.32 H&R Magnum and .32 acp

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My wife recently bought a S&W revolver in the .32 H&R Magnum. She's looking for some light ammo for practice and fun shooting. She tried .32 short, which works fine, but all I can find has lead bullets and leaves us with a barrel cleaning problem. I have some .32 acp for my Kel Tec and it has enough of a rim to make it hold well in the revolver chambers. ANyone have any experience or advice on using .32 acp in a revolver?
 
I picked up a 4" sp 101 32 mag from a guy and he would shoot 32 acp through it.He said it wasnt as accurate with that round but it would work.I'v never shot acp through it though.
 
Possible?

I was checking the dimensions of the two cases. They are both .337 O.D. at the rear but the acp is down to .336 at the mouth, wheras the revolver magnum is straight. The acp is a pretty low power round so I suppose you could get away with trying a couple rounds as long as they do not fall into the chambers and the chambers are snug enough. The rim is thinner by about ten thousandths so headspace may or may not show up as a problem. You could try a couple and see if you have problems with primers backing out, which might stick cylinder rotation, or bulged cases, which would make me pause.
Might not be very accurate but might suprise you, just have to try it. I would not try anything unusual, like some of the higher pressure/velocity "defense" rounds like the Glaser slugs or similiar. Maybe hollowpoints would not hurt. But for the costs of the ammo, you might just elect to handload the magnums. Suitable hollowpoint or FMJ bullets would not cost that much, and you could probably get a cheap Lee loader device and just get by with one type of powder. That can be cheap shooting even compared to 32acp rounds. BUT WEAR SHOOTING/SAFETY GLASSES!!!! Just in case, when experimenting!
 
I find 32 S&W Long to have less recoil than 32 ACP (if that's possible) plus they will have better accuracy out of a 32 H&R Mag revolver. You can get some 100gr JHP from Georgia Arms. They make the best available 32 H&R Mag round as well.
 
Thanks!

I appreciate all of the good ideas. I found some Aguila 32 Longs on NAtchez for $6.83 and that looks like a deal. It sounds like the longs will be a tad safer than the acp.. Why risk anything with a good wife. :-)

I thought about reloading them. I have a Dillon Square Deal press and dies are available for .32. But the cost of brass, primers and bullets seemed to be about equal with commercial stuff. So I'm thinking now I'll save the price of the dies and the hassle of changing them out. In reality, she probably won't shoot it much. But the lead may still give me barrel fouling problems.

Thanks for the help!
 
I did have a Taurus 731 (SS .32 H&R 2" ported) before a burglary and losing about 12 guns. :mad:

Do not fire the .32 S&W (short) rounds in a .32 H&R Mag. That was the word I got from both S&W and Taurus. .32 S&W Longs are okay. Firing 32 S&W Longs from a .32 H&R Mag with the soft lead bullet leaves a lot of cleaning to do. Here's what I did to cut down on it...

1. Purchase a bottle of Tetra gun spray cleaner and Tetra Bore Conditioner. Also purchase a "Lead Away" cloth (yellow wax-impregnated cloth).

2. Thoroughly clean the revolver. Use gun spray and a good solvent (Rig #44 or your favorite) and new .32 caliber cleaning brushes. For stubborn lead fouling, cut the Lead Away (LA) cloth into a patch and use this to clean the forcing cone, barrel and chamber mouths where leading builds up. You'll need to use about 1/3 of your cloth to do this. Use the cloth to remove powder rings from the front of the cylinder & muzzle too. :D

3. Spray the gun clean to remove any residue from the LA cloth, wipe down. Now use the Tetra Bore Conditioner as directed (Shake vigorously!).
Also use the this product in the cylinder chambers with a clean patch.

4. Remove excessive bore conditioner and lubricate the firearm as normal.

5. At the range, use a short cleaning rod and the .32 brush every 25 rounds or so if necessary to keep lead from building up in the cylinders. Otherwise lead can build up in the cylinders to prevent chambering .32 H&R rounds.

6. When you get home you'll find the Tetra conditioner and occasional brushing leaves you with much less work to do in cleaning.

Hope that helps!
 
Use 32 long ammo. I buy it all the time at gun shows for $6.50 to $7.00 a box. You can also get it cheap from Natchez Shooters Supply.
 
I've shot hundreds of 32 acp rounds through 32 S&W Long and 32 H&R Magnum revolvers (all modern Smith & Wessons). The only adverse effect is just like when you shoot 38 in a 357 or 32 long in a 32 mag you have to clean the cylinder real good or else when you shoot the longer rounds they can stick because the longer brass is out past where the powder residue is located in the chamber and when it expands during firing it will stick a little making ejection more difficult.
 
I have shot a .32 H&R Magnum for years, and I love it. Get some brass from Starline (full size magnum) load it with 2.5gr W 231 driving a 98gr BNWC.
As accurate a load as you'll find anywhere. Oh yes, taper crimp, and if you want a nice trigger pull,slacken off the tension spring and use Federal Small Primers.
 
32 MAg

Federal sells 85 gr. Jacketed hollowpoints that I like. I also load some hard cast bullets that I make myself with a lyman mold.
 
G'day,

I shoot .32 SWL in a Benneli MP90S for ISSF Centrefire. I clean the gun with a little Hoppes No 9 and a bristle brush then a wet patch, a dry patch or two and then a damp patch. I do this maybe every 500 rounds or so. Once in a blue moon I may run a bronze brush down the bore. Works for me.

Cheers from down under
Aussie Bob
 
32 isn't a powerhouse round, but in general one should NEVER lubricate the chamber(s) of a firearm. The case expands on firing and locks against the walls of the chamber. That means that less of the thrust is directed against the breech. If you lubricate the chamber this expansion and locking is thwarted and the full force of the thrust upon firing is directed against the breech.
 
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