Rethinking 32 S&W long ---‐-‐-‐‐--‐---‐---‐-----‐-

[BC38]

I just bought at the local gun show a S&W Model 30-1. Not cosmetically pretty, but mechanically perfect. Looks to have been carried a bit and not cared for very much. Will take it to the range next week to see how it shoots. Hopefully very good. Why did I buy it, you ask? Well my S&W 342 hurt to shoot with just .38 Special ammo. Hands are beat up from shooting a gazillion big bore rounds and arthritis is in full bloom. My Model 60-7 gets a bit heavy in my pocket when wearing shorts and a tee-shirt (official Florida Uniform). So had been thinking of a .32 for a while. Found the above mentioned and the sell was asking $325+tax OTD. We settled on $300 even OTD. I am happy and he is happy. Now I have another carry/truck gun.

Got the Granddaughter who is 5 foot nothing and little (she is 22) an Taurus H&R .32 Magnum for the carry and home. She likes it a lot and shoots it well.

C'mon man! Where are the pictures?

 

[AJ]

C'mon man! Where are the pictures?

Cleaning it up at the moment.......

 

[AJ]

C'mon man! Where are the pictures?

Cleaning it up at the moment.......

Finished with the cleaning. Still not a beauty, but will do the job as needed. It does have the original grips as the Serial Numbers match.......

 

[Warren Sear]

FWIW, I dont buy new reloading books every year, but the 32 20 ISNT the easiest one to find data for.

And the only one comes to mind, with the snuffier load data, the only book I recall, that has them, is the #14 Speer. Cart of the World might show a few, if it does, very few powders listed.

I have a couple of "cowboy load" specialty printings, but they are sure on the barely clear the muzzle loads.

The "ancient" references usually show it, but powders that Nimrod used, and no longer available.

Its a sad fact, those night rabbit shoots, are long past, not likely to return, so the low pressure loads will do just fine, for paper, and targets and plinking.

All of my Lyman Reloading Manuals and Cast Bullet Handbooks have rifle and pistol loading data for the 32-20, using available powders.

 

[BC38]

Cleaning it up at the moment.......

Gotcha' we're waiting patiently to see the BEFORE and AFTER photos.

 

[AJ]

Gotcha' we're waiting patiently to see the BEFORE and AFTER photos.

Post 125 has the AFTER picture, sorry started cleaning it before I thought of pictures.

 

[BC38]

Post 125 has the AFTER picture, sorry started cleaning it before I thought of pictures.

Yeah, I think we've all been guilty of that.

Forgive me for saying this, but the picture in post 125 isn't very good. Any chance you could post a better, more high-resolution photo? Maybe using your cell phone?

It is pretty hard to tell anything about your newly acquired revolver from the picture you posted.

 

[Whistlebritches]

All of my Lyman Reloading Manuals and Cast Bullet Handbooks have rifle and pistol loading data for the 32-20, using available powders.

Yes, funny, Hornady shows Contender and Rifle data, but not revolver data.. And Lee lists data, with the advisory "velocity will be higher in rifles" (implying its revolver pressure)?

Another post mentioned "rabbits not that hard to kill", and I agree in total. Any rifle velocity loads, will for sure kill quicker, and add a few yards capability.

Any that think velocity, even on small critters, is not more effective, has been shooting different small game, than I have.

From 17HM2, to 22 standard velocity rimfire, solid, to 22 HV HP, on up the scale higher velocity is more effective on small critters in particular.

Once into the center fire rounds, then for sure, a 17 Remington, will carry better than the 17 Bee, and "kill" further out, at the cost of twice the powder.

But back too the conversation, all things equal, no, the 32 20 rifle loads, would not add much, unless, the critter was at the 75-100 yard point.

And then, I would opine its conducive to the task.

But out to maybe 50 yards, where a lot of that shooting takes place, no, not much advantage over target loads, if using a good SWC bullet.

All of this commentary, pertains to the original question, effectiveness of a now near ancient pocket revolver round.

Somehow, the same effectiveness, or lack of effectiveness, applies, in what ever living target.

All said, if katy bars the door, I hope to have a scattergun close by.

 

[AJ]

Yeah, I think we've all been guilty of that.

Forgive me for saying this, but the picture in post 125 isn't very good. Any chance you could post a better, more high-resolution photo? Maybe using your cell phone?

It is pretty hard to tell anything about your newly acquired revolver from the picture you posted.

PM sent about pictures.

 

[warren5421]

Will the .32 Long/ACP was a good round till the gun magazines needed to sale magazines. If using a .32 you do pelvic shots not head shots. You break the pelvic the person goes down then you can do the head or body shot. Read ME reports from major cities where the .32 was used, gives you a large number of shootings. Most will show more damage than the .32 should show. It bounces around the body cavity not exiting. Wild Bill's people of the OSS used the .32 over the .45 ACP when working in Germany after WWII. Yes they carried hand loads most often. You let bad Arthritis hit yor hands and you can still stand the .32 but not the 9mm or bigger.

 

[Warren Sear]

Will the .32 Long/ACP was a good round till the gun magazines needed to sale magazines. If using a .32 you do pelvic shots not head shots. You break the pelvic the person goes down then you can do the head or body shot. Read ME reports from major cities where the .32 was used, gives you a large number of shootings. Most will show more damage than the .32 should show. It bounces around the body cavity not exiting. Wild Bill's people of the OSS used the .32 over the .45 ACP when working in Germany after WWII. Yes they carried hand loads most often. You let bad Arthritis hit yor hands and you can still stand the .32 but not the 9mm or bigger.

???????????

There are so many things wrong with this post I do not know where to start. I will ask though, what in hell business would you have shooting someone in the head or body after they are down and on the floor from you shooting them in the pelvis?

edit to add: I get the dry heaves a little bit whenever I hear or read about a 22, 25, or 32 bouncing around inside a skull or human body and doing more damage than a lager caliber cartridge would do.

 

[BC38]

???????????

There are so many things wrong with this post I do not know where to start. I will ask though, what in hell business would you have shooting someone in the head or body after they are down and on the floor from you shooting them in the pelvis?

edit to add: I get the dry heaves a little bit whenever I hear or read about a 22, 25, or 32 bouncing around inside a skull or human body and doing more damage than a lager caliber cartridge would do.

Yeah, FWIW, the post by warren5421 confused me too. I *think* I understood at least some of what he was trying to say - maybe.
But most of his post is... confusing... at least to me.

Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, a lot of his post borders on being incoherent. Even though reading comprehension is one of my strongest suits.

Try as I might, I just can't quite "get" it...

 

[BSA1]

Read ME reports from major cities where the .32 was used, gives you a large number of shootings. Most will show more damage than the .32 should show. It bounces around the body cavity not exiting.

Please post links that will allow us to read ME reports.

I have never heard or read that the .32 “bounces around body cavity not exiting”. However I have attended autopsies where the deceased was shot in the chest with the lowly .22 rimfire. With the .22 I did see instances of the .22 literally “bouncing around the body cavity not exiting”.

One particular case stands out. The deceased was a large woman killed while working in a liquor store. A single .22 bullet first passed through her upper left arm and then entered the chest cavity in her upper left side. The bullet passed through her heart and then traveled downward in a long wound channel and was recovered next to her pelvis.

I was very impressed by the internal damage that bullet caused. However while working a E.R. I saw patients who were shot with a .22 (and .25) and bullet was easily deflected by a bone such as a rib or skull resulting in a minor non incapacitating wound. Even more not so surprising the victim was drunk or high on drugs and didn’t even feel any pain.

 

[oddshooter]

Brian Pearce and Paco Kelly have excellent articles and extensive load data on the 32-20.

Handloader magazine has many articles on 32-20.

There is an incredible thread on Singleactions forum on the 32 long, .32H&R, 327fm, and 32-20 with maybe 25 of the best pages of posts I've ever read. This is the THE thread for all things .32

32 caliber link...

Let me know if you have a better one.

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