Aluminum revolver for .32 ACP?

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kannonk

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I read somewhere about complaints on aluminum revolvers being too weak and breaking and saying a revolver needs to be made in steel. But steel can rust so would be possible to make an aluminum revolver strong enough for the .32 ACP?

NOTE: I find it funny that the spellcheck will underline aluminium even though it's the "British way" of saying it.
 
Isn't 32acp for auto loaders?
Didn't know they also fit revolvers.
Aluminum frames can be quite strong.
What brand is it?
Or are you just imagining for now?
 
Aluminum frames abound in all calibers, there are .22s with aluminum cylinders and centerfires with titanium cylinders where greater strength is needed. Aluminum .38 Special cylinders were not successful in early Smith & Wesson Airweights.

The chance of a manufacturer tooling up for a new revolver in .32 ACP is nil.

There were some numbers of European .32 ACP revolvers in the early 20th century. I do not know if they came back after WWI.
 
The SW 432 HR mag revolvers have Aluminum frame and barrel shrouds. Steel cylinders.

IIRC, folks have shot 32 ACP in 32 HR mag guns. Are we asking about the cylinder, also?
 
You are just not going to give up on the 32s are you? You want a 32 in a revolver they have been built for years. I have three 32 long revolvers and four 32 mag revolvers. Two are ruger single sixes and they have aluminum frames. And I also have a S&W 32 mag model 431PD snubby with an aluminum frame.

You can shoot 32 acp out of most of them. But since the bullet is about .003 undersize they are not accurate. Not even a little bit.

You have stated the only gun you have ever shot was a 22 one time you really need more experience before you post. At least do some serious research on guns.
 
Plenty strong.

No manufacturer is going to make one any time soon.



NOTE: I find it funny that the spellcheck will underline aluminium even though it's the "British way" of saying it.
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That's exactly why it gets underlined. It may be British, but it still ain't right. ;)

If you look at the etymology of "aluminum", you'll find that aluminum is original and proper, while "aluminium" was a British attempt at trying to make it sound more "scientifical" and better fall in line with British metal-naming conventions of the early 1800s.
 
From your Sig line...
I wish some day manufacturers will get together to alter the .32 ACP casing to eliminate rim lock,
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The 32 acp case can be quickly modified so there is no rim lock. I have done it, shot the rounds without one single failure and still have some of the modified rounds on hand. No big deal.
 
I've owned six different 32 magnum revolvers. If I recall correctly, two wouldn't fire 32acp at all, two would fire them just fine, and two of them would fire some rounds but not others. My guess is that it has something to do with firing pin length, but that's just a guess. IIRC, my Charter Arms Undercoverette is one of the ones that shoots 32acp reliably, and it has an aluminum frame.
 
Ruger LCR is an aluminum frame in .22 Mag and .38 +p, so I would think it could also handle .32acp as well.


Monolithic frame is made from aerospace-grade, 7000 series aluminum in .22 LR, .22 Magnum and .38 Spl +P models and from 400 series stainless steel in the powerful .357 Magnum, 9mm Luger and .327 Federal Magnum models.
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Tallball think the OP is asking about an aluminum gun chambered for 32acp and not the 32 long or magnum rounds. The OP has a fixation on 32acp guns. Read some of his threads in the semi auto forum.

I have shot 32acp from my 32 long revolvers. But it was a waste of ammo because they shot all over the place. It does make noise if thats what you like. I don't do it anymore. I have the ammunition the guns are chambered for. So no need to shoot the 32acp from a revolver. But lots of fun from my Walther PP.:)
 
I have said for years that if a major manufacturer made a very small revolver in .32 acp, it would sell well.

That said, the gun can not be made of aluminum. The frame can, but the barrel and cylinder would be too soft to contain the pressure of the .32. These parts could easily be made of stainless steel.
 
They could also blacken the aluminum frame and make the barrel and cylinder out of carbon steel like on my 431PD and the popular 442 snubby. But its a moot point. No matter how many stars the OP wishes upon no one is going to make one.
 
"What brand is it?
Or are you just imagining for now? "
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No brand. Just an idea I had. Which brand would you like to see make such a gun?

"The chance of a manufacturer tooling up for a new revolver in .32 ACP is nil."
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Why not? It would fill in the 126 to 177 ft/lbs gap in revolvers. There doesn't seem to be anything between the .22 and .38 Special. (Yes, I did look at .32 H&R magnum and .22 magnum.)
After reading about titanium, my preference now would be aluminum frame and titanium cylinder.

"There were some numbers of European .32 ACP revolvers in the early 20th century."
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This is interesting. I wonder why they're not around now. One of the reasons for a revolver like this is the Underwood Xtreme Cavitator apparently is a good round in ballistics gel testing although they don't seem to load flawlessly in an autoloader.

"At least do some serious research on guns."
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Some people posted they knew people who were recoil sensitive...
 
Out of curiosity why the obsession with energy levels? And further if people are recoil sensitive just hand them a model 10 and be done with it. .32 caliber auto or revolver would be fun to play with though. .327 is interesting to me at least.
 
I'm assuming this is a "hypothetical" question?

"Steel rusts" - yes it doe but guns have been made from steel for many many years and if you take care of them, they won't rust. "Aluminum" for lighter weight? Plenty of guns with aluminum frames but still have to have a cylinder that is made from material that will hold up to pressure as well as a barrel that will function and last.

I'm more curious as to why a 32 ACP revolver? Yes, the 32 ACP headspace on the rim but my question would be "why" in 32 ACP? 32 S & W was used for many many years as was the 32 S & W Long. I believe Starline still makes the brass so if a person reloads, no problem. Plenty of 32 revolvers out there today chambered in Mag that will also shoot a 32 S & W or a 32 S & W Long. As far as shooting a 32 ACP in a revolver chambered for 32 - why would you want to when the slug size is .003 smaller on the 32 ACP? An undersize slug will contribute to "key holing" and if shooting lead, contribute to leading the bore.

Again . . this may be a "fantasy" or similar but why try and "reinvent the horse" when there are plenty of 32s out there that will handle a wide variety of cartridges with slugs to match the bore size?
 
32 acp is semi rimmed thx to John M Browning's genious.

I'd love a small break action version like was made in 22mag a while back.
 
Out of curiosity why the obsession with energy levels?
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Because from the very beginning of his first post he has been trying to appear knowlegable about guns. Something he has failed miserably at
Continuing to hang his entire atgument for the 32acp on his own preceived "energy gap" that really means nothing, bit only proves it more.
A .32 acp revolver that is built around the cartridge would be very small- a true pocket revolver.
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Now Bill does bring up an intetesting idea. Somethimg I was thinking about not only after reading this thread's first post, but before. For me, not necessarily intended for the same purpise as Bill. But rather a really fun "range toy". Just like my very tiny NAA Mini Revolver in 22 Short. A slightly up sized (minimally as as required for the round) NAA Mini Revolver in 32acp. For my purpose it would not need a swing out cylinder, or big, ugly oversized grip. Just the tiniest it could be, push out empties, DA revolver like the original Mini. But unlike as the OP asks, made of stainless steel of course.
 
ratshooter said:
You are just not going to give up on the 32s are you? You want a 32 in a revolver they have been built for years. I have three 32 long revolvers and four 32 mag revolvers. Two are ruger single sixes and they have aluminum frames. And I also have a S&W 32 mag model 431PD snubby with an aluminum frame.

You can shoot 32 acp out of most of them. But since the bullet is about .003 undersize they are not accurate. Not even a little bit.
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I shot .32 FMJ out of a Heritage .32 H&R two weeks ago. It grouped just as well as the .32 S&W Long and H&R Mag at 10 yards.

Blast was noticibly louder.

I agree that instead of getting a thrill up his leg about a .32 ACP revolver, he'd be better off just getting a .32 S&W Long or H&R revolver. He could get one of those today, but none of them would be made of light weight alloy's except the .327 LCR.

The .32 Long or H&R just has better penetration and less blast.

Bill DeShivs said:
A .32 acp revolver that is built around the cartridge would be very small- a true pocket revolver.
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So would a revolver built around the .32 S&W, maybe a .32 S&W revolver built to take true smokeless powder loads not from ammo that's downloaded to be shot from the old black powder top breaks from the late 19th and early 20th Century.



This whole argument is pointless. The Western Hemisphere has no interest in the .32 caliber revolver, at least not for something in the .32 ACP or S&W/S&W Long power range. Would I be interested in a 5 shot .32 ACP swing out cylinder revolver? It depends how much smaller and lighter it would be next to a .327 LCR.
 
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