| .32 H&R Magnum | ||
|---|---|---|
.32 H&R Magnum (center) in comparison with .32 Smith & Wesson Long and 7.62x38R Nagant |
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| Type | Revolver | |
| Place of origin | USA | |
| Production history | ||
| Designer | H&R / Federal | |
| Designed | 1982 | |
| Manufacturer | Federal | |
| Produced | 1983-Present | |
| Specifications | ||
| Parent case | .32 S&W Long | |
| Case type | Rimmed, 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 length | 1.075 in (27.3 mm) | |
| Overall length | 1.350 in (34.3 mm) | |
| Primer type | Small Pistol | |
| Ballistic performance | ||
| Bullet weight/type | Velocity | Energy |
| 77 gr (5.0 g) Cast LFP | 998 ft/s (304 m/s) | 170 ft·lbf (230 J) |
| 85 gr (5.5 g) HP | 1,263 ft/s (385 m/s) | 301 ft·lbf (408 J) |
| 90 gr (5.8 g) LSWC | 963 ft/s (294 m/s) | 185 ft·lbf (251 J) |
| 90 gr (5.8 g) JHP | 1,227 ft/s (374 m/s) | 301 ft·lbf (408 J) |
| 100 gr (6.5 g) JHP | 1,208 ft/s (368 m/s) | 324 ft·lbf (439 J) |
| Source(s): Hodgdon [1] | ||
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.[2] The .32 H&R Magnum is produced by lengthening the .32 S&W Long case by .155", to 1.075".
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The .32 H&R magnum offers substantially more performance than other .32 caliber handgun cartridges, such as the .32 ACP, and can be considered an effective small game hunting cartridge. Its higher velocity[3] offers a flat trajectory, while the light weight of the bullets results in low recoil. The older .32-20 Winchester was extremely popular in the Winchester lever's and Colt single actions, available at the turn of the century, for small-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 6 cartridges, whereas a similarly sized revolver in .38 special would only hold 5 rounds. Penetration is also increased compared to the .38 special with bullets of the same weight.
Max pressure for the .32 H&R Mag is set at 21,000 CUP by SAAMI.[4]
The .327 Federal Magnum is based on the .32 H&R Magnum and improves performance to levels near that of the .357 Magnum.
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.
Many handgun hunters use the .22 Winchester rimfire magnum with great success in hunting small to small-medium game, up to coyote in size. The .32 H&R magum 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.
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 fired in arms chambered for the .32 H&R Magnum. Longer cartridges are unsafe in short chambers, so more powerful .32 H&R Magnum cartridges should never be loaded into arms designed for the .32 S&W or .32 S&W Long.[5]
