Cartridge Drawing

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.