.32 Winchester Special

The .32 Winchester Special is a rimmed cartridge created in 1895 for use in the Winchester Model 94 lever-action rifle. It is similar in name to the .32 WCF and .32-20 Winchester cartridges, but cannot be interchanged since it does not share the same dimensions.

History
This cartridge was not based on any parent case, but was an original design, intended from the beginning for smokeless powder rather than black-powder. Winchester's goal was to create a new cartridge for sportsmen who wanted something more powerful than the .30 WCF, but without the recoil of the .30 Army. This new cartridge only enjoyed moderate success, and remain hampered by the small selection of available bullets in the .321 size. Shooters can generally find a wide selection of bullet types and weights for the .30-30, while the .32 WS generally only comes in 170 grain (11.02g) bullets.

Performance
Ballistics are similar to the .30-30, but the larger diameter bullet of .321 in (8.15 mm) will of course make a somewhat larger hole, while the same weight in .30 caliber would have a larger sectional density, and generally greater penetration. According to the original Winchester Repeating Arms Company, the .32 WS has about 15-20% more energy than the .30-30.

Categories
Cartridge:rifles