CBA member Ed Harris, in his continuing series of "Dangerously Close to the Beltway" articles, wrote this article for Fouling Shot #141, Sept/Oct of 1999.
An ideal small game round should down rabbits, groundhogs, or squirrels in their tracks without tearing them up, be precise to shoot the heads off grouse to 25 yards, be flat shooting and accurate enough for body shots to at least 50 yards and still have adequate energy for the occasional wild turkey, marauding feral dog, rabid fox or raccoon. It should also be easy to reload, eco-nomical of powder and lead, with components being both plentiful and inexpensive.
In my opinion, a .22 LR rimfire handgun simply doesn’t cut it on small game, though it is far better than throwing rocks. High velocity solids don’t anchor small game positively. Long rifle and .22 WMR hollow-points usually make furburgers of pot meat. Subsonic .22 LR HPs, .22 WRF and WMR solids do fairly well, but are expensive when you do find them.
Today’s handgunners don’t think much of the .32 S&W Long, but it deserves a serious look in the trail gun category because it is still a very useful cartridge. Factory loads are unimpressive but accurate, either a 98-gr. lead roundnosed or hollow-based wadcutter at about 720 f.p.s. Handloaded, the .32 Long has great potential, equal to the famed .32-20 Winchester. Until the .32 H&R Magnum came around, the .32-20 WCF was the best small game load ever invented. It drove a 100-gr. soft-point or lead, flatnosed bullet about 1050 f.p.s. from a 6” revolver.
Prior to introduction of the .32 H&R Magnum, I used the S&W Model 31, Colt Police Positive and Officer’s Model Target .32 revolvers, which are all safely coaxed to standard velocity .32-20 levels.
The big problem with the .32-20 is that guns or ammo aren’t easy to find, the thin brass is fragile andrevolvers chambered for it aren’t as accurate as similar models in .32 Long or .38 Special.
Some owners of .32 H&R Magnum revolvers use .32 S&W longs in them just as we ordinarily use .38 Specials in a .357 Magnum. This works just fine. A Ruger Single Six or S&W Model 31 makes a handy and accurate trail gun. Brass for the .32 S&W Long is more common and less expensive than for the .32 H&R Magnum. In .32 H&R Mag. revolvers you can use loads which are a bit heavier than factory .32 Longs, but which are safely within the design limits of modern .32 revolvers. All load data which follows, unless stated otherwise, it suitable only for post-war, solid frame guns such as the Smith & Wesson Model 31, Colt Police Positive Special and modern .32 Magnums, such as the Ruger Single-Six.
Cast lead flat-nosed or semi-wadcutter bullets from 80 to 115 grains make the best non-destructive small game loads and are accurate from 800 to 1050 f.p.s. Proper bullet diameter for .32 S&W Long revolvers is .312-.313.” Check cylinder throat diameter, because modern Rugers run as small as .310” and pre-1950 S&Ws may run as large as .314.” Always size lead revolver bullets to pass through the cylinder throats with slight resistance when dropped into the chambers and pushed from the chamber end with a pencil eraser and hand pressure only. Hornady’s .312” diameter 90-gr. SWC is similar in shape to the H&G #65, is accurate in most .32 revolvers and can stand magnum velocities. The Speer 100-gr. hollowbased wadcutter is suitable only for target loads up to 700-830 f.p.s.
I have standardized .32 S&W handloads for my Ruger Single Six, a re-barreled and re-cylindered S&W Model 15 in .32 Long and my .32 Colt Officers Model Target. My .32 Long handloads worked up for the Colt also shoot well in the Ruger and the S&W.
My favorite cast bullet for the .32 Long and .32 H&R Magnum is the Saeco 100-gr. SWC, which is a miniature Keith type. I recently obtained an LBT 105-312-FNBB which shows great promise and may indeed surpass the Saeco! In .32 Long brass my most accurate load is 2.6 grs. of SR-7625 for 800 f.p.s., or 2.5 of Alliant Bullseye for 850 in a 4-5/8” barrel, both being nice “bunny poppers,” a bit warmer than factory, though still safe in old solid frame, but not older top-break revolvers.
An ideal small game round should down rabbits, groundhogs, or squirrels in their tracks without tearing them up, be precise to shoot the heads off grouse to 25 yards, be flat shooting and accurate enough for body shots to at least 50 yards and still have adequate energy for the occasional wild turkey, marauding feral dog, rabid fox or raccoon. It should also be easy to reload, eco-nomical of powder and lead, with components being both plentiful and inexpensive.
In my opinion, a .22 LR rimfire handgun simply doesn’t cut it on small game, though it is far better than throwing rocks. High velocity solids don’t anchor small game positively. Long rifle and .22 WMR hollow-points usually make furburgers of pot meat. Subsonic .22 LR HPs, .22 WRF and WMR solids do fairly well, but are expensive when you do find them.
Today’s handgunners don’t think much of the .32 S&W Long, but it deserves a serious look in the trail gun category because it is still a very useful cartridge. Factory loads are unimpressive but accurate, either a 98-gr. lead roundnosed or hollow-based wadcutter at about 720 f.p.s. Handloaded, the .32 Long has great potential, equal to the famed .32-20 Winchester. Until the .32 H&R Magnum came around, the .32-20 WCF was the best small game load ever invented. It drove a 100-gr. soft-point or lead, flatnosed bullet about 1050 f.p.s. from a 6” revolver.
Prior to introduction of the .32 H&R Magnum, I used the S&W Model 31, Colt Police Positive and Officer’s Model Target .32 revolvers, which are all safely coaxed to standard velocity .32-20 levels.
The big problem with the .32-20 is that guns or ammo aren’t easy to find, the thin brass is fragile andrevolvers chambered for it aren’t as accurate as similar models in .32 Long or .38 Special.
Some owners of .32 H&R Magnum revolvers use .32 S&W longs in them just as we ordinarily use .38 Specials in a .357 Magnum. This works just fine. A Ruger Single Six or S&W Model 31 makes a handy and accurate trail gun. Brass for the .32 S&W Long is more common and less expensive than for the .32 H&R Magnum. In .32 H&R Mag. revolvers you can use loads which are a bit heavier than factory .32 Longs, but which are safely within the design limits of modern .32 revolvers. All load data which follows, unless stated otherwise, it suitable only for post-war, solid frame guns such as the Smith & Wesson Model 31, Colt Police Positive Special and modern .32 Magnums, such as the Ruger Single-Six.
Cast lead flat-nosed or semi-wadcutter bullets from 80 to 115 grains make the best non-destructive small game loads and are accurate from 800 to 1050 f.p.s. Proper bullet diameter for .32 S&W Long revolvers is .312-.313.” Check cylinder throat diameter, because modern Rugers run as small as .310” and pre-1950 S&Ws may run as large as .314.” Always size lead revolver bullets to pass through the cylinder throats with slight resistance when dropped into the chambers and pushed from the chamber end with a pencil eraser and hand pressure only. Hornady’s .312” diameter 90-gr. SWC is similar in shape to the H&G #65, is accurate in most .32 revolvers and can stand magnum velocities. The Speer 100-gr. hollowbased wadcutter is suitable only for target loads up to 700-830 f.p.s.
I have standardized .32 S&W handloads for my Ruger Single Six, a re-barreled and re-cylindered S&W Model 15 in .32 Long and my .32 Colt Officers Model Target. My .32 Long handloads worked up for the Colt also shoot well in the Ruger and the S&W.
My favorite cast bullet for the .32 Long and .32 H&R Magnum is the Saeco 100-gr. SWC, which is a miniature Keith type. I recently obtained an LBT 105-312-FNBB which shows great promise and may indeed surpass the Saeco! In .32 Long brass my most accurate load is 2.6 grs. of SR-7625 for 800 f.p.s., or 2.5 of Alliant Bullseye for 850 in a 4-5/8” barrel, both being nice “bunny poppers,” a bit warmer than factory, though still safe in old solid frame, but not older top-break revolvers.
For a flatter shooting load in the Ruger I bump charges up to 3.5 grs. of SR-7625 for 1035 f.p.s. in the 4-5/8” Ruger and 1087 in the 6” Colt. You can also use up to 3.0 grs. of Bullseye or 3.5 grs. of W231 to approach 900 f.p.s. A charge of 3.5-4.0 grs. of Unique has similar ballistics and shoots well in strong guns, but don’t exceed 2.8 grs. of Unique in pre-war solid frames.
If your chosen .32 trail gun will shoot under 2-inch 25-yard groups with a 100-gr. flatnosed lead bullet at velocities from 800 to 1050 f.p.s., the basics of a crackerjack trail gun are there. If the particular revolver weighs about 2 pounds or so, so much the better. A 4” barrel is enough, if you have good eyesight. The Ruger 4-5/8” barreled .32 Magnum Single Six is just about ideal. The effect of barrel length upon accuracy is insignificant for field use, if you can see the sights.
If your chosen .32 trail gun will shoot under 2-inch 25-yard groups with a 100-gr. flatnosed lead bullet at velocities from 800 to 1050 f.p.s., the basics of a crackerjack trail gun are there. If the particular revolver weighs about 2 pounds or so, so much the better. A 4” barrel is enough, if you have good eyesight. The Ruger 4-5/8” barreled .32 Magnum Single Six is just about ideal. The effect of barrel length upon accuracy is insignificant for field use, if you can see the sights.
A nice vintage box of Remington-UMC .32 S&W Long cartridges.