to have about the same accuracy. If you do a halfway decent job of cleaning the cylinders after each outing, the "rings" in the cylinders are a non-issue.

I would have to respectfully disagree with some of the other posters. I shoot 32 S&W long out of my 32 magnums, 38 special out of my 357 magnum, 44 special out of my 44 magnum, and 45acp out of my Blackhawk convertible. I do this regularly. I have zero issues with carbon rings in the cylinders. The accuracy does not suffer in any noticeable way. Perhaps this would cause problems IN THEORY, but IN PRACTICE it does not. I have been doing this for decades with many different revolvers. I do not believe that my positive experiences represent some sort of bizzarre statistical anomaly.
 
I will add 27 years of revolver experience and agree that tens of thousands of .38 Special has never ONCE, not even one time, given me cylinder ring crud, hassle or even mild annoyance. Seriously.

Not to say my experience makes others' void... but shooting shorter cases in revolvers is no manner of an issue for me.
 
FrankenMauser wrote:

... That's one of the reasons why I prefer .32 S&W Long for light loads, and use it more than the shorter brethren. The jump is notably shorter...
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Why not .32 H&R Magnum? The jump is even shorter. I've been thinking about this lately because it seems like the perfect cartridge for that new LCR 327.

Pathfinder45 wrote:

Why won't you simply use the correct ammo?
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There are lots of reasons. The OP here mentioned availability and price has come up. In some cases, such as with the LCR or various alloy snubs, reducing the power level can significantly increase accuracy, control, or just plain comfort for some users. If the user in question doesn't reload, then an obvious choice is selecting the shorter relative.

BTW, "correct" is shaky. Some guns are listed with multiple chamberings, often in .38 special and .357 magnum. Some manufacturers tout the use of multiple cartridges and make it part of the sales pitch, as with .327 Federal and .460 S&W. What we are really talking about is the best fit, with no gap to collect crud or cause any other problem, practical or theoretical.

Whatever the case, I think we mostly agree that .32 acp is largely "incorrect". ;)
 
Why not .32 H&R Magnum? The jump is even shorter. I've been thinking about this lately because it seems like the perfect cartridge for that new LCR 327.
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At the load level that I prefer, the air space in a .32 H&R casing would be greater than I'd like - leading to possible issues with the loads, due to powder positioning.
The shorter .32 S&W Long cases eliminate some of that air space, but still reduce the amount of bullet jump to the ball end, versus .32 S&W or .32 Auto. It's a good compromise (for me).


I do still shoot .32 H&R in my .327s, and my wife's favorite load is actually an 85 gr XTP on top of a hefty dose of Lil' Gun in .32 H&R brass. (She once pumped over 350 rounds of that load through "her" .327 Blackhawk and "her" .327 GP-100 in less than an hour.) But when I don't need the extra velocity for the task at hand (practice, plinking, etc), I like to fall back to .32 S&W Long or an even milder load. It's easier on the wallet. ;)
My wife shoots more "magnum" loads in my revolvers, than I do. :D

For most hunting and all defensive purposes, the revolvers get full power .327 Federal loads. But for rabbits, squirrels, and nearly anything else, I back off to .32 H&R, .32 S&W Long, or mild .32 S&W Long. The .32 Auto and .32 S&W loads rarely come out to play.
 
Why not .32 H&R Magnum? The jump is even shorter.
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That is all I shoot in my Single Seven. I don't even have any .327 cases around. I also have a baby Vaquero that is .32 H&R only. I have some good loads now that work well in both guns. I have no reason to go to .327 Magnum as the .32 H&R Mag does all I need doing in this caliber. Move up to .357, .44, .45 if I ever need more 'punch'...

Never even thought about .32ACP.... Hmmmm.
 
It's actually pretty cool that 327 Mag revolvers can shoot 5 calibers, 32ACP being one of them. Not recommended, of course but it will work in a pinch.
 
I have zero issues with carbon rings in the cylinders. The accuracy does not suffer in any noticeable way. Perhaps this would cause problems IN THEORY, but IN PRACTICE it does not. I have been doing this for decades with many different revolvers. I do not believe that my positive experiences represent some sort of bizzarre statistical anomaly.
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My experience has been similar to yours. I know it's considerd balsphemy to say so in some circles, but my theory is that the "crud ring" later escalated to "carbon ring" from short cartridges is an internet legend created out of theory by people who don't shoot short cartridges. Lets face it. If this ring of discoloration is keeping you awake at night, every full length cartridge also leaves one in a different place. :eek:
 
Tip for Handloaders: size and then OVER flare a piece of .357 Mag brass and tap tap tap in to each chamber, then use a dowel or pencil to tap it out from the front

The soft brass with heavy flare makes a terrific scraping tool to remove the crud if it bothers you.

Tip for non-handloaders:
Find a handloader! Most are helpful folks and they'd be happy to make a few of these for you.
 
My experience has been similar to yours. I know it's considerd balsphemy to say so in some circles, but my theory is that the "crud ring" later escalated to "carbon ring" from short cartridges is an internet legend created out of theory by people who don't shoot short cartridges. Lets face it. If this ring of discoloration is keeping you awake at night, every full length cartridge also leaves one in a different place.
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The 'crud ring' as it should probably be more appropriate called in the context of my post, does give me problems. Most of my light loads, .32 S&W, .32 S&W Long, and .32 Auto in particular, use cast bullets with traditional wax-based lube.

If I run 50 rounds, or so, through the cylinder and then switch back to a longer cartridge (.32 H&R or .327 Federal), loading might require an extra push on the case head, and extraction requires more effort. In some cases, extraction may even be difficult.
Under almost no circumstances will drop-in loading or drop-free extraction be a consideration.

It's easier to shoot the short stuff last, than it is to deal with stiff extraction from the soot and lube in the chambers.
 
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