We already have the .357 Magnum & the .38 Special.
So!
.358 is not the end-all of calibers! The .38Special/.357Mag to me go together like ham and eggs, but that is still a medium bore round. Personally when it comes to a wheelgun (in particular) or anything in .358,
I ALWAYS advise or advocate getting such a firearm in .357Mag - for
max-versatility.
I agree, and that's the basis of my survival plan. Chances are much higher of finding .38 based ammo than .32 based ammo, at least today. I've got a little stockpile for my wife's SP101 in .32H&R, but there's probably me and another guy on this island that have any. (very true!)
However, if I already had say a Handi/H&R/NEF/Rossi/Contender rifle in .30-30 right now (and I'd love to find a super 16 in 30-30 for this), **I might order the MCACE chamber adapter which right now is for .32 H&R/S&W Long, but he might make a .327 version (which would cover all the rest). If I had a double shottie, I might order a 327 adapter for one barrel, and make it a poor man's drilling. I'm a fan of options and versatility. I've got some .32 wc ammo that'd be super quiet in a long barrel, with very little recoil, but probably stout enough for island pig ... at reasonable range with good placement.
All that said, I think Marlin should have already chambered a 94 in .327/.32H&R, and a 94 CB. Between that and Ruger's new offerings, it might lift the cartridge up in popularity and make it more common to where it could join the ranks of likely ammo found in an EOTWAWKI scenario.
** Egg-sellent suggestion!
And much of the reason I also advocate trying to develope smallish .308/.312 caliber rounds fpr survival and special uses in singleshot applications/firearms. I believe the .30 cal cartridges are more versatile and easier to use in [more precise] applications than bigger cartridges -
although ALL OF THEM have their uses!
Which I do mean L-I-T-E-R-A-L-L-Y!If limited to small game hunting and gathering I agree there might be little difference in potting a rabbit or squirrel or grouse with a .32 or ."38" cal-wadcutter rated at @1000fps.
But I can think of applications for all of the cartridges a survivalist/woodsman might purfekt! Including .44Spec/.44Mag loadings, and even .452 applications if a person owned such other firearms.
However I got to thinking about T-Nelson's posts; And while I want to replace my .30 Carb "applications" and McAce devices with ones in .357Mag, before I would have an H*R or Contender barrel or barrel-adapter reamed to the longer round
if finally occurred to me that I need to thoroughly [also] test and "R&D" the shorter .32H*R rorund! Esp with 86-100grn wadcutters!
I already have a .32-20 boolit mold for @115 grn pills, but when looking for current mold offerings, noticed that RCBS offers 3 or 4 wadcutter/semi-wadcutter designs - usually in .312 cal. However many boolits can be sized to smaller calibers as well.
My quest for a reloadable small-game "survival" round stems from wanting a "reloadable" .22LR or .22WMR.I won't say all .308 bullets and [lead] boolits are totally interchangeable with .32-20 or .32 cal applications (as I can't speak from experience -yet), but frequently "that" is the case according to what many shooters of those cartridges say!
A couple of points/trivia; Blasting a squirrel or grouse in the body with a
reloaded .38Sp or .32H&R/.327M may not leave much edible meat, but if such a loading is loaded to around .22LR velocities (@1000-1200fps) and aimed at the critters head, a much better outcome might be cooked and consumed that night!
Also it makes sense that a .38Spl wadcutter
aimed at the cranium of a deer (if done correctly) would better harvest the venison, altho a .32 cal "application" could be "impressed" into such a role too, if the survivalist was careful and just as close to the critter if not closer. (well inside of 50yds)
As for a Marlin levergun or similar firearm in the new .327Magnum, since those firearms have been chambered in the .32-20 (most of them),
why not the newer more modern round? Seems the straight-walled round with its stouter, thicker case might have fewer "problems" and quirks too.
