I purchased a S&W Model 432PD recently and finally made it out to the range to test fire this diminuitive little gun. For those of you who don't know the gun, the Model 432 is a small, Airweight alloy J-Frame hammerless Centennial revolver chambered for the .32 H&R Magnum round. Tipping the scales at a mere 15.7 ounces empty, the 432 seems to weigh next to nothing. Looking very much like it's bigger .38/.357 caliber brother, the Model 42/642 series, the smaller .32 H&R Magnum cartridge allows room for a 6th shot in the cylinder. With a 1 7/8" barrel the 432 this lightweight revolver makes a fine pocket gun.
My gun came equipped with Houge Bantam grips which leave the backstrap exposed on the grip and the grips stop at the end of the grip frame. The rubber-like material is not very tacky and I thought this would allow the gun to squirm about, but such was not the case.
Shooting was conducted at a local indoor range in the SF Bay Area. Unfortunately I discovered two things as soon as I looked to fire the first shot. The 432 is finished in a matte black finish which causes the front sight to blend in perfectly with a black silhouette target! Secondly, age has overtaken me and the current prescription for my eyeglasses doesn't allow me to focus on the front sight properly! This had a dramatic impact on my shooting ability when you combine a dimly lit indoor range, poor eyesight, and sights that blend in with your target. Dramaticaly bad! But all of this gives a good idea of using the gun for nighttime home defense when one can't see well or perhaps focus without the aid of eyeglasses.
S&W Model 432PD - .32 H&R Magnum Centennial Airweight
Shooting was conducted at 7 yards with three types of ammunition. Federal 95gr "Semi-wadcutter" which really looks like a lead flat point round, Federal 85gr JHP and a 118gr RNFP Cowboy action load from Load-X, a local manufacturer. The short range was selected since the 432 is clearly a self-defense gun and not a plinker or target gun.
Upon firing the Federal 95gr SWC the first thing I noticed was a mild "sting" in the heel of my hand where the backstrap rests. For some reason, S&W put a rounded groove down the middle of the backstrap which causes this mild sensation. Recoil itself was mild, a little bit sharper than a .38 special wadcutter load. Federal claims 1034 fps for this load with 224 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle from a 4.5" vented test barrel. As rough guess, since a chronograph wasn't available, I'd say these popped out around 900fps.
The slightly heavy trigger pull was stagey at first. The cylinder feels like it rotates and locks up early in the trigger cycle, leaving a long pull to drop the internal hammer. The smooth trigger was comfortable except for pinching my finger slightly when fully depressed. Accuracy was fair with the 95gr SWC, but I think this was due more to the inability to see the sights clearly than a fault of the gun. My first shots were high, in the 9 ring and spread out, stringing towards the right of center. More on this in a moment.
The Load-X cowboy loads shot a bit high and left, grouping in a 4" area. Recoil with the heavier 118gr load was about the same as the 95gr Federal. One you switch to Federal's 85gr JHP load, however, things change. I'd put up a new target with an orange stick-on bullseye and I could now see the sights. The first three rounds I fired punched right into the orange bull. The next three were inside the 10 ring of the silhouette. Recoil was easily controlled as with the other rounds, however the bark and muzzle flash were pronounced as you'd expect. Federal bills the 85gr at 1100 fps with 228 ft-lbs and I'd expect about 1050fps out of the snubbie 432.
I repeated the firing using the orange sticky bullseye with the other loads and groups shrank and centered better when I could see the front sights. The 95gr Federal load impacted about 1/2" lower than the JHP round. Load-X's cowboy load seemed to like firing about 3/4" to the left of center despite carefully looking over my glasses at the front sight to check the sights.
In rapid fire (the 432 is, of course, DAO) spread the rounds out, but all stayed within the 9 ring at both 7 yards and 15 yards which I did for grins.
The trigger seems to be smoothing out and with only a total of 125 rounds fired I'm sure it will become easier after about 250 or so rounds. After firing the 432 I'm going to invest in some sight paints from Brownell's and put bright green or orange on the front site! This isn't a tack driver - yet - but I can tell the trigger is already smoothing out with use. As an up-close personal defense gun the 432 is a dandy gun. Especially for those who can't handle the recoil of a lightweight .38 special revolvers. Argue all you want about the "stopping power" of the little .32 cartridge, but two rapid shots can be done on target without the wrist wrenching of the .38 specials.
Questions & comments welcome.
My gun came equipped with Houge Bantam grips which leave the backstrap exposed on the grip and the grips stop at the end of the grip frame. The rubber-like material is not very tacky and I thought this would allow the gun to squirm about, but such was not the case.
Shooting was conducted at a local indoor range in the SF Bay Area. Unfortunately I discovered two things as soon as I looked to fire the first shot. The 432 is finished in a matte black finish which causes the front sight to blend in perfectly with a black silhouette target! Secondly, age has overtaken me and the current prescription for my eyeglasses doesn't allow me to focus on the front sight properly! This had a dramatic impact on my shooting ability when you combine a dimly lit indoor range, poor eyesight, and sights that blend in with your target. Dramaticaly bad! But all of this gives a good idea of using the gun for nighttime home defense when one can't see well or perhaps focus without the aid of eyeglasses.
S&W Model 432PD - .32 H&R Magnum Centennial Airweight
Shooting was conducted at 7 yards with three types of ammunition. Federal 95gr "Semi-wadcutter" which really looks like a lead flat point round, Federal 85gr JHP and a 118gr RNFP Cowboy action load from Load-X, a local manufacturer. The short range was selected since the 432 is clearly a self-defense gun and not a plinker or target gun.
Upon firing the Federal 95gr SWC the first thing I noticed was a mild "sting" in the heel of my hand where the backstrap rests. For some reason, S&W put a rounded groove down the middle of the backstrap which causes this mild sensation. Recoil itself was mild, a little bit sharper than a .38 special wadcutter load. Federal claims 1034 fps for this load with 224 ft-lbs of energy at the muzzle from a 4.5" vented test barrel. As rough guess, since a chronograph wasn't available, I'd say these popped out around 900fps.
The slightly heavy trigger pull was stagey at first. The cylinder feels like it rotates and locks up early in the trigger cycle, leaving a long pull to drop the internal hammer. The smooth trigger was comfortable except for pinching my finger slightly when fully depressed. Accuracy was fair with the 95gr SWC, but I think this was due more to the inability to see the sights clearly than a fault of the gun. My first shots were high, in the 9 ring and spread out, stringing towards the right of center. More on this in a moment.
The Load-X cowboy loads shot a bit high and left, grouping in a 4" area. Recoil with the heavier 118gr load was about the same as the 95gr Federal. One you switch to Federal's 85gr JHP load, however, things change. I'd put up a new target with an orange stick-on bullseye and I could now see the sights. The first three rounds I fired punched right into the orange bull. The next three were inside the 10 ring of the silhouette. Recoil was easily controlled as with the other rounds, however the bark and muzzle flash were pronounced as you'd expect. Federal bills the 85gr at 1100 fps with 228 ft-lbs and I'd expect about 1050fps out of the snubbie 432.
I repeated the firing using the orange sticky bullseye with the other loads and groups shrank and centered better when I could see the front sights. The 95gr Federal load impacted about 1/2" lower than the JHP round. Load-X's cowboy load seemed to like firing about 3/4" to the left of center despite carefully looking over my glasses at the front sight to check the sights.
In rapid fire (the 432 is, of course, DAO) spread the rounds out, but all stayed within the 9 ring at both 7 yards and 15 yards which I did for grins.
The trigger seems to be smoothing out and with only a total of 125 rounds fired I'm sure it will become easier after about 250 or so rounds. After firing the 432 I'm going to invest in some sight paints from Brownell's and put bright green or orange on the front site! This isn't a tack driver - yet - but I can tell the trigger is already smoothing out with use. As an up-close personal defense gun the 432 is a dandy gun. Especially for those who can't handle the recoil of a lightweight .38 special revolvers. Argue all you want about the "stopping power" of the little .32 cartridge, but two rapid shots can be done on target without the wrist wrenching of the .38 specials.
Questions & comments welcome.
