Poll: The 32 Retinue

[Green Frog]

Believe it or not, I’m more comfortable in the water breathing compressed air in warm salt water than anywhere else other than the rifle range…and of course church! In fact, the beauty of a tropical dive approaches a religious experience. It’s hard to find anything that approaches the peace and joy I find relaxing by a coral reef and watching the fish go by.
Froggie

[rintinglen]

Fish eat frogs--just saying. Be careful down there.

[Combat Diver]

You become part to the food chain. Was reloading some .32 Long and H&R till this cold hit me this week

[Green Frog]

Fortunately, sharks & ‘cudas have never seen a frog, and with my gear on, I look like I’m 7-8 ft long and just as big as the shark, so I get professional courtesy. I’ve just gotta move smoothly and like I know what I’m doing and they treat me as an equal.
Froggie

[jreidthompson1]

Starline is taking backorder for 32-20 this morning

[Green Frog]

This is indeed good news! Usually when they open things up for backorder they are starting to produce that lot of brass (or already have!). Things got so tight around here I felt the need to swap with friend rintinglen for my last hundred... I’ve got three (or is it 18?) hungry mouths to feed. My Smith M&P, my Navy Arms Uberti SAA, and my Ruger Blackhawk with six empty chambers each are all ravenous when they come out of the safe!
Froggie

[rintinglen]

I've two of them myself, an old M&P and a slightly newer Colt Army Special, not to mention a Browning 53. I stocked up about 7 years ago when the good folks at Star Line made a run and haven't shot many since I moved here to Virginia. I'd recommend springing for as many as you think you can use. Get 'em while you can, because there's no telling when next they'll be available.

[Gtek]

Starline has the brass as of now.

[rintinglen]

On a different note, I picked up another of the pre-war pocket pistols that have caught my interest in the last couple of years. I got an Ortgies in 32 at a very reasonable 235 bucks. It has a broken firing pin (dry firing striker fired pistols is not ever a good idea.) As soon as I get a new one in from Numrich Arms, I'll see about getting it working.

[uscra112]

The Ortgies I bought at an estate auction also had a broken firing pin! One of the few times Numrich has come through with a serviceable part for me.

The Ortgies is the most annoying pistol I've ever owned! If you haven't taken it apart yet, I warn you to have it in a containment (bag or blanket) when you lift the slide off, because the striker spring will eject itself and the guide rod with considerable force. Getting it back together is tricky, too. I finally drilled a little hole in the grip safety so I could insert a paper-clip to pin it in the "safe" position while refitting the slide. And the "detent" in the slide that's supposed to hold the spring and guide rod during re-assembly doesn't work worth a darn in mine.

Numrich also yielded spare striker springs. I recommend you have at least two spares. I looked all over for a generic spring that would fit, and failed to find one. I made 2 new guide rods for the "possibles kit", too.

/rant

[rintinglen]

The Ortgies I bought at an estate auction also had a broken firing pin! One of the few times Numrich has come through with a serviceable part for me.

The Ortgies is the most annoying pistol I've ever owned! If you haven't taken it apart yet, I warn you to have it in a containment (bag or blanket) when you lift the slide off, because the striker spring will eject itself and the guide rod with considerable force. Getting it back together is tricky, too. I finally drilled a little hole in the grip safety so I could insert a paper-clip to pin it in the "safe" position while refitting the slide. And the "detent" in the slide that's supposed to hold the spring and guide rod during re-assembly doesn't work worth a darn in mine.


/rant

I didn't even bother with the detent--I couldn't get it to hold either. I depressed the lot with a punch while holding the frame in a padded vise and while earnestly wishing for a third hand, finagled it back together. Without the vise, I don't know how you could put it back together: without the striker spring to hold it to the rear, the grip safety goes forward in a strong breeze and blocks the slide from dropping down into place.

[uscra112]

After pinning the grip safety to the rear, I worry the slide assembly on. It won't drop down all the way. Then I use a jeweler's screwdriver to push the spring guide forward until it drops in front of the finger on the grip safety. NOW the slide can drop all the way into position.

What is it about Germans that they design stuff like this? When I was rebuilding on BMW motorcycle engines and transmissions in the 1960s, we grimly joked that the set of special tools weighed more than the engine did. Sachs two-stroke engines, ditto.

[RJM52]

Lipsey's talked S&W into the ultimate .32 H&R snubbie...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24b7MvVaL4I

Buy now or cry later...

[rintinglen]

Well, not yet available, but it sure looks like something I should have.

[Thundarstick]

I'll keep my 632 in 327FM thank you. Bring it back S&W!

[Green Frog]

It appears that the new offering from Lipsey’s is being made without the hated Hillary Hole, so that’s a step in the right direction. I too would have liked to see S&W chamber another revolver in 327FM, but perhaps if sales of this model are sufficiently brisk they will also consider a K327 as a Model 16-5 or 616. Ours is a fairly small cult compared to the current followers of bottom stuffers in 9mm and 40 or 45 cal, so there will have to be a big swing in the market for S&W and Lipsey’s to develop an interest in such a release.
Froggie

[rintinglen]

Sadly, I must agree with the Froggie one about the likelihood of a 327 S&W snubbie making a resurgence in my lifetime. But I am going to keep my eye out for this one. I think one could easily make my EDC rotation.

[mobilemail]

I'm on board with Froggie and Thundarstick. Before COVID when all ammo was abundant, 32H&R was the only thing harder for me to find on the shelf than 327FM. And seeing that 327 is only 1/8" longer than 32H&R, it makes sense to me to go ahead and chamber for 327 and let the shooter decide which ammo to use. It's not like any accuracy difference between 327 and 32 from a 2" gun is going to be a huge issue.

I'm still looking at the Taurus 327 snubbie and deciding if that or an 856 in .38 special would make the most sense for me. I know you are all yelling at the screen, "one of each!!!"

[TXTad]

I'm on board with Froggie and Thundarstick. Before COVID when all ammo was abundant, 32H&R was the only thing harder for me to find on the shelf than 327FM. And seeing that 327 is only 1/8" longer than 32H&R, it makes sense to me to go ahead and chamber for 327 and let the shooter decide which ammo to use. It's not like any accuracy difference between 327 and 32 from a 2" gun is going to be a huge issue.

I'm still looking at the Taurus 327 snubbie and deciding if that or an 856 in .38 special would make the most sense for me. I know you are all yelling at the screen, "one of each!!!"

I agree, but note that the .327 has a max pressure exactly double that of the .32 H&R at 42,000 psi vs 21,000 psi.

Can aluminum J frames handle that?

[mobilemail]

I wondered the same thing. I thought there were some airweight .357s, but maybe they were just .38.