9mm vs 32 H&R mag
jack smith
the guns I have are way to big for concealment. I am kinda old fashioned
I guess but I prefer the revolvers.
Ruger makes the 9mm and the 32 H&R mag both in the sp101 series and they
are small enough to hide in most clothes. I know, They make it also in
the 357 mag but I like to have guns to shoot. I have shot the 357 mag
with full loads and it is rather tough on the hands. Anyway any thoughts
which is the better defensive caliber.
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dragon13
> ...
Jack,
There are a number of considerations here, including but not limited to
intended use, affordability, user preference, etc. What doesn't change
too much is that you're staking your life on the firearm and it's ability
to "do the job". Ideally, 99% of the time just the sight of a firearm will
cause bad people to consider a career change. It's that 1% that can still
kill you.
I'll toss out some ideas for you to follow up.
The .32 H&R is a nifty small round. Recoil is tame in a ported gun (like
a Taurus 741). Downside is lack of documented stopping power. At only
90-98 grains, the round may not have enough "shocking" power to shut down
an attacker quickly. Guns: Taurus (741) and Ruger (GP101)
Alternatives: .380 ACP (Colt Mustang, Beretta, etc)
The 9mm, while popular, is also known for requiring multiple hits to stop
an agressor, hence larger magazines. Advantage is inexpensive ammo and the
larger capacity magazines. Guns: Numerous, but check out the smaller 9's,
like the Kahr, Kel-Tec, and baby Glocks. Alternatives: .38 Spl/.357 Mag.
..38/.357 Is very versatile and you can get rounds in dozens of styles or
configurations. Use inexpensive .38 wadcutters for basic practice and a
quality hollowpoint/softpoint for serious practice and carry. Most of the
..38/357 small revolvers are 5-shots, though some 6-round versions are now
available again (e.g. Colt Detective Special, etc). Popular guns include
the GP101, S&W "Chief Special" 5 shot. Six shot guns include the 2" Model
15, 2"-3" Stainless steel Model 65/66 six shots and 2.5" Model 19.
..41 Magnum(!) .44 Special, .45 ACP, .45 Long Colt. These big bores are now
available in snubbie revolvers from Taurus (no, I don't work for them),
with ported barrels (needed!) to reduce recoil and special grips to help
absorb felt recoil. Most are 5-shots, about the same size as a S&W .38
K-frame but firing a BIG slug. S&W makes a larger 5-shot .44 Special in
the Model 696. I'd probably opt for the .45 LC myself, although the
..41 Magnum using a 210 gr lead semiwadcutter or the 175gr silvertip JHP's
would be acceptable too. Firing the .41 Mag's lead round is kinda like
launching a fence-post, while the 210 JHP's are feel like holding a stick
of dynamite.
I might list my preferences (money no object) thusly:
Large Bore wheelgun is my preference:
..45 LC or .45 ACP revolver, Sub 3" barrel, ported (Taurus)
..44 Special, 3" or shorter barrel. (S&W 696 or Taurus)
..41 Mag, 2.5", ported using 175gr Silvertips (Taurus)
..45 ACP, Colt Gov't, Para-Ord P12 auto
..40 S&W, Para-Ord P12 auto or Baby Glock
Smaller guns:
..357 S&W Model 19, 2.5" loaded with .38 Special Silvertips or Federal HS.
..357 S&W Model 640 (Hammerless) or 649 "Bodyguard", 2"
9mm Kahr K-9 stainless model (6 shot magazine)
..380 Colt Mustang or Mustang Plus II
..32 H&R Mag, GP101, Taurus
--
//BillC
http://home.pacbell.net/dragon13/gunintro.html
(Research, info and opinions for the RKBA)
----------------------------------------------
A Gun In The Hand Is Better Than A Cop On The Phone
fl...@alaska.net
# Ruger makes the 9mm and the 32 H&R mag both in the sp101 series and they
# are small enough to hide in most clothes. I know, They make it also in
# the 357 mag but I like to have guns to shoot. I have shot the 357 mag
# with full loads and it is rather tough on the hands....
I own a .32 H&H in an SP-101 and love it, but I use it as a trail gun,
not for personal defense. For that use the 9mm is more potent, but
I'd still suggest a .357 Mag SP-101. For target shooting use .38 SPL
lead loads....cheap and low recoil. If the full-power .357 loads are
too much as a carry load, use .38 +P loads.
Jay T
MSims14469
Magnum for carry.
jla...@mindspring.com
Some of the posts prior to mine suggest using .38 Spl to practice and
357 Magnum to carry. I have nothing against either round, but you
should practice what you plan to shoot. The old sports saying "you
play like you practice" is going to be very true. If you practice
with "mild" .38 Specials and then have to confront a perp and you are
loaded with "full power" .357 Magnums, are you going to be able to
control it as well when every shot could determine if you or your
loved ones live or die? Think about it.
Climbing off the soapbox: I think you'll find that .38 Special +P in
a revolver that can handle it (like a Taurus or S&W Titanium that's
out there) will be very adequate for your defense needs.
I think the .32 H&R Magnum would also be fine as a defense round.
Some people say it's not enough "stopping" power, and I can see that
argument vis-a-vis a .22LR round, but the .32 H&R Magnum would be very
adequate. (some people my disagree with this, but my reading and
talking to people leads me to believe that the .32 H&R Magnum is about
the same "stopping" power as a .38 Spl (not +P) with less recoil to
the shooter. But don't believe me or them, you'll have to decide all
this stuff for yourself.) I plan to use this caliber myself if Taurus
will ever get their Titanium version out the door and onto my gun show
dealers' tables. (are you hearing me Taurus?????)
Also to consider: I'm reading and hearing good things about the .41
Magnum in the Taurus and S&W pistols built for this chamber with
self-defense in mind. If you can examine one of those weapons and
determine it's feasibility for concealment, perhaps that would be a
good choice.
y1...@webtv.net (jack smith) wrote:
> ...
> ...
John
1. There is a much wider variety of quality self-defense ammo available for
9x19 than .32 H&R Mag. Nearly all available 9mm ammo will be significantly
more powerful than it's .32 Mag. counterpart, but not to the point of being
unpleasant in an SP101.
2. The moon clips required to load the SP101 act as their own speed
loaders. They will also be much easier to carry in your pocket, and faster
than conventional speedloaders to "charge" your gun.
In summary, go for the 9mm, or buy the .357 and load it with .38's.
jack smith wrote:
> ...
--
- - - - -
Just my $.02, at 6.65% APR for 66 months,
except in Alabama and Hawaii.
John
Ronald Shin
jack smith wrote:
# Ruger makes the 9mm and the 32 H&R mag both in the sp101 series and they
# are small enough to hide in most clothes. I know, They make it also in
# the 357 mag but I like to have guns to shoot. I have shot the 357 mag
# with full loads and it is rather tough on the hands. Anyway any thoughts
# which is the better defensive caliber.
#
Remington makes a medium velocity 125 grain JHP load for the .357 magnum.
Recoil is a bit more stout than a .38 +P, but much lighter than the full
house .357 magnum loads. I believe that the velocity on this load is about
1200 fps, making it equivalent to a near +P 9 mm Parabellum hollowpoint.
Andrewdy
#Ruger makes the 9mm and the 32 H&R mag both in the sp101 series and they
#are small enough to hide in most clothes. I know, They make it also in
#the 357 mag but I like to have guns to shoot. I have shot the 357 mag
#with full loads and it is rather tough on the hands. Anyway any thoughts
#which is the better defensive caliber.
#
If I'm not mistaken, the SP-101 is a five shot in 9mm, but a six shot in .32
H&R. The .32 is experiencing somewhat of a comeback these days in small frame
revolvers, but ammo choices are still somewhat limited. I think I would go
with the 9mm. You can get PlusP loadings that have good ballistics, and as
someone else has mentioned, the ring clips make loading the gun much quicker.
The 9mm is a better round ballistically than the .32 H&R, you will have many
more ammunition choices, and recoil is not that much greater.
The bottom line is, if you are comfortable with the fit of the gun, and are
going to be able to shoot it a lot (the Rugers hold up to lots of shooting),
and have found a good carry system, either weapon should do you good service.
Have fun, be safe.
Andrew "FF"