Have brass, commercial cast bullets, small pistol primers and powders on hand to keep all my various 32’s fed. I am down to 9.Originally Posted by Green Frog
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Have brass, commercial cast bullets, small pistol primers and powders on hand to keep all my various 32’s fed. I am down to 9.
Oh yeah.
Seen today at my LGS—a S&W 631 32 Magnum 4” kit gun. Price was a firm $995. One of the other regulars snatched it up. I doubt that it was Dale’s.
No tejano, Dale’s is accounted for and unlikely to become available any time soon. Whoever got that one in the gun shop was a lucky Texican! Most of the prices I’ve seen have been at least a couple of hundred bucks higher. I’m beginning to think this may be the ultimate “woods loafing” gun, especially if I don’t want to carry the weight of my K-framed custom 616 all day.
My attitude about the King 32 is coming much more fluid!
Froggie
"It aint easy being green!"
32 WCF aka 32-20 is the king.
Words are weapons sharper than knives - INXS
The pen is mightier than the sword - Edward Bulwer-Lytton
The tongue is mightier than the blade - Euripides
Agreed - and it can sure be jazzed up in a bolt gun or other strong action.
I will have to go with 327 due to its versatility, but, I prefer to shoot 32 s&w long. It's just a pleasure to shoot.
Don’t get me wrong, the 32-20 is a great old cartridge and a bunch of really fine guns are chambered for it, BUUUT, with the arrival of the 327 Fed Mag, we have a cartridge with all the power potential and versatility. But none of the reloading challenges or delicate brass problems. I’ll likely hold onto at least one revolver chambered for the venerable 32-20 (likely a single action) but for King of the 32 Cartridge Chamberings, I’ll have to go with the 327 with all of its top end performance while retaining the capability to accept mouse hunting rounds with no effort. In a K-frame S&W you have it all. Can you get individual cartridges that do one job very well, but like the Lord of the Rings, this is the one to “rule them all!” Long Live the King!!
Froggie
"It aint easy being green!"
If you load your own the 32 wcf is everything the 327 is and 32 s&w's and h&r and more. It is the best also with black powder. The 327 was a solution to a problem that did not exist
Words are weapons sharper than knives - INXS
The pen is mightier than the sword - Edward Bulwer-Lytton
The tongue is mightier than the blade - Euripides
I keep my eyes open locally for a .327 Bisley or GP100, pretty much a unicorn find around here. When I mention .327 at the local gun shops, people look at me like it's a different language.
For the moment I'm pretty happy with my SP101 and Henry rifle. The only thing is I bought the SP101 with a 4" barrel to get the better sights, but that makes it a tougher gun to use for concealed carry. And the whole "don't carry handloads in your carry gun" is a difficult conversation when factory ammo is just plain unavailable.
Except for the “load your own” part. The 32-20 case is infamous for loading difficulties and short reloading life. The straight wall cases load easier and last longer. Also, why bother with downloading those finicky semi-bottleneck cases to get 32 S&W velocities and performance? It’s easier to have different case lengths at your disposal for a variety of loadings.
There’s a lot of nostalgia attached to the 32-20… I own a couple myself; but the fact is, it’s been overtaken by the newcomer, the 327 Fed Mag. The king is dead, long live the king!
"It aint easy being green!"
The idea that reloading the .32 WCF is a challenge and that brass life is short is pure hog wash. I have cases on their 10th loading with stiff loads that show no signs of failure. The .32 WCF does so much and at lower pressure than the competition.
To paraphrase Ronald Reagan, the trouble with many shooting experts is not that they're ignorant; its just that they know so much that isn't so.
I'm sorry, but those deluded souls suggesting the 32-20 is all that and more in comparison to the 327 are indulging in wishful thinking. I have 3 32-20 revolvers, a Police Positive Special, an Army Special and a S&W M&P. (and I have a browning 53 carbine, too) but in no way can I assert that they are the equal of my Rugers. Except for the Browning, all of the other 32-20's pre-date WW II. Does anyone assert that they are capable of handling 45,000 PSI pressures? My 7 1/2 inch Single 7 will launch a 100 grain boolit at just shy of 1600 fps with a book load of h-110/296, and much more in a Henry Carbine. No 32-20 load in any manual I ever saw will touch that in a revolver. Now you might beat that with a 10" Contender, but there's a reason why they call those "contender only" loads. If one leaves the magnum loads to the .327, the 32-20 hasn't a look-in. And then you don't have to worry about one of your "Hot loads" getting into an antique and turning it into scrap.
No, when I want Magnum 32 performance, I run with the big dog. But when I don't need that noise and power, a gentle 32-20 is a nice thing to have.
_________________________________________________It's not that I can't spell: it is that I can't type.
A S&W 631 for $995 is a bargain in today's market. Paid way more than that for mine at the Tulsa show a few years back. That revolver has led to a couple of Single Sixes in .32 Mag. and meeting the likes of Fermin Garza and Ronnie Wells. The .32 H&R is just what we needed at this point in our hand gunning journey.
Firearm's resale value should be your children's problem.
NRA Life, USPSA # CL 58, IDPA A00556
327 Federal, 32-20, and 30 carbine all have about the same case volume, at least close enough any difference is inconsequential. Loaded the same, they all send equal weight bullets about as fast.
The only real differences are their history and their intended purpose. The 32-20 is of course the granddaddy of 32's, originally a general purpose rifle round that has stood the test of time. It happens to work good in revolvers too, and probably would have been more so if the 38 special hadn't come along.
327 Federal is just a modern 32-20. It didn't need that little extra bit of room for black powder. Every 327 federal chambered gun is made to handle full 45,000 psi loads.
The great thing is you don't have to choose. You can get an extra 32-20 cylinder for a 327 federal revolver, then all the 32's are fair game.
Well put, this.^^^^
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Never got interested in the 327 Magnum. No criticism with those that do, just my humble opinion.
I've worked with and shot several 32-30 Colt DA revolvers over the years, but I always loaded them back down with the same cast bullets to about what I was getting with the 32 S&WL so there really wasn't much, if any, difference. I used a Ruger 30 carbine for about a year and quickly learned full bore 30 Carbine loads in the revolver were not my cup of tea either. I ended loading it down so the 311316s were doing about what they would do in a Ruger 32 H&R Single Six. Thus, when I got my 32 H&R Ruger SS [1st run] with 6 1/2" barrel I had found the perfect 32 revolver/cartridge IMHO. I still really like my 32 S&WL M31 but I mostly use the Ruger SS.
As to the 327 Magnum, after seeing and hearing one firing at the range with factory loads trying to be a 357 Magnum wannabe, I quickly decided why? I would only load it down to the level of the 32 S&WL or the 32 H&R Magnum anyway so why bother? If i want a 357 Magnum revolver, I'll use one. If i want a pleasant 32 revolver to shoot I'l use either my 32 S&WL M31 or my 32 H&R Ruger SS.
Larry Gibson
“Deficient observation is merely a form of ignorance and responsible for the many morbid notions and foolish ideas prevailing.”
― Nikola Tesla
What! Why be so sensible about it! The truth is when you push on the gas they all get LOUD. It just depends on what you want but when you lean on them they all are close to the same. I like to shoot the single sixes or my Buckeye with the 32 magnum cylinder in it. Ground Squirrels hate it, there's zero recoil from that heavy Buckeye & I would never consider rechambering that cylinder to 327 like some do. I have several 327's & 32/20's if I want to wake up the dead.
Dick
Larry,
If I read your post correctly you, like my close friend Dale53, are working with insufficient information and experience. When my Project 616 arrived and we took it out to the range I happily fired away and enjoyed every round. He heard the sound, saw the flash, and felt the Earth shake and quickly declined to join me in my near religious experience. All I can say is you really owe it to yourself to try it. You may even change your mind.
“Real men shoot 327s because anything else is just a 32!”
With all possible respect,
Froggie
"It aint easy being green!"
I am of the same frame of mind as Larry. I don't own a .32 H&R Mag., but have several sturdy .32S&W Long revolvers which can be safely loaded to that level using loads which Larry tested for me. I have two Ruger Blackhawk .30 Carbine revolvers which I mostly load to .32-20 level, but can be used full snort if wanted. The gun of that pair I use the most was shortened to 5-1/4" to be handier for field use. Either of the Blackhawks can use .32-20 ammo in the .30 Carbine cylinder if cases are trimmed to 1.28".
The ENEMY is listening.
HE wants to know what YOU know.
Keep it to yourself.
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