.32 Caliber Revolvers
- Thread starter BillCA
- Start date
Hello Billca:
They do surface from time to time and mostly the snubby model's..Unfortunately they run about 450.00-600.00 for one N.I.B. Like Mine. I think S&W dropped the ball on stopping the production of these but there is only currently one manufacture of the .32 Magnum shell's being the originator Federal..The round received bad press also as it was made for the H&R which is not the strongest action on the market so they tend to be low velocity. You can of course roll your own such as I do and they are faster, flatter shooting and more penatrating than a .38 Plus-P round. I also have clocked them out of the 4" combat at compairable velocity to a .357.. Trully and amazing little cartridge and I carry the Lady-Smith snub daily.. Regards, Hammerdown.
They do surface from time to time and mostly the snubby model's..Unfortunately they run about 450.00-600.00 for one N.I.B. Like Mine. I think S&W dropped the ball on stopping the production of these but there is only currently one manufacture of the .32 Magnum shell's being the originator Federal..The round received bad press also as it was made for the H&R which is not the strongest action on the market so they tend to be low velocity. You can of course roll your own such as I do and they are faster, flatter shooting and more penatrating than a .38 Plus-P round. I also have clocked them out of the 4" combat at compairable velocity to a .357.. Trully and amazing little cartridge and I carry the Lady-Smith snub daily.. Regards, Hammerdown.
Hammer It I have the same two Smiths you have. I love them. The little kit gun shoots well even with .32 S&W shorts. I have had them for years now and used to carry them a lot. John Taffin described the 631 as a perfect "woods loafing "gun and the name fits I think. I don't carry them much now except for the range once and a while. I am looking for a Marlin lever action in .32 Magnum but have had no luck finding them. I am also squirreling away money for the Freedom Arms 97 in .32 mag with extra .32-20 cylinder. Expensive gun (especially witht the octagon barrel option which I am gonna get!) but fine guns ARE fine guns and worth it. I can't figure out justwhy I love the .32 so much.With the exception of 41 mag and 454 Casull I have guns for most calibers. I shoot a lot of .44mag and 45LC but the .32 is just sweet.
LOL! Hey Riverman, the two "oddball" calibers I'm addicted to are the .32Mag and the .41 Mag. The .41 Magnum is a caliber that's very close to the .44 without the "Holy Cripes!" reaction to the recoil. The .32 Mag, as we know is just a sweet little round. For some reason, I see the .32 caliber revolvers as a "Lady's" or "Gentleman's" gun -- something one carries in an overcoat when going out on the town (circa 1920!) that will be used only in defense.
It's a shame that Colt is out of the game as their Detective Special / Agent / Cobra series would have been very nice in .32 Mag!
BillCA, yes I too am partial to the saddle ring carbines! Currently no .32 Mags (but will have to change that--the Ruger is just so sweet, needs a companion!) -- right now just a .44Mag EMF 92 (Rossi) and prewar Win 94 thutty-thutty representing the SRC genre. Before I got my current birdshead (stainless), I bought an adjustable sight .32M Ruger when they first came out (84?) and it was the sweetest popper I'd ever shot--the new one re-establishes that. Have a .38 also, but the .32 so much more fun to "shoot all day" for the same basic effect (if you could afford the ammo to do such, I'll grant that--come on market!#?!). To the detractors out there, still enough "zip and pow" to know a 4 (or 2) legged critter wouldn't want to be on the receiving end! Like a friend who kidded me about an old .44-40 Rossi I had and how slow it was ("hell you might as well just throw rocks at it!"), when he saw what it did consistently to sand buckets and water jugs point of aim at 100 yds (I won't claim too much beyond that!), when I invited him to go out to that marker after the water fest to just stand there while..., he declined "that's alright" - ha. (Remember Duvall in Lonesome Dove 
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http://www.sixguns.com/range/kitguns.htm here is one Hammer it on SA kit guns there is another one Taffin has on S&W kit guns I have to find it in the maze that is my computer-he write about the 631 and other kit guns-I'll send it ot you via this forum as soon as I can find it. Yeah Taffin is alright-now that Charleton Heston is severely ill I'll have to print up bumper stickers that say "John Taffin is my president" I doubt he'd want the job beacuse he has good sense but the libs reading my bumper would have not a clue as to who I was talking about. I have 2 of Taffins books and he is the Elmer Kieth of our times. I'll try to find the other kit gun article and put it up here.
http://www.sixguns.com/range/jframes.htm here is another article onS&W "J" frames Hammer It. go to Taffins sixguns.com and check out the rest of the articles there. there is also leverguns.com by Paco Kelly which is good. I have to look somewhere in the depths of my numerous files I have an old report from Shooting times or guns and ammo on the kit guns- I have to look and see whether it is my house or amongst the boxes of files in storage. I have too many books and papers to be able to find it right off hand. hope you enjoy the article and sites!
What us .32 afficianados need is for some big gunwriter like John Taffin write and article entitled something like :"the 32 the caliber that refuses to die" or something along that line and re-generate some interest in the whole .32 mag-32 S&W line. I just got a stainless bird's head baby Vaq in .32 mag and I am off to shoot it just a little bit. I am working on getting the convertible 32mag-.32-20 Vaq and hopefully will have it soon. Then I am going to have a Bisley grip and hammer installed by a competent gunsmith along with some stoning of the action. I hope to also get the .32 mag or the .32-20 Marlin octagon barrel. I have all the big bore handguns and rifles but I love the litltle .32. I will just get a bunch of starline brass and a bullet mold if the ammo for .32 mag dries up.The 32 smith has been around for what? about 100 years so brass and loaded ammo should be available. Smith &Wesson is stil making the Centennial model and an airweight snubby in .32 and Freedom Arms of 454 Casull fame makes the little frame mod 97 in 32 with option for extra 32-20 cylinder. I think Taurus still makes a .32 mag so there is still some demand and interest tho it's not anywhere near the 1911 and Glock craze that is going on.
Riverman, hopefully not old timer yet! Yes, 1/2 of family originally from New England - must be in the blood! .30 WCF is what it says on my barrel, still kinda old?....uh, make that 30-30! I see that Cimarron is now marketing the 92 Rifle (likely Italian..Armi Sport like the Taylor's)--though I do not see the .32 Mag of .32-20 yet. You will love the Ruger birdshead. Cimarron (and maybe Uberti directly??-don't know about the latter) also have a 3/4 scale SAA -Model P Jr or Lightning? - in convertible .32-20 and .32 Mag--in both birdshead and regular grips and variety of barrel lengths 3+, 4-3/4. 5-1/2 etc...looks nice.
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Blue Heeler
Moderator
Here are a few pix - 'Sweet Sixteen' The .32 H&R Magnum with original grips and clean this time, and her shooting friend. To continue the analogy the 'friend' would be about forty-two and a bit frayed around the edges - BUT
when she bangs - the Earth shakes!
You might be able to see the piece of skateboard tape on the front of the .32 triggerguard - this is helpful for long range slow fire when you jam the butt into the ground and wrap your hands around it in a death grip.
Oh yes, and while I'm at it (giving away trade secrets) - That screwdriver kit in the pix is a 'must have' for every shooter. No more stuffed screws - ever.
The kit is US made by Chapman of Durham, Conn. and is Kit No.9600.
when she bangs - the Earth shakes!
You might be able to see the piece of skateboard tape on the front of the .32 triggerguard - this is helpful for long range slow fire when you jam the butt into the ground and wrap your hands around it in a death grip.
Oh yes, and while I'm at it (giving away trade secrets) - That screwdriver kit in the pix is a 'must have' for every shooter. No more stuffed screws - ever.
The kit is US made by Chapman of Durham, Conn. and is Kit No.9600.
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Thanks gak even tho I am of Italian heritage I tend to buy Rugers and Marlins. I guess that is a holdover in my mind from when Uberti and other Italian guns first came out they seemed to be rough around the edges . I have not looked lately at them and maybe I need to take another look . That .32mag takedown does look nice. So many guns so little time. That .30 WCF sounds like a classic. Brings to mind fall in VT and green checked wool coats and hunting with woodchucks instead of for them. When i lived up there I got to know some of those woodchucks and they were some pretty intersesting folks.
Blue heeler I got the screwdriver set years ago I scraped a frame on a revolver with a toolbox screwdriver and my Dad (bless him) got me a Chapman set. They are a neccessity the only one that is better is the one Brownell's offers. that little .32 looks nice and that squirrel rifle above it ain't bad either.
Riverman, I got a very brief chance--no time to fondle!--to see one of the new Italian 92s (takedown) in .45 Colt and it seemed very nice. If the current crop of Uberti-made 73s (and SAAs) are any indication, these Armi Sport 92s should also be very nice indeed (and I see priced similarly ot the 73s, i.e., very high compared to the Brazilian Rossi-made EMFs, Navy Arms and LSIs)--Check em out. I hear you on the Rugers and Marlins, but the new Italians (and quite frankly Brazilian Rossis) seem fine, and I have always liked the "original" Winchester cowboy guns--esp the 92s which were a great improvement on the 73s, and the 92 being basically a shrunken 1886 of same Browning heritage, very strong action that can take just about any load you can throw at it. Strictly an open sighted gun--its charm and, to some, downfall. To try to put a scope on one of these, like the earlier (pre 1984) model 94s, is to miss the point of these gems. However, if you need/want a scope, the Marlins--in the .32M--and the Marlins or Win 94s in other calibers are the way to go. The Armi Sport and Marlin rifles/carbines appear to be great companions to any .32M revolver, gonna have to get me one!
Despite Ruger's recent dropping of the "Single Six" (mini-Vaquero) in .32M, there still seems to be a decent crop of the .32s in other brands out there, SA (aforementioned Uberti/Cimarron, etc.) and DA--hopefully they'll stay the course and Ruger will come back around (maybe after seeing this thread?) and see the light and error of their ways.
Despite Ruger's recent dropping of the "Single Six" (mini-Vaquero) in .32M, there still seems to be a decent crop of the .32s in other brands out there, SA (aforementioned Uberti/Cimarron, etc.) and DA--hopefully they'll stay the course and Ruger will come back around (maybe after seeing this thread?) and see the light and error of their ways.
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well i just ordered a gun online thru gunbroker.com for the first time. kind of nervous as I have never bought a firearm this way,. New Ruger .44 mag stainless Bisley Vaquero. They are not making the old frame vaq's anymore so I figured I get one while I can. The seller had 99% good reports and I talked to him in person so here goes....