how effective is tha 32 S&W long round
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ColbyBruce
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About 2008 I emptied my S&W 30-1 into a strange acting raccoon that was stumbling around the carport of our mountain house. Several torso shots failed to kill it; so I put the last few into it's head. This was a mixture of various LRN and WC .32 S&W and Long ammo. In all fairness, this animal was nearly the size of a first grader. I was less than impressed.
Mag Tech and Buffalo Bore make modern SD loads in .32 S&W Long that work better than the ammo I used that day. That said, I love .32 handguns for their accuracy and light recoil. I have seven around here now.
Mag Tech and Buffalo Bore make modern SD loads in .32 S&W Long that work better than the ammo I used that day. That said, I love .32 handguns for their accuracy and light recoil. I have seven around here now.
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It is better than having no gun, but if you have a choice there are many better options. If not, practice with rapid accurate shot placement as the goal would make the most of what you have. Stay safe out there.
It worked well for Paul Kersey (Charles Bronson) in Death Wish, but that was fiction. (and .32 Colt).
I will add, however, that by Death Wish III he moved up to .475 Wildey Magnum, Browning .30 machine gun and LAWS rocket!
I will add, however, that by Death Wish III he moved up to .475 Wildey Magnum, Browning .30 machine gun and LAWS rocket!
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Malamute
Member
Handloads should improve the effect, many like to use 32s for small game hunting, they universally say SWC and other better bullet types dramatically improve the effects on animals, which also reflects my results from larger rounds. If you cant load or find decent loads and had to rely on RN bullets Id be very hesitant. YMMV. After seeing rabbits get up and run off after body hits with 44 spl, 45 Colt and 45 auto RN loads, it sort of changes your outlook.
Most modern factory .32 S&W Long is also loaded to low pressures, given the plethora of very old guns still around chambered for it. It can be excellently accurate, but I would choose any ammo for SD carefully, such as the above mentioned Buffalo Bore loadings and make sure you have a quality firearm to shoot it in; a gun blowing a cylinder or barrel in your hand might very well be worse than an attack itself.
This cartridge is slightly better than throwing rocks. As noted above most factory ammo is loaded to a very low pressure and unless you can put it into a bad guy's throat, thru his eyeball, into his brain stem from behind or thru his open mouth in front you are very unlikely to put him down quickly.
DWalt
Member
It'll work if you hit your opponent in the right place, and is far better than throwing rocks. Even a .22 or .25 is better than throwing rocks, especially at close range. At one time (long ago), the .32 Long was somewhat popular as a police weapon. But for defensive use, a larger caliber would be preferred.
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texmex
Member
I would rate it as better than a 22 (and more reliable being centerfire). With wadcutters, it is better than a 22 on anything you would use a 22 for (plinking, small game etc.) 22 ammo is cheaper though. A lot of 32 revolvers are very accurate, especially K frames. For protection, same as a 22. If it is all you got, use it, just make sure your shot placement is spot on. It does meet the requirements of rule number one (have a gun).
Pisgah
Member
While no powerhouse by today's standards, the .32 Long was for decades a popular police round. Would I choose it for self-defense today? I doubt it, with so many better choices out there; but, if it were what I had, I wouldn't feel unarmed.
In modern guns, a handloader can jazz it up a bit. I load a 90 gr. SWC over a powder charge that appears in no book and will not be cited here. This load gives absolutely no pressure signs and is right zippy out of my S&W Model 30 and Charter Undercoverette, quite accurate. This combo makes a very fine pocket gun for the woods.
In modern guns, a handloader can jazz it up a bit. I load a 90 gr. SWC over a powder charge that appears in no book and will not be cited here. This load gives absolutely no pressure signs and is right zippy out of my S&W Model 30 and Charter Undercoverette, quite accurate. This combo makes a very fine pocket gun for the woods.
silversnake
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I wouldn't rely on it.
There are .38 wadcutter loads that perform much better with very little recoil.
Even the .380 ACP easily outperforms the .32 S&W.
If all you're counting on is a psychological stop then a .22 LR would be just as effective.
There are .38 wadcutter loads that perform much better with very little recoil.
Even the .380 ACP easily outperforms the .32 S&W.
If all you're counting on is a psychological stop then a .22 LR would be just as effective.
We keep our sw30-1 3" loads with a hard cast 100gr. Flat top cowboy bullet 3.5 grn. Unique. Plenty of power and penetration.not your factory round nose underloaded for break tops of yesteryear. It will reach 20" penetration to reach vitals. This load performs better than 380.
rockquarry
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I bought several S&Ws in a lot a few years ago. There were two modern S&W .32 revolvers in the bunch. I handloaded my own cast bullets for both guns and shot them a good bit for a month or so. I finally came to the realization that since I already owned .38 Special revolvers, there was no need for the .32s. Both went quickly at a gun show.
Arik
Member
Any round can kill. Anything going 800ft per second can kill, even a toothpick. Having said that the 32s&w long doesn't have much energy. It can do the job but there are better calibers available. Also cheaper calibers. A box of practice ammo is close to $20 a box meanwhile the same practice box of 9mm is around $10. A good self defense 9mm load is only $25/ box of 50 rounds
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Erich
Member
I am happy to sometimes carry hot handloads (from Sharpe's book - I get over 1050 fps with a 100-grainer from my 3.25" Improved I-frame) in the caliber from my solid frame guns, but I'd not rely on the usual anemic factory factory stuff that's designed to work in the break-tops.
SuperMan
Member
Hey!!! Welcome to the forum!!! I have a bunch of .32s, and I love loading for, and shooting them. And if that was all I could get my hands on, I would use the caliber. But as has been noted, there are better choices.
When Teddy Roosevelt was Police Commissioner of the New York City Police Department, he chose the .32 Colt as the departments first standardized revolver. I don't think they still use them, though (joke). The .32 s were originally made on the I frame, then on the improved I frame, and finally, on the J frame.
I like these little guys a lot. Here are a few...
Two .32 Hand Ejectors. Top gun is from 1923, and the bottom gun is from 1957:
Colt made some little charmers as well...here's a Pocket Positive from about 1922, in what Colt called the .32 Colt New Police, but it is interchangeable with the .32 Long, by the way, this is the model and caliber that J. Edgar Hoover carried most of the time:
As far as the police are concerned, here's a Smith and Wesson "Regulation Police" .32 from the Twenties:
By the way, they kept making these for quite a while, this one is stamped 31-1, but the box still calls it Regulation Police some 50 years after the one shown above:
And here's another little .32.... A "Pre Model 30 from 1954:
I have a few more in this caliber, but as you can see, I love them!!! Wonderful shooting, low recoil, very accurate, and as Malamute points out below, make a great "geezer gun". Do I carry them all the time? No. But would I rather have one than throw rocks,? Yes. The more modern ones can be safely loaded to a more effective level than the older versions, and with a proper bullet, would make a decent self defense round. Remember, placement is the key. A very accurate cartridge that hits where it is supposed to is certainly better than a heavy bullet that misses the target.
If you have one....have some fun with it!!
Best Regards, Les
When Teddy Roosevelt was Police Commissioner of the New York City Police Department, he chose the .32 Colt as the departments first standardized revolver. I don't think they still use them, though (joke). The .32 s were originally made on the I frame, then on the improved I frame, and finally, on the J frame.
I like these little guys a lot. Here are a few...
Two .32 Hand Ejectors. Top gun is from 1923, and the bottom gun is from 1957:
Colt made some little charmers as well...here's a Pocket Positive from about 1922, in what Colt called the .32 Colt New Police, but it is interchangeable with the .32 Long, by the way, this is the model and caliber that J. Edgar Hoover carried most of the time:
As far as the police are concerned, here's a Smith and Wesson "Regulation Police" .32 from the Twenties:
By the way, they kept making these for quite a while, this one is stamped 31-1, but the box still calls it Regulation Police some 50 years after the one shown above:
And here's another little .32.... A "Pre Model 30 from 1954:
I have a few more in this caliber, but as you can see, I love them!!! Wonderful shooting, low recoil, very accurate, and as Malamute points out below, make a great "geezer gun". Do I carry them all the time? No. But would I rather have one than throw rocks,? Yes. The more modern ones can be safely loaded to a more effective level than the older versions, and with a proper bullet, would make a decent self defense round. Remember, placement is the key. A very accurate cartridge that hits where it is supposed to is certainly better than a heavy bullet that misses the target.
If you have one....have some fun with it!!
Best Regards, Les
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Malamute
Member
Theres some interesting articles written about loading for the 32s. Glen Fryxell I believe, wrote at least one, theres also a number of guys loading for them on the castboolit forum, a search there should turn up results. Id actually like to have one, they would be cheaper to load for than 22 when rimfire ammo was hard to get and scalper priced, especially if one cast their own bullets.
Some of the talk Ive seen, and one reason Id like to have one is as a geezer gun. Partly for practice and fun shooting, and partly as a protection gun if/when the hands cant take larger stuff without pain. I failed to get on the ball and grab a K-32 before they were discovered as collectible. The little hand ejectors sure are cute though. 22 barrels and cylinders could also be rebored for a K frame. Something to keep in mind.
Some of the talk Ive seen, and one reason Id like to have one is as a geezer gun. Partly for practice and fun shooting, and partly as a protection gun if/when the hands cant take larger stuff without pain. I failed to get on the ball and grab a K-32 before they were discovered as collectible. The little hand ejectors sure are cute though. 22 barrels and cylinders could also be rebored for a K frame. Something to keep in mind.
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Alk8944
US Veteran
Name just one top break revolver, other than the post WWII H&Rs and Webley clones made in India, that was ever chambered for .32 S&W Long.Bet you can't name a single one! This is internet myth, .32 S&W and .32 S&W Long are not the same thing!
Welcome. Not much out there that supports this caliber for a personal carry gun. When I was a teenager, my grandfather had a Forehand Arms company top break in 32 S&W. one day I decided to do a little target shooting, so I propped up a target in front of an oak tree, stepped back about 15 yards and started shooting. I only discharged two rounds before shooting myself in the leg. What actually happened was that the ammo was so weak that it bounced off the tree bark and hit me in the leg. Left a small black-n-blue mark, but no damage.
In the old days, penetration was the best measure of power and one would shoot and determine how much wood a bullet would penetrate. I guess the 32 S&W would rate about zero penetration in wood.
I would definitely not depend on that caliber gun in a life or death situation.
In the old days, penetration was the best measure of power and one would shoot and determine how much wood a bullet would penetrate. I guess the 32 S&W would rate about zero penetration in wood.
I would definitely not depend on that caliber gun in a life or death situation.
