Advice re .32 Centerfire Pistol

[SmithSwede]

What's the latest thinking about .32 S&W Long as a Centerfire gun for Bullseye shooting?

Years ago I saw Darius Young shoot a .32 in Houston, so I know the 50 yard accuracy is possible with the correct set-up. I don't recall what gun it was.

Which gun is recommended as the most reliable and durable? Ammo?

Are the .32s attractive in theory, but not as practical as you might suppose, due to being finicky, or not reliable in sustained fire, or something else?

Any other thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated as I am toying with the idea of buying or building a new CF pistol.

[R.M.]

As most, if not all .32s are European, they are made for 25 meter. The Europeans just don't seem to understand the deal with twist rates. The twist rate of all .32's from the factory are too slow for 50 yard shooting, and the bullet will tend to loose stability at the longer distance.
Now some people, myself included, have custom rebarreled their guns with a faster twist. I haven't done any testing with mine to see if it's any better at 50 yards yet, as I'm primarily an International shooter, but it certainly isn't any worse.at 25 meters.
There's also the disadvantage of the smaller hole in scoring to consider.
I've shot a .32 GSP for many years, and have never found it unreliable or finicky.

[Ernie Rodriguez]

I have tested Speer 32 cal HBWC in a Wilson barreled Pardini HP at 50 yds and it will hold "X" accuracy.

[Isabel (as guest)]

I watched a guy shoot an unmodified Sig Hammerli P240 on the firing point next to me at Desert Midwinter. It wasn't terrible at the 50 yard line but it wasn't very good either. Lots of tipped rounds and a much bigger spread at the 50 yard line than he had with his .22. Maybe a 7-10 point handicap per slow fire target? Isabel

[Guest]

I think the big advantage of the .32 over just using your .45 for center fire is in Rapid Fire. Much less kick and greater recovery time. That said, my .45 scores are rapidly catching up with my .22 scores in sustained fire and most have told me that shooting the .45 for center fire really helps them get a handle on it for the .45 match. I have found the same to be true. So, unless you plan to shoot primarly international, or are in a place where most of your shooting is either indoors or an 1800 type match, my advice is learn to love a good 1911 and use it for both center fire and .45. Isabel.

[James Way]

In addition to the barrel twist issue mentioned above, I have seen European shooters on Target Talk recommend low velocities for the .32 European guns (around 700 ft/sec) so as not to crack the frames over time. This is because the frames are the same as for the .22 pistols, and are often aluminum. It is very convenient for the manufacturers to use the same frame size, since a .32 wadcutter is the same length as a complete .22 long rifle cartridge.

As to why the .32 has problems at the 50 yard distance, here is another issue. This link shows bullet frontal areas for common calibers (in square inches). Notice that a .312 bullet is .076 square inches, while .357 is .1007 square inches, a 30% increase. But a .38 Special wadcutter has 50% more weight (148 grains versus 98 grains). Naturally, it retains velocity much better.

I once saw a ballistics table for Lapua pistol rounds that verified this. For .38 Special: 755 ft/sec (at the muzzle) then 666 ft/sec (50 meters). Their .32 S&W Long starts faster: 787 ft/sec (at the muzzle) then 663 ft/sec (50 meters). Which makes you wonder, would a heavier .32 bullet do better? But then you would have other problems, like needing a stiffer recoil spring. Most importantly, with less case capacity from a larger wadcutter, using normal reload data could be dangerous.

[solomon grundy]

What is the recommended twist rate for a 32 intended for 50yds?

[GOVTMODEL]

What is the recommended twist rate for a 32 intended for 50yds?

10 inches

[RMinUT]

I believe Doc Young used to shoot an Erma .32. Not positive though.

I took a different approach when building a NRA CF gun and built a 9mm on a 1911 frame. This way I have the same trigger as my 45 and just switch my Vitarbo's from one frame to the other.
I could have used my FAS603 but didn't want to deal with the twist issue. The KKM barrel for the 9mm actually uses a much slower twist rate of 1:32 in order to stabilize the 115/124 grain bullets commonly used. It shoots very well and I highly recommend one.

[solomon grundy]

10 inches

Thanks.

BTW does anyone know what twist rate S&W used for revolvers chambered in 32 S&W Long? - e.g. the Regulation Police, or K32.

[6string]

S&W .32 revolvers used a 1 in 18 3/4" twist, at least during the 70's, or thereabouts, when their popularity was dwindling. This was for the 32 regulation police, model 31 etc... I don't know if that was always the case.

[TonyT]

I shot both a Pardini Hp and a Walther GSP, both with custom barrels with a higher twistv rate. I preferred the Walther GSP in terms of reliabilty and ruggedness.

[jbshooter]

Does anyone know the twist rate of an MG4 barrell?

[gallipoli]

Hi.
I remember there was an article in the American Rifleman in late -80´s or early -90´s about making i.32 S&W Long more accurate. The author whose name I don´t remember was wondering about his Walther GSP´s inaccuracy and started to experiment on different twist rates, barrel dimensions and barrel crowns. If I remember it right his Walther´s groups shooting from Ransom Rest shrink finally in half using 11 degree barrel crown, .308 bore and 10 inch twist.
Our local gunsmith thought that Lapua´s .32 WC bullet´s hollow tail could not stand the increased twist and tighter bore. Any comments on that?

[TonyT]

My extra barrel for the GSP had a 0.308" bore and 1:10 twist rate. It was made by a machinist whose name I forgot - he claimed he made the barrels for Darius Young. I shot the Hornady and Speer LHBWC and did not expereince any problems.

[Ernie Rodriguez]

I tested the 32 cal Lapua HBWC in my Wilson/1:10 twist bbl and they gave me x ring groups-same as Speer HBWC-but were much more expensive than the Speers

[gallipoli]

Thank you for your comments. Groups under 1,7 inches from 50 yard is quite remarkable for the European ISSF CF shooter.
I hope I can find a scrap barreled .32 WC -pistol to experiment with. A current S&W 16-2 is not the right piece to start with.