Hornady’s New .32 H&R Magnum Critical Defense Load

The Critical Defense .32 H&R Magnum is another self defense load announced by Hornady at the 2012 NASGW show last week.  Designed for any revolver chambered for the .32 H&R Magnum, the ammunition performs equally as well in .327 Federal Magnum revolvers also.

This load uses an 80 grain FTX bullet.  The FTX bullet is a polymer tipped hollowpoint that has proven to be very successful in both self defense and hunting applications.  A friend who uses the Hornady Leverevolution .30-30 ammo with an FTX bullet tells me the wound channel they create is unbelievable.  These rounds use the same bullet technology.

Velocity is listed as 1150 fps at the muzzle.  I did not see what kind of barrel was used, but I suspect it was a 4″ test barrel based on other Hornady tests.  So, if you have a shorter barrel gun, expect less velocity.  At 1150 fps, the bullet generates 235 ft-lbs of energy.

Like other loads in the Critical Defense line, these use low flash powder to minimize the blinding effect when shooting in low light.  Cases are nickel-plated.

Revolvers chambered for the.32 H&R Magnum are not as common as they once were.  But, they still are carried by people.  Hornady has really gone after some of the less-popular calibers in the Critical Defense line, where there is a lack of quality self defense ammo.  For example, this year the company introduced a .32 NAA load and last year Hornady rolled out a version for the 9mm Makarov.

It will be interesting to see how many niche calibers Hornady might touch with this line.  For example, would they do a 7.62×25 or .45 GAP?