.32 S&W, .32 S&W Long, .32 H&R Mag ???

Sperry

By friend had a ".32" revolver.

I always thought it was a .32 special, but I really don't know.

cheaperthandirt shows four ammos in the S&W, and two are blanks.

The Long ammo has about twenty kinds.

Is the .32S&W Long the more common type?
Is it also called .32 special?

I notice new .32 H&R caliber revolvers on Ruger's pages

Lotta kick?

Anybody have a good comparison of these cartridges?

Thanks!

bobski

32 h&r is pleasent. its a bear to reload, but a fine cartridge to shoot.

Fatstrat

I'm not exactly sure what you're asking here. But it seems you are shopping for ammo for your friends pistol. Correct?
It's been a long time since I've owned a .32 caliber pistol. But as I recall you need to be carefull about which ammo is right for your gun.
One thing I'm pretty sure of. The .32H&R Magnum will probably blow your older pistol up, if it will even fit in the chamber.
Likeise, I believe that you cannot safely fire a .32long in a pistol chambered for .32short. Not sure about visa-versa.
ALso I think the Colt rounds (.32 long Colt) is different and should not be used in guns chambered for S&W rounds.
Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Sperry

No, I am interested in a revolver for the wife.
I thought this would be a good caliber for her.

But I see many different designations for .32 caliber.

I guess i'll look for Teak on another forum ... [V]

Mainiac

quote:Originally posted by Sperry
No, I am interested in a revolver for the wife.
I thought this would be a good caliber for her.

But I see many different designations for .32 caliber.

I guess i'll look for Teak on another forum ... [V]

Fatstrat

A .32 S&W would be better than nothing I suppose. But it's a low power,long absolete round. I can see where one might think it good gun for a woman. Generally smallish gun w/light recoil.
You could likely get all the tech you need here, but you need to be clear w/your questions.

Mainiac

The .32 H&R Magnum would be a good caliber for a woman unused to recoil. H&R (Harrington & Richardson) made several models of inexpensive revolvers for the caliber a few years ago. While they're now discontinued, you should be able to pick a decent one up on the used market. Check the G.B. auctions. The revolvers were of medium size and weight, and wouldn't have much kick. At the same time, the H&R Magnum has considerable whallop, particularly with 85-grain hollow point bullets. I think Taurus and Ruger make current revolvers in the caliber, but they'd be considerably more money, and would be smaller.

Xzec.

JamesRK

A revolver chambered for the .32 H&R Magnum will shoot the .32 H&R Magnum, .32 S&W Long and .32 S&W (short). It doesn't work the other way around. In my opinion, any .32, including .32 ACP is a poor choices for a pistol or revolver.

The easiest solution is to get her a .38 Special. Far superior to any .32 cartridge. Ammo is available everywhere. It's more fun to shoot, and whatever gets shot is more likely to stay shot. Even better, get a .357 Magnum. Then you can shoot .357 Magnum and .38 Special from the same revolver. If you are concerned about the size of her hand, you can get both .38 and .357 in a Smith & Wesson J frame or similar size from other manufacturers. Just my 2?.

Sperry

Thanks, guys. I've had an SP101, and reloaded both ,357 and .38 in different power loqads.

So a defense gun for her should be short barrelled, huh? Not so long that it makes it easier for someone to lunge at her and grab/deflect the barrel?

gskyhawk

maybe some thing like this one is what you are looking for

http://www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=42041292

bobski

guys...see his 'perfect wife gun' thread on gen discuss room to help give you some kind of focus....
he wants a c&r gun in 32cal for his wife that doesnt like guns, thus it must be cheap so after its fired, it will be thrown at the perp.

gskyhawk

"guys...see his 'perfect wife gun' thread on gen discuss room "

bobski why would one want to go over there , its such a mad house any more its not worth the time [xx(]

Fatstrat

quote:Originally posted by Sperry
Thanks, guys. I've had an SP101, and reloaded both ,357 and .38 in different power loqads.

So a defense gun for her should be short barrelled, huh? Not so long that it makes it easier for someone to lunge at her and grab/deflect the barrel?

I suppose it depends on the appplication. You 1st mentioned a .32 pistol which are generally small, you we kinda went in that direction.
For home defense, size probably doesn't matter much as long as she is proficeint in handling the gun. By the time a perp is close enough to her to grab at the gun, a couple inches of barrel won't make much difference.
If there's any idea that she may want a gun to carry, then shorter barrels are easiest.
Women tend to have smaller hands which seems to lead to a preference for smaller guns.
I'd take her gun shopping, probably at a gunshow where there are LOTS of guns to look at, and try to find a .38SPL that she feels comfortable with. You don't nessisaraly have to buy it there, but just get an idea. Then shop the auctions for a good deal.
You can load it w/mild .38spl loads which are more powerful than the .32/.38 S&W rounds w/not much more recoil.
The .32 H&R Mag is a good choice, if the expensive cost of the ammo is not a concern.
Whatever you get, she needs to shoot it alot to get profient w/it. And you can get .38SPL ammo (or reload as you mentioned) cheap.

v35

There used to be a lot of 32 cal pistol and rifle cartridges in rim and centerfire, Most of them are obsolete. For a new gun forget all that. 32 auto, 32 S&W long and 32 H&R magnum are currently loaded and all three can be fired out of a modern revolver. In the smaller J Frame S&W revolvers you can get six shots instead of five in 38.
Even the 32 mag is a light load as pistol cartridges go.
Let your wife try some 148 grain, 38 Spl target loads in your 38Spl.
They are very light but more serious than the 32s.

cody45

the 32 S&W long is an inherently accurate cartridge. Smith & Wesson made their famous "masterpiece" K frame for this round and Walther and others made and still make olympic competition pistols in this caliber.
The 38 special is also inherently accurate and a much better choice for self defense and ammo is cheaper by far than store bought 32 long.

bobski

because this one is about to be locked out and the one over there will shed some light on what hes looking for, making your jobs easier to assist.