.32 H&R Magnum

The .32 H&R Magnum is a rimmed cartridge designed for use in revolvers. It was developed in 1984 as a joint venture between Harrington & Richardson and Federal Cartridge. The .32 H&R Magnum is produced by lengthening the .32 S&W Long case by .155", to 1.075".

.32 H&R Magnum
.32 H&R Magnum (center) in comparison with .32 Smith & Wesson Long and 7.62×38mmR Nagant
TypeRevolver
Place of originUSA
Production history
DesignerH&R / Federal
Designed1982
ManufacturerFederal
Produced1983-present
Specifications
Parent case.32 S&W Long
Case typeRimmed, straight-walled
Bullet diameter.312 in (7.9 mm)
Neck diameter.337 in (8.6 mm)
Base diameter.337 in (8.6 mm)
Rim diameter.375 in (9.5 mm)
Rim thickness.055 in (1.4 mm)
Case length1.075 in (27.3 mm)
Overall length1.350 in (34.3 mm)
Primer typeSmall pistol
Ballistic performance
Bullet mass/type Velocity Energy
77 gr (5 g) Cast LFP 998 ft/s (304 m/s) 170 ft⋅lbf (230 J)
85 gr (6 g) HP 1,263 ft/s (385 m/s) 301 ft⋅lbf (408 J)
90 gr (6 g) LSWC 963 ft/s (294 m/s) 185 ft⋅lbf (251 J)
90 gr (6 g) JHP 1,227 ft/s (374 m/s) 301 ft⋅lbf (408 J)
100 gr (6 g) JHP 1,208 ft/s (368 m/s) 324 ft⋅lbf (439 J)
Source(s): Hodgdon [1]

Performance

The .32 H&R Magnum offers substantially more performance than most other .32 caliber handgun cartridges, such as the .32 ACP, and is considered an effective small-game hunting cartridge. Its higher velocity[2] offers a flat trajectory, while the light weight of the bullet results in low recoil. The older .32-20 Winchester was extremely popular in the Winchester lever- and Colt single-actions, available at the turn of the century, for small-to-medium game hunting. The .32 H&R offers near duplicate performance.

One of the .32 H&R Magnum's favorable attributes is that it offers .38 Special energy levels and allows a small-frame revolver to hold six cartridges, whereas a similarly sized revolver in .38 Special holds only five rounds. Penetration is also usually increased compared to the .38 Special with bullets of the same weight due to greater sectional density.

Maximum pressure for the .32 H&R Magnum is set at 21,000 CUP by SAAMI.[3]

The .327 Federal Magnum is based on the .32 H&R Magnum and increases performance to levels near that of the .357 Magnum.

Use

Though the .32 H&R was not designed with a particular task in mind, it is fairly well suited to small game hunting. It is also an acceptable self-defense cartridge. It is not generally considered a good "plinking" cartridge, due to high cost and poor availability of ammunition, but reloading can mitigate those issues.

Many handgun hunters use the .22 Winchester rimfire magnum with great success in hunting small to small-medium game, up to coyote-size. The .32 H&R Magnum offers increased stopping power due to its heavier bullets and larger caliber, with the added bonus that the .32 H&R magnum can be reloaded for cost savings.

In 2013, Hornady introduced a .32 H&R Magnum "Critical Defense" cartridge designed for self-defense. It propels an 80 grain FTX (flex tip), bullet at 1,150 fps muzzle velocity.[4] Buffalo Bore offers +P rated cartridges with either a 100 gr. JHP or a 130 gr. Keith hard case SWC bullets.[5]

Since the .32 H&R Magnum headspaces on the rim and shares the rim dimensions and case and bullet diameters of the shorter .32 S&W and .32 S&W Long cartridges, these shorter cartridges may be safely fired in arms chambered for the .32 H&R Magnum. However, the longer, more powerful .32 H&R Magnum cartridges can not be safely fired in arms designed for the .32 S&W or .32 S&W Long.[6]

Firearms chambered for the .32 H&R Magnum

Handguns

In addition to Harrington & Richardson, other manufacturers who have offered revolvers in .32 H&R Magnum include Dan Wesson Firearms, Charter Arms, Freedom Arms, Smith & Wesson (J and K frames), Ruger (Blackhawk, Single-Six, GP100, SP101, Ruger LCR and LCRx), and Taurus and New England Firearms (NEF).

American Derringer, Bond Arms, and Cobra Firearms offer derringers in .32 H&R Magnum, while Thompson Center Arms offered their Contender pistol in it.

Rifles

Marlin offered the Model 1894CB lever-action rifle in .32 H&R Magnum. Unlike other Marlin 1894s, the 1894CB loads from the front of the tubular 10-shot magazine, like their Model 39A rimfire rifle, and has a faster, 10% shorter throw, lever action. It has a 20" tapered octagonal barrel, an overall length of 37.5" and weighs 6.5 lbs.[7]

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See also

References
  1. .32 H&R Mag data at Hodgdon Archived 16 November 2007 at WebCite
  2. Ballistics By The Inch .32H&R results.
  3. .32 H&R Magnum data from Accurate Powder
  4. Hornady .32 H&R Magnum 80gr FTX Critical Defense
  5. "Buffalo Bore .32 H&R Magnum"
  6. Treakle, John W. American Rifleman (May 2011) p.42
  7. "Marlin Firearms - Model 1894CB". Archived from the original on 27 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
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