Effective .32 Long Ammo

[Texas Star]

I noticed the activity on one of the other forums here re .32 Long caliber Hand Ejectors. Probably sold a lot of those to ladies in the 1903-1970 era...

I've read that Euro ammo, target wadcutter stuff, is loaded hotter than US ammo in this caliber. Has anyone tried Geco or another Euro brand? What did you think of it? Would it do well on snakes or on jackrabbits to maybe 50 feet or a little better? What is the velocity and bullet weight of that stuff?

Is there a wadcutter .32 Long load made here? Does anyone know the velocity?

Even Elmer Keith conceded that the .32 Long can be a good small game load, but he was referring to warm handloads with cast SWC bullets.

I sure wouldn't buy one of these guns with the M-36 and M-60 .38's available, but I have a friend who owns one made in the 1950's, and I want to tell him which ammo might serve him well if he ever has to shoot something alive with that little gun.

I've heard that some fire .32 ACP ammo in them, that being possible due to the .32 auto's semi-rim that lets it work if the particular gun has tight enough chambers to keep the cartridges in place. But pressures are higher than for .32 Long, and I don't want to suggest ammo for which the gun was never intended.

 

[Frank46]

I think that lapua makes both wadcutter ammo and sells the bullets. Try google for places that cater to target shooters. Champion's choice to name one. I do know that the 7.65 browning aka 32 auto as loaded in europe is loaded to a slightly higher pressure level. In my walther 32 acp
the federal stuff just goes bang. The fiochhi sounds a lot louder. Their CIP pressure system is quite different than ours so this may account for the higher pressures. Frank

 

[pff]

Georgia Arms loads a plated hollowpoint to slightly higher velocities that the normal lead bullets from Remchester. They shoot pretty good in my guns.

Federal offers a full wadcutter.

I've shot the Lapua wadcutter loads but never clocked them so have no idea on whether they're hotter or not.

Not a lot of help but thats the limit of my experience. Once I tried the Ga Arms loads I quit looking.


Regards,

Pat

 

[phubai8]

Texas Star
Thanks for starting this thread. I (we) now have two of the 32 cal J frames and I would like to know if they are at all practical as a self defense round for someone who is recoil sensitive. So far I've only tried Remington and Winchester factory ammo and have no worthwhile info to ad.

 

[murphydog]

I (we) now have two of the 32 cal J frames and I would like to know if they are at all practical as a self defense round for someone who is recoil sensitive.

You're probably going to get a few comments on this question. With a .32 Long revolver, my opinion is shot placement and therefore practice would be critical. The type of ammo you use wouldn't make a big difference, but shoot it a lot and get good with it.

However, if you happen to have a .22, I'd opt for that if recoil is an issue. You will be able to shoot it a lot and cheaply. Better still, if you have a .38 Special and use light loads (like 148 gr wadcutters), that is probably more effective than any .32 handgun and wouldn't recoil much more, especially in a steel framed gun.

 

[ogilvyspecial]

With a .32 Long revolver, my opinion is shot placement and therefore practice would be critical. The type of ammo you use wouldn't make a big difference, but shoot it a lot and get good with it.

The above quote pretty much sums up my experience using
.32 S&W Longs for, yard / critter, duty off & on for the last 4 years.

I could check to see what brand etc. I have used but they have
all performed about the same on Raccoons & 'Possums, no matter
if they are Lead Round Nose, Wadcutters or Hollow-Points.

Based on my experience, with critters, I have evolved from head
shots to going for the chest cavity, trying for either the heart, or
lungs. This is especially true on 'Possums and when dealing with
them, using .32 S&W Longs, double-taps are the rule of the day.

 

[nn]

I have shot Fiochi wadcutters and thought they were the best
.32 S&W long I've shot, but, even then if I shoot a 2x4 the bullet stops flush with the surface of the wood.

For paper punching, it is a good close range rnd.

100 gr at 705 fps.

 

[W.E.G.]

The .32 long is a terrible fighting round in any flavor you can conjure.

Its a good choice only for somebody who "can't handle" a standard-velocity .38.

That puts you in the realm of some very un-physical people.

Any gun is better than no gun.
But saying that does not mean a physically-limited person can effectively defend himself with any gun.

Yes, a .32 will KILL many critters if the shot is well-placed.
Sort of like how you "can" kill geese with a .410
Maybe an old blind goose that you sneak up on.

I own several .32's, and they are lots of fun to shoot at the range.

 

[Ptarmigan]

I think the .32 Long is as fun to shoot and actually as inherently accurate a caliber as the .38 Special. That said, if it was considered a round worthy of staking your life on, thousands of LE agencies throughout the land wouldn't have abandoned it for the .38 by the middle of the last century.

I tend to agree with the poster above that even a creampuff round of .38 Special (i.e. 148gr target grade full wadcutters) would be a much better choice. You at least get a .357" hole with good penetration. If that caliber and round could be used by someone with physical limitations it would be worth the effort. And if concealment isn't an issue, the nice trigger and extra weight of an old K Frame Model 10 would be pretty kind in the recoil department.

 

[Texas Star]

Well, my friend has more powerful guns. He just likes that .32 and his daughter did, too.

I hoped that a warmer Euro .32 wadcutter might at least make it as lethal as a .32 auto. Or at least make it a good snake and bunny killer.

The poster who has to shoot coons and possums at least twice doesn't hold out much hope for the old round.

I know that many were issued to policewomen, back when they weren't really expected to have to shoot anyone. Now that they may, they carry more powerful guns!

I can't find my old Lyman manual, and the Speer manuals I have don't list the cartridge. Somewhere, I have, " Cartridges of the World." That may list a handload with a 100 grain SWC at above 800 FPS. That should make a worthwhile dent in a raccoon or snake.

I also think a .38 Special is about where defense or outdoor guns should begin.

 

[41 fan]

Using a Penn Bullets 95 gr. lead SWC and 2.5 gr. of Bullseye powder, I get 830 fps from one of my 4 inch model 31's. That load shoots very well for me. Dean

 

[DCWilson]

I have used the Fiocchi 100-gr wadcutter loads in my prewar .32s, but at a muzzle velocity of 730 fps these are not powerhouse rounds. I mostly shoot Sellier & Bellot wadcutter ammo, which has similar stats but is a negligible 5 fps faster at the muzzle. The S&B ammo also smells funny, which has nothing to do with power but makes me wonder if it will lead to cancer 40 years on. It's a very chemical, burnt plastic kind of smell.

I would not consider relying on any .32 Long load defensively, but I regard the round as a satisfactory small game cartridge if used with skill and accuracy. The modern .32 magnums approach defensive utility, but I would still consider a .38 S&W or .38 Special the true minimum chambering for defense. (Yes, I am one of those who have quite a bit of regard for the .38 S&W round.)

In general, I have found Fiocchi and S&B ammo to be inexpensive, reliable and accurate.

 

[badge]

The Georgia Arms hollowpoints make a " decent " round but you must practice and be prepared for multiple shots at an adversary. Shot placement, as always is the key.

 

[sandspur6]

If I were limited to a .32 revolver for self defense, I would definitely use the Fiocchi full wadcutter. Its about as lethal a factory .32S&WL round as I have found and it is very accurate. As was previously stated, though, shot placement is paramount.

 

[Texas Star]

Well, it is better than a .25ACP, and many have been killed with that...

I was amused by fictional heroine Modesty Blaise and her reliance on precise shooting with a Colt .32 revolver, model not stated by the author. She eventually switched to a Star PD .45, using a S&W .41 Magnum at times, for longer range.
(Search for data on Modesty; there are numerous sites about her on the Net.)

I was tempted to arm a fictional heroine with a S&W .32, but opted for a .38 M&P as the most likely choice able to save her hide in the jungle setting of those tales. I just couldn't ask knowledgeable readers to accept that she could accomplish some lifesaving hits with the .32, even on big snakes. In one case, she shot a headhunter at 60 yards, def. beyond what I'd rely on a .32 to achieve.

This will carry over to my novel, where I was going to arm a girl with a CZ-75, but was reminded that many don't have large enough hands for the DA trigger reach or the fairly fat grip. My DIL can operate a SIG P-226 and P-229 okay, so that may be a clue. Also, SIG has some sort of trigger option that reduces the normal trigger reach.

I guess I'll remind my pal not to rely on that .32 for much beyond paper punching.