Estimated reading time: 0 minutes
Revolvers seem to be cool again. Somehow, the old revolving cylinder weapon has returned to the cool kids club of carry firearms. Advancements in revolvers have helped, but there is also likely fatigue for the polymer frame, 9mm, double stack, and striker-fired automatics. What’s old is new, and we have an interesting variety of new revolvers to choose from. In that same vein, we are seeing a rise in the .32 H&R Magnum round, which looks to challenge the .38 Special for carry supremacy.
Table of contents
The .38 Special has ruled the revolver market since 1898. It’s served countless generations of police officers and armed soldiers and has remained a favorite of concealed carriers. The .38 Special cartridge has long ruled the concealed carry genre. While the .357 Magnum should have eaten its lunch, it turns out small .357 Magnums aren’t all that comfortable to shoot, and the .38 Special has remained popular.
It’s the just right cartridge for concealed carry, right? Well, maybe, but what about the little .32 H&R Magnum? Could it be the replacement for the .38 Special? At least amongst concealed carriers.
Available on GunsAmerica Now
The .38 Special
.38 Special is more than a Southern rock band. It’s a cartridge that’s been kicking around since 1898. S&W developed the cartridge to add some oomph to the older .38 Long Colt. The .38 Long Colt was found to be anemic, so S&W amped it up to make it a bit faster.
The .38 Special underwent development throughout the 1920s, and various loads proved to be quite capable of being man-stoppers. The cartridge has continued to evolve and is likely the most popular revolver cartridge in the world.
The .32 H&R Magnum
The .32 H&R Magnum is a heckuva lot younger than the .38 Special. Harrington and Richardson introduced the caliber in 1984. The idea was to take the .32 S&W Long cartridge and amp it up. The old .32 S&W Long had a history of law enforcement use but was found to be inadequate in the face of armed threats.
H&R expanded the cartridge case and added a bit of powder to create a powerful but small revolver cartridge. The round waned in popularity, but with the advent of the .327 Federal Magnum, it gained some steam. Earlier this year, S&W released the 432 and 632 UC, which chambered the .32 H&R Magnum and brought additional attention to the cartridge.
Is Bigger Better?
At first glance, .38 seems a lot bigger than .32, and isn’t a bigger bullet better? If we can fit .38 Special in a gun the same size as a .32 H&R Magnum, wouldn’t it be wise to choose .38 Special? There is a bit more to it than that.
The .38 Special is a .357-inch projectile, and the .32 H&R Magnum is a .312-inch projectile. The size difference isn’t as broad as it first sounds. It’s also important to understand how handgun bullets work. Things like stopping power don’t exist with a handgun cartridge.
A handgun bullet only has one wounding mechanism, and that is direct impact. A bigger bullet creates a bigger hole. That’s fine, but the difference between most projectiles is minimal. What’s critical is penetration. A cartridge needs to penetrate deep enough to reach something vital.
The benefit .38 Special gets is a heavier cartridge. It’s bigger and can be heavier. Those big 158-grain projectiles can penetrate deeper with greater ease. The .32 H&R Magnum tops out at 100-grain bullets. Both of these projectiles can penetrate deep enough to reach the vitals. Both can even expand with a proper jacketed hollow point.
The Weight Factor
The .38 Special’s size and weight come in handy in situations where the cartridge has to penetrate deeper than normal. For example, in the 1984 Miami shooting, an FBI agent shot one of the bank robbers through the arm and into the torso. The round stopped short of the vitals because it had to go through much more flesh to reach them.
This doesn’t mean that it’s guaranteed the .38 Special will go through an arm and into a torso and reach the vitals. There are other factors to consider, but it’s more likely for the .38 Special to penetrate deeper than the .32 H&R Magnum. That’s the main benefit of choosing .38 Special over .32 H&R Magnum.
However, it’s only one consideration.
What About Capacity – .32 H&R Magnum vs .38 Special.
Revolvers don’t hold a lot of rounds. Until someone figures out how to turn a cylinder into a Tardis, the most we can hope for seems to be ten rounds, but it’s only ten if you shoot .22LR. With centerfire calibers, eight seems to be the max, with concealed carry revolvers, we get five rounds in the average gun, with some exceptions that give you six rounds.
If we compare a J-frame .38 Special with a J-frame .32 H&R Magnum the .32 H&R Magnum gets 1 extra round. Yep, 1 whole round, but the difference between five and six is nice to have. The smaller diameter rounds give one extra round which can lead to six to seven cartridges.
Recoil Matters Too
I own a 9mm snub nose and a few .38 Special snub noses, and they are a bit like pocket .380s, I don’t like shooting them. The .38 Special isn’t a harsh cartridge, but in a snubby, it’s not all that comfortable. It gets old shooting and fatigue sets in quickly while training. With the .32 H&R Mag this isn’t nearly as big as an issue.
It’s much tamer, and even the hotter defensive loadings are easy to shoot. Going with the .32 H&R Magnum makes a huge difference if you have to shoot one-handed. I’ve fired a lot more .38 Special than .32, but no matter what, I shoot the .32 H&R Magnum better. I’m faster, more accurate, and just more capable with the .32 H&R Magnum round.
Yeah, But Ammo Matters
The big issue you’ll have with the .32 H&R Magnum is that it’s a hipster round. Do you know how hipster coffees cost like 5x the normal price of coffee? Well, that’s the case with the .32 H&R Magnum rounds. You’d swear they’d be labeled ethically sourced and fair trade.
Availability is an issue as well. Walk into any gun store, and you’ll find .38 Special. That might not be the case with .32 H&R Magnum. It tends to be a little tougher to find. You’ll most likely have to rely on online sources, which leads to shipping and an even higher price.
Logistics matter, and if you can train with a .38 Special more often, then it’s going to matter more than the slight performance increase with the .32 H&R Magnum.
Read More: The Pocket Pistol and Lessons Learned Toting Them
The Guns – .32 H&R Magnum vs .38 Special
I do think if we want to make the best decision, we have to consider the gun being used. Concealed carry revolvers are dominated by the classic ‘snub’ nose revolver, specifically the J-frame-sized snub nose. For the J-Frame snub nose, I feel the .32 H&R Magnum works the best, especially if we get into the lighter-weight guns. The lighter recoil and higher capacity are quite nice for such a small gun.
If we get into a gun with a three-inch barrel, even if it is still a J-Frame, the .38 Special makes more sense. The longer barrel tames recoil and concussion and helps improve velocity for even better projectile performance. A snub nose K-Frame or medium-sized revolver is likely best as a .38 Special.
These are my thoughts. What are yours? Would you carry the hipster-approved .32 H&R Magnum or stick with the tried and true .38 Special? Let us know below.
*** Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica! ***
Travis Pike is a dedicated firearms writer, a Second Amendment Advocate, and a subject matter enthusiast for all things firearms. He is an amateur competitor with dreams of one day not coming in 4th place at a local defensive match. If he’s not putting text to word processor, he’s likely spending time with family, enjoying Florida’s Nature Coast, or drinking hipster beer. As the resident Florida man he has a preference for obscure guns and calibers.
Experience
- Hunter – Long time deer and hog hunter in the swamps of Florida
- Instructor – Volunteers to teach basic firearm safety classes to kids, adults, and cats
- Wannabe Competitor – Has recently dipped his toes into competitive shooting and has happily discovered an expensive hobby.
- Marine – Served five years with the infantry before transferring to the First Civ Div.
I when I go to a city I will usually carry a small frame revolver for back up to a 1911 or sig p220 45acp. At home here on the farm and our small towns I most generally carry a 2-1/2″ 44mag, usually loaded with 44spl. With the right IWB holster, I use a simply rugged I can cover it with a T shirt when I have to run to town for parts.
Charter Arms sold me on the Professional in .32 H&R a couple years ago. Three inch barrel, seven round cylinder. Love it!
Comparing apples to apples (e.g. FMJRN vs. FMJRN, etc.) as closely as possible, is the recoil impulse of the H&R really less than the .38?
Come on….y’all say finding ammo is a problem or expensive? Handload dammit. No you WONT save money. But you’ll do more shooting for the same amount as store bought..in general. Stop your snivilling about equipment outlay. The same people that say that think nothing of buying a $1000.00 Eye-Phoon. Priorities lads.
38 special is still the King of compact revolvers.
The problem is ammunition.
Some of us are lucky enough to have a lifetime supply used sparingly but the box store sticker price is enough to deter sufficient practice for many people.
32 H&R mag same issue x 4.
A new gun and a box of shells to keep in the drawer it matters little what it is.
As others have said, I too switched from a .38 snubbie to the .32H&R mag. It’s a tad bit lighter, less felt recoil, holds 6 rounds, and overall more pleasant to shoot and practice with. Yes, ammo is scarce and EXPENSIVE!
But hopefully since the round is making a rapid come-back, production will increase and the prices will drop. With that I also hope companies like Double Tap, Buffalo Bore, and others will develop some hotter +P versions of this cool little round. I guess I’m going to have to break out my reloading gear.
I do agree in the 32 mag capabilities, but would rather have a 327 fed to have the option for which caliber is best for each situation. More choices, 327 fed, 32 mag, 32 acp, 32 long.
The only problem with that is the .327 cylinders are longer and beefier due to higher chamber pressures, which means a larger, heavier frame. If you’re going to go that route you might as well carry a .357 mag and still be able to shoot .38 Special, long, etc., for plinking.
Modern bullets means that personal defense firearms can perform so much better than ever. The issue is shot placement. A solid hit from a 25 ACP is so much better than a miss from a 45 ACP. As an “older shooter”, a “J” frame air weight is so much harder to shoot than a standard all steel version In short, the 32 H&R magnum does have a place for many shooters. Unlike the “nightstand” 32 revolvers of yesterday, modern bullets, and in a 32 H&R/327 mag revolver, has become a viable option for anyone with strength issues. Problem is that no firearm manufacturer has considered making a modern version of the “Kit” gun. Using a 32 H&R/327 mag chambering in lieu of the 32/20 round of course.
You can also train with .32 cal. long Colt in these guns.
I went with the S&W 632UC and have not looked back. I like the weight, sights, high back grips and the extra round is a plus.
I have been using the revolver with new shooters using .32SW, .32Long and .32HR. The feedback has been very positive vs handing a 100lbs person a 2″ .38 special and watch the smile turn to a frown.
Your points are well taken, but all things considered, I’ll stick with my S&W .38 spl. airweight. True, it’s not pleasant to shoot for extended periods of time, but that’s a price I’m willing to pay for cheaper and more readily available ammo and a round which has stood the test of time. The one extra round feature isn’t a significant factor in my consideration. YMMV.
This and the .327 Magnum are excellent bets when it comes to close-range protection. I like most .32 revolvers and automatics. Everyone sneers at the Walther PP and Colt M1903 work every well.