The late Col. Jeff Cooper once opined that .25- and .32-caliber weapons were very dangerous and that anyone shot with one might resort to violence. A sage observation, but once upon a time, the .32 S&W Long cartridge was quite popular for self-defense.

The .32 S&W Long was introduced in 1896 for Smith & Wesson's First Model Hand Ejector solid-frame revolver. Smokeless-powder loads propelled a 90- or 95-grain lead bullet at about 700 fps, but the original load of 13 grains of black powder produced a velocity of almost 800 fps with a 98-grain bullet.

Reloads with just these three bullets pretty much cover the field when shooting the .32: from left, Laser-Cast 78-grain RN, Hornady 90-grain hollowbase wadcutter and Laser-Cast's 115-grain LFP. Notice the bulge in the center round. This is caused by the long expander assembly used with wadcutter bullets.

These days, only a few stalwarts shoot the old round, but at opposite ends of the precision spectrum. A couple of high-end European semiauto pistols so chambered are used in ISU competition. Those arms, of course, require wadcutter bullets seated flush with the case mouth. At the other extreme is the dedicated plinker and small-game hunter, such as moi.

.32 S&W Long Load Data
BULLET	BULLET WEIGHT (gr.)	POWDER	CASE	CHARGE WEIGHT (grs.)	MUZZLE VELOCITY (fps)	MUZZLE ENERGY (ft.-lbs.)	GROUP SIZE (in.)
Laser-Cast RN	78	Bullseye	Winchester	2.0	702	85	1.53
Laser-Cast RN	78	Bullseye	Winchester	2.3	774	104	2.56
Laser-Cast RN	78	TiteGroup	Winchester	2.3	771	103	2.01
Laser-Cast RN	78	VihtaVuori 3N37	Winchester	3.7	809	113	1.81
Laser-Cast RN	78	Winchester 231	Starline	2.3	690	82	1.56
Hornady LWC	90	Bullseye	Winchester	2.0	835	139	3.5
Hornady LWC	90	VihtaVuori N-310	Winchester	1.9	875	153	2.80
Hornady LWC	90	TiteGroup	Winchester	2.0	857	147	1.18
Hornady LWC	90	Universal	Winchester	2.0	723	104	1.85
Hornady LWC	90	VihtaVuori 3N37	Federal	2.8	802	129	1.51
Hornady LWC	90	VihtaVuori 3N37	Federal	3.2	898	161	1.53
Hornady LWC	90	Winchester 231	Winchester	2.2	841	141	1.94
Laser-Cast LFN	115	Bullseye	Winchester	1.7	608	94	2.44
Laser-Cast LFN	115	Bullseye	Starline	2.0	694	123	2.08
Laser-Cast LFN	115	TiteGroup	Winchester	1.7	644	106	2.13
Laser-Cast LFN	115	TiteGroup	Starline	2.0	716	131	2.23
Laser-Cast LFN	115	Universal	Starline	2.3	703	126	1.52
Laser-Cast LFN	115	VihtaVuori 3N37	Starline	3.4	801	164	1.54
Accuracy is the average of three five-shot groups at 15 yards from a sandbag rest. Federal No. 100 primers used for all loads. Abbreviations: RN, round nose; LWC, lead wadcutter; LFN, lead flat-nose.

Fortunately, there are a few quality .32 S&W Long revolvers around. Our test gun was a J-frame Smith & Wesson Model 31-1 with a three-inch barrel made in 1976. The M31 was discontinued in 1991.

It is easy to concoct good .32 S&W Long reloads. Federal, Remington, Fiocchi, Magtech and Winchester all produce factory ammo, and Starline makes quality brass. Many firms make reloading dies, and I used a three-die set from RCBS. Two expander plugs are provided: one for .313- and .314-inch lead bullets and another for .312-inch jacketed slugs.

Both Hornady and Speer make soft lead swaged bullets with just the right amount of lubricant to prevent leading at .32 S&W Long velocities. Hornady, Speer and Sierra produce jacketed .32-caliber bullets in weights from 60 to 100 grains and show data for them in their manuals, but these bullets were really designed for the much more powerful .32 H&R Magnum and probably do not expand at .32 Long velocities. Thus, I stuck with lead bullets.

The svelte S&W Model 31 in .32 S&W was pleasingly accurate with a variety of loads.

Reloading the .32 S&W Long is straightforward, but one must pay attention to detail. Use extreme caution when charging cases. The .32 S&W Long case will easily hold eight grains of powder, so a double--or even triple--charge is not impossible. Besides, this is not a round to hot-rod. Powders such as Bullseye, W-231 and TiteGroup do fine, but slower powders also work well. Hodgdon's Universal and VihtaVuori 3N37 are standouts. These small powder charges also call for standard primers.

Testing was done at 15 yards from a sandbag rest. (I must confess that with the M31's tiny sights, this was an eye test, as well.) Four factory loads were tested to establish a baseline, and they averaged 2.34 inches, with top honors going to Federal's 98-grain wadcutter, which came in at 1.77 inches.

Reload groups averaged 2.02 inches for five shots, with some doing much better. Probably the easiest route to reload happiness is to use one of the commercial 90- or 98-grain lead bullets, and loads duplicating factory power are easy to assemble with them. The 90-grainers from Hornady come in either a semi-wadcutter or hollowbase wadcutter form.

The latter delivered fine accuracy with 2.0 grains of TiteGroup at a velocity of 857 fps. Both lower and higher velocities gave poorer accuracy. With 2.8 grains of VihtaVuori 3N37, velocity was 801 fps, and we produced great groups and hit pretty darn close to the point of aim with the fixed sights on the M31. Either of these loads would be perfect for target or small-game shooting. In years past, Speer's 98-grain hollowbase wadcutters gave great accuracy as well. The Hornady and Speer swaged bullets are .314 inch in diameter.

This five-shot cluster was made with Laser-Cast 115-grain FPs over 3.4 grains of 3N37. Small game, beware!

Several commercial cast bullets for the .32 are also available. Laser-Cast makes two dandies: a 78-grain RN and a 115-grain FP. These bullets are fairly hard and mike .313 inch. Mild loads with the dainty little 78-grain bullet produced power levels in the .22 Rimfire class but were somewhat less accurate than the swaged lead bullets. With 2.0 grains of Bullseye, velocity was a sedate 702 fps, accuracy OK and recoil nonexistent.

Best of the 78-grain loads was 3.7 grains of VihtaVuori 3N37. At a snappy 809 fps, it averaged a respectable 1.81 inches. No beverage can would be safe from this load. Busting ATK's new Champion VisaChalk targets with this load is truly addictive. The only problem with the 78-grain loads is that they hit a bit below the M31's sights.

Laser-Cast's 115-grain FP is actually made for the .32-20, but it is superb in the .32 S&W Long and is probably the best overall bullet for the round. With 2.0 grains of either Bullseye or TiteGroup, it was acceptably accurate at around 700 fps. The standout was 3.4 grains of VihtaVuori 3N37, which produced a velocity of 801 fps. Not only does that load provide a substantial boost in power, it is accurate and hits to point of aim. It would be the perfect choice for taking blue grouse or snowshoe hare on an elk hunt.

So, after more than a century, the quaint .32 S&W Long is alive, if not thriving. Mild of voice and low powered by today's standards, it nevertheless provides a neat venue for reloading, a nostalgic avenue to past shooting eras and a challenging approach to small-game hunting and good ol' plinking fun.

WARNING: The loads shown here are safe only in the guns for which they were developed. Neither the author nor InterMedia Outdoors Inc. assumes any liability for accidents or injury resulting from the use or misuse of this data.