32 H&R Magnum vs. .38 Special

[danny]

How does .32 H&R Magnum stack up against .38 Special? I imagine myself using a revolver for fun at the range and it being "something different", as well as possibly using it now and again to maybe handgun hunt small game and Groundhogs. I know someone is going to try throwing .357 Magnum in, but for this scebario, I am not considering it. As far as "something different" is concerned, I have just about 0 time with .38 Special, so to me, this is also a different cartrigde to me.

Danny

[bushog]

Can’t go wrong with either….. Hunting groundhogs maybe the .32 would be better but you need a .38 Special somewhere… like a Smiff M14 or M15

[bigbore5]

I hunt ground hogs with both. The 32 has a little flatter trajectory than even hot 38-44 loads when loaded to it's potential in shorter barreled guns. But when compared to the 9.5" barreled SSM, the 38 can't compete.

With max loads of #9 I can push a 95gr swc to over 1500fps from the long barrel with 3" 50yd groups. A real groundhog/coyote thumper to as far as I can hit them.

[45MAN]

I THINK YOU WILL FIND THE 32 MAG MORE FUN TO SHOOT, EASIER TO SHOOT AND CHEAPER TO LOAD.

[jeffh]

The current crazy marketing claims aren't new.

The 32 Mag was touted as being "as good" (maybe "better" than) as the "standard" (158 grain LRN at sedate velocity) 38 Special even when there were a lot of loads by then which proved the old LRN was a has-been. The claims were based on kinetic energy, which isn't much help or use for such comparisons. Look the use of useless facts which were used to tout the 350 Legume (ok, "Legend"). like "the fastest straight-wall cartridge," "less recoil" compared to some other completely unrelated round, etc.

None of this takes away from the 32 Mag, 350 Legend or even the 6.5 Creedmore - all made out o be so much "better" than whatever existed at the moment of their inception. It's all a distraction and drew (draws) criticism from those who are familiar with the scent of bovine fecal matter.

The 32 Mag is just a really, really neat round. The 38 Special (maligned as it may be) still carries greater mass (generally) and makes a bigger hole. BUT, the 32 Mag shoots flatter, CAN use less powder and is cute as a bug. I vote in favor of comments made so far. BOTH have their advantages and the application and one's personal preferences/skill level are the worthy criteria for selection - even if you just like one more than the other.

I chose the "38 Special" for the more more common brass, more mass/more momentum aspects, but load mine in 357 cases (which I've found MUCH easier to find and longer-lasting than 32 Mag*) and shoot them from 357 revolvers and carbines.  I can also load way up for bigger stuff too, so my choice was based on criteria which suits ONE or the OTHER, not both and over a wider spectrum.

STILL, threads like this make me want a 32 Mag revolver and carbine combo, but I'm trying to keep things simple, now that I've spent years getting things under control and managing a smaller personal battery.

*Because I was loading the 32 Mag to higher pressures to "compete/compare" with the 38 Special AND the two revolvers I had in 32 Mag did NOT have ideal dimensions.

[Ken O'Neill]

Eventually, you will want both.

[Encore64]

Oct 20, 2023 5:51:32 GMT -5 Ken O'Neill said:

Eventually, you need both.

I was just posting this when yours showed up...

Wrong forum to use the word "OR"...

[jeffh]

OK, you two!

I'm tryin' hard here to keep things simple!

I got interrupted while editing my post, so I actually do acknowledge the validity of the last two comments. They're DIFFERENT and one could easily justify BOTH without constructing flimsy rationalizations.

[Fowler]

I am a big 32/327 guy and have been for a long time, I have 38/357 not because I care about the cartridges but because so many cool classic guns came in those cartridges without being worth a silly premium.

That said it is a lot easier to love 32 cal guns if you A: reload and B: cast your own bullets. 32/327 brass is much harder to find, you won’t find bags of once fired range brass for sale cheap at any gun shop. Bullets are way harder to locate and no cheaper than 38 bullets are. Factory ammo will be more for the 32s almost always (I honestly have never bought a factory 32 cal round of any sort, doubt I’ve ever fired one).

So I am a dyed in the wool 32 cal fan and would give up my 38/357 guns long before my 32s they do come with some challenging side affects depending on your situation.

[markwell]

I only recently became a .32 H&R owner. Being a S&W Kit Gun aficionado, I bought a Model 631 at the Tulsa gun show about 4 years ago and after shooting the little bugger found the .32 H&R to be a fun cartridge. Even though we have several .38/.357 revolvers, the little .32 intrigued me and we have now completely gone down the .32 rabbit hole with 4 Single six projects. Would I give up my .38/.357 revolvers? No way! But the .32 H&Rs have been so much fun they have earned a permanent place in our battery. >32 H&R Starline brass and cast bullets have been pretty easy to find, BTW. If you want to shoot the .32 H&R very much you almost have to reload.

[Encore64]

The gun makes as much difference as the cartridge. My Clements Bisley Single Six 38 Special is a game changer...

[kevshell]

I believe everyone's responses are trending towards the 32. Between the 38 and the 32 I would be choosing the 32. I don't know what platform you have in mind however if you had the opportunity to get a 327 you would then have the flexibility of shooting four different 32 cartridges. And as some has said you can load it way down or crank it up. I have the old Hornady swaged semi-wad cutters and with a pinch of fast powder it's a reloadable 22. My first single six is just plain fun with those loads. We would put empty shotgun holes on tree branches and then back up and and pick them off. And I know a lot of guys here would stay with the cast bullets for the 32 for the top end loads but the XTPs are pretty hard to beat. And they're cheap. A stiff charge behind the 100 grain XTP in either the 32 or 327 is accurate and very flat shooting.

[ridgeline]

Oct 20, 2023 13:28:34 GMT -5 Encore64 said:

The gun makes as much difference as the cartridge. My Clements Bisley Single Six 38 Special is a game changer...

Interesting.  I was considering doing something along those lines, but I really wanted my first FA97, so I got one in 357 w/ a 38sp cylinder.

[Encore64]

Oct 20, 2023 21:27:06 GMT -5 ridgeline said:

Oct 20, 2023 13:28:34 GMT -5 Encore64 said:

The gun makes as much difference as the cartridge. My Clements Bisley Single Six 38 Special is a game changer...

Interesting.  I was considering doing something along those lines, but I really wanted my first FA97, so I got one in 357 w/ a 38sp cylinder.

Great Choice!!!

[bigbore5]

Oct 20, 2023 13:28:34 GMT -5 Encore64 said:

The gun makes as much difference as the cartridge. My Clements Bisley Single Six 38 Special is a game changer...

That is a special gun. But a normal 38sp it is not. I do love the special and my ccw's are mainly 38's.

But the purpose of the gun must be considered to decide between them.

I mainly hunt pests and predators with the 32H&R heavily loaded with a swc or hp. I've used a wide range of cartridges for this and the 32's are working out to be the best all around revolver cartridge for the task.

That said, if saving my hide from a wacko junkie is the roll, then the 38 with it's larger diameter heavier bullet would be better suited. I am decidedly not of the camp that believes some high velocity wonder cartridges perform better against people than a larger slower moving cartridge.

That opinion has been reached by first person combat experience. The 9mm has failed me miserably before, and not with ball ammo either. We were issued the 115gr jhp loads rather than the fmj's of the infantry troops. I also don't think much of the 147hp subsonic round, even out of our MP5's we had. There's a reason we were happy to trade our Sigs for the HK when it became available. I was especially jealous of the SEALs' S&W 686's, but that's another story.