Let's talk about the percieved cost of .32 revolver ammo

T

TruthTellers

New member
After reading in the .22 Mag vs .32 thread here and a thread about Charter Arms in another forum, on top of the general comments about .32 S&W Long and .32 Magnum I've seen over the years in passing, I think it's worth discussing and putting to bed the notion that the ammo is unobtainium.

Firstly, factory .32 S&W Long ammo is on par with the cost of .38 Special, at the very least 2 cents more a round depending on where you buy online.

.32 Mag is different, it's not as common or popular as .32 S&WL. is and most of it is sold as self defense ammo, so it's generally always $1 per round. If you're looking to shoot .32 Mag much, reloading is the best course of action.

So, I took the time to come up with a list of the materials needed to reload and figured I would list the cheapest or simplest materials possible needed to get started.

And all these same materials could be used for other uncommon handgun calibers too, but IMO the .32 revolver is the most overlooked of all handgun calibers and perhaps one of the cheapest to reload, thus makes a lot of sense to reload.

So here's the list:

  • Lee die set ($35, $51 if include factory crimp die)
  • Lyman M die ($20)
  • Lee hand press ($40) or Lee C frame press ($41)
  • Lee Ram Prime ($12)
  • Lee manual powder throw ($26)
  • Digital powder scale ($20-25)
  • Harbor Freight ultrasonic cleaner ($60 with 25% off coupon)

The total price for all those materials, not including powder, brass, primers, and bullets is... about $235. If you leave out the ultrasonic cleaner to clean the brass and just buy new brass every time, then the start up cost is $175.

Congrats, you can now load any .32 ammo you want and get the benefit of lower recoil compared to .38, but more effective shooting vs .22 rimfire.

Other than a lack of revolvers from S&W and Taurus, what's stopping you from embracing the .32?
 
Thank you for posting this!!! I think that the .32 S&W Long is the best compromise in a light compact revolver between power and shoot ability, especially when compared to .38 Spl. Has anyone shot .38 S&W out of a .38 Spl?

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the biggest benefit to the .32 Long is in the same size J frame package you get an additional shot. that might not seem like much to some, but its the most centerfire rounds you can get in a J frame cylinder without having to go bigger (which defeats the purpose of choosing a J frame in the first place). the .38 with 148gr. target wadcutters is nice and soft recoil from a J frame, but its "only" five shots.

*** all that said, the .22 mag has shown itself to be as reliable as centerfire ammo in my experience, and you can get 7 rounds in the J frame with one of the S&W and 8 with the Taurus "J frame". but with that comes a really hard trigger pull unless you go with the Ruger LCR and now you're back to six shots again.
 
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Thanks for that info, TruthTellers.

While cost is definitely a factor with .32 ammo, my experience has been that availability is a larger factor. You can buy Fiocchi fmj in .32 S&W long for, coincidentally, 32 cents per round. But only when it's in stock. And it's not available for that price at my usual dealers right now. I've found .32 H&R for less than 80 cents per round, but again, it's not available right now.

So for me, reloading would be more for just having ammo for the range. One of these days, when I do set up for reloading, my plan is to crank out inexpensive range ammo in both .32 H&R and .32 S&W long.
 
RVER:

I have not tried to fire .38 S&W in a .38 spl. I have read that it's not a good idea. If I remember correctly, the bullet diameter and the case diameter of a .38 S&W are slightly larger. The S&W might fit in the cylinder of a .38 spl, but the bullet diameter might be too larger for the barrel. Just going by a memory from a while back - I would do some research before I tried it.

I have fired .38S&W in a revolver designed for the cartridge. The cartridge is fun. The old revolver is kinda clunky and has a rough, hard trigger, so not my favorite range gun. But .38 S&W could be a low-recoil range shooter in a good gun.
 
"...cost of .32 revolver ammo..." That's entirely about where you are, where you buy and what .32 cartridge you're buying.
I don't recall ever seeing anybody say .32 calibre ammo, of any type, is unavailable. Even that depends on where you are. Except up here where our idiot government decided to wipe out an entire class of handgun and made both .32 and .25 calibre firearm too evil to own. That included the high end .32 cal. target pistols until the Canadian Olympic Committee said, "AHEM! We use those." So now there's a list of high end .32 target pistols that aren't evil, but all others chambered in any .32 cartridge is evil.
Canadians are known for drinking and swearing for a reason. snicker.
 
Sorry to hijack the thread. Last 38 S&W post.

The 38 S&W might not fit in the 38 Special chamber. The SAAMI max 38 S&W case diameter is .3863", and the minimum 38 Special chamber diameter is .3809".
 
I had a chance once to get a Smith 331 in .32 H&R for a great price. I passed on it because checking around, I cound not find any ammo. Yes, I could as, in the above, set up to reload for it alreadying having the reloading press and scale, but wanted to keep my life more simplified with fewer calibers.

The .32 H&R would have worked perfect if SD was my only concern, but I live in the woods, and I need more UMPH for creatures of the night!LOL
 
My wife has a Ruger LCR 327. She shoots 32 H&R Magnum in it.

I wanted to try it to see if I liked it. I looked around my area for 327 Magnum and 32 H&R.

I found exactly 1 box of 32 H&R Magnum (85gr) and 1 box of 100gr JSP 327 Magnum in 4 places that sold ammo. Bought both of them. Was not cheap. All four places I went to said that never get requests for any type of 32 ammo. I did not drive the distance to the range where my wife got her gun and ammo several years ago.

I shot all of the 32 H&R and half of the 327 magnum and decided I liked the gun but the grip is a tad too small for me. So, I ordered an LCR and a Pachmayr grip. Also have 32 H&R and 327 Magnum coming from several places.

Those two calibers are hard to find but I pieced together enough ammo to get a good start. Looking forward to shooting the new gun.

The LCR will make a great backup gun as it is small, light and very concealable. The 327 mag ammo was a bit testy on my hands, but the new grip should mitigate that.

I really did not need another caliber but it fits a niche and now i will be looking in all kinds of places to build up a supply of ammo to become proficient with the gun.

Have not looked for any 32 long or short and I have no plans to shoot 32 ACP with the gun.
 
A deciding factor can be that 32 allows 6 rounds in a small frame gun, never mind arguing endlessly about the significance of 5 versus 6. 32 H&R is a nice round, but my interest faded when I discovered a subsonic load for 327 Federal Magnum. The same brass could effectively go either way.
 
Once resigned to mail ordering ammo in quantities sufficient to bother, you will find a nice array of the various 32s at Graf & Sons. Most is in stock. They even display the cost per round for you.
 
Real Gun said:
A deciding factor can be that 32 allows 6 rounds in a small frame gun, never mind arguing endlessly about the significance of 5 versus 6. 32 H&R is a nice round, but my interest faded when I discovered a subsonic load for 327 Federal Magnum. The same brass could effectively go either way.
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The issue with .327 is that any gun maker will have to make their revolver be able to hold up to the 45000 PSI SAAMI spec that .327 has, thus they have to use steel frames, not aluminum ones like .32 H&R can.

That means heavier, more expensive gun.

I have lost near all interest in .327 in a revolver, but .32 H&R I like it more and more. The only issue I've had with it is cases crumpling during reloading.
 
So now we're talking about the gun AND the ammo. My 32 H&R was a Ruger SP101 from years back. I still have the same gun in 327 Federal Magnum and .357 Magnum. No complaints. If it was any lighter, it would be unpleasant to shoot with serious ammo.
 
I measured Starline brass in 32 SWL at .020, 32 H&R Magnum at .020, and 327 Federal Magnum at .015. The 327 in Federal head stamp also measured .015. I don't have experience with damaging brass in those cartridges, barring misalignment of a die and coming down too aggressively. My 44WCF is particularly thin though and easily trashed.
 
Real Gun said:
So now we're talking about the gun AND the ammo. My 32 H&R was a Ruger SP101 from years back. I still have the same gun in 327 Federal Magnum and .357 Magnum. No complaints. If it was any lighter, it would be unpleasant to shoot with serious ammo.
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For .327, sure. I've yet to find a .327 revolver that costs as low as a .32 H&R does.
 
TruthTellers said:
After reading in the .22 Mag vs .32 thread here and a thread about Charter Arms in another forum, on top of the general comments about .32 S&W Long and .32 Magnum I've seen over the years in passing, I think it's worth discussing and putting to bed the notion that the ammo is unobtainium.

Firstly, factory .32 S&W Long ammo is on par with the cost of .38 Special, at the very least 2 cents more a round depending on where you buy online.

.32 Mag is different, it's not as common or popular as .32 S&WL. is and most of it is sold as self defense ammo, so it's generally always $1 per round. If you're looking to shoot .32 Mag much, reloading is the best course of action.

So, I took the time to come up with a list of the materials needed to reload and figured I would list the cheapest or simplest materials possible needed to get started.

And all these same materials could be used for other uncommon handgun calibers too, but IMO the .32 revolver is the most overlooked of all handgun calibers and perhaps one of the cheapest to reload, thus makes a lot of sense to reload.

So here's the list:

  • Lee die set ($35, $51 if include factory crimp die)
  • Lyman M die ($20)
  • Lee hand press ($40) or Lee C frame press ($41)
  • Lee Ram Prime ($12)
  • Lee manual powder throw ($26)
  • Digital powder scale ($20-25)
  • Harbor Freight ultrasonic cleaner ($60 with 25% off coupon)

The total price for all those materials, not including powder, brass, primers, and bullets is... about $235. If you leave out the ultrasonic cleaner to clean the brass and just buy new brass every time, then the start up cost is $175.

Congrats, you can now load any .32 ammo you want and get the benefit of lower recoil compared to .38, but more effective shooting vs .22 rimfire.

Other than a lack of revolvers from S&W and Taurus, what's stopping you from embracing the .32?
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I have a 3" Ruger SP-101 in .327 Federal Magnum (which can also shoot other .32s) and a Cz 70 in 7.65 Browning (.32 ACP). Two sets of LEE dies keeps me busy with reloading them. I like the weight of the Ruger when shooting the heavier loads. Just another two cents to add.
 
32 kind of fills a niche that most people just aren’t that interested in.

.22lr is great for beginners and experts alike. The rounds can be found anywhere that sells ammo. The guns available range from tiny revolvers to full size target models. If someone is jumping up to a larger round they usually go to 38 Special or 9mm. The vast majority of adults can handle these more powerful cartridges and the rounds can be found anywhere that sells ammo. The guns are available in any gun shop and available as pocket guns up to full size target models.

32 Long splits the difference between .22lr and the .355/357 rounds, however the ammo isn’t as available, the guns aren’t common in most shops and the variety of guns is minimal. A quick look on ammoseek shows that 32 S&W long is easy to find but cost more per round and your ammo selection is very limited. It looks like 85/88 or 100 grain bullets in either wadcutter or LRN is about all you can get.

I have no problems with the round. I cast bullets and reload for multiple S&W’s revolver and just bought a Colt 32 New Police last week. Additionally I also cast and reload for multiple Colts and Berettas in 32 ACP. Personally I prefer the older guns and have no interest in modern 32’s. I would be hesitant to recommend a 32 to a new shooter unless I felt they would be unable to hand a 38 or 9mm. If someone is insistent on buying a 32 that’s great and I’m not going to stop them. If they want to start reloading for the round I would just caution them that component availability is pretty limited.
 
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