There was a time when the various .32-caliber revolver cartridges were considered entirely adequate defensive options. When Smith & Wesson introduced its then-new medium-framed Hand Ejector revolvers, they did so with chamberings in .32-20 Winchester. The third most popular chambering for the Colt Single Action Army (SAA) was, again, .32-20. However, the .38 Special got the nod from law enforcement, so the .32s were soon after relegated to the dusty shelves of history. Federal aimed to change that.
Federal has taken two paths to that end, and the first involves improving the performance of the older of the two: .32 H&R. Yes, it’s called the “H&R Magnum,” but I just can’t bring myself to use “magnum.” H&R left so much potential on the table. The .32 H&R is limited to a maximum average pressure (MAP) of 21,000 pounds per square inch (psi) — just slightly above the .38 Special +P at 20,000 psi. Federal did that because the revolvers H&R made in the early 1980s couldn’t safely handle more. Federal has to stick with that, since exceeding those pressures would mean it’s no longer technically a “.32 H&R Magnum.” Fortunately, bullet technology has advanced greatly since the Reagan era, so advancements come from bullet development.
.32 H&R Magnum
The first box I tested (of the embarrassingly large amount of ammo sent to me) contained Federal’s Champion 95-grain semi-wadcutter (SWC) bullet. It’s called a “semi-wadcutter,” but it’s really a rounded flat-point with a large meplat profile. It delivers good penetration while not hammering your wrist. The meplat offers increased temporary cavity potential versus a round-nose design, but the flat-point is known for delivering penetration. In the .32s, that seems to be something people worry about not having enough of. So, if you want penetration, you can count on that in the 95-grain semi-wadcutter.
The second box held Federal’s Personal Defense 95-grain jacketed hollowpoint (JHP). If you want expansion, this is the one to choose. You can’t expect as much penetration from a JHP as you can from a bullet such as the 95-grain lead (L)-SWC, because you are expending some energy expanding the bullet.
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I tested both .32 H&R cartridges in the latest hot revolver: The Smith & Wesson Model 432 in .32 H&R Magnum. This is a J-frame, hammerless model. S&W makes the same revolver chambered in .38 Special, and I’ve owned that version for a couple of decades. It’s the kind of emergency tool you’re glad to have — and hope you don’t need. Why? Because it’s not fun to shoot. Chambering it in .32 H&R, though, does two things: First, it’s actually fun to shoot. Second, it bumps capacity from five to six rounds. Shooting the 432 — despite being double-action-only (DAO) — was fun. It did require extra effort to shoot photographically acceptable groups, though. Fortunately, I had plenty of ammo to indulge.
.327 Federal Magnum
Of course, there’s only so much even Federal can do within the limitations of the .32 H&R Magnum, so it looked to improve on it the only way it could: A new cartridge. Following the pattern of previous upgrades — such as the .38/.357 and the .44 Special/Magnum — Federal lengthened the case and increased the operating pressure. Making new cases was easy, as Federal makes literally tons of brass cases each year. The H&R at 1.075 inch doesn’t call for much extra brass to reach the .327’s max of 1.200 inches. The new pressure wasn’t a problem, either. The limitation for a designer isn’t always the case but often the firearm. In this instance, the limit is case thrust. Each time you fire a round, the case presses back against the breechface. (Math alert!) The maximum value it can be is the chamber pressure multiplied by the surface area of the case head. The .38 Special +P at 20,000 psi has a maximum possible thrust of just less than 3,100 pounds. The smaller head diameter of the .32 case means that when Federal runs it at 45,000 psi, the head thrust has a maximum case thrust potential of just more than 4,900 pounds. For reference, the .357 Magnum delivers more than 5,400 pounds, and the .30-’06 Springfield more than 9,000 pounds potential maximum.
To do the initial testing, Federal needed a strong, already-existing .32 H&R revolver. For that, it selected the Ruger SP101. A tougher revolver already in a .32 chambering would be hard to find. The process required disassembly, carefully installing the cylinder in a lathe and reaming each chamber longer in turn. To distinguish it from any other .32 in the armory, the simple expedient of stamping a “7” onto the cartridge marking sufficed. (See photo on pages 62 and 63.) Federal’s ballisticians then proceeded to work out the details of lifting the .32 to .327 status.
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With extensive testing, the ballisticians settled the MAP at 45,000 psi. That’s an impressive number, but brass, steel and powders have all been improved since the unveiling of the .32 H&R in 1984. The longer case of the .327 Federal Magnum means you can’t chamber a .327 into a .32 H&R and close the cylinder, which is good. The .327 performance? Very impressive.
Federal sent four .327 loads, two from the American Eagle line and two from the Personal Defense line. The two American Eagle loads are both jacketed soft points (JSP). Considering the velocities the .327 can easily generate, anything but a jacketed bullet would be asking for a heavily leaded barrel. The light bullets are below the weights that a 9mm Parabellum uses, but the heavier ones are within the 9mm weight range, so we can make a fair comparison. In comparison, the 9mm suffers. You might think, Oh, it’s just a .32. How much velocity can it deliver? Well, how does a 100-grain JSP at 1,350 feet per second (fps) sound? The one that really opened my eyes was the Personal Defense 104-grain JHP with a blistering 1,421 fps measurement. No, really. I was so surprised to see that come up on the chrono that I shot two more velocity tests and read “1412” and “1419” fps.
Now, performance like that does not come without a cost. You will feel the recoil of a 104-grain bullet leaving your vicinity at Mach 1.27. You will notice the muzzle blast of a cartridge with a MAP of 45,000 psi. That’s the price of performance, and it’s still much like that of a .38 Special +P load, but with an extra round in the cylinder.
At The Range
In testing, the two revolvers were quite different. They were both a bit more work than your general revolver might be. The S&W because it’s DAO, and the Ruger because it’s running the .327 Federal Magnum. Keeping the sights aligned all the way through the DAO stroke on the S&W required focus, and ignoring the muzzle blast of the .327 required a zen-like state of mind.
For terminal performance, I did some quick testing of the two cartridges at my home range. If I wanted to do the FBI tests, I could do at least the bare gel and clothing portions, but Federal already did that. Instead, I compared them with plastic gallon water jugs, which gives a decent rule-of-thumb comparison and doesn’t take up an entire week of effort. Interestingly, the .32 H&R Magnum with the Personal Defense 85-grain JHP, and the .327 with the Hydra-Shok 85-grain JHP penetrated to the same depth. The conversion to gel indicates about 14 inches of penetration, and when I checked with Federal, that’s in the ballpark of what it was producing with bare gel and heavy clothing in the FBI protocols. The .32 H&R 95-grain L-SWC did a lot better in penetration, so if the 14 inches of the JHP seems a bit too close to the FBI minimum, then the 95-grain load is a clear choice. The .32 H&R expansion isn’t an “Oh wow!” mushroomed bullet, but it does expand. There’s only so much you can do with a barrel less than 2 inches and a measured velocity of 897 fps. Federal is staffed with excellent engineers and ballisticians — not magicians. The .327 Federal Magnum Hydra-Shok 85-grain expanded into a mushroom. The performance was almost enough to brag about.
The really interesting one as to penetration was the American Eagle .327 85-grain JSP. The test round went through my last six remaining gallon jugs and exited the last with so much velocity I saw the dirt splash on the backstop when it hit. If I was looking for penetration in the .327, that would be my starting point.
The .32s have gotten a bad rap for a long time. To a certain extent, deservedly so. That’s no longer the case. If you want a lightweight, compact carry revolver that is not a beast to shoot, then the Smith & Wesson 432 in .32 H&R Magnum fed with Federal ammunition is a viable choice. As a backup or a lightweight main gun carried in deep concealment, the 432 is an excellent choice. If the ballistics of the .32 H&R are not enough for you, then the .327 is certainly more than enough, and the Federal loads perform.
There. You get better-than-9mm or .38 Special +P performance in a compact revolver and six shots in the cylinder. That, plus speedloaders for your reload, and you are running old-school. Or, carry both revolvers and, when the Ruger is empty, do a “New York Reload” and switch to the S&W. There was a saying that cropped up in the old days concerning the various .32s. “Friends don’t let friends carry mouse guns.” That may have been true once, but it isn’t the case today. To steal an advertising line from Buick: “These aren’t your granddad’s .32s.”
Sound Off!
Do you think the .32 deserves some more recognition, or is there another caliber that deserves a similar modernization effort? Let us know by emailing your thoughts to gaeditor@outdoorsg.com with the subject line “Sound Off”.
We also sat down with Mr. Sweeny and Federal Premium’s Christopher Laack to discuss this topic in-depth on the Guns & Ammo Buzz Podcast! Give it a listen here.
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