30-1 be chambered in 32 H&R mag?

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Drifter Mike

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I have a nice condition 30-1 in 32 Long that I carry ( I know it is a week round ) and was wondering if it were feasible to have it chambered to 32 H&R mag ? I know the pressures are higher, 22,000 for the H&R as opposed to 15,000 for the Long. I really like the little revolver and it carries nice but my arthritis in my hands make it very uncomfortable to even shoot a small frame 38 plus the 32 caries 6 as opposed to 5 for the 38. Are there any other options out there?
 
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Drifter Mike said:
I have a nice condition 30-1 in 32 Long that I carry ( I know it is a week round ) and was wondering if it were feasible to have it chambered to 32 H&R mag ? I know the pressures are higher, 22,000 for the H&R as opposed to 15,000 for the Long. I really like the little revolver and it carries nice but my arthritis in my hands make it very uncomfortable to even shoot a small frame 38 plus the 32 caries 6 as opposed to 5 for the 38. Are there any other options out there?
Click to expand...

Yes, and I have done it. Works good with no problems. I use a set of Hogue grips on mine to help with recoil. Have the same affliction of arthritis in my right hand. The grips being larger do not make it harder to conceal. I carry mine in my front pocket in a pocket holster most of the time in shorts as this is Florida. And when up north in a coat pocket.
 

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I have converted both of my Model 31-1s to .32 Magnum.

2" Model 31-1

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3" Model 31-1

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The only difference between mine and yours is mine have square instead of round butts.
 
For those unaware of the differences between these.....

Models 30-ND and 31-ND are I-frames and the cylinders are too short for the magnum.

The 30-1 and 31-1 are J-frames, which have the longer cylinders and as stated, can be reamed to .32 magnum.
 
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I had both a 30-1 and a 31-1 reamed to take the longer round. Buffalo Bore has a 100g load in 32 H&R Mag that slightly exceeds the muzzle energy of a +P 38 Special (my chrono, same day, comparable J frames in each caliber).

I was advised by Buffalo Bore that both of my reamed 32s were safe for "unlimited use" of that hot load. I have never been able to equal that Buffalo Bore load with any of my handloads using the maximum published charge of a variety of powders, so I'm quite comfortable that reaming the chambers leaves plenty of safety margin for the guns.
 
How do these guns shoot w/ .32 Long ammo?

Anybody done any accuracy testing before/after rechambering?
 
A model 36 frame will accept a regular J frame 32 barrel and cylinder with just the normal fitting. Even the 5 shot to 6 shot deal usually isn't a problem as the tip of the hand just operates on the face of one tooth.

I have found that putting a new cylinder from a J frame magnum frame into a standard J frame is another matter. Although it would be easy to take a bit off the cylinder face so the length worked, they also changed the diameter of the yoke tube so the magnum cylinders will not fit on the standard yoke tubes.

But, the 32 magnum cylinders fit the newer magnum J frames 38 or 357. Unfortunately, it seems to be hard to find a steel magnum frame. I want a steel J frame 327 magnum, without paying a couple grand

The pinto is a 642 with a 32 H&R cylinder and a regular J frame 32 barrel. I dumped the lock shortly after this picture. The bottom one is a 431PD
ohEobOh.jpg


Note, reaming these alloy magnum J frame cylinders to 327 mag results in some amazing recoil responses that make getting back on target for a second shot difficult enough to not be worth it.
 
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I think S&W has in fact run 32 caliber J frames in the past and they just didn't sell, at least not in the quantities S&W needs to set up a run. I found a new 432 several years ago at an online seller but sent it back to S&W when the hammer pin started to stand proud of the frame. They said the gun was non-repairable and would not return it, they had no 32 caliber guns to offer as replacements, and would not let me wait for the next run of 32s for a replacement. (Probably a good thing - I don't think they've made a 32 until the recent run for Lipsey's.)

I ended up choosing a 636 as a replacement and sold it without firing it. Managed to find another 432 online somewhere and it has been fine. (If its hammer pin starts to move I'll have a machinist friend press it back.)
 
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steelslaver said:
Note, reaming these alloy magnum J frame cylinders to 327 mag results in some amazing recoil responses that make getting back on target for a second shot difficult enough to not be worth it.
Click to expand...

The alloy frame of my S&W 342 Ti, made it hard to control for me with .38 Specials. A lifetime of pounding of a 1911A1 in .45 ACP and arthritis made it hard for me to control it and resulting pain was not worth it. The 30-1 reamed to .32 H&R Magnum is more controllable to me as long as long as I do not use super hot loads. Getting old and beat up sucks!
 
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