I was recently given a 5 shot, 32 S&W revolver (not 32 S&W LONG) by my grandfather. He was given this gun by his brother before his death in 1982. I was wondering if anyone knew anything in particular about this gun. It is an H & R Firearms (Harrington & Richardson) Young America Safety Hammer model, with pull-pin chamber release. I've done a bit of research on this weapon, but all the examples of it I see online have the manufacturers name, address and/or caliber stamped on the left side of the barrel. The left side of this little guy's 2 inch barrel has no markings whatsoever. It doesn't appear that these markings have been worn/scratched off either because the metal is extremely shiny and the same thickness as the rest of the barrel. The barrel itself is octagonal. The gun is in pristine condition, and seems to be manufactured at the latest in 1941. Does any one cast/reload for this gun? Does anyone know any facts about this gun? I would like to know as much as possible, kind of like tracing back family history. Thanks very much. -Aaron
32 S&W
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- Last Post 24 March 2010
These guns aren't very strong or very well made. I would keep it as an heirloom and not shoot it unless it is tight and in mechanically perfect condition. Even then I would shoot it only occasionally with light loads approximating the factory stuff. You could use .32 ACP dies and load about 1.5 grains of Bullseye with a 80-90 grain lead bullet. Best results would be with soft lead bullets sized .313-.314".
73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia
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Thanks for the info, Ed. I might pop a round or two off just for kicks, then retire it for good. Gramps had half a box of some Remington 32 S&Ws. It is in perfect working order. It also looks fantastic. I was really shocked by how old it is.
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neat little gun. usta load for a S&W top break in the same cal. i used a 92gr cast bullet and 1.0gr of bullseye. about half the pop of a factory load. What Ed said. m
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I have had many of those and shot them all.they were well made guns and meany thousands were made before WW2. Thats call a “cylinder pin."the new guns were pull pins as they were swing out cylindersI have a new type in the shop.the factory loads are safe for the guns,as they were never increased.I load for a S&W “I” frame.we used to shoot 32acp in them.the company is still in business but Marlin bought them a fer yrs ago and Rem owns them all. :coffee
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A small word of caution: the only time I've been struck by a bullet was from a .32 S&W fueled with a smidgeon (40 years dims the memory of how much) of Red Dot and an 80 gr. bullet. Bounced back off of a telephone pole from 15 feet away and hit me in the shin. Didn't even make a black and blue mark.
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That's pretty crazy. I'm trying to decide whether or not it's worth it to buy a set of dies and a mold to reload this guy. I keep going back and forth. I guess I could buy the .32 ACP dies and use those, like Ed said. I don't own a .32 ACP, but if I ever buy one I guess I'd have the dies for that too. I also read somewhere that I could use .32S&W long brass, but just trim it down to .32S&W case length. -Aaron
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A good set of .32 ACP dies is well worth having. I have a set of RCBS .32 ACP dies with carbide sizer. Besides using these to load .32 ACP, I use them to load .32 S&W, .32 S&W Long, and .32 H&R Magnum. I also use them to neck size only and load .32-20, .30-30, .30-40 and 7.62x54R. Only the neck of the rifle case goes into the .32 ACP die and it works fine. I had a local machinist make a “standoff ring” from a piece of mild steel which has a 1 inch long male threaded 7/8-14 section which screws into the press yoke with 5/8 inch through-hole, and a female 7/8-14 thread inside the tube, which provides a 1-1/2” standoff between the shell holder at the top of its stroke and the base of the .32 ACP die when finger-snugged into the stand-off adapter. Enables you to neck size almost any rifle case.
The .32 ACP expander plug works perfectly as a cast bullet mouth expander for all .30 and .303 rifles, and I use it for all of them.
73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia
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I have 32 long and 32 ACP dies. I assumed the 32 ACP was a bit smaller dia. I loaded some 32 ACP bullets in 32 long cases and I could turn them with my finger's after crimping. According to Lyman there's about a .001 difference. Those bullets didn't shoot very well.
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Main reason for loose .32 ACP bullets in .32 Long brass is that the .32 Long expander plug is probably .311 whereas the .32 ACP plug is generally .309. But you are right the short 71-gr. FMJ bullets don't shoot very well in a .32 S&W Long revolver because the typical .311-.312 jacketed bullets are undersized for the typical .314 cylinder throats of these guns.
The most accurate cast bullet I have found in the .32 ACP are the NEI #82 shortened to 88 grains, removing the GC heel, lower band and lube groove, leaving only two driving bands and one grease groove. This bullet casts a nice large .303 bore riding nose which is lightly engraved by the rifling, has .314 bands and a .195 diameter meplat. When loaded in .32 ACP brass at 0.96-0.97 OAL the shank of the bullet intrudes into the powder space no more than the factory 71-gr. FMJ.
73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia
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Well, it sounds like purchasing the .32 ACP dies might be a good idea after all. You're saying that I could neck size the 7.62x54r and also use the expander to bell the case neck? If that's the case, could I also use the .32ACP bullet seating die to seat the bullet in my 7.62x54r? All I would have to do is purchase a shell holder for the 7.62x54r case. This sounds like it's right up my alley.
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Shot this gun today with some old Remington factory ammo. Pretty fun little plinker. Still trying to decide whether or not to buy the dies and mold. After what Ed said, it is very tempting.
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You might get lucky and find a Lyman 310 Tool in .32 ACP, complete with handles as I did. It works just fine and the short case make resizing not as difficult as it is with .38 Spl or one of the .44's. Regards, Rodfac
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This target fited at 10 yards from H&R 732 with 2-1/2” barrel, NEI 115-grain #82 bullet and 2.5 grains of Bullseye, sandbagged. Would make an OK trapper's gun.
73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia
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Does anybody make .32 S&W brass by shortening the .32 ACP case? My breaktop shoots longs, so I'm tempted to just put short loads in ACP cases. If they had enough oomph to cock my CZ but not too strong for the breaktop, I'd have a do-all load.
Why for do we suppose the .32 ACP has a rim, anyway? /images/emoticons/134.gif
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