.32 Winchester Not So Special

Q: I’ve been offered an old Winchester Model 1894 rifle with 24- inch barrel and full length magazine chambered in .32 Special – a cartridge I’ve never heard of. This rifle is in really good condition and shows little signs of use, comes with a loading tool and the price is very reasonable. The ammunition is not stocked in guns shops in my area and I’ve been told it is no longer being made. Can you give me an unbiased opinion of the .32 Special as compared to the .30-30. Is the round obsolete? I want this gun for deer and pig hunting.
Kenneth Stamford
A: Ballistically there is very little difference between the .30-30 and the .32 Special. The former pushes a 170gn bullet at 2200fps and the latter, the same weight bullet at 2250fps. A deer certainly couldn’t tell any difference. The .32 Special makes a hole .012-inch larger, but the .30-30 has better sectional density. Of course, .30-30 cartridges are easier to get and there’s a 150gn load at 2390fps and there may be some advantage to that. Actually, the .32 Special was a sort of make-shift for which there is no present-day logical excuse. Winchester was chambering rifles for the .32-40 when smokeless powder first came into use. They found that the straight tapered case of the .32-40 wasn’t too efficient with the new powder, so they designed the .32 Special cartridge retaining the bore and twist specifications used for the .32-40. The twist of 1:16″ is just enough to stabilise the bullet when the bore is in good condition. The .30-30 may well hit a deer when the barrel looks like a stove pipe inside, but with a little wear the .32 Special will scatter its bullets all over the place. This won’t bother you, however, as the gun you’ve been offered has had little use and the bore should be good. The ’94 should be a good performer in lightly timbered country where most of the shots will have to be fast and taken at short to medium range. By the way, Winchester Australia carries .32 Special ammo. Ask your local gunshop to order some for you. It should cost about $200 per 100. Winchester lists unprimed brass for the .32-40 but none for the .32 Special?

Nick Harvey

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The late Nick Harvey (1931-2024) was one of the world's most experienced and knowledgeable gun writers, a true legend of the business. He wrote about firearms and hunting for about 70 years, published many books and uncounted articles, and travelled the world to hunt and shoot. His reloading manuals are highly sought after, and his knowledge of the subject was unmatched. He was Sporting Shooter's Technical Editor for almost 50 years. His work lives on here as part of his legacy to us all.