.32 ACP in .32 Revolvers

[AJ]

Seeing the question on .32 ammo below, reminded of a friend. He would load .32 ACP in his ,32 Long revolver and shoot them. Since the .32 ACP is semi-rimmed it will fit in the chambers of a .32 revolver it seems to work. Never tried it myself, just wondering if others had?

 

[alwslate]

I have shot some in my model 31. Works fine. S&W revolvers are well made with correctly sized chambers and the semi rimmed .32 acp doesn't slip in too deeply. Other cheaper revolvers, just have to try and see. The semi rim of the .32 acp case is thinner than a rimmed case but primer indentations are deep. I have a 31 no dash and a pre model 30 and several .32 acp semi autos and a good stash of ammo. I probably will never buy any of the expensive squib loaded .32 Long ammo.

 

[Cal44]

Whether or not 32 Acp works depends on the revolver.


My 31-1 shoots 32 Acp just fine, but I've only tried a few brands of ammo.

My 431pd gets light strikes and ftf's more than half the time.

My lcr327 also gets light strikes and fails to fire almost all the time.

My 331 TI shoots 32 Acp very well. Nice full primer strikes. And accurate.

I'm uncomfortable shooting 32 Acp in a 32 s&w long revolver as it's over pressure ratings.

Also you need to check extraction.

I plan to stick with the ammo my guns were made for.

 

[alwslate]

.32 acp is loaded to higher pressure level than the very lightly loaded .32 Long. But many owners of modern S&W .32 long revolvers have the chambers lengthened to accept the .32 mag ammo which is factory loaded to over .38 spl +P level of 20,000 PSI with no problems so .32 acp is no big deal pressure wise.

 

[AJ]

.32 acp is loaded to higher pressure level than the very lightly loaded .32 Long. But many owners of modern S&W .32 long revolvers have the chambers lengthened to accept the .32 mag ammo which is factory loaded to over .38 spl +P level of 20,000 PSI with no problems so .32 acp is no big deal pressure wise.

Have been toying with the idea of boring the chambers to .32 Mag.

 

[LVSteve]

I should have bought a 32 ACP cylinder for my 1895 Nagant when they were available.

 

[nutsforsmiths]

I have shot lots of 32ACP through my 31-1 with no issues at all.

I also have an H&R 733 and 32ACP doesn't work at all in that revolver.

 

[erikpolcrack]

I have fired .32 ACP for many years in many revolvers without incident. But I can't recommend using it in any of the old top breaks.

My experience as well.

 

[BSA1]

I should have bought a 32 ACP cylinder for my 1895 Nagant when they were available.

I have observed that during a panic folks desperately trying to buy a handgun and ammunition for it. One thing that bothered me was folks buying surplus Russian Nagant revolvers and .32 Long (and S&W) ammunition. Apparently this combination works although reports of split cases is common. With the low pressure of the .32 this doesn’t cause any harm but accuracy is poor. Probably good enough to hit a large target at close range but then we are back to the topic of stopping power.

I also considered getting a .32 ACP cylinder but decided it wasn’t worth it for a novelty gun.

 

[AJ]

I have observed that during a panic folks desperately trying to buy a handgun and ammunition for it. One thing that bothered me was folks buying surplus Russian Nagant revolvers and .32 Long (and S&W) ammunition. Apparently this combination works although reports of split cases is common. With the low pressure of the .32 this doesn’t cause any harm but accuracy is poor. Probably good enough to hit a large target at close range but then we are back to the topic of stopping power.

I also considered getting a .32 ACP cylinder but decided it wasn’t worth it for a novelty gun.

A friend shot .32 Long in his Nagant revolver. It was hard to find the proper ammo for it. It shot well in his piece.

 

[Muley Gil]

I have shot .32 ACP ammo in several prewar I frames and in a J frame. Shot fine for me.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

I've seen mixed results over the years. Different brands of ammunition, different brands of revolvers. Lots of differences in manufacturing tolerances.

 

[Green Frog]

I can only speak for 32 acp in 327 Fed Mag chambers a Ruger Blackhawk and the custom S&W Project 616) and they always shot without a bobble. I hate to waste the more expensive acp ammo as it seems “penny foolish to me”.

Froggie

 

[Model19man]

Seems like Magtech 32 SW and 32 SW Long in multiple varieties is everywhere. Any gun shop around here has it. Why you would want to shoot 32 Auto in a gun not designed for it is beyond me.

 

[alwslate]

Because .32 acp has generally been cheaper and readily available in bulk. And some of us have several .32 autos and acp works just fine in both but .32 Long doesn't seem to work very well in the autos.

 

[Skeet 028]

Haave a 4 inch Ruger DA in 327 Federal. It shoots 32 ACP just fine but I've only shot 32 ACP HP Silvertips...I happen to have a fairly large batch.

 

[Swiftflyer]

Haave a 4 inch Ruger DA in 327 Federal. It shoots 32 ACP just fine but I've only shot 32 ACP HP Silvertips...I happen to have a fairly large batch.

My wife enjoys shooting my SP101 with 32acp loads but won't touch it with 327 loads. Like you I have a lifetime supply of 32acp ammo sitting around.

 

[46er]

I wonder if the pressure difference is that much of an issue. The shorter ACP case in a S&W Long chamber would leave some over size 'freebore' that would allow powder gases to go around the bullet for a short distance, app. .230". Questionable that a jacketed bullet expand to fill this area.

 

[Skeet 028]

My wife enjoys shooting my SP101 with 32acp loads but won't touch it with 327 loads. Like you I have a lifetime supply of 32acp ammo sitting around.

That 327 is a fiery round...really loud. My wife shoots it ok but doesn't care for the noise. Surprisingly the ACP is fairly loud. The only thing I don't care for with the SP 101is the trigger pull. better with some shooting but still needs work. It is a muff and plug gun

 

[AJ]

I wonder if the pressure difference is that much of an issue. The shorter ACP case in a S&W Long chamber would leave some over size 'freebore' that would allow powder gases to go around the bullet for a short distance, app. .230". Questionable that a jacketed bullet expand to fill this area.

I doubt any bullet design except a hollow based would expand in the chamber.