Need list of .32 DA/SA revolvers made for the past 70 years
- Thread starter TruthTellers
- Start date
Here is a pic of my H&R Model 732 (about 1963). I found it at a local gun shop and gave $150 for it a couple years ago. I don't think they have gone up. The 732 is not highly finished but is well made. It is heavier than an S&W Model 30, has a heavier barrel and better sights. Note that it is a solid frame revolver with a side swing action. It will handle all factory 32 Long ammo and any reasonable handload. Of course, .32 S&W (short) can also be used. The finish on this one has suffered a bit but it shoots well. Maybe not quite as well as my Model 30.
Handguns that you want are found in businesses that sell firearms. If you want something like this, get out and scour the bushes. They made quite a few of them. The majority of them are not damaged and are low priced. The 732 is an underrated arm for informal handgun shooting. Local gunshops are having a hard time because of the internet, just like Kmart is hurt by Amazon. I recommend you line up four or five gunshops and visit them regularly. You will do these small businesses some good and you may just find what you want.
Handguns that you want are found in businesses that sell firearms. If you want something like this, get out and scour the bushes. They made quite a few of them. The majority of them are not damaged and are low priced. The 732 is an underrated arm for informal handgun shooting. Local gunshops are having a hard time because of the internet, just like Kmart is hurt by Amazon. I recommend you line up four or five gunshops and visit them regularly. You will do these small businesses some good and you may just find what you want.
"ratshoter wrote:
Maybe the American police left the 32 caliber guns but the European cops were using 32 acp well into the 1970s and most likely later than that."
There wasn't a lot of armed crime in Germany, were most .32 ACP pistols were mostly and just a few 9 Luger pistols were used by special forces. The guns were mostly a sign of authority. It all started when the Baader, Meinhoff gang introduced gun violence into the game.
The GSG was very surprised in Mogadishu when they stormed flight 181 and shot the perps with .38 Special snubnoses and those refused to drop. What I want to say is simply, that they lacked the experience of firearm use in law enforcement firefights.
Maybe the American police left the 32 caliber guns but the European cops were using 32 acp well into the 1970s and most likely later than that."
There wasn't a lot of armed crime in Germany, were most .32 ACP pistols were mostly and just a few 9 Luger pistols were used by special forces. The guns were mostly a sign of authority. It all started when the Baader, Meinhoff gang introduced gun violence into the game.
The GSG was very surprised in Mogadishu when they stormed flight 181 and shot the perps with .38 Special snubnoses and those refused to drop. What I want to say is simply, that they lacked the experience of firearm use in law enforcement firefights.
One of the reasons for city police moving away from the .32 caliber was the success of the automobile. Remember the times we are talking about here.
Beat cops walked, so a bigger heavier gun wasn't popular, and their primary arm was a stout stick (billy club). Cops in those days were required to be tough men (big didn't hurt, either) who could physically subdue criminals with direct force. The gun was intended to be the last resort, and usually was.
Medicine of that era meant getting shot, anywhere, with anything was a 50/50 chance. You lived, or you didn't, infection killed more than the bullets ever did.
So, lots of bad guys who wanted to live would take a beating and the jail time, rather than being shot. The rest..well, generally they weren't taken alive...
It was the automobile and the motor bandit era that led cops to drop the .32 in favor of the .38, because the .38 worked a little better against cars. Not well enough, but a little better, anyway. This is also what drove the development of the .38 Super, and later the .357 Magnum (though not intended originally for police use, cops found that they could use it, and did).
Police patrolling in cars meant a bigger heavier gun was not just possible, but also practical.
Europeans faced a somewhat different set of circumstances, and for them, the .32 cals remained sufficient for a longer time. Also their mindset about them is different. The easiest way to tell is just to look at their holsters.
Americans want a holster from which the gun may be rapidly and easily drawn. Perhaps a single retaining strap, but often not. European holsters are often little luggage cases for handguns, with straps and buckles, excellent protection for the gun, but seldom something that allows fast access.
Beat cops walked, so a bigger heavier gun wasn't popular, and their primary arm was a stout stick (billy club). Cops in those days were required to be tough men (big didn't hurt, either) who could physically subdue criminals with direct force. The gun was intended to be the last resort, and usually was.
Medicine of that era meant getting shot, anywhere, with anything was a 50/50 chance. You lived, or you didn't, infection killed more than the bullets ever did.
So, lots of bad guys who wanted to live would take a beating and the jail time, rather than being shot. The rest..well, generally they weren't taken alive...
It was the automobile and the motor bandit era that led cops to drop the .32 in favor of the .38, because the .38 worked a little better against cars. Not well enough, but a little better, anyway. This is also what drove the development of the .38 Super, and later the .357 Magnum (though not intended originally for police use, cops found that they could use it, and did).
Police patrolling in cars meant a bigger heavier gun was not just possible, but also practical.
Europeans faced a somewhat different set of circumstances, and for them, the .32 cals remained sufficient for a longer time. Also their mindset about them is different. The easiest way to tell is just to look at their holsters.
Americans want a holster from which the gun may be rapidly and easily drawn. Perhaps a single retaining strap, but often not. European holsters are often little luggage cases for handguns, with straps and buckles, excellent protection for the gun, but seldom something that allows fast access.
TruthTellers
New member
^ I think that your post is a good summary of the philosophy of the .32 caliber, be it .32 S&W Long or ACP. They're acceptable defense cartridges, not the best, but better than a .22 or a .25 and quite small.
carguychris
New member
44 AMP's post is spot-on, but I think that several other factors also led to the unpopularity of .32 ACP firearms in the U.S.:
- Armed police became commonplace in the U.S. earlier, when most repeating handguns were revolvers. This led to conservative thinking by police leaders who were simply more accustomed to revolvers, and believed them to be more reliable as a matter of faith. (I mean conservative in the sense of a preference for old-fashioned and established ways, not in the political or partisan sense.)
- The absence of a heavily-armed federal paramilitary or gendarmerie (e.g. the Carabinieri) let to an expectation that police needed to be self-sufficiently able to deal with armed criminals, and therefore needed a sidearm with "thump." This attitude is still with us today, and perhaps even more evident with the advent of SWAT teams, which assume the role often handled by the gendarmerie in Europe.
I guess that you wrote that in response to my post. I do not see the relevance of a war and military handgun use and guns used by law enforcement. Germany's most liberal gun law, the 1938 Reichswaffengesetz was introduced under Hitler simply because he wasn't afraid of civilian owning guns. After WWII the RWaffG was basically reinstated in 1953 and lasted until 1972.
There simply was little opportunity for law enforcement to use guns after 1933. Prior to that, in the Weimar Republic, and the street fighting of WWI veterans, a handgun had little significance. My grandfather used a Mauser C96 at Verdun but my father, who was an elite soldier, had not used his P.08 in WWII.
As a former German military firearms instructor and sniper in a Panzergrenadierbatallion I base my opinion on personal observations that I won in many military and law enforcement competitions.
The commissioned officers bought their own guns and in general had the sidearm more as a sign of authority than for actual use; the higher the rank, the smaller the gun.
TruthTellers
New member
Update:
I decided that I'm never going to find a .32 Long or H&R Magnum DA/SA revolver that was worth the money. Charter makes the Undercoverette, but it's a 5 shot and to me that's pointless when I could get the .38 in a 5 shot.
The older Charter's in .32 are rare and I've only seen two on Gunbroker the past few months and both sold north of $250, meaning it'd have cost me over $300 to get my hands on. To me, $300 for a .32 S&W Long revolver is a lot of money for not much gun.
The H&R .32's I don't trust buying unless I've seen and tested them in person. These are creeping higher and higher in price for some reason, almost as much as the older .32 Charter's are.
Because of the high prices I'm seeing, I've been turned off from getting a .32 DA/SA as Armscor makes a .38 for less money and comes with a good warranty.
Well, I came across a Heritage .32 H&R Magnum SAO revolver with a 3.5 inch barrel and a bird's head grip and decided that it was worth the money as it not only shoots a more powerful .32 H&R round, but it's also able to shoot .32 ACP with no safety pressure issues or extraction issues.
Not exactly what I was looking for, but for $290, I had to get it.
I decided that I'm never going to find a .32 Long or H&R Magnum DA/SA revolver that was worth the money. Charter makes the Undercoverette, but it's a 5 shot and to me that's pointless when I could get the .38 in a 5 shot.
The older Charter's in .32 are rare and I've only seen two on Gunbroker the past few months and both sold north of $250, meaning it'd have cost me over $300 to get my hands on. To me, $300 for a .32 S&W Long revolver is a lot of money for not much gun.
The H&R .32's I don't trust buying unless I've seen and tested them in person. These are creeping higher and higher in price for some reason, almost as much as the older .32 Charter's are.
Because of the high prices I'm seeing, I've been turned off from getting a .32 DA/SA as Armscor makes a .38 for less money and comes with a good warranty.
Well, I came across a Heritage .32 H&R Magnum SAO revolver with a 3.5 inch barrel and a bird's head grip and decided that it was worth the money as it not only shoots a more powerful .32 H&R round, but it's also able to shoot .32 ACP with no safety pressure issues or extraction issues.
Not exactly what I was looking for, but for $290, I had to get it.
TruthTellers
New member
Yes, it's a single action, but it's a clone of the Colt SAA, not the Ruger Single Six.
The cool thing about this .32 Heritage is that it's built on the frame of their .22's and when these were made, the frames were steel, not aluminum like the rimfire models. Because these were made on the .22 frames, the .32 Rough Rider also sports the manual safety.
Heritage stopped making the .32 Rough Rider years ago and I doubt they'll ever bother making them again. This was really a bit of serendipity that I came across a .32 H&R revolver that didn't have an inflated price and it also comes with a holster.
The cool thing about this .32 Heritage is that it's built on the frame of their .22's and when these were made, the frames were steel, not aluminum like the rimfire models. Because these were made on the .22 frames, the .32 Rough Rider also sports the manual safety.
Heritage stopped making the .32 Rough Rider years ago and I doubt they'll ever bother making them again. This was really a bit of serendipity that I came across a .32 H&R revolver that didn't have an inflated price and it also comes with a holster.
Cosmodragoon
New member
I love that the LCRX in .357 magnum was announced like a week after this post.
As per the main topic, I like .32 S&W Long. I have fond memories of splitting a millipede into two equally long writhing segments from as far as I could see as a young man. It isn't a powerhouse but curiously, the cheapest rounds I could find for a while were an SJHP from Magtech.
As others have suggested, it is still better than .22 or .25 and accuracy comes easily with it. Inside the house, at night in the dark, without a suppressed modern-caliber pistol and with other people in the house, the .32 S&W Long might not be so bad.
The .327 Federal is a wonderful cartridge that's just had a rough time. The trigger on the current SP101 is yet another challenge. With the trigger on their LCR being so amazing, I'm sad that Ruger lets an SP101 leave the factory with a trigger that bad. It's not just the pull but the reset and return. There's a little side-to-side slop in mine too. I had a trigger job done and it helped, but it's still not as nice as my old SP101 in .32 H&R magnum.
TruthTellers
New member
This is one of the reasons I thought of the .32 over the .38- lowest noise and recoil available in a centerfire revolver.
thibaultfelix40
New member
OK, I am going to give you some straight skinny. I am not a 32 nut, I am a 32 slut. When I was a kid I decided that my plastic water pistol was a 32. The first pistol I ever bought was a surplus Spanish (Star?) 32ACP. It was a jammomatic.Since then I have bought and used extensively the following 32's: several Colt Police Positives, S&W prewar handejector, S&W post war pre I frame, H&R 732, Heritage 32 H&R single action, Beretta 81 Couger, Taurus 327 magnum, some Iver Johnson break tops and one nobody mentioned a Russian Nagant.I will give you my opinions:
1) Colt Police Positive( not the Police Positive Special) The PP's made between sometime in the 1920s and the start of WWII are the very best 32's I have encountered. I like the 4" barrel. The are really strong and smooth. When I first got into the 32 SWL I got some bad reloading data and loaded 50 PROOF loads. The bore was so leaded that I could barely see the grooves. I reduced the load and shot 1500 rounds through my PP of 90 grain loads that cronyed out at 1135 fps which is magnum performance. I have since given up that nonsence but the PP seems to be no worse for wear. The Colts make their final lockup às the trigger is pulled. This makes people who don't know think they are out of time and sell them cheap.
2) Taurus 327. This is a nice little gun but I find that the round does recoil and is obnoxiously loud.
3) S&W I frame. I like the 3 1/4 " alot better than the 4".
4) l didn't cotton to the single action but H&R Magnum is OK and the Heritage pistol worked fine.
5) The Beretta 81 is a jewel.
6) I like the Nagant as an outdoorsmans gun. It is of a good size and the round can be reloaded to H&R magnum levels with Lee dies and Starline 32-20 brass. These pistols are notorious for hard trigger pulls but I developed a pull using both index fingers.
7) I haven't had any trouble with my H&R 732.
All my modern 32 revolvers perform very well with 32 ACP ammo. I like having the break top 32's but they are novelties. When I shoot them I use a single naught (0) Hornady buckshot pellet over one grain of fast pistol powder. I never have used a 32 on a living critter but I have shot a lot with a 22, they all dropped or ran off. To me this may be the essence of defence.
I often see and sometimes buy Colts and S&W's for less than $300 on the net, at shows
and pawn shops.
1) Colt Police Positive( not the Police Positive Special) The PP's made between sometime in the 1920s and the start of WWII are the very best 32's I have encountered. I like the 4" barrel. The are really strong and smooth. When I first got into the 32 SWL I got some bad reloading data and loaded 50 PROOF loads. The bore was so leaded that I could barely see the grooves. I reduced the load and shot 1500 rounds through my PP of 90 grain loads that cronyed out at 1135 fps which is magnum performance. I have since given up that nonsence but the PP seems to be no worse for wear. The Colts make their final lockup às the trigger is pulled. This makes people who don't know think they are out of time and sell them cheap.
2) Taurus 327. This is a nice little gun but I find that the round does recoil and is obnoxiously loud.
3) S&W I frame. I like the 3 1/4 " alot better than the 4".
4) l didn't cotton to the single action but H&R Magnum is OK and the Heritage pistol worked fine.
5) The Beretta 81 is a jewel.
6) I like the Nagant as an outdoorsmans gun. It is of a good size and the round can be reloaded to H&R magnum levels with Lee dies and Starline 32-20 brass. These pistols are notorious for hard trigger pulls but I developed a pull using both index fingers.
7) I haven't had any trouble with my H&R 732.
All my modern 32 revolvers perform very well with 32 ACP ammo. I like having the break top 32's but they are novelties. When I shoot them I use a single naught (0) Hornady buckshot pellet over one grain of fast pistol powder. I never have used a 32 on a living critter but I have shot a lot with a 22, they all dropped or ran off. To me this may be the essence of defence.
I often see and sometimes buy Colts and S&W's for less than $300 on the net, at shows
and pawn shops.
TruthTellers
New member
^ Huh, I also innovated a double finger trigger pull for a NAA mini revolver I have. I guess great minds think alike!
I can't wait to try the Heritage, but it's good to hear that yours worked well. Truth be told, I haven't heard or read anything about the Heritage revolvers being junk, maybe just looking like cheap junk abortions of a Single Action Army. If I do have any issues, I don't know what the customer service is like with Heritage, but they're owned by Taurus now, so...
The Colt Police Positive, to me, is the best of and epitome of the.32 S&W Long revolver.
The H&R 732's... I bought one and had to send it back as it had bad timing on two chambers. I love the way the look and how small they are, but there's a lot of back and forth between internet forum people about whether or not they're Saturday Night Specials. My concern with ever paying to own one again would be, even if it were in mint condition, how long it would actually last and once an issue did arise, who would I send it to for repair? The H&R factory is no more, unlike Charter Arms. With older Colt and S&W's, there are certainly plenty of gunsmiths familiar with them that would know how to fix them. The H&R's? Doubt it.
I can't wait to try the Heritage, but it's good to hear that yours worked well. Truth be told, I haven't heard or read anything about the Heritage revolvers being junk, maybe just looking like cheap junk abortions of a Single Action Army. If I do have any issues, I don't know what the customer service is like with Heritage, but they're owned by Taurus now, so...
The Colt Police Positive, to me, is the best of and epitome of the.32 S&W Long revolver.
The H&R 732's... I bought one and had to send it back as it had bad timing on two chambers. I love the way the look and how small they are, but there's a lot of back and forth between internet forum people about whether or not they're Saturday Night Specials. My concern with ever paying to own one again would be, even if it were in mint condition, how long it would actually last and once an issue did arise, who would I send it to for repair? The H&R factory is no more, unlike Charter Arms. With older Colt and S&W's, there are certainly plenty of gunsmiths familiar with them that would know how to fix them. The H&R's? Doubt it.
Driftwood Johnson
New member
Howdy
While I agree a Police Positive 32 is a very nice little revolver, I prefer the S&W 32 Regulation Police.
Top to bottom in the photo below are a S&W 32 Regulation Police, which shipped in 1924; Colt Police Positive 32, which was made in 1917, and a Colt Pocket Positive chambered for 32 Long Colt, made in 1908. The Police Positive 32 is marked 32 POLICE CTG, meaning 32 Colt New Police, but it is basically the same as the 32 S&W Long with a flat nose.
I prefer the S&W gun because it has a lighter double action trigger pull.
However, I doubt you will find one of these for less than $300.
The little Pocket Positive is chambered for the 32 Long Colt cartridge. This is an obsolete cartridge with a heeled bullet that is not manufactured anymore.
P.S. Regarding gunsmiths that know how to fix these guns, the Smiths are easier to work on than a Colt. There are still plenty of gunsmiths who can work on an old Smith, parts are still available. Old Colt DA revolvers, not so much. The mechanism is much different than a Smith, parts are not readily available, and there are not as many smiths who are familiar with the old Colt DA revolvers as there are guys who can work on a Smith.
thibaultfelix40
New member
I have read that most of the pocket positives were in fact chambered in 32S&W long and marked 32 Colt New Police. It is not uncommon for revolvers to be offered as being 32 Colt when they are in fact chambered in the S&W round. They can be reamed out to take 32 SWL.
Driftwood Johnson
New member
Howdy Again
You have to be a little bit more specific when you say 32 Colt. There were the 32 Short Colt and 32 Long Colt which used heeled bullets and the 32 New Police which did not. See the photo down below.
According to The Standard Catalog of Colt Firearms, the Pocket Positive was chambered for 32 Short Colt, 32 Long Colt, 32 Colt New Police, 32 S&W, and 32 S&W Long. I have no figures for how many were chambered for each cartridge.
The little Pocket Positive at the bottom of this photo was made in 1908. It is simply marked COLT D.A. 32 on the left side of the barrel, and Pocket Positive on the right side of the barrel. It is not marked for a specific caliber.
The chambers are bored straight through with one diameter without any chamber throats. The only box of cartridges I have that will fit into it is a box of 32 Short Colt. If I had a box of 32 Long Colt, they would most likely fit too, as long as the cartridges were not too long for the cylinder.
The larger gun at the top of the photo is a Police Positive 32, made in 1917. It is marked POLICE POSITIVE 32 POLICE CTG on the left side of the barrel, meaning 32 Colt New Police. Colt simply did not want to mark S&W on their revolvers, so they came up with the 32 New Police cartridge which is the same as the 32 S&W Long, with a slightly flatter bullet.
The 32 Short Colt and 32 Long Colt were cartridges that used an outside lubricated heeled bullet, meaning the outside diameter of the bullet was the same as the outside diameter of the cartridge case. 32 S&W, 32 S&W Long, and 32 Colt New Police cartridges will not chamber in this particular revolver because they use a bullet that that fits inside the cartridge case, like most modern cartridges. In other words, the cases of these cartridges are too wide and will not fit into the chambers. I suppose yes, if the chambers were reamed for 32 S&W Long, then it could fire all three of those cartridges, but I have no intention of doing that.
The cartridges in this photo, left to right, are 32 Short Colt, 32 S&W, 32 S&W Long, and 32 Colt New Police. You can see that the 32 Short Colt case is the same diameter as the bullet, whereas the other three cartridges have slightly wider cases. The cartridge case of the 32 Short Colts is running around .315 in diameter. The cases for the other three cartridges are all running around .331 - .333, so they will not chamber in this gun.
