What niche did the 32-20 fill in its day?

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lonegunman

New member
I think its a neat little cartridge for cowboy style shooting, more or less a novelty now.

But 80-100 yrs ago it was fairly popular in various handguns and rifles.

What were people using it for back then?

It would seem to me there would have been better choices for defense and hunting.
 
C

cheygriz

New member
Actually, it didn't fill any niche at all. anything the .32-20 did, numerous other cartridges did as well or better. but it WAS popular.

Of course today, we have similar cartridges that are very popular, but won't do anything any better than others. for instance, the .40 S&W, the .357 Sig, the New 300 and 7MM short magnums, the 7MM-08, the 8MM Remimngton Magnum, and at least a dozen others. And these cartridges are popular, just as the .32-20 was.

I think we Americans have an appetite for new things, whether or not they're any improvement over the old. And that's a good thing, because we have one helluva variety out there to choose from.
 
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Mike Irwin

Staff
It filled a neat little niche.

It was one of the first center-fire cartridge chambered in a popular repeating rifle, the Winchester 1873.

That fact alone virtually guaranteed its success.
 
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WIL TERRY

New member
THE 32/20 WAS SORTA THE 357MAG OF ITS' DAY.

Now I sorta look at as a reloadable 30cal 22MAG. Both of my 32/20 guns shoot like a million bucks and are great small game and plinking guns.
The 32/20 was popular in different regions of the country, but up here in my part of the Dakotas the 25/20 was far more popular and every ranch out there has an old '92 25/20 behind the door yet or in the gun rack as memories of days gone by. There must have been a hell of a good WINCHESTER salesman in this area 'cause they are everywhere.
You could also build a fence around South Dakota with '94 WINCHESTERS
 
B

Betty

New member
cadet-betty_s.jpg


Here's me and dad's Martini-Henry in .32-20. Fun occasional plinker, cute conversation piece.
 
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Mike Irwin

Staff
Up through perhaps WW I the .32-20 was also seen as a legitimate deer cartridge in the East.

That could be, though, because there were so damned few deer at the time people really didn't know what it took to kill a deer cleanly. :)
 
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Paul Fitz Jones

New member
32-20 caliber rifles

I have a 32-20 martini and have it converted to .357 magnum and it is a great shooter. I have had a half dozen 32-20s like them sold now. I took in trade sight unseen for a mauser I had $25 in for a 32-20 1895 marlin with beautiful case hardening on the frame. I kept it for 35 years til I took it to a gun show in 1998 and a dealer grabbed me an said he had to have it NOW. He was a collector showing off his large Marlin collection on large display boards that was complete but for one empty slot for my rifle to fit in. After some serious bargaining and him borrowing cash from all of his friends I got $1,200 cash for a 1895 marlin 32/20 half octagon half round barrel take down that stayed that way because I could not convert a takedown to .357 magnum


Paul Jones Fitz Pistol Grips
Send oor my old shooters sell out list
coffeyn1@juno.com
 
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