Why the Dearth of 32 Caliber Revolvers?

[aaaaa]

When I browse the gun manufacturer sites for revolvers I see a variety of calibers but there is a big gap at the bottom with 9mm/38 Special being the smallest unless one wants to go all the way down to a 22! But I see two manufacturers currently making 32 caliber revolvers: Ruger and Charter Arms. Ruger has a 327 Federal Magnum revolver. CA has a couple of 32 H&R Magnum revolvers, one a 7-shot. Other than that I would have to go for an old S&W Model 30 or 31, which are only 32 S&W Long, rather anemic. I do think the nicest looking is the old S&Ws and so am tempted to get one for the fun of it, but I would seriously consider the CA 7-shot 32 Magnum instead of my S&W 642 5-shot 38 Special for self defense.

Any other 32 caliber revolver fans out there?

If only a company would make a revolver chambered for 32 ACP, then we would have plentiful and cheaper ammo.

 

[.38 Special]

I really like the .32s - especially the old and obsolete ones - and thought the .327 was an interesting development. Ultimately, I think they are probably neither here nor there, in today's world: too big to fill the small bore niche (which really is the sole province of the .22 LR these days) and too small to make the self-defense and hunting boys happy.

I figure the .32 Long is the ideal centerfire target cartridge, but the .38 Special fills that role so well - and so thoroughly, nowadays - that there's little hope of the old .32 making much of a comeback. C'est la vie...

 

[Jonny2guns]

This one in 32 long belongs to the wife.

 

[CajunBass]

There's a big gap because they don't sell. Pretty simple really.

 

[Tallball]

To me, a 32 H&R magnum is a good choice for a person with hand or wrist problems, doesn't like recoil, not a gun person, etc.

It will shoot 32 S&W long as well, which has barely more recoil than a 22lr.

There are some people 38 special is not a good option for, and a 32 is way better than 22 for SD, imho.

My favorite 32 revolver. It shoots waaaay better than I do.

Ruger Single Six 32 H&R magnum

• Tallball
• Dec 13, 2018

 

[GooseGestapo]

I too am a HUGE fan of the .32’s!

There are several reasons for lack of popularity.

1. Actual, and perceived lack of power in classical loadings. The .32s&w short and .32S&W-Long have been down loaded in deference to the many weak and/or cheap guns.
2. Given the low power approximating that of the .22lr, ammo is 10X more expensive due to being center fire.
3. Given #1 and #2., few strong, quality guns have been built and due to economy of scale, usually more expensive than their.38cal counterparts.

Recently, the .32H&R magnum attempted to break the trend, but again the mistake of putting it in a cheap, weak revolver kept it from reaching potential.

The .327Federal and .30SC break into 9mm and .38+p power range and are immensely useful cartridges. They allow the .32Long to be loaded to small game levels with its renowned accuracy. The .32H&R is likewise accurate with reliable larger small game effectiveness .
The .30SC has 9mm power but exhibits accuracy potential of the .38Super due to tight tolerances of both guns and ammo.

They are MEH to person who shoots 50-500rds a year of factory ammo. But, to a reloader/bullet caster, they represent a 30-50% more efficient and more accurate alternative. What’s not to like?

.30SC first 10shots at 25 YARDS! Not feet! 6-o’clock hold. Last two in bull were center hold. 100gr Federal HST from S&W Sheild EZ .30SC




Taurus M76 .32H&R Magnum. 100gr Hornady XTP, 11.2gr of Lil’Gun, Starline brass
25yds from rest.

 

[chicharrones]

As much as I have liked .32 ACP over the years, there is no getting around the fact that the locked breech .380 ACP pocket pistol boom, that started 15 or so years ago, has all but killed off .32 ACP pistol production.

I think the .32 ACP in a locked breech pistol makes a dandy cartridge for people with felt recoil issues. Better and more reliable than rimfire cartridges in pocket pistols.

And as much as I’d like a .32 ACP specific revolver, with a short cylinder and frame suited to the cartridge to make a shorter gun, I guess that’s just a unicorn fantasy of a gun.

The only thing I can say is if you like .32 magnum or .327 mag revolvers, snap a few up while they’re still making them and reload or buy ammo when you see it. This is pretty much what I’m trying at the moment.

In the case of the Charter Arms and Ruger pocket revolvers, might be a good idea to buy a rimfire version to go with the .32 version for lots of extra practice on the cheap.

 

[John_R]

.32 revolvers are very nice shooters, but with the ammo so expensive (and reloaders are a small fraction of the shooting world), .22LR is the default "fun" caliber. I don't even shoot 9mm for "fun" any more.

 

[aaaaa]

There's a big gap because they don't sell. Pretty simple really.

And the big selling feature of 22s is cheap ammo for target practice?

 

[wcwhitey]

It is true that the .32’s have become a reloader’s cartridge. Availability is very limited mostly to some target .32 Long Wadcutters at over $1 a round or Old Stock which is what I have been able to find at half that. The .32 H&R that I did find was nuts.

I like the idea of a .32 ACP revolver being semi rimmed.

I just picked up one of the Charter Arms Professionals that I am in the process of developing loads for. Brass is still back ordered so I am limited to what now once fired brass shot from factory, mostly Long.

This must be a marketing nightmare for gun makers. Who wants to buy a gun when the store doesn’t even have the ammo on the shelf. Only a reloader. I think it is a great option for the recoil sensitive and should be a more available option.

I will at some point try a few .32 Specials to see how they work in the new gun. Some revolvers are okay with it some not.

 

[Mark 40]

Any other 32 caliber revolver fans out there?

Count me in.
S&W Model 31 revolvers 2" and 3", both from the 1970s.
Then for EDC a Model 432PD. And like Chicharrones mentioned, an understudy is a good idea, so my 43C 22LR revolver fills that role nicely.

 

[aaaaa]

Count me in.
S&W Model 31 revolvers 2" and 3", both from the 1970s.
Then for EDC a Model 432PD. And like Chicharrones mentioned, an understudy is a good idea, so my 43C 22LR revolver fills that role nicely.

My LGS has a Model 31-1 with 3-inch barrel. It looks in very good condition. No box. No modifications. They have it priced at $550. I want the gun, but that price seems rather on the high side. Some guy on You Tube got one for around $350 about two years ago. But looking online the prices vary widely on these and I see a range from $400 to $775 on this site, albeit not all 3-inch barrels.

BTW, not a carry gun as the firing pin is on the hammer. Would have to carry with only 5 rounds in it. The GS has another one with a bobbed hammer and rubber grip, still way to much at $475 for a butchered one.

 

[jar]

It's not just revolvers. There is a dearth of 32 semi-automatics as well.

Not at my house though.

 

[aaaaa]

It's not just revolvers. There is a dearth of 32 semi-automatics as well.

Not at my house though.

You are right about that. Maybe should have made this thread broader under Handguns forum. Imagine how many rounds could be included in the magazine of a full size semi-auto with 32 ACP.

 

[CajunBass]

And the big selling feature of 22s is cheap ammo for target practice?

That's a big part of it I'm sure, but the 22 LR has been around for, well, as long as there have been metalic cartridges. Thousands...no millions of firearms, rifle, handgun, even smoothbore's have been made for it. It offers low recoil, relative quiet report, small size and enough power for most small game, and has been used on some pretty big game. It's not out of the question for self-defense. You can find ammo for it almost anywhere. Plus as you said, it's inexpensive.

Thirty-two's are a niche cartridge. Sorry, but it's the truth. Sort of like the 44 Special a favorite of mine. You don't see a lot of new manufacture 44 Special handguns. When you do, it's almost always a limited production run, and you better grab one if you want one.

 

[jar]

You are right about that. Maybe should have made this thread broader under Handguns forum. Imagine how many rounds could be included in the magazine of a full size semi-auto with 32 ACP.

The advertising for the first HiCap semi-automatic was "10 Shots Quick" but it was really 10 + 1.

 

[CoalTrain49]

I bought a model 31-1 a few years ago when they were practically giving them away. Nobody wanted a 32 Long anything a few years ago. They probably still don't but the S&W's are iconic police sidearms from the last century. I load for mine and it's cheap to shoot. I haven't put my eye out with it either.

 

[Dave T]

Some guy on You Tube got one for around $350 about two years ago.

What someone paid for a gun two years ago has absolutely no relationship with what a gun might be worth or sell for today. In the gun market 'two years ago' is ancient history.

Dave

 

[Slamfire]

I have wondered why 32 caliber pistol and revolver cartridges were ever popular in the first place. Maybe it is due to the small size of the pistols chambered in that cartridge. Wish I had a picture of a K frame next to this I frame. The seller claimed the original owner, a relative, use some sort of Reserve Policeman. This pistol is about the size of a kid's toy pistol.



Recoil with factory ammunition is almost non existent, and factory ammunition moves my gong target plate no more than a .22lr. Which means, when the gong target has a lot of hits, unless I hear the ping, I can't tell if I hit the thing. This is not exactly inspirational for a self defense round. However, I suspect the original owner purchased it because the pistol was so compact, and it was a firearm. Few Cops ever get into gun fights. A shooting bud is an ex Highway Patrol Officer, and I was surprised to find how indifferent the average Cop is to firearms and to shooting the things. If it were not for qualification, few on the Police force would shoot a firearm at all. Bud went to the house of one of his troopers, pulled the Department issued shotgun from parked squad car, and it was rusted shut. It could not be racked!

I occasionally see Pardini's chambered in 32 S&W Long at Bullseye Pistol matches. Pardini's have interchangeable uppers, pop on a new top, stuff in the appropriate magazine, and bang away in a different caliber. The 32 S&W Long is superbly accurate out to 50 yards and the recoil is not much more than a 22 lr. Recoil absolutely is an accuracy killer, everyone's 22 lr scores are higher than with the 45 ACP.

New cartridges are introduced, not so much to benefit the shooter, but to increase profits to the corporation, and so there have been several iterations of Super 32's, Magnum 32's, and as far as I am concerned, they have all been duds. Sure the 32 caliber round can be pushed as fast as a 357 Magnum, but the blast, recoil also goes up, and the fun nature of a 32 cartridge goes away. And, just as the old saying is "There is no replacement for displacement.", if you want to do more than punch holes in paper, that is just as true in cartridges as in combustion engines.

 

[GEM]

There's https://www.taurususa.com/revolvers/taurus-327
Are they available? I don't know.

The LCRs have a niche fan base in the snubby trainer set. I recall that only 8000 32 cal revolvers were made in some recent yearly manufacturing report a year ago.

The Cabelas near me has had a 327 LCR in their cabinet pretty constantly. They have no ammo for it though.

 

[aaaaa]

The advertising for the first HiCap semi-automatic was "10 Shots Quick" but it was really 10 + 1.

Presumably single stack, so we might be able to cram 20+ rounds of 32 into a full sized pistol, especially considering a S&W SD VE holds 16+1.

 

[aaaaa]

And, just as the old saying is "There is no replacement for displacement.", if you want to do more than punch holes in paper, that is just as true in cartridges as in combustion engines.

Well it makes a lot of sense considering a cartridge consists of a piston (bullet) in a cylinder (case), with the fuel charge included. It's a one time thrust, no crankshaft, no connecting rod, but it is, in essence, a form of internal combustion engine.

 

[jar]

Presumably single stack, so we might be able to cram 20+ rounds of 32 into a full sized pistol, especially considering a S&W SD VE holds 16+1.

Actually it was a stagger stack.

 

[Kleanbore]

For defensive carry, including law enforcement, the .32 was once almost ubiquitous, but it has been replaced in most circles by the excellent .38 Special

i have a .32 Regulation Police revolver.For target shooting. the .32 Long is still a dream.

The .308-dia .32-20 had its followers, but most people found the sound pressure excessive. Same with the .327.

 

[nofendertom]

aaaaa---So are you saying a S&W with the firing pin on the hammer (such as Models 25,27,28,29,etc.) are unsafe to carry with 6 rounds loaded?