32/20 or 357max ?

[Ranger99]

A friend came into a Winchester 32/20
lever rifle,  and there seems to be some
minor confusion. I reamed a 357mag
Handi rifle to 357max some time ago
and the confusion is that some have the
opinion that the 32/20 is a more powerful
cartridge than a 357max.
I can't see that at all. I'm sure no expert,
but I was thinking that the 32/20 was
weaker in the case was relatively thin
being that it was originally a black powder
cartridge. I'm thinking the 357max would
be considered a more powerful cartridge
since it is a smokeless "high pressure "
round.
IMO I think that the man he got it from
has a 32 win special in mind

What do the experts say?

[Lloyd Smale]

im a 3220 lover and ill say the 357 max wins hands down. im not a fan of the regular 357 in a handgun for deer. but in a carbine it too is a better big game round than the 3220. now grandpa killed a bunch of deer with his 3220 using lame factory loads bu he forgot to talk about the ones that ran off.

[Ranger99]

. . .  now grandpa killed a bunch of deer with his 3220 using lame factory loads bu he forgot to talk about the ones that ran off.

Lots of people in my grandpa's time used
whatever they had or could borrow.
It wasn't unusual that so-and-so was not
as well off as cousin joe, and would buy
a half a dozen shells at the dry goods store
in town that fit cousin joe's gun, and borrow
the gun to kill some meat, and give joe
the unused shells when the gun was
returned, or some other barter something
depending on what was available.
People having one or more guns for every
purpose like many do today was unimaginable.
Everybody was too poor

[gene_225]

My dad told of his dog bringing a deer by repeatedly where he was cutting firewood for sale in the 30s. He had a 22 and they had venison for supper that night. In tough times it's whatever works.

[jedman]

 Without a doubt the 357 maximum has several times the energy of the 32-20. I own rifles in both calibers .
  jedman

[gene_225]

I have owned both also. I suspect that some think the fact that the .32-20 is a bottle neck rifle cartridge means that it is more powerful, but not so. It sure is neat looking thou. I still have pistols in .32-20.

[ulav8r]

32/20 was the first centerfire cartridge I fired so I have a soft spot for it.  There were 2 classes of factory ammo for it.  The weaker one, suitable for pistols and most pre 1880 rifles and a HV load at about 1800fps for Model 1892 Winchester rifles.


As a deer cartridge is is much better than a 22 but not near as powerful as a .357.  The 32/20 would be my choice as I dislike cold weather too much to deer hunt very much and I already have several deer rifles.

[Mule 11]

32/20 was the first centerfire cartridge I fired so I have a soft spot for it.  There were 2 classes of factory ammo for it.  The weaker one, suitable for pistols and most pre 1880 rifles and a HV load at about 1800fps for Model 1892 Winchester rifles.


As a deer cartridge is is much better than a 22 but not near as powerful as a .357.  The 32/20 would be my choice as I dislike cold weather too much to deer hunt very much and I already have several deer rifles.

It’s going to be cold and windy on our deer gun season. Oh boy... oh well usually we have rain, so, an improvement? 

[knight0334]

From handgun, .357max tops .32-20.

From a rifle, they can be pretty close.   Back in the day, there were different handgun and rifle loads for the .32-20.  The .357max probably wins on average, but .32-20 isn't a slouch in the "rifle load".  It is all relative of course, because when reloading - it is all on how it is loaded.   If you load a .357max to .38spl levels and a .32-20 to "rifle loads" - the .32-20 will win.  It is often asinine to make comparisons because rarely are factory offerings loaded to max capability.  .357Mag is a good example of that - most factory options are crippled from the spec .158gr @ 1525FPS from a 6" barrel(which is close to many of today's .44mag loads in energy).

Comparisons are almost always apples/oranges.