Lets discuss where 32h&r fits in.

[R.W.Dale]

Its been awhile since I messed with this cartridge. I would like to discuss in terms of SD from a snubby where does this round fit in today?


Has ammunition advances brought the 32h&r up to par or slightly below 38 or is it still a mousegun more in line with the 32/380acp?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[bmcgilvray]

It's still a mouse-gun in line with the 32/380 ACP in my view. Not a top choice for self-defense but a whole sight better than the run of stunted .22/25s that are employed for concealed carry duty.

I wouldn't give up the fight though if armed only with a .32 H&R Magnum. So much the better if it was handloaded with a lead semi-wadcutter bullet over a stiff charge of powder. I wouldn't personally be interested in jacketed hollow-point loads.

I think the .32 bore revolvers are fun to play with. It's just too easy to gain the goodness of the .38 Special or even .357 Magnum in the same sized package. For the person who is concerned with recoil of small revolvers then perhaps the .32s have some merit.

[nn]

Its been awhile since I messed with this cartridge. I would like to discuss in terms of SD from a snubby where does this round fit in today?


Has ammunition advances brought the 32h&r up to par or slightly below 38 or is it still a mousegun more in line with the 32/380acp?

Searching around on the federal site indicates that .32 H&R mag is pretty much in the ballistic range
of the standard .38 spl with comparable weight bullets.

[chiefs-special-guy]

Others probably know more than i do, but i have a 32 HR mag revolver by ruger and my impression is that this is an acceptable SD round. i agree the ballistics are probably similar in some ways to the 38. very mild recoil with the 90 grain bullets. also very LOUD! ouch

[blitzburgh]

Where does it fit in today: In any collection!

Seriously though, I'm a fan of it and wouldn't feel under armed while carrying it with the right load.

[gasmitty]

I think if I was to dabble in the .32 range today, it would be with a .327 Federal Mag which would also accept .32 H&R Mag and the wimpy (but accurate) traditional .32 rounds. I think Gary Reeder builds a trail gun (SA) based on a Ruger Single-Six action that chambers the .32-20 cartridge as well as the other .32s (possibly with a different cylinder).

I have a couple of old wall-hanger, top-break .32s... an Iver Johnson with the owls-head grips, and an H&R 6-inch "target" gun. I put a few rounds through the latter, but the trigger was about 15 pounds so keeping rounds on paper at 25 feet was a challenge! Some day I'll tear it down and see if there's pterodactyl crap in the action, making it so stiff. The Iver Johnson is chrome-plated and was used by a farmer to put down hogs for slaughter.. kinda interesting considering the meager ballistics.

[Stevew]

I think the round will be rejuvinated if the 327 FED catches on. The 32 caliber family has alot to offer, SD, camp gun, hunting and training. I hope they make. I have been reluctant to buy one though.

[carracer]

I wouldn't feel under gunned with a .327 FM. I would only carry the H&R if it was the only thing available at the time.

If someone made a wheelgun in .327 that was scaled down proportionately to a .38 I would buy it. A 5 shot .327 a little smaller and lighter than a J-Frame!

[nn]

I wouldn't feel under gunned with a .327 FM. I would only carry the H&R if it was the only thing available at the time.

If someone made a wheelgun in .327 that was scaled down proportionately to a .38 I would buy it. A 5 shot .327 a little smaller and lighter than a J-Frame!

It is my impression from shooting .327 in a SP 101 with the factory grips, which is a 28 oz gun, that if a smaller lighter revolver was used it would have to be ported. And at that I would not want to shoot one. The chamber pressure is 45,000 psi.

Taurus made a ported one, I do not know the actual size.

[R.W.Dale]

I'm looking at a couple different aspects of the 32 h&r

It appears from all tests I've found NOBODY makes a 32 caliber bullet that will expand at snubby speeds.

Not being a fan of expanding bullets in sub 100grain mousegun calibers this isn't too critical to me.

This has led me to look at what full wadcutters have to offer. In 32 caliber even at sub 800 fps velocities penatration in gel is outstanding. A wide flat meplat should make for somewhat enhanced wounding ability.

More research is needed but I'm sure someone shot with a 98g hardcast wadcutter @850 fps isn't going to be using smilies in their tweets about the experience.

[GettingOld2]

I wouldn't feel under gunned with a .327 FM. I would only carry the H&R if it was the only thing available at the time.

If someone made a wheelgun in .327 that was scaled down proportionately to a .38 I would buy it. A 5 shot .327 a little smaller and lighter than a J-Frame!

I have two revolvers in .327. The classic SP101 with a 3 inch barrel is very nice. The Charter Arms snubbie at half the weight of the Ruger is painful and unpleasant. It makes an occasional lightweight pocket carry but not something I would recommend.

[R.W.Dale]

Been doing some water expansion tests lately with the little Taurus and my suspicions are being confirmed that at snub nosed speeds jhp's will not expand.

The pic above shows a 90g sierra after imapacting at 920 fps and then penatrating 28"+ of water depth (left bullet)

The below pic shows a 98g hardcast wadcutter after impacting at 850 fps and going to a water depth of 29"



IMO a cast wadcutter with a broad flat meplat is vastly preferable to a jhp profile that doesn't expand. Plus at 10 yds the wadcutters shoot very very good EXACTLY to poa at 10yds.

So back to the original question "where does the 32 h&r fit in"? Well it fits in with other mousegun calibers just in a much more shootable reliable and accurate package offering enhanced penatration and wounding ability over other "fmj only" pocket pistol calibers via the different bullet profiles that can be employed.

[bmcgilvray]

I wouldn't feel particularly cheated to be armed with a .32 and a fast-stepping lead full wadcutter handload. It would be more of a comfort than any factory .32 cartridge or especially the .25.

[R.W.Dale]

I wouldn't feel particularly cheated to be armed with a .32 and a fast-stepping lead full wadcutter handload. It would be more of a comfort than any factory .32 cartridge or especially the .25.

I don't. As dissatisfying as the jhp tests were the full wadcutters were that much of a sucess.



At 850 fps this gun load combination is just a pure sweetheart where I can shoot it fast and in SA put bullets where I want them to go. The only downside is a slight bit of leading mostly on top of the lands just inside the forcing cone.

And I get that sixth shot!