Unfilled handgun market niche

I have one of the last 32 H&R S&W's made, bought new but discontinued by the time I bought mine... ( sorry, I can never remember S&W's model numbers ) but it's a 6 shot Air Weight J frame in 32 H&R magnum... the air weight uses the "aluminum" frame, & a steel cylinder... it's very light to carry, & pretty easy shooting, with the limited personal defense ammo available ( I think I'm currently using Federal's hydro shocks... maybe... they are labeled as personal defense )

Ruger does have the LCR in 22 Magnum, which would have a horrible muzzle blast, but minimum "actual" recoil... & likely better reliability in firing, & much better bullet selection than the 22 LR offerings...
 
32 H&R is about the limit of what my wife and daughter can shoot. Charter seems to be making the only ones I ever see brand-new. I agree that it seems like there should be a good market for this caliber that is easy to shoot, effective, and gives so many options.
 
That is a strange statement, considering that the Terrier .38 S&W was sometimes known as the .38-32. The .32 I frame was lengthened to accommodate .38 Special to produce the Chief's Special.
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You're making my point for me. The Terrier hasn't been sold for about 50 years.

Modern 32's are sold on J-frame's or their equivalents with cylinders long enough for .357 Magnum ammo. These revolvers could be much smaller with a dedicated frame/cylinder.
 
True.
It would be hard to beat a .32 Safety Hammerless "lemonsqueezer" with high strength steel in cylinder and top latch to handle .32 ACP.
 
How many times have we seen a manufacturer fill a "niche" and everybody says "Ooh!" and "Aah!"-and doesn't buy them ?
 
Every once in a while.
Even more common is for a model to be discovered and popularized after it is discontinued for lack of sales.
 
Jim Watson said:
It would be hard to beat a .32 Safety Hammerless "lemonsqueezer" with high strength steel in cylinder and top latch to handle .32 ACP.
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I think a more viable contender would be a modern equivalent to the H&R Young America .32, but with a swing-out cylinder rather than the goofy open loading gate. The solid frame would likely make it more inexpensive to manufacture than a top-break.
 
I have an SW 432, it's a very nice 6 shot light pocket J in 32 HR mag.

Got it for a great price when they were discontinued. Should have bought another.

But that niche is not wide. With the small 9mm semis - I can't see anything else new coming along.

I think the 40s will become secondary to the 9s and 45s. The 38s will hold a solid pocket revolver market.
 
Real simple......a .32 H&R is more powerful then a .380.
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It's better than standard .38 special too. I've always liked this round. Sadly, it and its .327 cousin never got the market share they deserve. I blame the latter on poor execution. I really like the idea of an extra round and lighter recoil. The only reason I pocket-carry a .38 is that I can't find a 432PD and the Charter Arms offerings only pack five.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=za0wzkQhT6M
 
I really like my 32 revolvers and especially my 431PD 32 mag S&W. Mine has the exposed hammer. Loaded it only weighs 15 oz. Its not bad to shoot as far as recoil goes either. Much more pleasant than the snubby 38s I have owned.
 
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