Smith and Wesson Model 430 32 Smith and Wesson Long Airweight

[Shorty 45 MK2]

Thread necromancing alert!!

But since it has already been pulled up I'll keep it going a little while.

OP, very nice .32 and thank you I learned something new today!

Sometimes I wonder if it would be better to have a J-frame stoked with six rounds of hot (think BB) .32 H&R Mag, but still low recoil than five rounds of .38 special +p with a bit more recoil. Ok, I probably stirred the pot enough and highjacked the thread as well.

 

[Jaymo]

Well, I'm a fan of most handgun rounds.
I'm pretty comfortable carrying my 36 every day,
However, even with +P (unless you carry BB 158 SWCHP +P), I don'g expect much expansion from a 1-7/8" barrel.
I don't see where an unexpanded .38 bullet at about 800 fps is better than a hardcast .32 wadcutter at almost 900 fps.
Plus, the .32 gives you an extra round.

BTW, I ended up taking the Sile stocks off mine and putting some factory targets on it. Very easy shooting.

I bought some Magtech hollowpoint ammo for it.
I've read a lot about primers not popping, so I'm thinking about pulling the bullets and replacing the primers with Federal primers.

Ya know, those Magtech hollowpoints would be pretty impressive if loaded to 1,100-1,200 fps.

Maybe I should have a swaging die made to allow me to make a .32 caliber SWCHP.
Powder coat them and load them to .32 H&R velocities.

 

[Doug M.]

I have wondered if a Centennial (is that the 432?) in .32 with a decent WC/SWC load would be better for my wife than a .38 or .22/.22mag version.

 

[Cal44]

I have wondered if a Centennial (is that the 432?) in .32 with a decent WC/SWC load would be better for my wife than a .38 or .22/.22mag version.

Well you get 6 rounds instead of 5. That's a 20% increase.

A 32 is a bit easier to shoot so more likely to get a hit or two or three.

With a BB wad cutter, you would punch a .31" hole clear thru a bad guy if you believe the BB web site.

With a 38 you would make a .36" hole with wc ammo.

Which is better? More choices of ammo for the 38 is another factor.

 

[stantheman86]

Next to .38 Special , .32 Long is my other favorite round

I've been shooting .32 Long since the early 2000's in all types of revolvers.

I wish the .32 Long or H&R Airweight was more common. I'd love to get one for my Mom.

 

[Jaymo]

A .32 Airweight Centennial woul be sweet.
The.32 is a LOT easier to shoot than the .38, especially in an Airweight.

I tend to believe Buffalo Bore's claims.
Their rounds are chronied through real guns, and there have been several ballistic gelatin tests of their ammo that seem to bear out their claims.

Either .32 or .38 will make a clean, free-bleeding hole with the hard-cast wadcutter ammo,
Either one is worlds better than an unexpanded HP or a round nosed projectile.
Given my druthers, I'druther have a .44 Special or .45 Colt wadcutter load for SD.
However, those are generally bigger, heavier guns that aren't as easy to conceal in hot weather.
Even the Charter Bulldog .44 is bigger than a J frame.
No heavier than a steel frame J, but still bigger, especially with grips that make it comfortable to shoot.

The Taurus Judge and Smith Governator are bigger/heavier still.
The most practical use for either is as a snake gun (IMO), with .410 birdshot, which is the reason I got the Judge. As a gun for large pit vipers, it and the Governator have no peer.
As SD guns, they'll work fine, but I don't see a real advantage.

So, a lightweight, laser-accurate gun that is easy to shoot and creates a clean, free-bleeding hole through a bad guy definitely has merit.
Maybe not as good as a .44 or .45, but worlds better than any unexpanded HP.

 

[joee12]

Love my 430

After several hundred rounds, I love my 430 revolver. It has been easy to carry and fun to shoot. I have been doing a lot of double tap drills at about 15 feet into a Silhouette. In this 100 degree plus weather the past few months, I have been in shorts and a t shirt, and I don't open carry, I slip it into my front pocket. I keep it loaded with Buffalo Bore hard cast wadcutters.

 

[PMRet]

A .32 Airweight Centennial would be sweet.

Yes, VERY sweet...

 

[Captain O]

I have a Centennial Airweight in .32 H&R Magnum. Talk about a great "get off me" revolver and "bad breath" distance handgun, all in one!

Take my word for it, the revolver certainly beats either Clorets or Certs when the feces strikes the rotating air motivator.

The Captain

 

[Captain O]

Sounds like the "32 long" if load right is better then I thought

In the immortal words of Gomer Pyle, "SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE"!

(Somehow, I knew the Board Members would finally 'get it').

The Captain

 

[Lobster Picnic]

I do think the family of .32 cal revolver rounds could supplant the .38 Special in lightweight J-frames. Lower recoil, better accuracy and the extra round make it an excellent alternative to the somewhat snappy .38 Special.

 

[H Richard]

since I made my original posts and acquired a 16-4, 32 H&R Mag i have found both a 431PD and a 432PD in 32 H&R Mag. even with a 1 7/8" barrel they will take my 100 gr. Hornady XTP load at over 1000 fps. With 6 rounds of that load I don't feel under gunned. The 432PD has become my routine carry revolver.

 

[wrangler5]

The Buffalo Bore 100g +P load, with what looks a lot like an XTP bullet, averages 1100fps out of my 432PD. That was my daiiy carry outfit until my wife got a concealed carry permit and decided she liked the 432 (with its green Crimson Trace laser grip.)

At the moment I'm carrying a 30-1 that has been reamed to take H&R rounds, with the Buffalo Bore 100g +Ps. For reasons I can't figure out it's the most accurate of my small 32 caliber guns, and the one I enjoy shooting most - I admit to liking to take long range (40-50 yard) single action shots with little guns, for the fun of it.

But I just prefer a hammerless design for concealed carry. (I'm coming from a 640 as my daily carry piece - sure like practicing with 32s more than with 38s, and they're cheaper to reload, too.) So I'm in the process of getting laser sights regulated on a 632 I acquired on Gunbroker recently - once that's done I suspect it will be the one in the holster most of the time, with the BB+Ps.

 

[Green Frog]

Wrangler5, I'd venture a guess that your re-reamed 30-1 may be extra accurate BECAUSE it was re-reamed and has a better matched and fitted set of chambers. There was nothing inherently wrong with the Model 30 design, and with a little tweaking it becomes great! I've toyed with performing the same mod on my niece's 30-1, but it does so well and she lies it so much just the way it is, I figure "why bother?"

Froggie

 

[wrangler5]

Wrangler5, I'd venture a guess that your re-reamed 30-1 may be extra accurate BECAUSE it was re-reamed and has a better matched and fitted set of chambers. There was nothing inherently wrong with the Model 30 design, and with a little tweaking it becomes great! I've toyed with performing the same mod on my niece's 30-1, but it does so well and she lies it so much just the way it is, I figure "why bother?"

Froggie

You may be right, although my understanding is that the reaming ONLY extended the shoulder of the chamber enough to accommodate the longer case. The only bright marks on the otherwise blued cylinder after the reaming were on the shoulder and the extractor star, where the reamer bottomed out. Throats and chamber walls were unaffected.

I had the chambers reamed on the 30 (and on a 31-1 as well) because I wanted the option to use the higher power H&R loads if I wanted to - especially the Buffalo Bore +Ps that let me replace my daily-carry 5-shot 38s with 6-shot 32s and actually up the muzzle energy a bit over the FBI loads I carried in the 38s. The S&W cylinders are plenty strong for the modest pressure increase between 32 Long and the H&R loads. (Including the very potent BB +Ps, which BB has advised are safe for unlimited use in the reamed cylinders - luckily they're unpleasant enough to shoot and expensive enough at >$1 each that I wouldn't have worried about that in any event.)

Having all my 32 revolvers accept 32 H&R cases simplifies my reloading. I may give up some edge in accuracy at the low velocity wadcutter end of things, but with 2" barrels on lightweight guns I'm not too concerned. And being able to load the BB +Ps in all of 'em, just in case, is an additional benefit.