7 shot 32 HR mag revolver from Charter Arms

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TruthTellers

New member
JERRYS. said:
I never understood C.A.'s thinking of making a .32 H&R mag 5 shot in a J frame sized gun when it should have been a 6 shot.
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My guess is the cylinders between .38 and .32 Mag are the same size blanks so they can use the same jigs/fixtures and just swap the cutting tools out between .38 and .32 to reduce setup time. Adding a sixth hole might cost them too much money, plus the timing is all the same with the five shots, so that's another cost savings.

I agree tho, Charter needs to make revolvers that hold more rounds. I would gladly buy a Charter Pathfinder .22 LR if it had an 8 round cylinder like the LCR has, but Charter just makes it in 6 rounds.

Here's a local news article on the company. I do spot one CNC machine in the background, which is good.

https://www.sheltonherald.com/76314/state-reps-small-business-highlight-tour-continues/
 
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ThomasT

New member
I'm in on this one. I, like several others on this thread, like the 32 H&R magnum. I currently only own one gun chambered in 32 H&R, a S&W 431pd. It's a sweet little 6 shot j frame.
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I have had one of those in my nightstand for at least 10 years. loaded and ready to go with full power 85gr bullets. I don't know the velocity but I am guessing over 1100fps. It weighs just 15oz fully loaded.

You need a few more 32's.:D
 
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stinkeypete

New member
Track record of 32 cal effectiveness???

Going back to black powder there were several Colt 32s, a bunch of little companies long out of business, the 32-20 is rather famous, 32 auto, 32 short, medium, large, and xxl. I mean 327 federal.

There are more powerful, but 32 fills a nice gap between .22 and big bore and 38 does too.

That’s a lot of history when people figured 32 was dandy.
 
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JERRYS.

New member
Carmady said:
This is really cool, the Bonnie and Clyde set on GB. The 32 Mag 6-shot appears to be on the small frame, 83 pics.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/803464147
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those are on the bulldog frame, and during the time when they used sleeves....the undercover/off duty frames could only hold a 5 shot .38 cylinder.

here are two examples of the 6 shot .32 cylinder on the undercover/off duty frames.
https://www.gunbroker.com/Revolvers/search?PageSize=24&Sort=13&View=1&mfg=1000064&ca=5000072

if I could find one locally for these prices I'd try it out. I think this frame and cylinder size could easily handle the .32 H&R magnum as a 6 shot.
 
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OneFreeTexan

New member
NO secret , I like 32 H&R Magnum,,, I have several Charter arms,,, the triggers have been improved, and I shoot them a lot.. so am pretty accurate with them....sometimes my ‘boy’ will bring a friend over to shoot and challenge them ,,,,,he says,,k “Pop. Why don’t you get that old gun you’ve been playing with and let’s put some money down.”
Cocky friend with his Glock is sure he can out shoot the old timer ,with his old fashioned revolver......
Sho’nuf....when all the shouting is done,, I’m $20 to $50 bucks richer so buy everyone a few beers.
 
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TruthTellers

New member
I doubt the price will be 350, I'm thinking something closer to 450-500. This is clearly going to be a better product than the run of the mill revolvers Charter makes, one to compete with Ruger and S&W and look good too. One thing I can say about the current Charter revolvers is the matte finish, that integrated and clearly cast shroud/front sight make them look awful.

Normally I like a satin stainless wheelgun, but Charter had made nicely blued revolvers for decades before I was born. Bluing makes their guns look a lot better and when you're pricing a gun as low as you can, the casual owner or conceal carrier who isn't one of us will see how good this revolver looks and feel more confident in its quality.

Sometimes looks do sell.
 
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Mike Irwin

Staff
"32 short, medium, large, and xxl."

You forgot 32 gargantuan and leviathan...

:p



I'm a huge fan of the various .32 caliber cartridges...

I have two .32-20 revolvers (A Colt and a Smith)

Three .32 Longs (two S&Ws and a Colt)

A CZ 70 in .32 ACP.

I also have a very antique H&R in .32 S&W that was my Great Grandfather's "cowboy" gun. Yep, he bought it when he was a ranch hand in the Dakota Badlands in the 1890s/early 1900s.
 
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ViperR

New member
Now, Charter said it was on a stainless steel frame. Does that mean the grip frame is also stainless, or is it aluminum like all their other revolvers (even including the 44 Bull Dog)?
 
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Carmady

New member
those are on the bulldog frame, and during the time when they used sleeves....the undercover/off duty frames could only hold a 5 shot .38 cylinder.
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My mistake, thanks.

Here's another clip from the unblinkingeye article, they made a 5-shot Undercover H&R Mag starting in 1984, but it didn't last long.

"1965 - Undercover Revolver - .38 Special - 5 shot - available with 2”barrel

1967 - 3” barrel available
1968 - Bulldog grip available
1970 - Nickel finish available; 5th Anniversary edition available
1978 - .32 Smith & Wesson Long version available (Undercoverette name no longer used)
1980 - Stainless steel version available with a 2” barrel
1984 - Available in .32 H&R Magnum - 5 shot"
 
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Auto5

New member
If they're not going to bring out a .327, I'd like to see a lightweight aluminum frame. I see it as more of a kit/trail gun than a fighting pistol.
 
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Cosmodragoon

New member
If they're not going to bring out a .327, I'd like to see a lightweight aluminum frame. I see it as more of a kit/trail gun than a fighting pistol.
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This is a valid point. To be fair though, does Smith and Wesson still make steel revolvers only chambered for .38 special? I looked at a Model 60 that way a few years back. This new revolver arguably exists to scratch an itch for a relatively small niche. Does this compete for the niche being filled by .327 Federal? I guess we'll see. Since Ruger finally has an extended magnum frame in production, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a 3" LCRX in .327 Federal.
 
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TruthTellers

New member
A 3 inch .327 LCRx is certainly on the way and after buying the SP101 in November I wish I had waited, but then again recoil with 100 gr JSP's in the SP101 is stout, so in a 19oz LCRx I can only imagine what that would have been like.

I do think an aluminum .32 Mag would be great, but it has to be a 6 shooter. Charter has the .38 and that thing weighs an extraordinary 12 oz. It's never going to have as good a trigger as the LCR tho and really, if I had the choice between that Charter and an LCR in .32 Mag, I'd take the LCR even though it'd weigh an ounce or two more.

I don't see Ruger ever making a .32 H&R Mag in any DA revolver tho, they are full in with .327 Mag, maybe rightfully so. A steel .327 will hold up better than an aluminum .32 Mag regardless of what's shot in it.

I'll be keeping an eye on the Charter Professional, it may fit more what I'm looking for, but I do wish it would have an adjustable sight as I would be shooting a variety of power levels in it as I do with all my .32 and .327 Mag guns. Ruger is gung ho with hugely huge throat diameters and all that means is leading with lead bullets, all factory options which will be well under .314" diameter.

Maybe Charter will keep their throats closer to .312, but I'm not holding out hope on that.
 
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littlebikerider

New member
Last weekend I handloaded some rounds for my .327FM SP101 at a few different power levels to test for shootability and accuracy. I had my wife with me, and also some factory 85gr hydrashock loads.

My wife shot a few hydrashock loads and said she was done with those, they hurt her hand. (The SP101 has a Pachmayr grip). It turned out the best balance of accuracy and shootability was as the top of the 32H&R mag power level.

I have to agree that it's nice the pistol "can" shoot the .327FM rounds, and I probably will from time to time, but 32H&R seems to be the sweet spot for shooting.

So back to the intent of this thread...if you can afford the 32H&R mag ammo that seems to be most available at about $18 for box of 20, or if you handload, this pistol looks like it would be a lot of fun.
 
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Cosmodragoon

New member
Recoil is a funny thing. There are guys out there who think (or at least say) that .357 magnum feels good in light guns like the LCR or an alloy J-frame. Personally, I find .357 magnum to be unpleasant in that sort of gun. I find the hot loads in .327 Federal unpleasant in the LCR but don't mind them in the SP101. I actually like the 85-grain Hydra-Shoks in the LCR. I think that balance appeals to a lot of people but as we see here, it doesn't appeal to everyone.

Some people will find their perfect balance with .32 H&R magnum. Others might have to go down to .32 S&W Long. I'll have to admit. Even though I'm happy with the balance on .327 Federal for defensive purposes and more dramatic results on reactive targets, I still enjoy shooting .32 S&W Long sometimes. I grew up shooting it, in a literal "knocking tin cans off a fence post" scenario. It's nice that we have so many choices.
 
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