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Smith & Wesson 432 UC Review [Hands-On Tested]

We test the new 432 UC revolver, a collaboration between between Smith & Wesson, Lipsey's and the folks at American Fighting Revolver.
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    Smith & Wesson 432 UC Pros & Cons

    Pros

    • Lightweight design
    • Great accuracy for a snubnose
    • Low recoil
    • Excellent sights
    • Great trigger

    Cons

    • Expensive and hard-to-find ammo
    • Lipsey's exclusive

    The Bottom Line

    The S&W 432 UC sold me on revolvers. It's small, easy to shoot, accurate, and fun to shoot! The biggest downside is the uncommon and somewhat expensive ammo.

    Smith & Wesson 432 UC Specs & Features

    Specs

    • Caliber: .32 H&R Magnum
    • Action: Double-action only
    • Capacity: 6
    • Barrel length: 1.875″
    • Overall length: 6.3″
    • Width: 1.3″
    • Height: 4.3″
    • Weight: 16.3 oz
    • Comes with: Bull Dog Deluxe 36” Case, 30-round PMAG, owner’s manual, lock

    Features

    • VZ G10 high horn grips
    • Titanium pins for increased durability
    • Chamfered charge holes and beveled front cylinder edge
    • XS tritium front sight and dovetail rear sight
    • Grips relieved for speed loaders

    If you had told me that in 2024, my favorite carry gun would be a J-Frame chambered in a cartridge designed in the 1980s that barely anyone has ever heard of, I would have laughed at you.

    Yet, here we are. As I type this, a Smith & Wesson 432 Ultimate Carry sits in my pocket, loaded with six rounds of .32 H&R Magnum.

    The Ultimate Carry series debuted at this year’s SHOT Show and includes the .32 H&R 432 and 632 models, and the .38 Special 442 and 642 models.

    These guns are built by Smith and Wesson but at the request of the distributor Lipsey’s, who consulted with notable revolver experts to craft these guns.

    I’ve opened my heart (and wallet) and picked up a 432 UC, so let’s dive in and figure out what I learned.

    Table of Contents

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    How We Tested the S&W 432 UC

    For this review, we tested the S&W 432 UC with 150 rounds of Black Hills .32 H&R Mag and 250 rounds of Magtech and Aguila .32 S&W Long. Accuracy testing was done at 7 to 25 yards. Various shooting drills were run and timed, including drawing and shooting from concealment.

    S&W 432 UC

    Conducting this test was Travis Pike, a former Marine machinegunner and firearms enthusiast. Travis has been reviewing firearms and writing about them for many years and for various publications. He is also an NRA-certified instructor and state-certified concealed carry instructor in Florida.

    Background

    While the UC model for the 432 is new, the 432 itself is not. Smith & Wesson first produced the 432 in 2004 and discontinued it in 2006, so its lifespan was short. Even in 2004, the .32 H&R Magnum was an out-of-style cartridge.

    .32 Caliber Revolver Rounds
    Left to Right: .32 S&W Short, .32 S&W Long, .32 H&R Magnum, .327 Federal Magnum (Photo: Lucky Gunner)

    The little .32 H&R Magnum came to be in 1984 and was designed to build on the S&W Long cartridge. The idea was to create a round that doubled the power of that old cartridge without creating excessive recoil. It also offered six rounds instead of five in the J-Frame.

    Unfortunately, the cartridge was never super popular. But like most .32s, it had plenty of potential but was ignored for larger bullets.

    Lipsey’s teamed up with S&W and revolver experts Darryl Bolke and Bryan Eastridge to create what has been aptly called the next generation of J-frames.

    Smith and Wesson 642 (6)
    A standard S&W Model 642 Airweight in .38 Special

    For most people, a J-frame means a snub-nose .38 Special, but these guys knew the .32 H&R Magnum was a good fit. Thus, S&W was convinced to bring back the 432

    Who Is It For?

    This is the perfect revolver for guys or gals like me — people who don’t want to deal with harsh recoil but want a small, lightweight revolver.

    S&W 432 UC

    It’s also ideal for those who suck at shooting revolvers with trench sights and want sights similar to most modern semi-auto handguns.

    Fit & Feel

    I fell in love with the Smith & Wesson 432 UC right out of the box. The combination of the dark black finish with the red VZ grips is gorgeous. Revolvers are naturally good-looking guns, and the 432 UC takes it a step further.

    Momma always said not to judge anything by its looks, so do those pretty red grips perform? Oh yeah.

    S&W 432 UC
    A look at the VZ G10 grips

    These high horn grips go up to the top of the backstrap, allowing for a nice high grip on the gun. They fill the hand with a somewhat rounded design but have a flush-cut bottom concealable ‘boot’ style grip.

    I had to swap grips on my Ruger LCR because the regular ones were too short and challenging to hold. But the S&W grips feel longer because they sit higher on the weapon. My pinky isn’t dangling off like Michelle Joyner in Cliffhanger.

    If you look at the grips from the rear of the gun, you’ll notice they aren’t symmetrical. The left side has been trimmed and relieved to make it easy to use speed loaders.

    S&W 432 UC cylinder

    Thankfully S&W ditched the silly internal safety lock on this gun. No little hole to distract from the looks of this wheel gun.

    A short press on the cylinder release reveals smooth and easy movement. The extractor rod glides smoothly and presses cases out of the cylinder without a problem.

    The weapon feels and looks fantastic.

    How Does the Smith & Wesson 432 UC Shoot?

    Any gun that can fire .32 H&R Magnum can also fire .32 S&W Long and .32 S&W. It has backward compatibility, much like .357 Magnum and .38 Special.

    S&W 432 UC with ammo

    The downside to the .32 H&R Magnum is that plenty of people make defensive loads for it, but finding ammo that’s not $1.50 per round is a tall order. This leads to arguably the gun’s biggest downside — ammo price and availability.

    Due to its price point and availability, I did a lot of shooting with .32 S&W Long instead. However, that didn’t stop me from getting some hands-on with some .32 H&R Magnum.

    Regarding recoil, the S&W .32 Long feels close to something like a .22 Magnum. It’s barely a cough with such a high grip on the gun. It’s like the gun burps. Sure, it’s loud, but it doesn’t hurt.

    Shooting the S&W 432 UC

    I expected the .32 H&R Magnum to recoil with a bit more significance, but to my surprise, it was relatively tame. I experienced more recoil with the magnum round, but it’s still less than a standard .38 Special.

    My hands didn’t feel like they’d been abused and mistreated at the end of a rapidly fired cylinder. The sights moved between shots, but not by much. I could comfortably and accurately fire the gun rapidly.

    Without question, I would feel confident and capable of shooting this in a defensive encounter, knowing I could do it quickly and even maintain control with a single hand.

    Drawing from the pocket was a breeze

    I ran through drills like the Bill Drill and the 10-10-10, and firing quickly didn’t significantly detract from my accuracy. From a hand in my pocket pocket draw, I scored a 2.03 Bill Drill, which blew my mind.

    Ringing Steel

    My brain has always had some kind of disconnect with snub nose guns and trench sights. I just suck with them. I need real sights, and the UC models offer them.

    The big green front sight drops between the U-Notch rear sight and gives me a sight picture I’m used to. Pair those sights with a very smooth double-action trigger, and we get an accurate revolver.

    S&W 432 UC sights
    A look down the sights of the 432 UC

    Short-barreled revolvers often get that belly gun reputation, but this is no belly gun. At seven, ten, and fifteen yards I had no problems making accurate shots to the head and torso of a target.

    I walked back to 25 yards and thought there was no way this would work. I dropped the sights on a 10-inch gong, got a good grip, and pressed that trigger.

    A resulting ding sent that sweet dopamine throughout my brain housing group. Then another ding, and another, a miss, but that’s okay. The rest were dings. I’m not a revolver guy, but at 25 yards, I can hit a 10-inch gong with this snubby.

    Sights should be a higher priority for revolver companies because there is a difference. You could argue that I need to train with a trench sight to master it, and sure, that’s true. However, if your goal is to sell revolvers, you should make them more accessible to everyone.

    Reliability

    I practiced reloads with both a speed loader and a speed strip. I’m still an amateur at the process, but I’m enthusiastic about it. The rounds slid in quickly to the chamber thanks to the chamfered chambers and the relieved grips.

    S&W 432 UC speed strip

    The S&W 432 UC always went bang. After 150 rounds of .32 H&R Mag and 250 rounds of .32 S&W Long, I have yet to experience a failure to fire or malfunction. The cylinder never got sloppy, and neither did the extractor.

    The gun can fire .32 ACP, theoretically, but my attempts resulted in lots of light primer strikes.

    What Sets the S&W 432 UC Apart?

    First of all, the choice of caliber. Straying from .38 Special is brave but also smart. It offers a caliber that’s much easier to shoot while offering an extra round of capacity.

    You can be a tough guy all you want and shoot a .357 Magnum from an air-weight revolver, but I’ll stick to the .32s, which I can more easily control.

    .38 Special vs .357 Magnum
    .38 Special vs .357 Magnum

    The sights are also a prominent standout feature to me. They are enormous, easy to see, and rapid and fast to get on target. It’s crazy the difference a rear sight makes on a revolver, at least for me.

    Finally, all the little things make a difference. The grip design, the smooth trigger, the chamfered charge holes for quick reloads, and the beveled cylinder for easy reloading.

    By The Numbers

    Accuracy

    4/5

    For a snub-nose revolver, this is a real banger of a gun. It shoots straight, aided by a solid trigger and incredible sights

    Reliability

    5/5

    The gun chewed through Magtech, Aguila, .32 S&W Long, and Black Hills .32 H&R Magnum without a single problem. It goes bang and keeps banging.

    Customization

    3/5

    It's not Glock, but the S&W J-Frame is popular enough that sights, grips, holsters, and other accessories are available.

    Ergonomics

    4/5

    The grips are fantastic. They allow quick reloads, fill the hand, and help you control the gun. The controls are all easy to use and smooth. The downside is that these guns are inherently designed for right-handed shooters.

    Value

    4/5

    These are semi-custom revolvers with an MSRP not that far off from a standard S&W revolver. The MSRP of the 432 UC is only a couple hundred more than a standard revolver. The sights alone cost about $120, so the value is there.

    Overall

    4.5/5

    Available Coupons

    Final Verdict

    The S&W 432 UC provides shooters with a modern J-Frame that offers increased capacity, reasonable power, and much more shootability.

    A few small changes make a huge difference. While the .32 H&R Magnum won’t appeal to everyone, it’s an excellent choice for shooters who might not want to deal with harsh recoil. I think S&W and Lipseys knocked this one out of the park.

    S&W 432 UC

    What are your thoughts on the S&W 432 UC? Do you have any experience with other .32 H&R Magnum guns? Let us know in the comments below! Interested in other wheel guns? Check out our article on the Best Revolvers of 2024!

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    5 Leave a Reply

    • Dave

      I’m with you, Have a 442 and recoil is brutal. Stil… Can’t justify the expense and then searching for ammo that costs about the same as rounds you’d hunt buffalo with.

      September 29, 2024 8:08 pm
    • Bill W.

      I want it! Unfortunately, at age 80 and on a fixed income, I'll never have one. Just have to stick with my beat-up 642. But OMG, I want one!

      September 14, 2024 8:13 pm
    • Uncle Phred

      I was trained so extensively and comprehensively with revolvers in the mid-1980s as a new federal agent that the operation of one is still exceptionally natural to me. I switched to semi-automatics as soon as I could back 'on the job' but I always kept my little J-Frame. I still carry it on occasion when circumstances make it the best or at least the most preferred choice.

      These Ultimate Carry revolvers caught my attention when they were first announced, especially when considering the truly decent sights. Better grips and an action job don't hurt either. The picture above looking through those sights was most helpful. I think it's time for an upgrade...

      June 7, 2024 6:06 am
    • Lazr

      I’ll stick with my Ruger LCR and LCRx as well as my SP 101 and Single 7 (not to mention a couple of Tauruses’s (Tauti?)) They will all chamber the .327 Fed Mag then if I CHOOSE to step down to .32 H&R Mag I can. Spoiler alert…. I keep them loaded with .32 H&R Mag but the point is flexibility. If I choose to up load to .327 I can. I like options.

      June 6, 2024 11:28 pm
    • Vinny

      I'll keep my S&W 632 ported, it'll shoot .327 federal magnum, .32 H&R, .32 S&W. This model was dropped more than a few years ago. The expense and availability of .327 is cost prohibitive now days. With the surge in firearm purchasing starting back in 2009 seems to have impacted brass availability for off calibers.

      June 6, 2024 7:09 pm
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