Hello,

I have a very nice S&W Lady Smith in .32 Magnum. A friend gave me several boxes of .32 S&WL ammo.

I measured the .32 H&R Mag ammo (Federal), and the .32 S&WL ammo (Magtech) and found the following:

Brass diameter of the .32 Mag is .003" smaller in diameter than the .32 S&WL (.331" vs .334")

Overall length of the .32 Mag is .154" longer than the .32 S&WL

The .32 S&WL is necked down to .314"

The bullet diameter of the .32 Mag is .309" vs .306" for the S&WL

Can the .32 S&WL cartridge be safely fired in the .32 Magnum?

Thanks for any thoughts.

Yes, you can fire the .32 S&WL in the .32 H&R Mag just like .38 spl in the .357 mag. Both cases have the same standard nominal diameter of .3370". Bullet diameters are identical and the magnum is slightly loner in length. The S&WL has much lower pressure than the mag so there's no issues there.

Steve C.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. That's great news.

You could also shoot .32 S&W

If you shoot a LOT of the shorter rounds you could get a gunk buildup in the cylinders that will make it hard to chamber the .32 mags, just like shooting a lot of .38s in a .357. It's not a big deal, you just need to be aware of it. I shoot mostly .32 longs in my .32 mag (altered Detective Special) with no problem.

And for that matter yo can shoot 32 ACP in them as well. Just be cautious as you eject them.

What Steve C said. Same as shooting 38 Special in a 357 Mag or 44 Special in a 44 Mag.

I have a Model 431PD that handles all .32 S&W rounds (long or short) as well as the H&R Magnum. The non-magnum rounds are a little weak but they're okay for practice. I'm not a fan of shooting the .32 ACP in this gun. I know some do but I'll pass on that option.

If I may add a shameless plug here, I really like the .32 H&R Magnum rounds I bought from Georgia Arms (www.georgia-arms.com). I really prefer to shoot only the magnum loads and these guys load a great 100 gr JHP round. All you have to do is be patient when ordering from them.

Some people have had various issues with the Magtech .32 S&W Long, it's particularly bad about splitting cases when used in Nagants (yes, you can do this, whether it is a good idea or not... eh...).

Prvi offers probably the least expensive quality .32 SW long

A little note is in order.
I shoot .32 Smith & Wesson Long in an early 20th Colt revolver. Colt refers to this same cartridge -- not wishing to acknowledge its greatest competitor -- as the .32 Colt New Police.
So, with older ammunition, you may find .32 COLT NP or .32 COLT NEW POLICE on the headstamp -- same ammo as the .32 S&W Long. The only difference is that ammo marked .32 S&W LONG or .32 S&W L generally has a roundnosed bullet.
Ammo marked .32 COLT NP or .32 COLT NEW POLICE has a roundnosed bullet with a small flat tip (meplat). This small, flat tip on the bullet nose was supposed to increase "stopping power" by transferring more energy to the bad guy or game.
I dunno ... when we're talking .32s ... seems like that little flat tip is a moot point.
These little .32 revolvers were once enormously popular with police detectives, before the introduction of the .38 snubnose.

BEWARE of cartridges marked .32 LC or .32 LONG COLT. This is an entirely different cartridge from the .32 S&W Long or .32 Colt New Police.
The .32 LONG COLT is an older cartridge and has not been in production for about 30 years. It was chambered in numerous, old Colt revolvers, lever-action Marlin rifles and single-shot Stevens rifles.
From what I've ascertained, Smith & Wesson never chambered any of its revolvers for the .32 LONG COLT cartridge.

The .32 LONG COLT has a case much smaller in diameter than the .32 S&W Long. Upon firing, the case usually splits and releases hot gases back at the shooter.
Ask me how I know ...

I also shoot and reload for the .32 LONG COLT cartridge, for use in my Marlin Model 1892 lever-action rifle.

There is also a .32 SHORT COLT cartridge which is basically a shortened version of the .32 LONG COLT.
Do NOT fire this .32 SHORT COLT (also marked .32 SC) cartridge in a .32 S&W chamber. Like it's longer version, the case usually splits and spits hot gases.

Sorry to harp on about this, but there's a tremendous amount of confusion out there regarding these .32 revolver cartridges.
I once bought a bag of fired .32 S&W Long cases off the internet, for reloading my old revolver. Upon receipt I found .32 S&W LONG and .32 LONG COLT cases mixed together.
It made little difference to me, since I reload both calibers, but I got hold of the seller and told her to check her stock.
She said I got the only bag, so everything worked out fine.

In summation, the .32 Smith & Wesson Long or .32 Colt New Police are NOT the same cartridge as the .32 Long Colt.
The .32 Smith & Wesson (a shorter version of the .32 S&W Long but never referred to or marked as "short") is NOT the same cartridge as the .32 Short Colt.

Been fighting this misinformation for nigh on 20 years ... <grumble> ... and the worst perpetuators are the guys behind the counter in the gun shops! They apparently believe that if it's got a pronounced rim, and is a .32, it all works the same.
Not true!

You're not likely to be given .32 Long Colt ammo, as it's rarely seen today, but I offer the above just in case ...

Thanks again to all that replied. Gun folks are the best.

Wow Gatofeo,

Thanks for your post. I have been told that short of a 32/20, ANY .32 caliber round could be safely fired out of my 432PD. I will say that even firing one or two cylinders full of .32 S&W Longs will prevent loading of a .32H&R Magnum round.

Regards,

Dave

Gato,

You forgot to add that the .32 Long Colt is like a .22 Long Rifle in the respect that it uses an outside lubricated or "heeled" bullet, which makes it much more aggravating to load- not impossible, but more time consuming.

Ah, as we are on the subject of .32's...

The .327 Federal isn't just a longer version of the .32 H&R Magnum as I have had friends to find out. Firing .32 H&R Magnums or .32 S&W Longs in a .327 Magnum chamber will usually result in the cases splitting, regardless of manufacturer of ammunition.

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