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.32 ACP in an old S&W revolver?
- Thread starter Miguelito
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You just made my day. Only thing better than an obscure movie quote is a lawyer quoting a movie lawyer.
Thank you for the reminder that I need to watch this film. Can't believe I haven't, but it is just a smidge before my time, and even a little more before cable became widespread, so it never got played a million times. It must also be owned by one of those studios that keeps it's catalog on its own channel.
Thank you! I agree. This was actually the least interesting gun (of three) I bought that day. I have been good about not buying any new guns, but I was buying a Mossberg Brownie (four barrelled .22) from someone that day, and the .32 was in the LGS we transferred it at. The owner of that place sent me to another place to get .32 Seecamp ammo and I walked out with a 1908 Browning .25 as well.
tuna
NES Member
Nice collection of mouse guns.
Thank you! I cant wait to fire the Browning (especially) and the .32. The Brownie, not so much, as I have been advised to only fire underpowered .22's that have a velocity of 450 fps, ie, a bb gun, albeit a heavier bullet.
732's were chambered for .32 S& W Long. They were made in the 60's and 70's. Still wouldn't shoot .32acp in it. Might fire; might not without the rim to hold is steady. Won't eject though without the rim unless you punched out each round.
Yes. Your gun is chambered for either of the S&W cartridges. It will also fire .32 Colt New Police ( same cartridge but Colt was at that time absolutely no way on this Earth or any place else for that matter going to have S&W roll marked anywhere on their guns ) just fine.
EJFudd
NES Member
Not that I have ever seen. Sounds like that would be a potentially dangerous thing to do.
We did this.
I have an old H&R vest pocket safety hammer in .32Short - it’s the early smokeless powder model made around 1914 or so. It fires .32S&W -lead bullets. I think the psi floats around 11 or 12,000 …pretty close to a .22L
We did do this years ago out of curiosity with some .32ACP rounds. The Nickel on the original cylinder was toast, and I was able to get a spare cylinder at the time through “gun parts” in NY, and used the original as the test cylinder. I do remember that with both cylinders, the timing lock-up alignment with ‘cylinder-to-forcing cone’ had some play, which probably didn’t matter much with the forgiving low MV of the 32short lead rd. -But remembered the FMJ.32ACP had most of the threat in mind with that.
I don’t recall what gr bullet was used at the time w/ the .32ACP, But, they were FMJ, -and we were aware that the .32ACP was somewhere around the 18K PSI range.
Anyway, the revolver did fire 5 Of the .32ACP rounds, but you did feel it much more so than the .32short- We did inspect the revolver before and after the test fire, and found that the forcing cone had cracked at some point after firing as a result.
It was a cheap mistake that rendered the revolver inop. And probably would have eventually cracked the cylinder. or the revolver detonating and causing some injury.
Regardless, I would Not advise in using any .32ACP in Anything designated to only fire .32SW. the tolerance levels in those old revolvers are much closer to Black Powder pressures than modern Smokeless.
-Keep your antiques, “Antique”.
the Ruger SP101 in. .327 Federal Mag is a six shooter, and will fire all 5 calibers of .32 all day long without a bump.
a wiser safer way to go.
I have an old H&R vest pocket safety hammer in .32Short - it’s the early smokeless powder model made around 1914 or so. It fires .32S&W -lead bullets. I think the psi floats around 11 or 12,000 …pretty close to a .22L
We did do this years ago out of curiosity with some .32ACP rounds. The Nickel on the original cylinder was toast, and I was able to get a spare cylinder at the time through “gun parts” in NY, and used the original as the test cylinder. I do remember that with both cylinders, the timing lock-up alignment with ‘cylinder-to-forcing cone’ had some play, which probably didn’t matter much with the forgiving low MV of the 32short lead rd. -But remembered the FMJ.32ACP had most of the threat in mind with that.
I don’t recall what gr bullet was used at the time w/ the .32ACP, But, they were FMJ, -and we were aware that the .32ACP was somewhere around the 18K PSI range.
Anyway, the revolver did fire 5 Of the .32ACP rounds, but you did feel it much more so than the .32short- We did inspect the revolver before and after the test fire, and found that the forcing cone had cracked at some point after firing as a result.
It was a cheap mistake that rendered the revolver inop. And probably would have eventually cracked the cylinder. or the revolver detonating and causing some injury.
Regardless, I would Not advise in using any .32ACP in Anything designated to only fire .32SW. the tolerance levels in those old revolvers are much closer to Black Powder pressures than modern Smokeless.
-Keep your antiques, “Antique”.
the Ruger SP101 in. .327 Federal Mag is a six shooter, and will fire all 5 calibers of .32 all day long without a bump.
a wiser safer way to go.
MisterHappy
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I don't understand what the obsession is when people get a .32 revolver is to shoot .32 ACP from it, is .32 ACP like the only .32 ammo stores sell?
Until I got a chronograph I didn't know how much velocity loss there was in shooting the ACP from a .32 revolver, I can't remember which one it was, might have been the .327 SP101, but the chrony read a bit over 400 fps with ammo that should have netted at least 800 fps in a semi auto; the long chamber and presence of a barrel cylinder gap saps a lot of energy from the short, low pressure .32 ACP. It is a waste of good ammunition.
Beyond that, there's potential for the .32 ACP to lock up the revolver as I've had that happen to me in the SP101. The rim thickness is thin enough that during firing the case can be blown back into the recoil shield and impale the primer on the firing pin, the firing pin gets stuck, and you can't rotate the cylinder or open the cylinder. You then have to get a flat screwdriver and wedge the case off the pin. Fun times.
That's not to say there can't be some success with .32 ACP, it can work, it's just not something that should be done other than to test function and when it's necessary for self defense.
Trying to shoot these out of the .32 S&W H&R revolvers, even if they're solid frames, is asking a lot. IDK how well the 732 can do it, I wouldn't bother because those post WW2 revolvers H&R made don't seem to have the same longevity as those made before the war and the ones made before the war were all designed to shoot lead bullets only.
Reloading for the .32 SW Lg and the .32/.327 Magnum is pretty simple. A Lee hand press, Lee Perfect Powder Measure, a scale, and a set of Lee dies doesn't cost much or take up much room in a box and you can run off 50 rounds in less than an hour.
Until I got a chronograph I didn't know how much velocity loss there was in shooting the ACP from a .32 revolver, I can't remember which one it was, might have been the .327 SP101, but the chrony read a bit over 400 fps with ammo that should have netted at least 800 fps in a semi auto; the long chamber and presence of a barrel cylinder gap saps a lot of energy from the short, low pressure .32 ACP. It is a waste of good ammunition.
Beyond that, there's potential for the .32 ACP to lock up the revolver as I've had that happen to me in the SP101. The rim thickness is thin enough that during firing the case can be blown back into the recoil shield and impale the primer on the firing pin, the firing pin gets stuck, and you can't rotate the cylinder or open the cylinder. You then have to get a flat screwdriver and wedge the case off the pin. Fun times.
That's not to say there can't be some success with .32 ACP, it can work, it's just not something that should be done other than to test function and when it's necessary for self defense.
Trying to shoot these out of the .32 S&W H&R revolvers, even if they're solid frames, is asking a lot. IDK how well the 732 can do it, I wouldn't bother because those post WW2 revolvers H&R made don't seem to have the same longevity as those made before the war and the ones made before the war were all designed to shoot lead bullets only.
Reloading for the .32 SW Lg and the .32/.327 Magnum is pretty simple. A Lee hand press, Lee Perfect Powder Measure, a scale, and a set of Lee dies doesn't cost much or take up much room in a box and you can run off 50 rounds in less than an hour.
I have the same, except mine is S&W Long. Same thing with the timing being off (some play in the cylinder locking up. Had a customer once with the same thing. Maybe I could have fixed it - I tried, but you need 3 hands to work all of the parts together). Besides the pressure difference between the Short and the ACP, you also have to consider that the FJM bullets increase pressure over lead ones.
I always laugh my ass off when I see gun shops selling these for $200, $300, or $400 prices. They are good for a throw-away in a restrictive environment, and certainly not something that you'd waste your time on completing a BGC/Registration for. (let alone your money).
The H&R's don't fully lock up until the hammer is released, at least that's been my observation.
Every H&R I've bought has been under $200 bought off the Broker. The top break .32's are a marvel, they shoot far better than any sub $200 gun should. I've been dying to get a 5 shot .32 Short top break and a 5 or 6 inch barrel .32 Long top break for years and they've become rather elusive on gunbroker.
I think some will shoot 32 acp in a old 32 pistol because even 20 years ago 32 Short and 32 Long was a pita to find and not cheap.
I think I paid $32/50 back in 2004 ish.
32 sw short or long brass comes around every few years. Star Line has it in stock currently.
Im not putting a round that can exceed the pressure of the chamber in the gun.
32acp does not belong in a 32 sw long or short.
I think I paid $32/50 back in 2004 ish.
32 sw short or long brass comes around every few years. Star Line has it in stock currently.
Im not putting a round that can exceed the pressure of the chamber in the gun.
32acp does not belong in a 32 sw long or short.
Lyman 50th has data for 75 and 85gr bullets for 6 powders: Red Dot, 700x, Bulleseye, Unique, HP38, and 231.
It's 2023, ammo isn't cheap unless it's 9mm, but it is available outside of Mass on this thing call the internet. I was able to get .32 Long for under $20 pre Covid.
I'll do you one better on .32 ACP in revolvers: it doesn't belong in any of them unless it's a life or death situation.
Last I bought the 32sw, 32sw long was definitely cheaper than the “short”
Quick look on the webs
Seems to still be true
32 short closer to $1/rd
32 long .75/rd
JeezUs—— I consider 32 sw loading darn near free with such low powder charges and casting own bullet. .08-.10 cents for a primer ……ouch.
Last edited:
MisterHappy
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MisterHappy
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Sounds like you have a strong business model.
I guess you filled in the ??? on step 2 in the three-step ladder to progress. Winning.
I want to say there are more firearms for the .32 S&W Long as after 1941 nobody was making .32 Short revolvers anymore, but many were making .32 S&W Long. The .32 Long also has some following in the competition community, so brass is produced in greater volume. That all leads to the industry to producing more .32 Long.
Other than myself, IDK anyone who is intentionally seeking out the purchase of a .32 Short revolver. With that lack of interest and the .32 Short performing worse out of modern .32 Mag and .327 Mag revolvers than .32 Long, it is a dead caliber. Those who buy a revolver in that chambering best reload it, which itself is a challenge as the powder charges are so small most measures can't throw them and it becomes a trickler on a scale venture and can't be done on a progressive.
That probably kills any interest reloaders have.
I'll say it's weak! I shot .32 Short out of my revolver at an old, rotten tree. Everything else (even .32 Long) went into it. The Short bounced off of it and hit me in the shoulder. Didn't even sting.
Which revolver?
H&R .32 S&W Long top-break. 3in barrel.
M'kay.
Idk how big the barrel cylinder gap on your H&R is, nor the throat diameters, but if it's larger than normal and in combination with the long jump and low pressure .32 S&W, that all can add up to velocity loss.
My belief is the. 32 S&W can be an effective, bare minimum option when shot from a revolver chambered ONLY for the short .32 S&W.
I have the same revolver as you. So, I tell ya what, since I'm a curious bastard I'll load up some .32 S&W and shoot it over my chrony and see just what the velocity is.
My gut tells me 600 fps and I think in a .32 short revolver it would be 700 fps.
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