{"id":6040,"date":"2025-05-10T00:41:27","date_gmt":"2025-05-10T00:41:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/05\/10\/32-hr-magnum-vs-38-special-for-concealed-carry\/"},"modified":"2025-05-10T00:41:32","modified_gmt":"2025-05-10T00:41:32","slug":"32-hr-magnum-vs-38-special-for-concealed-carry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nationalgunowner.org\/index.php\/2025\/05\/10\/32-hr-magnum-vs-38-special-for-concealed-carry\/","title":{"rendered":".32 H&R Magnum vs .38 Special for Concealed Carry"},"content":{"rendered":"
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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\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The .32 H&R Magnum isn\u2019t as common, but it\u2019s promising. The .38 Special is proven and found everywhere.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The .38 Special has ruled the revolver market since 1898. It\u2019s 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\u2019t all that comfortable to shoot, and the .38 Special has remained popular.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"ammo
The two rounds via for supremacy in small revolvers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

It\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Available on GunsAmerica Now<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n

https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/listings\/search<\/p>\n

The .38 Special\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n

.38 Special is more than a Southern rock band. It\u2019s a cartridge that\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"The
The .38 Special cartridge carries a lot of power. It is shown here on the left alongside a brace of 9mm Parabellum rounds.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The .32 H&R Magnum\u00a0<\/h2>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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\".32
A .32 revolver has become my current pocket pistol <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Is Bigger Better?<\/h2>\n

At first glance, .38 seems a lot bigger than .32, and isn\u2019t a bigger bullet better? If we can fit .38 Special in a gun the same size as a .32 H&R Magnum, wouldn\u2019t it be wise to choose .38 Special? There is a bit more to it than that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The .38 Special is a .357-inch projectile, and the .32 H&R Magnum is a .312-inch projectile. The size difference isn\u2019t as broad as it first sounds. It\u2019s also important to understand how handgun bullets work. Things like stopping power don\u2019t exist with a handgun cartridge.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\".32
The .32 H&R Magnum is slightly smaller in diameter than the .38 Special<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

A handgun bullet only has one wounding mechanism, and that is direct impact. A bigger bullet creates a bigger hole. That\u2019s fine, but the difference between most projectiles is minimal. What\u2019s critical is penetration. A cartridge needs to penetrate deep enough to reach something vital.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"ammo
What do you value more about concealed carry? Power and penetration? Or maybe capacity and light recoil.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

The benefit .38 Special gets is a heavier cartridge. It\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Weight Factor<\/h2>\n

The .38 Special\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\".32
The .38 greater diameter and weight allow it to penetrate deeper. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

This doesn\u2019t mean that it\u2019s 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\u2019s more likely for the .38 Special to penetrate deeper than the .32 H&R Magnum. That\u2019s the main benefit of choosing .38 Special over .32 H&R Magnum.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, it\u2019s only one consideration.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What About Capacity\u00a0\u2013 .32 H&R Magnum vs .38 Special.\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Revolvers don\u2019t 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\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\"32
One extra round doesn\u2019t sound like much, but who doesn\u2019t want extra ammo? The smaller bullet leads to greater capacity. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Recoil Matters Too\u00a0<\/h2>\n

I own a 9mm snub nose and a few .38 Special snub noses, and they are a bit like pocket .380s, I don\u2019t like shooting them. The .38 Special isn\u2019t a harsh cartridge, but in a snubby, it\u2019s not all that comfortable. It gets old shooting and fatigue sets in quickly while training. With the .32 H&R Mag this isn\u2019t nearly as big as an issue.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\".38
The .38 Special has more recoil and muzzle rise. Some can find it difficult to control. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

It\u2019s 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\u2019ve fired a lot more .38 Special than .32, but no matter what, I shoot the .32 H&R Magnum better. I\u2019m faster, more accurate, and just more capable with the .32 H&R Magnum round.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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