S&w 332: 32 H&r

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Cool Hand Luke 22:36

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Any experience with the Smith and Wesson 332 in 32 H&R magnum?

Would the 332 be better able to stand up to a lot of use than the other scandium J frames in .38 and larger calibers?

Is the 32 H&R adequate as a defensive round?
 
I have a 331. (The model with the hammer.)

It's an AirLite Ti, but recoil isn't bad. Supposed to be about as powerful and have the same recoil as a non +P, steel .38 Special. One more round. 11 ounces. It's my "ankle gun".

KR
 
Luke,

When I can scrape up the money, I plan on getting one for my sister-in-law.

And yes, I like her. :)

John
 
Kentucky Rifle:

It's an AirLite Ti, but recoil isn't bad. Supposed to be about as powerful and have the same recoil as a non +P, steel .38 Special. One more round. 11 ounces. It's my "ankle gun".
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The extra shot with almost the same punch as a .38 sounds good. How expensive is H&R ammo and is it hard to find?
 
JShirley:

When I can scrape up the money, I plan on getting one for my sister-in-law.
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Thats decent of you.

Of my three sister in laws, one shouldn't ever be allowed to hold a gun - at least when I'm in range :D; you couldn't pry the second away from her Buckmark - she doesn't have any interest in anything else; and the third is an anti.
 
Well, this gal is a German import that's been corrupted by my brother into believing nonsense about personal freedoms and such! :D

Luke, I usually order defensive ammo from Georgia Arms. You can get 50 rounds for less than $12. (Plus delivery, of course.) GA makes good ammo, too.
 
That .32 H&R is nice to load and in a good solid gun can be "heated" up quite a bit, although I do not give out reload data on the net.

The similar .38 Special 337 is +P rated, so the 332 should stand up OK.

Jim
 
popeye:

TOO MUCH MONEY for .32 mag Centennial. If they came down, I'd buy one fo sho.
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S&W is supposed to have a sale on some of the .38 J-frames. I see them at gun shows for $350 all the time. The 332 isn't included, in fact I've never seen one for sale at a gun show.
 
Don't discount the Taurus 731UL. Same size and capacity as the S&W 332, and mid-$300s NIB retail price. Mine had a nicer trigger pull out of the box than I've seen on any NIB J-frame S&W in the last five years.

731ul_l.jpg
 
Marko Kloos:

Don't discount the Taurus 731UL. Same size and capacity as the S&W 332, and mid-$300s NIB retail price. Mine had a nicer trigger pull out of the box than I've seen on any NIB J-frame S&W in the last five years
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I'm going to have to look at those also. The only advantage the S&W seems to have is weight.
 
Cool Hand...

In Kentucky, I've never been in a gunshop that didn't carry .32 H&R Mag ammo. I've got a bunch! It all cost about $8.25 per box of 20. (Federal Hi-Shok hollow points. However, Tamara posted that Georgia Arms makes a 100gr .32 Mag that is pretty strong. Humm. Gotta order some of those.) Plus, Marko is right about the Taurus 731. As a matter of fact, it was Marko's posted photo's that made me want one SO badly. :) Not only do I own a S&W 331, but also a Taurus 731. I have a friend who's "high up" in Taurus USA who had a 731 built especially for me. (He knows that I have this arthritis in my hands.) He had his chief gunsmith reduce the double action trigger pull by almost half. It's a good shooter. As a matter of fact, he had his gunsmith reduce the cylinder latch "push" control too. It's a fine pistol. Even the "ratchet" star is perfect. No effort at all to push the cylinder closed.

Will
 
I have a 331. It is very accuate at 10 yards with Federal 85 grain HP. The double action is how I shot it the most. I have shot stronger handloads using the same bullet (Hornady 85 grain xtp). The groups open up some but still very good for 10 yards. Byron
 
Kentucky Rifle:

In Kentucky, I've never been in a gunshop that didn't carry .32 H&R Mag ammo. I've got a bunch! It all cost about $8.25 per box of 20. (Federal Hi-Shok hollow points. However, Tamara posted that Georgia Arms makes a 100gr .32 Mag that is pretty strong. Humm. Gotta order some of those.) Plus, Marko is right about the Taurus 731. As a matter of fact, it was Marko's posted photo's that made me want one SO badly. Not only do I own a S&W 331, but also a Taurus 731. I have a friend who's "high up" in Taurus USA who had a 731 built especially for me. (He knows that I have this arthritis in my hands.) He had his chief gunsmith reduce the double action trigger pull by almost half. It's a good shooter. As a matter of fact, he had his gunsmith reduce the cylinder latch "push" control too. It's a fine pistol. Even the "ratchet" star is perfect. No effort at all to push the cylinder closed.
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Thats pretty decent of the people at Taurus. The 731 looks like a good option based on price and size. The 331 and 332 look to be considerably more expensive.

I have never checked but I would guess 32cal H&R must be available here in Northern Virginia on the shelf, and as you say on the internet also, which is where I get most of my 12ga shells.
 
It is my promary carry gun. I carry in my jens pocket most of the time and the outline is not pronounced. I can slip into almost any pocket. In the summer, I have no problems. Some states such as GA require a holster so that affects the concealabilty some. Byron
 
S&W 332:32 H&R

Sorry for the spelling error. The word is "primary". Byron
 
i love my 332,,,

it goes everywhere with me

the georgia arms round is excellent

they say it is designed to be as hot as a STANDARD steel .32 mag gun will fire and have no plans of making it hotter

i don't know how the 332 compares to a standard gun in that respect

it is much better than what federal is selling in both load and accuracy and (even with shipping included) cheaper

fyi a friend clocked one at 15 feet from the muzzle and it was doing 977 fps

100 gr sjhp doing 977 is around 218 ft-lbs iirc, almost the same as a .38+p

it is much more comfortable to shoot than the .38 0r (and especially)the .357 lightweights

but it still snaps pretty good,,,you'll know you're shooting something

and i do like the extra round...

and,,,most people,,,when they first see it, say,

" WOW,,,what is that? A .357?"

theres been one sitting in the case at hoffman's on the Berlin tpke in Newington, CT for a while now at around $550 (i think) that i've been eyeballing

then i would have twins,,,

i keep fighting off the urge though

downside? it takes some work to keep it looking pretty,,,

the finish is easy to mar during cleaning - also easy to mar if it strikes something sharp and metallic

let's face it,,,its aluminum with an enamel type finish

in my case i have this little gun vault by the bed and i've hit the edge of it with the gun putting it away,,,

i'm not too crazy about the color or the sights

i wish they made it in the black with the hi vis / interchangeable sights like the 340pd

but if all youre worried about is getting a good shooter,,,
:D
 
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280PLUS:

i wish they made it in the black with the hi vis / interchangeable sights like the 340pd

but if all youre worried about is getting a good shooter
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Thanks for the information.

I was wondering the same thing, why doen't S&W make it with the black anodized finish.
 
Your welcome

luke said :

"I was wondering the same thing, why doen't S&W make it with the black anodized finish."

excellent question! i have no idea,,,that may remain one of those unanswerable questions of life...

somehow i missed the part about carrying,,,like byron i carry it in my jeans pocket,,,it's also good in my dockers pocket, no holster

the only people that spot it are those that already know it's there

i attended a meeting at the hartford cop shop once and spent about 4 hours with 20 or so LEO and my 332 in my pocket

none of them noticed it...

not great in dressy type pants due to the thin fabrics,,,i go to the keltec P32 for those rare occasions when they make me dress up...

:D

if you buy one p/m me and i can give you cleaning tips...
 
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