There were plenty of small .32 revolvers around 100 years ago, so it's not like a new idea. There were solid frames in both single and double action and a variety of top breaks that can still be found on the used market. I'd love to see modernized versions in .32 H&R magnum. But I doubt it will ever happen. Those guns stopped selling because the market changed. It's possible that the increasing popularity of concealed carry could change things, but these days semiautos rule the market. Why risk company money on an iffy proposition?
Why no new 32 h&r revolvers?
- Thread starter Radny97
- Start date
Bill DeShivs
New member
The Charter Undercoverette is not 25% smaller than a J frame. They are approximately the same size. My model 60 S&W measures the same.
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Driftwood Johnson
New member
Howdy
The I frame 32 Regulation Police at the bottom of this photo was made in 1925. It is chambered for 32 S&W Long, and I included a couple of rounds in the photo as an illustration.
The gun at the top of the photo is a J frame Model 63 22/32 Kit gun.
The cylinder of the 32 RP is barely long enough for the 32 S&W Long rounds. I do not have any 32 H&R Magnum rounds laying around, but Cartridges of the World tells me they are .155 longer than a 32 S&W Long. That is simply too long for the I frame cylinder.
So, why doesn't S&W make an I Frame 32 H&R Magnum?
First off, Smith has not made any I frames for years. Secondly, in order to accommodate 32 H&R in a cylinder the same diameter as an I frame, the cylinder would have to be lengthened slightly, and so would the frame.
Yes, I do know a little something about machining and manufacturing, and I can tell you that Engineering modifications such as this take time to get the design right, and time is money. And S&W simply does not seem to be interested in new designs for niche revolvers. They have not been for quite some time.
Much as I hate to say it, Ruger seems to be much more open to coming up with new designs than S&W.
The I frame 32 Regulation Police at the bottom of this photo was made in 1925. It is chambered for 32 S&W Long, and I included a couple of rounds in the photo as an illustration.
The gun at the top of the photo is a J frame Model 63 22/32 Kit gun.
The cylinder of the 32 RP is barely long enough for the 32 S&W Long rounds. I do not have any 32 H&R Magnum rounds laying around, but Cartridges of the World tells me they are .155 longer than a 32 S&W Long. That is simply too long for the I frame cylinder.
So, why doesn't S&W make an I Frame 32 H&R Magnum?
First off, Smith has not made any I frames for years. Secondly, in order to accommodate 32 H&R in a cylinder the same diameter as an I frame, the cylinder would have to be lengthened slightly, and so would the frame.
Yes, I do know a little something about machining and manufacturing, and I can tell you that Engineering modifications such as this take time to get the design right, and time is money. And S&W simply does not seem to be interested in new designs for niche revolvers. They have not been for quite some time.
Much as I hate to say it, Ruger seems to be much more open to coming up with new designs than S&W.
9x18_Walther
New member
That statement of mine was a quote I found from a post in which someone contacted a rep at Charter Arms. Obviously, they must be wrong.
S&Ws are my favorite revolvers, but there is little ingenuity going on at the company. It's basically scaling up and down the same double action design from the late 19th/early 20th century.
Honestly, the X-frames have basically the same sized cylinder stop as a K-frame.
Ruger tends to engineer each revolver around the cartridge they are trying to chamber.
Cheapshooter
New member
Considering the thread you linked to is almost 5 years old and the gun hasn't been seen yet, it's probably been scrapped.
Well it may or may not be economically feasible. But I certainly would buy one if it were on the market and I think there are more people like me. I would like to see an innovator and entrepreneurial gun manufacturer take this one on. Who knows if that'll happen.
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So that is a maybe they S&W may sell one ?
Radny97 is offline Report Post
So that is a maybe they S&W may sell one ?
My Smith 30-1 in 32 SWL fits your specs. The 32 H&R Mag is pretty stout for a gun that small, more likely a candidate for the J Magnum frame. My 32 Mag is a Ruger SP101 and is better suited for carry because it is subsonic for shooting without ear protection. I suffered an ND indoors, unharmed, and my hearing was not effected much or for long. Very different story with the 327 Fed Mag.
My 30-1 is incredibly accurate for a little gun, so if you can find and afford a decent one or a model 31, I would recommend it.
The problem w/ the 32 H&R mag. was the ammo pressure was kept down in deference to the weak H&R revolvers it was originally chambered for. Pressure wise it is just a tad hotter than 38 +P. That kept the round from living up to its true potential and sort of made the Magnum moniker a bit of a running joke.
That said, a J frame is wonderfully suited to the H&R Mag.s size. Too bad that the cartridge didn't catch on better w/ the general public. Properly loaded, the H&R mag. has some punch.
That said, a J frame is wonderfully suited to the H&R Mag.s size. Too bad that the cartridge didn't catch on better w/ the general public. Properly loaded, the H&R mag. has some punch.
Driftwood Johnson
New member
Howdy Again
If you can settle for the 32 Long cartridge, there are plenty of nice used I frame revolvers out there. Talk about a coincidence, I just came across this one yesterday. It was mismarked as a 32 Hand Ejector 3rd Model, but it is actually a 32 Regulation Police. It was marked $475, I offered $400 and it was mine.
That makes two of them that I have now.
The main difference between the 32 Regulation Police and the 32 HE 3rd Model is the HE is a round butt, a little bit smaller in the butt area, while the Reg Police has a longer grip, inletted for the shorter round butt frame.
There are lots of nice 32 caliber revolvers out there, I just picked up the little 32 Colt Police Positive at the bottom of this photo a year or so ago.
If you can settle for the 32 Long cartridge, there are plenty of nice used I frame revolvers out there. Talk about a coincidence, I just came across this one yesterday. It was mismarked as a 32 Hand Ejector 3rd Model, but it is actually a 32 Regulation Police. It was marked $475, I offered $400 and it was mine.
That makes two of them that I have now.
The main difference between the 32 Regulation Police and the 32 HE 3rd Model is the HE is a round butt, a little bit smaller in the butt area, while the Reg Police has a longer grip, inletted for the shorter round butt frame.
There are lots of nice 32 caliber revolvers out there, I just picked up the little 32 Colt Police Positive at the bottom of this photo a year or so ago.