Quote:
Originally Posted by Troystat
Are they both chambered for the same cartridge, the .32's are a bit confusing to me.
Troy
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.32 cartridges in the late 1800s and early decades of the 1900s are indeed confusing, with Colt and S&W both offering .32 cartridges that were not identical. By the time the guns above were made, the .32 S&W Long was the standard, and both guns will fire it. Both guns will also shoot the slightly smaller .32 Colt and .32 New Police cartridges
(WRONG. See note), but probably with diminished accuracy and the possibility of brass swelling.
In general, you can shoot .32 Colt rounds in .32 S&W-chambered revolvers, but the .32 S&W rounds (short or long) won't fit into the chambers of revolvers that are designed exclusively for the .32 Colt cartridges. I believe .32 Colt rounds are now available only occasionally after special production runs from specialty ammunition manufacturers.
EDITED TO ADD: Oops, I was wrong about the .32 New Police. That's what Colt called the .32 S&W Long. See post No. 18 below for more info.