WTB - 32 Caliber Cowboy Rifle (maybe trade for) )

[Ozark Okie 19]

As I posted a few weeks ago, my 357 New Ruger Vaqueros and Taylor/Uberti 1873 are getting a bit heavy for me to handle, and I am moving towards a change to 32 caliber. I got some very helpful feedback from members and I have now bought a pair of pistols...Ruger Single Sixes in 32 H&R Magnum. Now I need a rifle to match. Hence the title....I want to buy a 32 H&R magnum rifle. If any one out there has one they would consider selling, I'd appreciate hearing from you. Thanks.

Haven't really though about trading but one possibility might be to trade my vaqueros and/or 73.  

OO 

[irish ike, SASS #43615 1,028]

Ozark I have a 73 in 44-40 and 32-20. The 32-20 is much heavier than the 44-40. Small bore more steel in the barrel. Not being an ass, just want you to know what I experienced. I have bad shoulders and the 32-20 is tough to hold up.

Ike

[Ozark Okie 19]

Ike, I appreciate  that input and I understand about more steel with smaller bullet, also the effect of barrel length.

I'm trying to get my hands on a 32...a couple of friends have them... so I can make a comparison to my 73.  

Thanks, 

OO

[Abilene, SASS # 27489 1,095]

I think the only .32 H&R rifles will only be Marlins (if you can find one), and those are a lot lighter than a '73. ( I do know of one converted '73 is, but it is not for sale.)   Good luck.

[Boss Hog 10]

here's another option to look into.

Henry makes a 327 fed / 32 H&R. 

I bought one and added the large loop lever and seems to work fine.

[J. Frank Norfleet 51]

I love my .32 single sixes and Marlin .32 rifle. I too have small hands and the single sixes are lighter and feel better. But I shoot Wild Bunch nearly all the time.

That said my Marlin 1894 Cowboys are much lighter than my 1873, with an 18' barrel. But the .32 mag isn't the lightest Marlin 1894 rifle.

I have 3 Marlin 1894 Cowboy rifles and here is how they weigh up:

     24" barrel in 45 Colt weighs 6 lbs 11.25 oz

     20" barrel in 45 Colt weighs 6 lbs 5.75 oz

     20" barrel in .32 H&R mag weighs 6 lb 14.75 oz

The .32 is the heaviest because it doesn't have a side load gate and has a magazine tube loading setup. 

They are about 2 lbs lighter than most '73s. So try any Marlin and the weight will be almost the same and give you an idea what the .32 feels like before you buy.

The lightest rifle I've ever had was a 20" Lightning in 45 Colt, way too light for me. I couldn't keep it on the target.

All that said the Marlin 1894 Cowboy in .32 is a sweet rifle. It has a shorter stroke so it was essentially a factory short stroke and the weight is in the barrel where it counts.

JFN

[Ozark Okie 19]

Abilene, Boss, J. Frank - thank you very much for the feedback.....just what I need to help make a rifle decision. Seems like a Marlin Cowboy 32 H&R magnum would be a good choice if I can find one...maybe not so light (very interesting that it is heavier than even the 24 inch barrel 45), but still lighter than the 73 and weight in the barrel to balance better. Boss, I would like to know more about your experience with the  Henry 327, will PM. Also probably a long shot but Abilene, if I understood correctly, you mentioned a 73 made into a  .32. What would that entail...I do have a 73.

Again, thanks for the information.

OO 

[Abilene, SASS # 27489 1,095]

OO, it is sitting in Cimarron's show gun rack for quite a while.  Lonnie Ammon of Tejas Long Rifles, who does a lot of work for Cimarron, took a 32-20 '73 carbine, rechambered it to the 32 mag (don't know if a sleeve was involved) and I'm not sure what else he did to the carrier or other action parts.  I think for a while Cimarron was thinking of putting one out.  The carbine went to the Shoot Magazine guys to do a review.  I was told that they called Cimarron and said the gun was jamming.  They were told to use Black Hills ammo which they did and it worked fine.  But I don't think an article ever came out about it or else I missed it, and plans were shelved to go into production.  I think a few other people have also done a similar conversion.  

[Tom Bullweed 415]

Marlin Model 1892 is a .32.

They were convertible from .32 Long rimfire to .32 centerfire.  I have seen two cowboys that shot .32 S&W Long in them.  These guns run $800 in shooter condition.

[Bailey Creek,5759 116]

i have seen Marlin Model 92s . Rechambered from Marlin 32 to 32 S&W . 

Great guns. 

[Farmer Brown 2]

I can second some of the things above as it relates to 32 cal rifles.  Most get heavier as caliber gets smaller due to same size barrel with a smaller hole.

 

I have a 1873 converted to 32 S&W Long - think of it as the same setup as either the Navy Arms 73 in .22 or the 45 Cowboy/ACP conversions, you take the same gun/frame, easier if starting with a 32-20 gun, setback and rechamber to 32 S&W and add a carrier that stops the shorter cartridge from coming all the way back, relieve bolt to pass the cartridge stop. It has the barrel turned down and shorted to 17" and is still the same weight as a 38cal 1873 carbine.

 

Also have an 1892 Marlin converted to 32 SW Long, some basic gunsmithing required, chamber cutting, right firing pin, spacer on the lifter to adjust cartridge length etc.. Barrel cut to 19" which requires reworking the magazine, but this length allows 10 rounds with a little room to spare.

 

Since you can load both 32 and 38 down to 60PF, recoil is going to be primarily a function of the gun weight, 100gr is my bullet for both.

 

Gave each to my soon to be Young gun to test and she prefers the Marlin, If I was dead set on a 32 cal lightest rifle and not paying ~2K for 1 of the 600 1894's,  the Marlin 92 would be the route I would go, but it would take two steps, buying the rifle and getting it converted.

 

 

[Ozark Okie 19]

These conversions offer some interesting possibilities/alternatives. I have done enough research now to see how much Marlin 1894 cowboy 32s are going for even if you can find one. Not sure I am ready to swallow that big a pill right now. A  look on gunbroker shows that even 32 rimfire is way up there in price. And 32 20 even more. Tom, do you know where I could find one of the rimfires you mentioned in shooter condition for around $800? Farmer, I like the sound of your 92 converted to 32 S&W long. Just how basic is the gunsmithing required? I know some pretty good  gunsmiths for basic work but don't know about their capabilities for barrel and chamber cutting. I'm guessing it would be more difficult to rechamber a 32 20 than a 32 rimfire because of the bottleneck configuration of the 32 20. 

Thanks again to you all for the interesting information and possibilities. 

OO

[Cedestech 0]

Thread related but not to the OP...

 

Looking for an Uberti 66 or 73 in 32-20 with 24" barrel. NOT slicked up for SASS... I shoot NRA Lever Action Silhouette and looking for a new pistol cartridge rifle... Thanks.

[Farmer Brown 2]

OO,

 

You need someone who is able to rechamber = lathe, since the original 32 cartridge was slightly smaller that the 32 SW you are just reaming the camber , all of the original threading, extractor cuts, ect.. remain

 

If you want to shorten from the original barrel length, dovetails need recut for the mag tube and the front sight = milling machine

 

Need to understand how cartridge length is used to control feeding in combination with the lifter.

 

New firing pins are available via http://www.wisnersinc.com/ that is the only difference in the originals between centerfire and rimfire.

 

Here is the one i just did, the donor rifle was $460 to my door (C&R) off Gunbroker last month. Placed my 20" barreled  1873 main match gun next to it for scale.

 

I am blessed to be able to do my own work.

 

 

 

Edited November 10, 2020 by Farmer Brown

[Ozark Okie 19]

Farmer Brown,

I'm impressed...and envious!  Wish I could create a rifle like that Marlin.

I'd say you are blessed and talented to be able to do what you have done with that rifle. 

Great job with that old rimfire.

OO

[Bailey Creek,5759 116]

Farmer Brown isn't that a Marlin 92 ?

The 92 Marlin came with 2 Firing Pins. 

One for Rimfire Cartridges , the other for Center Fire cartridges.

Great rifles.

[Farmer Brown 2]

Yes, apparently they were shipped with the other pin inside the forend.

[Three Foot Johnson 2,366]

The last Marlin 1894CB .32 H&R mag I saw sold for $2190, shipped. 

[Ozark Okie 19]

Very interesting what seems to be happening to 32 magnum prices. Obviously the demand exceeds the supply.

Begs the question...are people buying them to put aside as investments...or buying them to shoot. If its the latter....possibly a function of an aging population of shooters needing smaller, lighter guns, maybe the folks at Uberti, Marlin, Winchester/Miroku, et al should be paying attention. Unfortunately, for me, just an old guy who wants to shoot, its a moot point...is what it is...and I'll need to look in some other direction. Haven't given up the search, hope springs eternal and all that....but seems like 32 magnum and me may not happen. 

OO 

[Three Foot Johnson 2,366]

35 minutes ago, Ozark Okie said:

Very interesting what seems to be happening to 32 magnum prices. Obviously the demand exceeds the supply... maybe the folks at Uberti, Marlin, Winchester/Miroku, et al should be paying attention.

We are a very small market. Out of 110,000+ members, how many of us are active Cowboy Action Shooters? Active being, say, at least 1 match every month? And out of those, how many would actually buy a Marlin .32 H&R mag lever gun if they were available and reasonably priced? Marlin could make another run of a thousand of these, and probably still have more than half unsold a decade later. If they were available, and in the same price bracket as a .357, I might be tempted, but if they were priced 15-20% more than the same rifle in .357, I'd pass. 

[Three Foot Johnson 2,366]

Another one sold on Gunbroker this morning for $1427.25 plus shipping - about 50% more than a decent used .357 Cowboy brings.

[Ozark Okie 19]

Saw that one. How about the one that went for $1181 with 33 bids. Was listed as parts only because of multiple bullets stuck in the barrel. 

Some folks out there really want them.  I watch them because I'm interested, but I've given up the idea of buying one.  

OO

[40Chev 40]

Did you check out the Henry 327 Federal - it also runs H&R 32 mags?

 

[Ozark Okie 19]

I do know about the Henry  327 Federal Magnum, and have looked into it a bit. It's pretty heavy at 7lb for the rifle and gets mixed reviews from cowboy shooters; steady and deliberate cycling seems to work pretty well. Keeping my eyes open for someone who has one I could get my hands on and maybe even shoot a few rounds. There is a good video that  shows a guy shooting one with 327, 32 H&R Magnum and 32 S&W long....pretty neat.   

Thanks for your input. 

OO