Why no .32 H&R semi auto?

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Mr_Flintstone

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I know there’s the .32 NAA, but why has no one ever made a .32 semi auto magnum? It seems it would be a simple matter to trim and resize a .30 carbine case to essentially have a .32 H&R rimless cartridge. Is there just no interest in creating something like this? I can understand if it was tried and there was little consumer interest, but for no one to have even tried seems odd.
 
The 30 Luger (aka 7.65×21mm Parabellum) offers similar ballistics to the 32 H&R magnum. It is a bottle necked cartridge and is the parent cartridge to the 9x19 Luger Parabellum. Since its loaded overall length is similar to the 9X19 it will feed out of the same magazines as the 9 X19.

It would seem that with powerful loads (enough recoil energy) that there would be a good chance that it would feed and function in a pistol designed for the 9X19. Bar-Sto barrels list Glock barrels in 30 Luger. I think it would be an interesting project to convert a 9X19 Glock to 30 Luger by the installation of a 30 Luger barrel.
 
I just compared some data on .32 H&R and .380 ACP. It looks like there is little to gain using a .32 H&R size round and load data over .380 ACP in comparable size barrels. Although, in using a .30 carbine parent case, higher pressures could be achieved to push those little 90 gr bullets a little faster. Then you would no longer have a rimless .32 H&R, though, but something completely new.
 
What are the intended ballistics? Is it intended to compete with 9x19 or .380?
I don’t know. I lack the technical expertise; otherwise I would try to get a custom barrel create a wildcat cartridge. I suppose it could easily be something to compete with 9mm.

Sometimes I just sit and wonder about possibilities. Sometimes I find that others have already had the same idea; other times it’s a new idea. I can’t always say they are good ideas though.
 
The issue is when you do the math on cross section and efficiency of burn the 9mm wether it’s the .380 auto or 9x18 or even 9x19 has the advantage and the most you gain is a single round while giving into needing a longer case. It’s a lost cause.
 
An 8mm (0.31496 dia) with a case similar in length to the 10mm would be a beast. Every gun chambered in 10mm could be converted to 8mm. Everything from defense to hunting deer sized game on down would be possible with a 115gr bullet. Good idea Mr. F ... !!!
 
An 8mm (0.31496 dia) with a case similar in length to the 10mm would be a beast. Every gun chambered in 10mm could be converted to 8mm. Everything from defense to hunting deer sized game on down would be possible with a 115gr bullet. Good idea Mr. F ... !!!

It wouldn't be near the "beast" you think it would.
 
These ideas are novel, but is there enough interest in such a thing? I would have to believe what this cartridge and pistol would need is to have a standard capacity of at least 20 rounds in a full size pistol and launch an 85 grain bullet at a minimum of 1200 fps. Not quite as strong as a 9mm, but has less recoil than 9mm, but is much more powerful than .32 ACP and .380 ACP in a pistol that's slimmer than the standard full size pistol.

The 7.65x20 French Longue is an early 20th Century version of this, but was stuck with the powders, metallurgy, and technology of the time. Others have mentioned the 7.62x25 Tokarev and that's a bottleneck case, so the capacities would be no different than 9mm.

I think there's potential tho, something with thicker brass and modern powders could get velocities up even more than 1200 fps, but this .32 "Automag" would never be able to eclipse the power of some +P 9mm... but that's not the point, however it's something the 9mm fanboy army will cite as reasons not to bother with a .32 Automag.

The big selling points would have to be higher capacities in magazines and lower recoil, yet more power than current .32 ACP or .380 ACP. You won't be able to fit this in an LCP, but you could an LC9 sized pistol that's slimmer and holds one more round compared to a single stack 9mm. Is that enough of a selling point that people will buy it tho?

My guess is no.

In a full size Glock 17 pistol tho, again, that's slimmer and holds 20 rds... maybe. It'll be flatter shooting than 9mm, so you're looking at trajectories remaining flat another 20 yards or more vs 115 grain 9mm, low recoil, easy follow up shots... I would buy this. There's potential even to put this .32 Automag in a quad stack design (like the new Kel Tec CP33) and slap it into a thick frame gun like a Glock 21 and up capacity to 30 rds.

Will people buy it tho?

The industry is apprehensive to introduce new rimless pistol cartridges to the market because they don't feel it can compete with 9mm or even .380 these days. Look at the .40 cal family of 10mm, .40 S&W, and .357 Sig: one was dropped on arrival cuz women couldn't handle it, the .40 was LEO standard issue for over 20 years and is now losing popularity to 9mm, and .357 Sig is a novel concept, but has no broad appeal in the civilian market.

And that's with a caliber larger than 9mm, go below that and you get the typical belief that "it's a .32, you'll just piss the guy you're shooting off." or "it's a .32, basically the same as shooting a .22"

I would love to see a return of the hot 8mm handgun, but everyone has gone coo coo for the 9mm Cocoa Puffs.
 
If I wanted that kind of thing (a hot 32 automatic pistol load), I would want one that did not use a bottlenecked case, because then it takes up as much space as a 9mm in the magazine, as TTv2 points out. I would probably revive 8mm Roth-Steyr, because it is significantly more powerful than 32 ACP or 380 ACP, and is a nice straight cased rimless design.

It may not require a locked breech in a large high-capacity pistol - it throws a slightly heavier bullet (113 grains vs 95) than 9mm Makarov at a trifle higher velocity. A pocket gun for it would need a locked-breech design, of course.

No need to re-invent the wheel, when the Austro-Hungarian Army invented it about 112 years ago! Fiocchi used to load it, and for all I know, they still do.

PS: Here's the Wikipedia page for it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8mm_Roth–Steyr

7.65mm French Long has a bit more velocity, but its bullet only weighs 77 grains. That's hardly enough more than 32 ACP to notice, and gives it substantially lower kinetic energy than 8mm Roth-Steyr (about 240 foot-pounds vs 290).

And Midway's website says it's discontinued. :(
 
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PS: Here's the Wikipedia page for it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/8mm_Roth–Steyr

7.65mm French Long has a bit more velocity, but its bullet only weighs 77 grains. That's hardly enough more than 32 ACP to notice, and gives it substantially lower kinetic energy than 8mm Roth-Steyr (about 240 foot-pounds vs 290).

And Midway's website says it's discontinued. :(

Here you go, but you might need to sell a kidney to afford it.

https://www.buffaloarms.com/8mm-roth-steyr-ammo-115-grain-fmj-amo8mmsteyr2
 
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