colt pocket positive ammo

redchestnut

I have just bought a Colt
Model: Pocket Positive
Caliber: .32 police

They say there are no stupid questions. But here goes.I am an old wing shooter and have just gotten into pistols. I can't figure out what kind of ammo to use in this little pistol. There seems to be 32. S&W, S&W long and something called wad cutters...Also 32 acp. Who knows for sure what is the right ammo. And also grains are listed is that the weight of the bullet or amount of powder. I just want to shoot targets not kill anything. There also seems to be a chamber adapter to shoot 32 in a Nagant 7.62x58 rifle. That seems cool, target practice only. Help.

charliemeyer007

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_Police_Positive

There are sub-caliber inserts/chamber adapters for a 7.62x54R.

perry shooter

32 Caliber pistols can be confusing as to what is the correct ammo for them There is 32 short colt 32 long colt 32 S&W 32 S&W long that are all rimmed Cartridges and suitable for revolvers the 32 auto is made for semi auto pistols and some people shoot them in revolvers But I for one do not suggest doing this. The 32 colt case is smaller in diameter than the 32 S&W so if the pistol is factory chambered for 32 Colt the 32S&W will be to large to allow you to load that round in the cylinder. a short can be shot in a cylinder chambered for 32 short or long but a long may have a cartridge too long to fit in a short cylinder as the bullet may extend out the front of the cylinder . A wadcutter is a flat nose bullet that is mostly used for target shooting. You really need the correct ammo and you could most likely go to 10 places that sell ammo and get 10 opinions on what ammo to
buy My suggestion is go to a gun shop that has someone over 50 years

old get a box of 32 S&W short and see if one cartridge will chamber if so you are good to go if it does not fit then most likely the pistol is 32 COLT chambered and you will have a VERY hard time finding ammo

as to grains this is the weight of the bullet only nothing to do with amount of powder.

MIKE WISKEY

'BACK' IN THE DAY, COLT WOULD NOT PUT "S&W" ON IT'S REVOLVERS SO IT RE-NAMED THE .32 S&W LONG TO ".32 NEW POLICE". YOUR REVOLVER SHOULD TAKE THE .32 LONG(OR SHORT)S&W ROUND. A REVOLVER CHAMBERED IN .32 COLT WILL NOT ACCEPT A .32 S&W. THE .32 COLT IS A CENTER FIRE VERSION OF THE OLD .32 RIM FIRE.

kannoneer

This is a confusing area. The .32 Colt round (short and long)is a proprietary round similar to the .32 S&W (short and long)only smaller in diameter. The .32 Colt New Police cartridge is simply the .32 Smith and Wesson Long round with a flat tip bullet. However, the Colt New Police revolver is chambered in .32 Colt and will not chamber the New Police cartridge. I have one.
I think the .32 Police round is the same as the S&W so try a .32 S&W round and if it chambers you are good to go.

Hawk Carse

Repeat, .32 Police (also .32 Police Positive and .32 New Police) from Colt is the same as .32 S&W Long except that in the day the Colt label ammo had flat pointed bullets instead of roundnose.

The .32 S&W and .32 S&W Long made now is correct for your revolver.

Do not shoot .32 ACP (AUTOMATIC Colt Pistol) in a revolver. Especially DO NOT shoot .32 ACP in a top break revolver, it is a considerable overload.

11b6r

To add just a smidge to the very correct post just above me-

The weight in grains on a cartridge box will refer to the weight of the bullet. For the .32 revolver loads, typically around 85, 90 or 98 grain.

"Wadcutter" refers to the shape of the bullet. They are the shape of a can of beans- a cylinder that is flat on the end. It is a target cartridge, intended to clip a neat, clean hole in a paper target, just like a paper punch. Bullet with a round nose tends to tear the paper.

Wadcutters tend to be more accurate that some other bullets.

redchestnut

Guys, I purchased a pocket positive GB #
499137127
This is the one I am trying to figure out what ammo to purchase for it. I don't seem to be able to ask the right question to get the answer.

Mark G

A quick trip to the Colt forum says anything in 32 caliber with "police" in the cartridge name will shoot 32S&W long. That is what you need.


"As far as I'm concerned it's simple. Anytime you see the word "police" anywhere in the cal. designation, it's a .32 S&W long.

If it just says .32 try a S&W long if it's too fat to chamber, it's a .32 Colt.

Don't worry about getting them mixed up. You can't fire .32 Police/S&W in a .32 Colt 'Cause they won't fit. If you fire a .32 Colt in a .32 Police/S&W it won't hit much, but it won't hurt anything."

v35

If it fits and doesn't stick out in front of the cylinder shoot it.
Don't shoot 32ACP even if it fits.