Hello All,

Can a HE chambered in .32-20 safely fire other .32 cartridges? I’m certain .32 H&R and .327 Federal are off limits. But what about older designs like .32 S&W, .32 S&W Long, .32 Auto, or .32 Longue?

Thanks.

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-gonzo, SoCenPA.

Only use ammo for 32-20 and stay away from hot loads i.e.. marked rifle only. All of the Smith and Wesson models are old enough to have softer steel.

32/20 isn’t a straight case. The other 32s at best will split cases at worst 32 H&R mag or 327 could make a hand grenade out of cylinder. Fire only 32/20. I once went with Barnes in cartridges of the world. It said you could use 32 S&W in 1892 French 8mm Lebel revolver. Didn’t hurt gun but split case and blew dirt and fire. Good policy is use only the correct ammo. Like it says on some of the old Spanish knock offs, USE the Cartridge that fits best.

No. While the bullet is the same diameter on those calibers, the hole in the back of a 32-20 revolver cylinder is over .355" and a 32 ACP will fall into the cylinder. 32 Long and 32 S&W rim diameter is barely larger than .355" and will certainly fall through the star when one tries to eject the empties.

Being a bottleneck cartridge, the 32-20 is longer than any of the three calibers you mention. That means that the bullet fired from any of those cartridge bullets will rattle down the cylinder unsupported until they hit where the 32-20 cylinder restriction starts. That means loss of accuracy.

Bottom line is only use what is stamped on the barrel.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

Check Georgia arms for 32-20 ammo. I got 300 rounds from them recently. If not PM me and I will give you another source.

I appreciate the comments and am mentally kicking myself for not figuring the cartridge was a bottleneck. I have my dad’s old Savage in .25-20 and it too is bottleneck.

Thanks for straightening me out, guys.

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-gonzo, SoCenPA.

I agree with the above posters: only use the proper ammo.

However, as I have mentioned on this forum several times before, I investigated two murders where the offender's handgun was a .32-20, loaded with .32 S&W Long cartridges.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Yes. The .25-20 Winchester was developed by necking down the .32-20 cartridge. The .218 Bee was also derived from the .32-20.

I agree with the previous responses: use nothing but .32-20 cartridges in your revolver.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

I once, completely by accident (or inattention), fired a cylinder full of .32 S&W Long in a .32-20 revolver. I didn't know I had done it until I emptied the cylinder. Nothing bad happened, I don't remember the casings being split either.

Is .32 Winchester the same as 32-20? My revolver has the Winchester marking on the barrel.

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Kevin in Oregon

Yes. .32-20 is also known as .32 Winchester or .32 Winchester Center Fire (WCF). All of these cartridge designations have been stamped on S&W .32-20 revolvers.

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Guy
SWHF #474 SWCA LM#2629

Yes it is, and is also known as .32 WCF (Winchester Central Fire). *I see that Guy beat me to the punch.*

However there is also .32-40 which is a rifle cartridge (too large for a revolver) that might be called .32 Winchester. Be sure you know what you're getting if you order ammo or ask for it at the local gun shop.

I often see 32-20 ammo in the yellow Western boxes at local pawn shops but not the guns.

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NEVER GIVE UP YOUR GUN

Sorry, the 32 Winchester cartridge is different from the 32-20, 32 WCF, or 32 Winchester Center Fire cartridge.

The last three are cartridges that have been chambered in rifles and revolvers. The 32 Winchester aka 32 Winchester Special is a rifle cartridge in the same class as the 30 WCF (30-30) and 38-55.

Kevin

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Unshared knowledge is wasted.

Not quite. The early stampings for this caliber on S&W revolvers was 32 Winchester and that was truncated to 32 W.C.F., then to 32-20. All are the same. Just like 44 Winchester is the same as 44-40.

Best date estimates I have are as follows:

32-20 Barrel Stampings
From 1899 until 1913 - 32 Winchester CTG. (left side of barrel)
From 1914 until 1922 - 32 W.C.F. CTG (right side of barrel)
From about 1922-23 until the end of production (1940) - 32-20 CTG. (right side of barrel)

Examples below. 1899 32 Winchester Target, plus a 1902. The 1899 letters as a 32 Winchester Target (Roy's descripton)

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Gary
SWCA 2515

I have another dilemma. I have a very nice Winchester M53 in 32-20 that my BIL loaded ammo for. I am sure these rds. are way to hot for my revolver. If I mix this ammo with pistol ammo, there may be an explosion of a really nice 32-20 HE. I have no way of knowing what he loaded into these rds. He passed away about 1 year ago. So, I will shoot them all out of the rifle. Big Larry

Or you could pull the bullets, dump the powder in your garden, and reload them for pistol.

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S&WHF #946
S&WCA #3824

Depends on how hot they are. Do you know the load? Do they have lead bullets? Most .32-20s can take a lot of pressure.

In my .32-20 revolvers .32 Mag and .327 cannot be chambered. But .32 S&W Long can.

Not true, Kevin. Neither Winchester nor any other manufacturer labeled a rifle or carbine chambered for the .32 Winchester Special as simply a .32 Winchester. That name always referred to the .32-20. The barrel on rifles chambered for the .32 Special (a rifle cartridge as you said) was always stamped 32 Winchester Special.

Here's a S&W revolver chambered for the .32-20 that shipped in March, 1904. Note the stamp on the barrel.


I used to own an early Marlin Model 336A chambered for the .32 Winchester Special and that's what it said on the barrel. Unfortunately, I traded it to a friend nearly 50 years ago and don't have a picture of it. But if you look at any Winchester or Marlin lever action rifle or carbine chambered for that round, it will have the word Special in the roll stamp.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Thank you, I was not aware. Just going by what I remember fellows asking for in the hardware stores and gun shops.

Kevin

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Unshared knowledge is wasted.

I do recall that Marlin, rather than put the Winchester name on their barrels, renamed the WCF cartridges as dashes, ie 32 WCF became 32-20, 38 WCF became 38-40, and 44 WCF became 44-40…or maybe that is an old gunwriters tale!

Kevin

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Unshared knowledge is wasted.

Pick up a copy of the book "Cartridges of the World " it will make you an "expert" overnight !
The 16th edition is out and sells for $25 to $35 in softcover .
A kindel version is $19.
There is supposed to be a 17th edition out but not sure of availability .
Fascinating books w/ history and a little reloading data .
It really helps clear up some of the confusion of cartridges !
Gary

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Certified Cajun
NRA Member

This is true. Marlin had sort of a fetish against putting the name of another manufacturer on Marlin firearms. So, they avoided using the Winchester name even to refer to cartridges that properly carried it.

For a time (c. 1905-1915) Marlin even marketed its own version of the .32-20, calling it the the .32-20-100 Marlin. It was identical to the .32 Winchester except for the bullet itself. The two were interchangeable in firearms.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

I do not reload 32-20. My late BIL did. I got my M53 from him in a trade. My disabilities preclude me from doing much shooting anymore, so I will just shoot the reloads when I can and perhaps buy a box of 32-20 pistol ammo if one should cross my path. I have a sealed box of period 32-20 ammo for the M73 rifle, safe for pistols, but for over $100, I won't be shooting these. Thanks all. Big Larry

I guess after Marlin had a couple of their cartridges co-opted by Winchester, they were a little testy about naming rights. According to tradition, Marlin developed both the 32-40 and the 38-55 for their Ballard single shot, but Winchester sold a bunch of high walls and lever guns in these two chamberings. The 32-40 is frequently referred to as BMW for Ballard, Marlin Winchester. Then both companies started putting their names on their cartridges as did Remington. I’d guess S&W resorted to the 32-20 designation to avoid even the initials of another gun corp. I bet there were some tears shed when the Model 16-4 got roll marked “32 H&R”! Cases say “44 REM MAG” while the barrel roll marks I’ve seen just say “44 MAGNUM”.

Then there were 32 S&W and 32 COLT. The latter made more sense at the time as it simply duplicated the rim fire 32 with center fire priming. The folks at Smith did a better job of marketing apparently, as that’s what survived.

Froggie

Colt renamed the .32 S&W Long the .32 Colt New Police, the only difference being the Colt round had a flat point bullet.

S&W was reluctant to put Colt's name on their handguns also, until the introduction of the M25-3 in .45 Colt.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Colt did the same name change for the .38 S&W and the .38 S&W Special. They became the .38 Colt New Police and .38 Colt Special. Pretty much identical to the S&W versions except for bullet shape. I believe that stopped sometime in the 1930s.

A lot of interesting replies on this post. The various 32 cartridges can be a source of confusion to many. Especially when the person who has one isn't sure what 32 he actually needs! Over years of dealing in guns and ammo I have come to the conclusion that there are more people out there with 32 caliber guns and a serious lack of knowledge than any other bore size! From the various "32 Shorts" to 32 Winchester Special and everything in between. And some people clearly think "if it goes in it must be okay!"... and leave me wondering how they've managed to survive LOL. Really enjoyed reading all the responses to this post, especially since so many made the point to only use the correct ammo!

Then there is the .32 Colt which is unlike any of the other .32 cartridges mentioned.

Yes, there have been a lot of confusing 32 caliber cartridges made, and the names and nick names can further confuse an already confusing bunch. This thread make me want go looking for a 32-20. Whoops I mean 32 Winchester Special, I mean 32 WCF...

And there is also the nearly forgotten .32-44 target round from the 1880s. Along with numerous foreign cartridges which are basically .32s. To say nothing about the new .32 Carry cartridge.

We can’t forget the 32clmr(colt lighting magazine rifle) cartridge also known as the 32-20. As a side note. I’ve always thought the reason we see so many 32-20s with ringed barrels. Is because people were using wrong ammo. A 32 long will chamber and fire, but not with much velocity. Just a thought.

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There are no bad pig parts!

I had forgotten, or maybe never knew, that one!

Probably a better reason than shooting a rifle speed bullet.

Kevin

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Unshared knowledge is wasted.

I have often heard of .32-20 revolvers with ringed barrels but have never personally seen one.

I have always believed that ringed barrels were the result of an obstruction in the barrel, usually a stuck bullet. High pressure/velocity rounds would likely cause catastrophic damage like blown cylinders or split barrels. Bulged barrels need back pressure to cause a spike in pressure high enough to stretch the barrel in one spot causing a bump. Open barrels will not bulge, but rather fail if pressures are high enough.

Pressure peak of most revolver loads happen +/- 1" down the barrel. At that point, the bullet is just leaving the frame reinforcement, so if any extreme pressure was applied, the bulge would be only at that location. My guess would be a double charge or high velocity rifle cartridge would likely be the culprit plus the cylinder would likely fail before the barrel. As we know, barrel rings appear all the way up and down the barrel, suggesting stuck bullet.

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Gary
SWCA 2515

The .32 Colt Short and Long are different from the .32 S&W and S&W Long. You can shoot the Colt rounds from a S&W, but not vice versa. The .32 S&W rounds are larger in diameter and will not chamber in a Colt. The Colt uses a heel-type bullet (like a .22 LR) so the case and bullet are the same diameter. The S&W has the bullet seated into the case so the case mouth is larger than the bullet. But....the .32 Colt New Police has the bullet in the case so, as already stated, it is the same round as the S&W Long. Colt put the flat-tipped bullet in it so you can tell it is a Colt cartridge, which in their estimation was superior to the S&W roundnose cartridge.