Purchasing a .32 caliber revolver?

[Mrserenity]

I'm thinking about buying a .32 caliber revolver. Taurus makes one I think in a light model (17 oz). They are lesser in price than the Smith & Wesson. Is a .32 light snubbie ok to handle the recoil. Or should the gun be heavier. I plan on using .32 S&W Long in mine instead of .32 magnum. Also, I'm thinking of buying a .22 revolver. I was looking at the Charter Arms Pathfinder. How do you feel about the Pathfinder? Also, how much is the difference in the recoil between the two? I had both calibers in semi-autos, but tired of the jams. Thanks.

 

[BillCA]

MrsSerenity,

The .32 caliber revolver is a delightful gun to fire. Unfortunately, in the .32 S&W Long cartridge it is probably not suitable for self-defense. The .32 H&R Magnum cartridge seems to get a favorable nod from most shooters as being similar to a .380 Auto in power and I'd agree. While the magnums are louder, produce more flash and are slightly more expensive, I think they're worth it for self-defense ammo. I have a S&W chambered for .32 S&W Long and I love it but the cartridge is not up to the task of stopping an aggressor.

If you're contemplating a Taurus model 731SSULC, the recoil with the magnum loads should not be too much different than the .32 S&W Long - my experience, however, is only with the Taurus stainless steel version.

As to the .22 rimfire -- I'd recommend against a Charter Arms (C.A. fans can flame me privately). Most Charter Arms guns I've seen simply don't hold up well to extended use. The advantage of a .22 is that ammo is cheap and it's easy to shoot. To me there's no sense in buying a .22 caliber gun that won't stand up over time. I'd suggest looking at a Taurus 94 instead. If the gun is to be used more for targets & plinking at tin cans, you might be able to find a used Ruger Bearcat single-action to enjoy. More expensive would be the 10-shot S&W Model 617 with a 4" or 6" barrel.

Final thought:
If you purchase a .32 Magnum and fire .32 Longs, be sure to clean each chamber in the cylinder thoroughly with a bronze brush to remove the lead build-up at the front of the chambers. This build-up can prevent you from chambering the slightly longer Magnum round after as few as 5 rounds fired from a chamber.