.32 H&R Magnum For CCW

[Gunmeister]

Anyone have any statistical data on the .32 H&R Magnum? Is it considered adequate for self defense? Is ammunition readily available? I know opinions will vary on this subject.
I've noticed that the S&W 432PD carries six rounds which is a good thing.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

The .32 H&R Magnum is ballistically inferior to the .32-20, which was never considered a manstopper.

I'd rather go with a good .38 special, or better still, a small .357 Magnum. The Ruger SP 101 is a very good choice that I have experience with (bought one for my oldest daughter, and shot it quite a bit.) Other people may prefer a S&W or one of the great old Colt Detective Specials (which I also have.)

 

[priv8ter]

Got one!

I have a Taurus 731 UL, and I know of some others here on The High Road that have confessed to carrying pocket rockets in .32 H&R in the past.

If you are a believer in Energy, than the .32 H&R Magnum has more energy than most .380 loads you will find out there. So, if you are someone who feels that the .380 is an okay cartridge for self-defense(which I do) than you shouldn't feel bad about getting the .32 Magnum.

Things you should look out for:

Ammo is tough to find. Around me, only Federal is the only factory load I can find(except for some Cowboy loads). When you do find it, it's EXPENSIVE. Like, $8.00 for a box of 20 Federal Classic H.P.'s

Once I get the time and settled into my house some more, than I plan to order some from Georgia Arms. Their .32 load is regarded in these parts as the best around. Very toasty.

My only problem is, energy aside, looking at the muzzle...that is a small bullet.

In my gun, instead of carrying Federals 85gr Hollow Point, I carry the 95gr SWC, going for penetration over expansion.

greg

 

[grendelbane]

I am going to take a page out of Colonel Cooper's book. If, for whatever reason, you can not use a large caliber weapon, (perhaps because of availability, recoil tolerance, low physical strength, injury, economics, restrictive laws, whatever), then give strong consideration to the lowly .22 rimfire.

It is accurate, economical, and will penetrate deeply enough to provide good stopping power if applied to the proper area.

The main advantage is that it is so cheap that you can afford to practice a lot. You need to practice a lot to achieve the accuracy required to make this cartridge perform.

If you enjoy reloading, the the economic spread between these two cartridges is significantly narrowed.

I am not against the .32, but I am just noting that it offers very little actual advantage over the .22LR.

 

[E357]

I you are a reloader and feel that its Ok to do so for CCW, The .32 H&R is fine for carry and equal or close to a .38 Spl. But a heavy loaded 38+P is better.

With the .32 H&R, you usually get one more shot and faster follow-ups.

Like piv8ter said finding commerical loads is tough.

Elliot

 

[Tommy Gunn]

You really ought to get into handloading if you go with this cartridge chambering.

Check eBay for good deals on used reloading equipment.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

My Colt Detective Special fits nicely in a pocket, holds 6 rounds, and handles .38 Special +P. And it only cost $225, used.

I'd go that route before I'd step down to a .32 H&R Magnum.

At the other end of the scale, I often hunt squirrels with a Colt M357, 6" barrel, loaded with .38 Special wadcutters -- a very effective woods gun.

If I were looking for a light, easily concealable revolver, I'd stick with the .38 Special/.357 Magunum family. It's far more versatile.

 

[Mannlicher]

With a good load in a .38 Special considered marginal, why choose to go down the ladder for a cartridge you may have to bet your life on? Hey, its your life, but still........................

 

[Oleg Volk]

The only argument for 731UL is that it is light AND has good accuracy, mild recoil -- one can practice well with it. Good Georgia Arms JPHs are $11/50rds.

 

[telomerase]

Good Georgia Arms JPHs are $11/50rds.

Where to order?

 

[Rangie]

Here

 

[only1asterisk]

I disagree with grendlebane, I think the 32 H&R Mag has a great deal over the .22 LR. It's greatest downfall is the lack of ammunition loaded to full potential. In guns like the Ruger SP101 and S&W Model 16 the round has potential. Modern bullet design could be applied and the round COULD be great.

As it is, it is better than a .22, .25 or .32 ACP. I rank it equal to the .380. Don’t get me wrong, it's a mousegun. I can get a .357 in the same size package, so there is no chance I'm going to carrying one soon. If I had arthritis, carpal tunnel, fiber mialga or some other condition that impaired my ability to handle a more powerful handgun would give it some consideration.


David

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Quote:
---------------------------------------
In guns like the Ruger SP101 and S&W Model 16 the round has potential. Modern bullet design could be applied and the round COULD be great.

As it is, it is better than a .22, .25 or .32 ACP. I rank it equal to the .380. Don’t get me wrong, it's a mousegun. I can get a .357 in the same size package, so there is no chance I'm going to carrying one soon.
----------------------------------------

That's my point -- you can get a potent .357 in the same package as a .32 H&R Mag. So why go with the lesser cartridge?

 

[jc2]

It would be OK for CCW until you had to use it.

All kidding aside, I had one of the neat aluminum-frame Centennial types. I carried for a while until it looked like I might have to use it one day--the guy was big (really big), high and mean (and had already beat/kicked one man to death--as a juvenile). All of a sudden, that handy, lightweight .32 didn't seem so comforting. Fortunately, we were able to talk our way out of a fight that day, and I went back to my 640-1 the next day. Comforting is a heckuva lot better than comfortable.

 

[Grey54956]

Actually, I was considering this caliber for CCW not too long ago.

S&W makes the 431PD and 432PD, both of which are fairly light in weight, and have a 6 round capacity. I think the relatively low recoil and the 6th round are the strong points for these guns.

 

[Slaytera666]

Like everybody else stated before, Go with the 38/357. Size is the same. Why carry a .22 1911 when you can have the .45?

 

[Radagast]

Why? Arthritis.

Ken

 

[jc2]

Grey -

The Georgia Arms 100-grain JHP is not exactly "low recoil" out of an aluminum/stainless J-frame. It would be even worse out of Ti/Scan J-frame.

 

[BluesBear]

True the .32-20 was never considered a manstopper. But then again how many handgun calibers really are/ Do you consider a .38 Special to be a man-stopper?

Look at the bullets available when the .32-20 was popular (and at one time it was a VERY popular revolver cartridge) blunted round nose lead and an early technology soft point. Neither bullet style is advocated today for self defense use from a small bore.

If you were to take a good hollow point and drive it to .32 H&R magnum velocities, you might be surprised at what it can do.

I know some people who are currently doing some research on this caliber and early reports are rather promising.