Chuck Haggard and Mark Fricke did some gel shooting on Sunday at the Rangemaster Tactical Conference. I brought my 442UC and my 432UC for them to play with, along with some ammo.
They will probably be along shortly to post the results. IIRC, the Federal 32 H&R Mag did well, along with the Lost River wadcutter in .32.
I'm also looking forward to the 80gr FTX testing. I've only shot a box, but it's proven accurate.
Participation does not equal Proficiency
- Mike Pannone
The only organic gel testing I'm aware of to date is this.
9.3", .46 in bare gel
11.3", .41 in heavy clothing
no data for 4LD
edit: I think the 100gr wadcutter is the right track to take. The .32 mag feels kind of .380-ish in that it's just, almost there with JHPs but it's just, almost there to the established minimum. Which means the JHPs still fall short. (Except maybe the .380 hydra shok deep? Kinda? Technically?)
These are both cartridges I think that would benefit from an actual, SAAMI-defined +P designation. Right now you can get "+P" from places like Buffalo Bore but it's like "+P+". It's not an actual standard so it's all marketing. You could get anything in that box. There's no need to go nuclear. Another 10% might actually get some of these .32 mag and .380 loads over the line. A .32 mag snubbie load that gives you 6 shots, still has minimal recoil and gets an actual 12" in organic gel with even modest-ish ~.40 expansion would be a snubbie game-changer.
Last edited by jh9; 04-10-2024 at 05:32 PM.
I appreciate the initial gel tests so far, but what really interest me is accuracy with .32 loads. I believe .32 long (and it's derivatives I hope) are generally accurate rounds. But can the gun do its job?
Give me bench test results at 10, 15 and 25 yards. Proof is in that pudding.
I spent an enjoyable afternoon shooting with Darryl and Bryan. Darryl mostly was shooting his Ruger GP100 .357 and Bryan had a different J in each pocket.
Their revolvers were not the only classy things they had on.
Last edited by GJM; 04-11-2024 at 08:57 PM. Reason: Spell better
Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.
They did a live on bodyguards for AFR and mentioned the ultimate carry will be a series, with potential for a bodyguard variant. I would be in for a humpback!
"...we suffer more in imagination than in reality." Seneca, probably.
If anyone has a lead on either a 632US or 432UC pretty close to MSRP not the inflated GB prices I would be interested.