S&W .32 Long

DixieRanger

DixieRanger

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Please...info as date of manufacture. Came w/Bauer Bros. F15 flap holster. Info on holster? No marking on grips. Ser. #358618 bottom grip frame & cyl. Barrel & cyl. clean. Safe to shoot .32 long WC's? Appreciate any info.
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I bought my first .32 in 2006. It is a .32 Regulation Police made in 1940, 4” nickel with some plating worn away and the rest of the finish from a little cloudy to shiny. Mechanically very tight with a bright shiny bore and original numbered to gun stocks. This was an impulse buy. The LGS had a $90 price tag on it. So I bought it along with some Federal 98 gr WCs. I later picked up some Remington and Aguila 98 RN. I shot all of it off and put the gun and brass away. I few years ago I bought a set of RCBS Cowboy dies ,1000 pcs of PPU brass and about 600 Acme 98 grain SWC, and a pound of W231. I later bought an RCBS RNFP mold 98gr. When I finish the 1000 Missouri Bullet co 98 RNFP I will start casting. The data that I am using is from the Speer manual and I am trying to approximate the published data for factory.32 Long with 98-100 grain bullet.

If factory ammo is available at a reasonable price buying up as much as you can and saving the brass is a good idea. This will give you some paid for components if you ever decide to reload.

Until I bought that first .32 I had never fired a gun in this caliber. They are a lot of fun to shoot and despite the age of you gun you should be able to fire any modern factory round or any reload that does not exceed factory spec. Reloading this round is very easy and is just as economical as a .38 Special once you are set up for it. Both Magtec and PPU make excellent ammunition and may be easier to find right than US made stuff.

Since I have gotten interested in .32s I have added another.33 RP. This one a 3.5” blue with a really beautiful original finish made in 1924 and a 2” blue pre model 30 Hand Ejector made in 1955. Looking for a J frame or Colt .32 next.

Yours is a very nice revolver . Have fun shooting it.
 
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The Acme bullets and RCBS Cowboy dies work very well. That's what I use. My powder is SR 7625. Can't remember exactly why I have it but's perfect for 32 Long. It has about the same burn rate as Unique but meters a lot better.
 
LostintheOzone said:
The Acme bullets and RCBS Cowboy dies work very well. That's what I use. My powder is SR 7625. Can't remember exactly why I have it but's perfect for 32 Long. It has about the same burn rate as Unique but meters a lot better.
Click to expand...

I bought several cans of 7625 about 15 years ago to use in my 25-20 cal 1892 Winchesters. I have only used 1 can and haven’t opened another one yet. As soon as I use up the last of my 25-20 I will do another run. This powder has worked well in the 25-20.

I started reloading in 1972 with .38 Special loaded with 148 gr WC and a midrange charge of Bullseye . Later came .45 ACP and AR, 44 Mag , 30 Carbine and a whole lot more.

I do see 7625 listed in published data for .32L. The 2 most important característics are even metering and thorough combustion in 2”-3” barrels. W231 meters well and burns clean. AA5 was ok but I am saving this for .38 Spl & .38 S&W.

While the powder situation around here has improved there are certain powders that still have not shown up. Our LGS has recently received AA5 , AA2, Titegroup, W244 and IMR 4227. This covers my Bullseye, Unique and 2400 applications.

I am really great full for the level of support that RCBS has provided to those of us who are trying to keep older calibers alive.

Except for .351 SL, .38 S&W and 25-20 all of my dies are RCBS. While I have a few Lee molds the rest is a nearly even split between RCBS and Lyman.

Another caliber that I am working with is .38 SW. I am ready to start a run of 500 of these with the Missouri Bullet Co 146 gr RN.
 
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Cool little pistol, love the grips. Magtech 98 wadcutter ammo has been pretty easy to find lately. I just bought a box two weeks ago while ordering a case of speciality .223 ammo with a specific varmint bullet I was looking for. I will enjoy shooting the Magtech and then reload the brass over and over. They last a long time with mild loads.
 
Mine was made in 1904, and I shoot it with the Fiocchi wasdcutters no problem. Mine has 2 flat leaf springs in the grip. It's only around 20,000 serial number. It's amazing how well revolvers this age will still shoot tight little groups.
 
.32 S&W cartridges can be used as well if you run across any. I believe it is still available. Not highly recommended, but .32 ACP cartridges are also usable if you cannot find anything else.
 
It is entirely possible that the OP's revolver shipped with those stocks. Problem is that it will cost $75 to find out. A historical letter should tell if it left the factory with those stocks or not.

I had a 38 Perfected that shipped in 1919 and it came to me with target stocks, but I never lettered it. Discussing the target stocks with Roy Jinks, he stated that the gun could have shipped with them and that there were many out there in that configuration. The reason given for the likelihood of shipping with targets was that those with larger hands needed the stock extension in order to fit properly in-hand.

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Yes .32 S&W & .38 available. Got box couple wks back. Price crazy high tho.

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I loaded .32 Long using .32 ACP dies for awhile. It worked OK. Later I found a VG RCBS .32 Long die set at a gun show for $10.
Also loaded ..45 Colt with a .45 ACP die set until I found a .45 sizing die for $2 at another gun show and bought it. I continued to use the .45 ACP neck expander and seating dies though.
 
Careful with 32 ACP

Mention was made above of shooting 32 ACP in 32 S&W Long guns. 99% of the time you are OK with that. DO NOT do that in top break 32 S&W guns or preheat treated 32 Long even. Some European manufacturers loaded some hot 32 ACP rds for use in submachine guns like the CZ. I would not put those in any older revolver.
 
DO NOT attempt to fire .32 Long Colt cartidges in your .32 S&W long pistol. They are differt size bullet and case. I acquired a .32 S&W Long and the previous owner gave me colt long ammo with it. The cases bulged and I don't even know where the bullet went.
 
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50bulletnose said:
DO NOT attempt to fire .32 Long Colt cartidges in your .32 S&W long pistol. They are differt size bullet and case. I acquired a .32 S&W Long and the previous owner gave me colt long ammo with it. The cases bulged and I don't even know where the bullet went.
Click to expand...

A long time ago before I knew the difference between the two .32 calibers a neighbor asked me to take a look at a revolver that he got from his late grandfather. It was a blue long barreled H&R break top in .32 S&W long. He had a full box of .32 Long Colt and partial box along with a bunch of bulged and split up the middle cases.

I ended up with the ammunition for my collection.
 
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