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Smith and Wesson Model 632

Smith & Wesson 632

The modern Smith & Wesson 632 revolvers are a pair of J-frame revolvers chambered for the high-pressure .327 Federal Magnum cartridge.  One of the 632 revolvers was discontinued within two years of introduction, while the other has been in continuous production since 2009.

Both revolvers target the concealed carry market but from different angles.

S&W 632 PS

Officially introduced at the 2009 SHOT Show, details on the 632 PS leaked out in January 2008.  It is a small-framed revolver that holds six rounds in the cylinder.

Smith Wesson 632PS

The 632 PS has a 3″ ported barrel using the Smith & Wesson PowerPort technology.  The port is on the top side of the barrel, forward of the front sight ramp.  Because of this, the sight radius on the gun is about 1/2″ shorter than one might expect on a 3″ barreled revolver.

Unlike some of the other J-frame revolvers, the 632 PS has a full-length extractor rod.  The underlug is long enough to fully protect the extractor rod

Similar to the NightGuard line of revolvers, the S&W 632 PS has a matte black finish.  The front sight is a pinned ramp.  The rear sight is an adjustable, target-style sight.

This model 632 uses an exposed hammer, which allows the owner to shoot in double-action or single-action mode.

Smith and Wesson 632 PS

At the 2009 SHOT Show, I got a chance to handle this gun.  I had been hoping to see a J-frame in .327 Magnum, but this was not the gun I envisioned.  I was hoping for something more like the 642 revolvers, and this was not it.  However, I found myself liking the gun more that I thought I would.

The first thing that struck me is the cylinder seemed much thinner than what I was expecting.  I thought I would pick up the gun and see a cylinder roughly the same size as a Model 10 in .38 Special.  Not so.  The cylinder is definitely less bulky, and it still puts six of the magnum rounds at your disposal.

It had a decent trigger, good sight picture, and felt good in my hand.

However, I had a serious problem with this gun. Like most modern Smith and Wesson revolvers, it has the internal lock.  There have been demonstrable problems with the internal locks, and I cannot recommend any of the company’s guns that have one installed.

I left the show thinking that if S&W made this revolver without the lock and with a non-ported plain 2″ to 2.5″ barrel with the internal hammer, they would not be able to keep up with demand.  As it turned out, I had to wait until the 2010 SHOT Show to see the gun I wanted.

At the time I am writing this (September 2013,) this gun is still in the Smith & Wesson catalog.  It is listed as the “632” though it is also referred to as “632 Pro Series – PowerPort.”

S&W 632 Pro Series – Night Sights

The 632 was a J-frame, “hammerless” revolver with a 2 1/8″ barrel.  The cylinder held six rounds of the potent .327 Magnum.  The frame was stainless steel and the guns weighed only 23 ounces (unloaded).

Smith Wesson 632

Unlike many other J-frames, the model 632 had tritium, three-dot sights which made for a good sight picture.  Additionally, the sights were dovetailed, meaning adjustment or replacement was feasible.

This model 632  did not have an internal lock.

Smith & Wesson literature alternately referred to this gun as 632, 632 Pro, 632 Pro Series and 632 Night Sights.  These various names caused an unfortunate amount of confusion.  When talking about the 632, no one knew which gun you meant.  For an added layer of complexity, there was another Smith & Wesson 632 revolver that saw production in the early 1990’s.  Those guns were chambered in .32 H&R Magnum, and marked “.32 Magnum.”

Smith and Wesson 632

The 632 felt good in my hand, as do all of the 640/642 style revolvers Smith & Wesson makes.  The three-dot sights are a vast improvement over the fixed ramp front and narrow rear notch that many of the J-frames wear.

A lot of people are skeptical of the .327 Magnum cartridge, but I think this round has a lot of possibilities as a defensive load.  This model 632 is exactly what I hoped S&W would introduce in 2009.  MSRP was $916.

Unfortunately, this gun is no longer in production.  I do not have an exact date the gun was pulled from production, but it looks like it was pulled in 2012.

Smith Wesson 327 magnum

Smith & Wesson 632 Information Sheet

By Richard Johnson

Richard Johnson is a gun writer, amateur historian and - most importantly - a dad. He's done a lot of silly things in his life, but quitting police work to follow his passion of writing about guns was one of the smartest things he ever did. He founded this site and continues to manage its operation.

28 replies on “Smith and Wesson Model 632”

porting is a big problem . i dont want any more hearing problems . i also would prefer stainless.

I cant believe all the people submit a review without knowing the details. The gun is a stainless gun with a black finish. I just bought one and can’t get over how perfect it is. My hole family can choose a round that is comfortable to shoot from light 32 s&w to full power magnums. I will be removing the porting myself no big problem.

just got one in stainless, as Doug mentioned the “black” gun above is stainless. the gun is a blast, good power, little recoil, a six shot cylinder the size of my five shot .38 j frame. plus it shoots .32auto, which can be good for young shooters.

I love my 632, its black stainless and am getting ready to buy the plain stainless version. People don’t like the locks, I have never used, nor had an issue with a lock on any of my S&W’s? I chrono 1375-1400 fps with 100 grain Federal Magnum rounds. I put away my 637 .38 plus p and now carry this power house.

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