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Common uses: Target, Self-Defense
| Type | pistol (centerfire) |
| Typical load | 98gr Magtech 32 S&W Long LRN (32SWLA) |
| Muzzle velocity | 702 fps |
| Muzzle energy | 107 ft-lb |
| Published G1 ballistic coefficient | 0.123 |
| Case length | 23.4 mm |
| Overall length | 32.3 mm |
| SAAMI max pressure | 15000 PSI |
| Common twist rate | 1:18.75" |
| Range (yd) | Velocity (fps) | Energy (ft-lb) | Drop (in) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 702 | 107 | -1.5 |
| 50 | 666 | 97 | -3.1 |
| 100 | 633 | 87 | -24.4 |
| 150 | 602 | 79 | -67.4 |
The listed uses do not identify an explicit big-game hunting role, so deer- and elk-sized energy references aren't shown. Evaluate the named load using its available source data and any displayed trajectory, then verify the result for the listed target, competition, defensive, tactical, or duty context.
Your barrel, ammunition lot, and conditions will differ — always verify against the manufacturer's data and your own firearm.
The .32 S&W Long is a mild, low-pressure revolver cartridge prized above all for its accuracy and negligible recoil, which made it a fixture of competitive bullseye pistol shooting for decades and the basis for dedicated target revolvers such as the Smith & Wesson K-32 Masterpiece. Its light bullets and modest velocity produce very little muzzle blast or kick, making it pleasant for target practice, plinking, and small-game work. As a self-defense round it was once a common police and pocket-revolver choice, but by modern standards its energy is marginal and it is generally considered underpowered for that role. Today it survives chiefly as a shooter's classic, valued for its inherent precision and its long history in vintage Smith & Wesson and Colt revolvers.
Smith & Wesson introduced the .32 S&W Long in 1896 for its first-model Hand Ejector revolver, lengthening the earlier .32 S&W case to hold a heavier powder charge. It began life as a black-powder round and transitioned to smokeless loadings early in the twentieth century. Colt chambered the same cartridge under the name .32 Colt New Police, and its reputation for accuracy led the New York City Police Department, under commissioner Theodore Roosevelt, to adopt it as a service round.
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