This article first appeared on AmmoLand News on August 2nd of 2024 and appears here now with fresh updates.
I have this habit of stopping at random pawn shops and gun stores. If I’m in a new city or town, I make sure to swing by their local firearms boutiques and get an eye on their wares. Sadly, most of the time, it’s the typical combination of modern handguns, cheap ARs, and Turkish shotguns. Every so often, I hit the used section and find a gem. I’ve decided to catalog some of these gems for AmmoLand, and my first is the S&W 432 PD.
I picked up the S&W 432 PD for a hair under 500 dollars and felt I paid a bit much for a used revolver in a somewhat esoteric caliber. However, I had to have it. I am a .32 fanboy. My two favorite handgun calibers are .32 ACP and .32 S&W Long. Both are considered old-fashioned these days but have their charms. The 432 PD isn’t a .32 S&W Long but a .32 H&R Magnum.
The .32 H&R Magnum shares the same relationship with the .32 S&W Long that the .38 Special shares with the .357 Magnum. The .32 H&R Magnum is its own fascinating and sadly underrated caliber.
S&W and .32 Hand Ejectors
Live Inventory Price Checker
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Smith & Wesson Model 360PD .357 / .38 S&W Special +P Revolver - 163064 | Palmetto State Armory | $ 1209.99 $ 1099.99 |
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Smith & Wesson Model 586 .357 / .38 S&W Special +P Revolver - 150908 | Palmetto State Armory | $ 1270.99 $ 939.99 |
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Smith and Wesson 327 TRR8 5".357 Mag / .38 SPL 8rd Revolver, Moss Green | Palmetto State Armory | $ 1716.99 $ 1549.99 |
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Smith and Wesson 640 PC 2.125" .357 Mag / .38 SPL 5rd Revolver, Black Edition | Palmetto State Armory | $ 1045.99 $ 949.99 |
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Smith and Wesson has a long relationship with .32 caliber hand ejectors. Their first centerfire hand ejector was the S&W 1896 Hand Ejector in .32 S&W Long. This gun featured the swing-out cylinder and ejection rod setup that dominates the current revolver market. The gun used the now defunct I frame and set a standard for revolvers from that point on.
They would go to produce several I-Frame .32 caliber revolvers, and Colt nipped at their heels. Colt even copied the .32 S&W Long and called it the .32 Colt New Police and used a flat bullet rather than a round nose. Slowly, the .32 calibers faded from popularity and were replaced by the varied .38 calibers, which were well-named .357-sized bullets.
In the 1980s, H&R and Federal teamed up to create a modern .32 caliber round. They took the .32 S&W Long case and lengthened it to 1.075 inches. This allowed the cartridge to fit standard frame sizes and amp up its capability. The .32 H&R Magnum could propel a lightweight 80-grain JHP at 1,150 feet per second from a short barrel. Heavy loads like the Buffalo Bore .32 H&R Magnum push a 130-grain cartridge at 1,125 feet per second.
The .32 H&R Magnum saw some success, and S&W, Dan Wesson, Charter Arms, and, of course, H&R. It never took off. The stigma behind anything with .32 in its name likely didn’t help, and we saw the same thing repeated with the .327 Federal Magnum a few decades later. Sadly, the American mentality has been ‘Bigger bullet better” ever since those silly Thompson-LaGarde tests.
S&W 432 PD
S&W produced various .32 H&R Magnum revolvers throughout their history. The S&W 432 PD is one, but they also have the newly released and ultimately awesome 432 UC. There is also the 332, with its centennial-style hammerless design, and the 632 which is a stainless version of the 432.
The standard J-Frame chambers are the .38 Special and aren’t typically a blast to shoot. With defensive ammo, they tend to slap the hand pretty hard. I believe the .38 Special works best from a gun with at least a 3-inch barrel. The same goes for the .327 Federal Magnum.
The .32 H&R Magnum offers just as good penetration as the .38 Special with less recoil. Oh, and you can fit an extra round in the cylinder. The 432 PD holds six rounds of .32 H&R Magnum, giving you a plus one compared to .38 Special revolvers. We get great penetration, lower recoil, an extra cartridge, and if you choose the right ammo, you even get expansion.
To the Range With the 432 PD
The S&W 432 PD in my hands has wood grips, a black finish, that terrible safety hole that came during the Clinton years, and a big XS front sight. It’s an airweight gun, and airweight describes it quite well. The hammer sits shrouded, and the barrel is 1 ⅞ inches long. It’s a fairly typical modern J-Frame. It’s perfect for low-profile carry in your pocket or on your ankle. It’s a choice of convenience.
Like anything with Magnum in the name, the .32 H&R Magnum isn’t cheap, and to be fair, neither is .32 S&W long, but it is cheaper than the .32 H&R Magnum. I did shoot 100 rounds of the Black Hills .32 H&R Magnum, but I shot a lot more .32 S&W Long since it was 40-ish cents a round rather than close to a buck a bullet.
With the .32 H&R Magnum, the gun doesn’t have that much recoil. It’s not intense, not painful, and you can drop all six shots without coming anywhere close to off-target. Since the gun holds six rounds, I can pull off a Bill Drill, and I have no problems rapidly putting all six rounds into an A-Zone at seven yards in less than 2.5 seconds. The massive XS front sight certainly helps because it claws and crawls into your vision and contrasts nicely against targets.
The thin grips aren’t a favorite, and I wish they had some texture, but since recoil isn’t intense, it’s not a big deal. I didn’t feel challenged in holding onto the gun. I feel that larger, thicker grips would be more comfortable, but that can also detract from concealment.
Blasting Away
For some reason, .32 caliber revolver rounds tend to be inherently accurate. I don’t tend to be accurate with small revolvers, but with the 432 PD, I was easily ringing a 10-inch steel gong at 15 yards. I don’t mean just boring slow fire, but quick double taps as the gong moved. I took those shots to paper and produced a hand-sized group. The lack of recoil and accurate little .32 caliber cartridges did wonders.
The groups got even smaller when I swapped to .32 S&W Long. I used some Magtech 98-grain wadcutters, and the recoil impulse was closer to a .22 Magnum than anything in the centerfire realm. Dare I describe it as cute? It is a blast to shoot and very enjoyable to plink with. That’s not something I would typically say about a centerfire J-Frame.
The .32 S&W Long cartridges are a joy to practice with, and I could see a smaller or arthritic shooter just wielding .32 S&W Long instead of the magnum options.
The trigger on the 432 PD is nothing to brag about. It’s stiff and long and not particularly smooth. Overall, it’s fine, but it doesn’t compare to something like the Ruger LCR. Just keep it rolling and maintain solid grip fundamentals, and you won’t have accuracy problems.
The Comeback Kid
With the S&W 432 UC making a splash, maybe the little .32 H&R Magnum can make a comeback? It’s a stellar cartridge with great penetration, good expansion, and low recoil, and you get six rounds in a very small revolver. It’s sad the 432 PD was seemingly so overlooked when produced. I think it offers a very competent defensive package that outshines the .38 Special standard bearers out there.
About Travis Pike
Travis Pike is a former Marine Machine Gunner, a lifelong firearms enthusiast, and now a regular guy who likes to shoot, write, and find ways to combine the two. He holds an NRA certification as a Basic Pistol Instructor and is the world’s Okayest firearm’s instructor.
Thanks for an enjoyable and informative article! I have quite a collection of what some people would refer to as “mouse guns”. My appreciation of small and often small caliber guns began when in my early teens, back in the early 1970’s, I would volunteer dispatch at my hometown Sheriff’s Office. My father, concerned about occasional attacks on police stations in other parts of the nation, and one in our own state some years earlier, bought me a Hi Standard double action derringer in .22WMR. I carried it in a back pocket, inside an old Esso “Gift Of The Month”… Read more »
The # of .32 cal. guns in my safe is 2nd only to .22 cal. The .32 S&W has been the dominant round in International pistol competition for many decades, even chambered in semi-autos due to it’s inherit and unequaled accuracy. Gotta Love Those .32s !!!
I’ve been perusing the pawn shops and gun stores too, looking for a used pocket S&W or Ruger .357 that’s priced reasonably lower than a new gun, but the shops try to sell the used guns like its NIB and don’t want to come down in price either.
Does anyone have experience with a Hilary Hole S&W? Do they ever “lock” on their own, like while firing, or just being carried? Or do they only lock when you put the key in and turn?
It’s got a Hillary Hole. Not interested.