32 smith and wesson to 32 HR Mag

[ra_balke]

I have a 32 smith and wesson, model 30. 3in bbl
I want to re chamber to 32 HR Mag.

I have a cylinder new from Numrich.

How much trouble is it to do the job myself ?
Do I need a special jig ?

I was thinking about building a stright line turning tool, and cutting each chamber by hand, with the cyl, in a vice. .... ?

Suggestions ?


can anyone suggest a gunsmith who would want the job ?

Thanks

[Bret4207]

First question is why? The 32 S+W Long can be loaded up to well over a 1K fps as is. Second, is your extractor rod going to be long enough? I'm not clear if you are doing a second cylinder or the one that's one the gun. If you're doing a 2nd, then the big question will be lock up. Will the hand and locking bolt leave the cylinder in line with the bore? That is where the tricky part comes in.

[ra_balke]

Hummm.. well, actually, I want it as a carry gun with my carry licence.

I can load up the 32 s&w Hot, but if I ever have to shoot anyone, I do not want to be convicted for using hot loads.

If I use 32 hr mag ammo in a 32 hr mag cyl, I should be better off.

I am not looking to hurt anyone, but if I must shoot, I want to be able to drop a bad man, with a well placed shot.

Still, I wonder how to do the job ?

Do I need to chuck it into a 4 jaw of my lathe ? Or, can I simply lube it good with cutting oil, and cut the chamber by hand with the reamer,,, with a stright line hand tool ?

thanks

[Echo]

I wouldn't. The 'special high-power load conviction' is mostly a myth, or so I hear. Load the .32's hot and hope you don't have to use them.

[Bret4207]

Agree with Echo. If you're worried about "using hot loads" then isn't going to a "MAGNUM" the same thing? If using a 32 for defense I'd stick with a nice WC or FP and stay away from meth labs, drug deals and other peoples spouses.

As for the actual conversion, with a piloted reamer it can be done by hand.

[Harry O]

When I took my concealed carry license shooting test, I used my J-frame S&W 631 (with a 4" barrel & adjustable sights) in .32 Magnum. There was a guy there with a 6" barrel DA Ruger in .44 Magnum. Not very concealable.

Anyway, there was one part of the test that had a steel slap-down man-shaped target. I fired 6 shots in the chest and it did not move. The instructor said keep shooting, so I reloaded and fired 6 more shots in the head. Still didn't fall down. He then told me that he had screwed the spring device so that it wouldn't fall down, no matter what hit it. He didn't like the .32 Magnum, although there were a couple of .380 semi-autos that he left alone.

Anyway, I loaded up the .32 Long to near .32 Magnum (the lead load) cartridges for many, many years before the .32 Magnum even existed. Most of them were shot in a H&R 632 or 633 (I don't remember which). There were no problems with shooting it loose. I would doubt that you will have any problems with the gun you have. As far as rechambering it, I would doubt that that would be a problem either, but the question is: why? .32 Long cases are easier to get and cheaper than .32 Magnum cases. The only place you can get them is Starline (or shoot Federal and save the cases).

[scrapcan]

What frame would the model 30 actually be? Is it the i frame, modified i frame , or the j frame. As I understand it there are differences Just wanted to bring that up as I think one difference is the the cylinder length/frame opening length.

I have been trying to get my hands on a 32 S&W long hand ejector or numbered model for some time and we just don't see to many in my area.

[kywoodwrkr]

No one has asked about the steel properties of the new cylinder so I will.
I would be very hesitant to replace a know entity with an unknown with which I wanted to 'magnumize' my receiver/frame.
I'm currently going through the gyrations of drawing up a Ruger Super Black Hawk cylinder for my own milling.
Steel selection is a VERY important part of this.
Have you had the new cylinder tested? BHN?
Too many unknowns here for me.
JMHO

[Harry O]

I would really doubt that a S&W is weaker (steel or design) than the H&R that I shot literally thousands of hot .32 Long loads out of.

In addition, back shortly after the .32 Magnum was introduced, Numrich Gun Parts offered rechambered cylinders for the J-frame S&W, the Police Positive Colt and, the Police Positive Special Colt. The older .32 Long revolvers could be updated to new standards. Of course, they also had a number of different length .32 barrels in case they were needed also.

I have a copy of one of the gun magazine articles about a rebuild of the Police Positive Colt (which is slightly larger than the J-frame S&W). It was in Petersen's Handguns magazine in April 1990. The author says, "A quick call to Gun Parts revealed that the barrels have simply been restamped .32 Magnum, while the cylinders are stock .32 New Police which had the chambers bored out to accept the longer .32 Magnum case."

Its been done before.

[Bret4207]

I have been trying to get my hands on a 32 S&W long hand ejector or numbered model for some time and we just don't see to many in my area.

Me too, or Harrys 631.

[9.3X62AL]

If I was in your position, I would opt for handloading to achieve the power upgrade instead of reaming out the revolver's cylinder. I'm very doubtful about the horror stories concerning use of handloads for self-defense. One gun writer in particular of Middle Eastern ethnicity has dwelled on this subject at length for years, but in my years as a detective actually working homicides and armed assaults the subject of "handload vs. factory load" never came up during any point of the many cases I was part of. Not even on the radar.

[crazy mark]

I have a 632 and 732 H&R in 32 Long. I also have a SP101 in 32 Mag. I like shooting the H&R's more than I do the SP101. The SP101 is one of my carry and travel guns. I don't load the 32 longs to max but pretty close. They seem to do OK out to 50 yds. I'm not one to rechamber or such myself. I could do it but I'd rather pay an expert. I keep watching for the 32 longs but the last 3 I have seen all had problems. The H&R's I have were closet queens that a family sold off when their owner died. Mark

[edlmann]

If I was in your position, I would opt for handloading to achieve the power upgrade instead of reaming out the revolver's cylinder. I'm very doubtful about the horror stories concerning use of handloads for self-defense. One gun writer in particular of Middle Eastern ethnicity has dwelled on this subject at length for years, but in my years as a detective actually working homicides and armed assaults the subject of "handload vs. factory load" never came up during any point of the many cases I was part of. Not even on the radar.

That is the sort of thing that would come up in any subsequent wrongful death lawsuit.

[Bret4207]

There has only been 1 case I can find where a handload played a role in the proceedings and IMO any decent attorney could have gotten the proper testing done of he'd tried. Of you know of actual cases where handloads have made a difference please let us know. For goodness sakes don't tell me about anything Mas Ayoob said, I asked him directly and he dodged the question repeatedly.

[Four Fingers of Death]

I wouldn't want to carry a gun that had been modified unless it was done by an expert and I would use the best quality factory ammo. Not a good time to be saving money, if you don't have confidence with the 32 as it is, I'd be buying a new gun. Ther 32 is a nice round, but I think I'd rather have a five shot 38 than a six shot 32.

In my opinion (like bums, everyone's got one :) ) a carry gun should be one that you could bet your life on, cause you may have to one day.

If you go with a 32 or a 32 mag, I'd be buying a 1000 brass cases and a spare gun to practice with, you wouldn't want to be sloppy with a 32.

Four Fingers.

[Larry Gibson]

I agree with most all here. I have two .32 H&Rs (Ruger SS and 10" Contender) and have had several others mostly S&Ws. I also have had several S&W M30's and still have a M30 with 3" barrel. The M30 in .32 S&WL can be safely loaded to 1000+ fps or so with 90 gr swaged lead, or cast, SWCs (check the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook under the 92 gr 313226). That equals the Federal .32 H&R factory 90 gr lead bullet load out of my 6" barreled Ruger SS. I also was a LEO for 18+ years and never heard of anyone being convicted for using handloads. The criteria for use of deadly physical force is pretty stringent and doesn't cover handloads. Some might take note that Mas was a dealer for Corbon ammo when he started that myth (not that I'm insinuating anything here but it sure appears he had other "interests").

Anyways I and my wife carry the little M30 and always use such handloads. I don't worry about handloads in that revolver or any firearm I'd use for "carry" or self defense. It is a non-issue. You might also want to consider the standard WC .32 S&WL load. The little ubiqious WC loads terminal performance is all out of proportion to it's velocity as is a .38 Special WCs. Has to do with the soft lead and fullet caliber meplat. The Speer 98 gr WC over 2.1 gr Bullseye runs 722 fps out of my 3" M30, is accurate and easy to shoot. It kills small critters ever bit as quickly as the SWCs at higher velocity.

Larry Gibson

[Clark]

After lots of experimenting, wasted time, and stuck cases, I have found two hot loads for the 32 S&W Long that I like.
They do tend to blow the forcing cone out of Colt Pocket Positive revolvers.
If the forcing cone is TIG welded and re cut thicker, that is the end of the problem:
A) 6.5 gr 800X 85 gr Hornady, 1.29", easy out
B) 13 gr LIL'GUN 85 gr HNDY, 1.29", easy out, case full, lower pressure
sign on primer.
Recoil and primer signs about the same in two above and are both high
recoil and low pressure.

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I have converted a number of 38 Special revolvers to 357 mag.
A few twists of the wrist with with a .380" strait fluted reamer and the longer cases drop in.

If your cylinder is long enough for 32 H&R mag factory loaded ammo, this might be done likewise. Looking at the SAAMI chamber drawings, the size of $17 straight fluted reamer to get would be .340".