So what do you think the attraction of 32 WCF revolvers were “back in the day”? I’ve heard the old saw about having a rifle/pistol combination in the same caliber but I’m not sure that holds up if you look at the numbers. I know of only two “cowboy” rigs that stayed together which is admittedly a small sampling. One consisted of a 32-20 rifle for range varmint control and a 44 revolver for personal defense. The other was a 56 Spencer/44 revolver combo. If you discount military sales 32 WCF was the second most popular caliber in the SAA. After the turn of the 20th Century both Colt and S&W offered 32 WCF handguns in DA revolvers, though Smith at least seemed to have a hard time selling them.

I wonder if the 32 revolvers were more common in the east. While I have always liked the 32-20 and usually have had a couple around for me the attraction has simply been that they are fun to shoot. If I was purchasing a handgun for self-defense, even in the early 20th century, it would be hard to make a case for the 32-20. Which may be why S&W had such a hard time selling them.