.32 Rimfire cartridge
Encyclopedia
The .32 rimfire cartridge was chambered in revolver
s and rifle
s in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was made primarily in short and long lengths, but extra short and extra long lengths were also offered. Manufacturers in the USA generally discontinued making the .32 rimfire after the country's entrance into WW Two in 1941. It was available from old stocks for some years afterwards but it has been made only sporadically in the last 70 years. Occasionally, special limited runs of .32 rimfire ammunition are manufactured for gun collectors with shootable specimens but the round is not considered a current commercial cartridge. Navy Arms Company has periodically imported .32 Rimfire Long, made by CBC in Brazil, but stopped doing so several years ago. It is difficult to obtain as of this writing. There are currently no plans for its re-introduction to the US market, according to discussions with Val Forgett III, President of Navy Arms.
The .32 Short fired a 80 grain lead bullet at 945 feet per second from a 24-inch rifle barrel. The .32 Long fired a slightly heavier 90 grain bullet at approximately the same velocity. Remington rifles in .32 rimfire listed a bore diameter of .304 inch.
The .32 Short and Long rimfire cartridges matched the external dimensions of the .32 Colt Short and Long centerfire cartridges; the Marlin
Model 1891 lever-action repeating rifle was shipped with two firing pins, one rimfire and one centerfire, to allow use of either the rimfire or centerfire cartridges. Revolvers and single shot rifles chambered for one of the longer .32 rimfire cartridges would chamber and fire the shorter cartridges.
During its lifetime, the .32 rimfire was loaded with black powder followed by semi-smokeless and smokeless powder loadings. While it was popular as a very effective small game caliber, it was considered obsolete by the late 1930s, in part due to the introduction of high velocity versions of the .22 Long Rifle
using smokeless powder.
Revolver
A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...
s and rifle
Rifle
A rifle is a firearm designed to be fired from the shoulder, with a barrel that has a helical groove or pattern of grooves cut into the barrel walls. The raised areas of the rifling are called "lands," which make contact with the projectile , imparting spin around an axis corresponding to the...
s in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was made primarily in short and long lengths, but extra short and extra long lengths were also offered. Manufacturers in the USA generally discontinued making the .32 rimfire after the country's entrance into WW Two in 1941. It was available from old stocks for some years afterwards but it has been made only sporadically in the last 70 years. Occasionally, special limited runs of .32 rimfire ammunition are manufactured for gun collectors with shootable specimens but the round is not considered a current commercial cartridge. Navy Arms Company has periodically imported .32 Rimfire Long, made by CBC in Brazil, but stopped doing so several years ago. It is difficult to obtain as of this writing. There are currently no plans for its re-introduction to the US market, according to discussions with Val Forgett III, President of Navy Arms.
The .32 Short fired a 80 grain lead bullet at 945 feet per second from a 24-inch rifle barrel. The .32 Long fired a slightly heavier 90 grain bullet at approximately the same velocity. Remington rifles in .32 rimfire listed a bore diameter of .304 inch.
The .32 Short and Long rimfire cartridges matched the external dimensions of the .32 Colt Short and Long centerfire cartridges; the Marlin
Marlin Firearms
Marlin Firearms Co., formerly of North Haven, Connecticut, is a manufacturer of high power, center fire, lever action, and .22 caliber rimfire rifles. In the past, the company made shotguns, derringers and revolvers...
Model 1891 lever-action repeating rifle was shipped with two firing pins, one rimfire and one centerfire, to allow use of either the rimfire or centerfire cartridges. Revolvers and single shot rifles chambered for one of the longer .32 rimfire cartridges would chamber and fire the shorter cartridges.
During its lifetime, the .32 rimfire was loaded with black powder followed by semi-smokeless and smokeless powder loadings. While it was popular as a very effective small game caliber, it was considered obsolete by the late 1930s, in part due to the introduction of high velocity versions of the .22 Long Rifle
.22 Long Rifle
The .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge is a long established variety of ammunition, and in terms of units sold is still by far the most common in the world today. The cartridge is often referred to simply as .22 LR and various rifles, pistols, revolvers, and even some smoothbore shotguns have...
using smokeless powder.