32 Smith & Wesson Long
(.32 Colt New Police)
Just as the
.357 Magnum
case is a longer version of the
.38 Special
case, the .32 Smith & Wesson Long is an offspring of the older
.32 Smith &
Wesson. Reference sources disagree on when the long version was introduced.
One source indicates the .32 S&W Long was introduced with the Smith &
Wesson Model1896 Hand Ejector revolver, while another gives its year of birth
as 1903. At any rate, sometime between the late 1890's and very early 1900's
is probably close enough.
During its early years, the .32 S&W Long enjoyed a great deal of popularity
in law enforcement circles, especially among detectives and plain clothes
officers. Lawmen eventually abandoned the .32 and went with the more powerful
.38 Smith &
Wesson Special.
The .32 S&W Long was originally loaded to a velocity of 705 fps with
a 98 grain bullet. Muzzle energy was listed as 132 foot pounds. This represented
a 36 percent increase in energy over the standard
.32 S&W.
Both Winchester and Remington continue to offer factory ammunition, but with
a 98 grain bullet at 705 fps for 115 foot pounds of muzzle energy. Factory
loads for the .32
S&W are now advertised at 90 foot pounds, giving the .32 S&W
Long a 28 percent edge in punch. All of which may amount to a moot point
since both are considerable less potent then the
.380
ACP.
The .32 S&W Long has always enjoyed a reputation for excellent accuracy,
more so in Europe than in the United States. In the T/C Contender, it has
also seen some use in NRA Hunter class silhouette competition.
Source: Hodgdon Data Manual, 26th Edition
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