32 Magnum

jimsbowies

New member
S&W has a really neat little defensive revolver in 32 Mag....anyone have any experience with this....just looking for informed insight.....

Thanks
 
.32 H&R Mag...I think thats the right callout. Its just below the or even with some 38 spec loads...even some +P's , when shot from a snubby..in FPE the load carries. Its pretty popular with people who carry "pocket or ankle" guns. Most 5 shot 38's will have a similar model that the cylinder holds 6 of the .32's, Sp101 and I think the J frame...not sure about the J. The bullet weight is around 100gr. and come in defensive rounds. Sounds fun, potent and less recoil. Shoot well
 
thanks

Sounds like a really good ccw piece....these all-steel commanders get tiresome after awhile...

Thanks for the advice
 
I have one. The model 331 I bought for my wife two years ago. She has yet to shoot it. I've put about 200 rds. thru it so far. It is a nice little gun, but I carry a .38+P myself.
 
I liked .32 H&R Magnum snubbies so much...

..that I bought TWO. From everything I've read, the .32 H&R mag is stronger than a regular, non +P .38 special. It seems to be 16%-18% LESS strong than a .38 special +P.
I have a 17 ounce Taurus 731UL (ported) and a 11.9 ounce S&W 331. (looks like a Chief's Special revolver) They both hold six rounds and the recoil of the S&W is a little less than an all steel, .38 special model 36. The slightly heavier, ported Taurus has very little recoil. Both are pretty plesant shooters. I carry one or the other every day. I find either VERY easy to conceal. Oh, I almost forgot. While there aren't as many choices of ammunition as with a .38 special, I've had no trouble finding Federal JHP or lead wadcutters. Georgia Arms offers some newly made JHP also. (Seems to be at a great price too!)

KR
 
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thanks

You guys are selling me on this....think I might be able to hit something with a 32 mag after having fired (oh) somewhere around 30k rounds through my custom built Colt autos? :D
 
I have two guns in the chambering; an older Ruger Single Six and a Taurus 731UL snubby.

Both are quite accurate (the Ruger is a tackdriver with 95gr LSWC's) and mild of recoil. It looks like "the poor man's magnum" is enjoying a resurgence, with more guns currently chambered for it every year.
 
It gets better.

I was talking to the guys from the Texas Ammunition Company at the NRA show - http://www.texas-ammo.com/ - they've just worked up a .32Mag load that uses an 85grain JHP.

Get this: it'll do over 1,000fps from a 1&7/8ths barrel snubby.

OK, now we're talkin'. That's a better option than most non-plus-P .38 fodder, because the extra speed should be enough to open the JHP.

It's not on their web page yet. I would recommend EMailing 'em, making sure that's actually the bunch. This fodder might cause people to totally re-think .38snubbies. Six of these wouldn't leave you "undergunned" for most situations.

Cor-Bon was also working on a solution. They were playing around with a 60-grain Gold Dot slug normally used for .32ACP, driven at 1,200fps or so from a 2" barrel. While that sounds good, I'm not sure that's a great idea because it would only do 800-900 in .32ACP so the slug might "shed the nosecone" at higher velocity (where the slug mushrooms all right, but then the mushroom falls apart and you end up with a lighter .33cal or so projectile after the first few inches).

Cor-Bon says they cancelled the project due to not enough market.

You can also shoot .32ACP in these guns :). Only problem is, the ejector star won't work right with the ultra-small rims on the .32ACP but there IS enough rim there to allow 'em to shoot. Eject 'em with the back of a pen or cleaning rod :). You can also shoot .32S&W and .32S&WLong with proper ejection.

I want NAA to make a single action minirevolver in .32Mag :D. Just "scale up" the Black Widow some - you'd get something way smaller than a J-Frame class DA gun.
 
Oh ya, that's them all right:

http://www.texas-ammo.com/about.htm#news

Quoting:

"32 H & R Magnum Express: Texas Ammunition Company has been working on the development of this round for over a year and has finally found the right ingredients to make this rounds absolutely outstanding. The 32 H&R Magnum Express features an 85 grain XTP-JHP and was loaded with the new short barrel titanium revolvers in mind. Out of our test firearm, with a 1 7/8" barrel, the 32 H&R Express develops a slick 1,000 fps giving a new dimension to a lightweight self defense revolver. This load provides 185 foot pounds of muzzle energy -- as much as a standard loaded 38 special."

HELL ya.

The energy might be no more than regular .38, but the velocity is higher meaning more reliable JHP expansion. The XTP projectiles are usually pretty good.

This is a fine choice.

You should also know that HKS makes a speedloader for 6-shot J-Frames and their Taurus and Ruger equivelents. Ruger? Ya, the SP101 is available as a six-shot .32Mag, but only with adjustable sights and a 3" or 4" barrel. Kinda heavy, 30 - 34 ounces, but GREAT for the recoil-shy.
 
Tamara, how fast does the GA stuff go in a 2" barrel? Was the load *tuned* for 2" tubes, the way the Texans did?

It's extremely rare for a company to "tune" a load for 2" barrels and then publish the data on what it does in 'em. It SHOULDN'T be rare, but it is.
 
They claim 1100fps, but odds are good that that's out of a 4 5/8" Single Six or 4" SP-101. Still, it should be kissing up to 1000fps out of a 2" gun and uses a nice, soft SJHP. I'd like to see some actual independant tests on it.
 
Hodgdon has loads (2001 mini manual) for the 32 mag using Lil-gun powder. Their max lil-gun load and HDY 85 xtp produced average 1198 fps from a 4 in sp-101. While not in their manual, have driven Speer's 100 jhp to 1131 fps, with excellent accuracy. Tried it on a water jug, first lesson in how close not to be when shooting water jugs.
 
you guys have been most helpful

So, is S&W my only choice? Are there others in the small and concealable category that would be a suitable substitute..

You've sold me on the efficacy of the 32 H&R Mag round....now I just need the proper "platform".....

HELPPPPPPPPPPP
 
The Taurus model is similar in size to the Smith I believe, though I think the Taurus UltraLight actually weighs a hair more than the Smith. If you're interested in Charlotte, I know where there is a Taurus for sale if you want to check one out. Ruger also makes one but it is rather a bit heavier than the others.
 
S&W 332. Hogue boot grip, if it don't have it already. Three HKS 32-J speedloaders. Lots of Federal ammo. Galco deepcover IWB. You is all set!
 
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