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Own S&W 331 and 432. I love both of them - light recoil, accurate, easy to carry (including pocket). Adequate for defense with HP bullet (roughly equivalent to .38 special non +P). Sights are poor, but easily upgraded with Crimson Trace laser grips.
The problem is ammunition. Bought in bulk from Georgia Arms (RNFP and JHP), but unavailable from any source for the past 6 months. Considering reloading, sparing ammo for my wife's 331, and changing to Glock 26 for myself.... more »« less
Glock26 rates the Smith & Wesson 432 PD Airweight:
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I have the 431 and love it. .38 revolvers are easier to find but I like having 6 rounds and the recoil of the .32 H&R is really manageable. Ammo is a little tricky to come by but Federal makes a decent 85 gr defensive hollow point and Georgia Arms makes a 100 gr jacketed hollow point that really packs a punch! The sights are hard to use and I wouldn’t carry this gun for self defense without Crimson Trace laser sights on it (which mine came with from the factory). In the stress of the situation that you’ll be in if you have to use your gun it’s nice to be able to put the red dot on ‘em and know that that’s where your bullet will go. In addition there’s a real good chance that the intimidation of seeing that red dot on their chest will make your attacker back off. (I have the larger LG-305 grip and it makes it comfortable to shoot by supporting your pinky finger.) Note that the hammer on the 431 sticks up quite a bit but with the right holster it’s manageable. If you’re carrying loose in a purse the 432 hammerless will prevent a lot of snagging when you need to get it out fast. S&W did a nice job of smoothing the corners and edges on these and they have a nice quality feel. I carry mine in my front jeans pocket and it’s quite comfortable- works for me!... more »« less
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I have a couple of questions for owners of this (or the 431).
This is one of several guns I am considering for personal protection/concealed carry. I have not seen one of these in real life and it looks from the picture like it might be hard to sight. I would appreciate any opinion as to sighting and accuracy. Is the 431 better or worse on that?
I am a novice but have had the basic NRA training. I am a woman, but am pretty strong. Is this a good choice for me?
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I have the Ruger LCP, Kel Tech 3AT, Kel Tech P32, and Tomcat .32 ACP. By far I like my S&W 431 PD the best. I had to send it back to S&W. The gun would not fire .32 long or short. It fires the H&R .32 but left a small indention in the cartridge. Anyway the gun has too much headspace or the firing pin is to short. The gun is new Manufacture date is 3 Feb 2009 believe it or not. S&W sent a prepaid shipping lable and hopfully I will have the gun back soon.... more »« less
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If you are like me and had purchased a .38 Special snubby for your wife based on recommendations (friends, articles, wherever)...but to only receive that dirty look upon her firing it for the first time.. You owe it to yourself to consider the 431PD or 432PD (hammerless) .32 H&R Mag snubbies. I was a bit skeptical at first, but after having fired it the first time, I was pleasantly surprised.. and so was my wife. It has plenty of pop and an additional round (6) over a traditional .38 snubby. This lil snubby is one that my wife feels quite comfortable carrying.... more »« less
rsanluis rates the Smith & Wesson 432 PD Airweight:
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Took my new 432PD to the range today to run it through it's paces. I must say, I truly enjoyed shooting this little Airweight snubby. I found it much less "snappy" as compared to a S&W 642 38 Special I had previously purchased for my wife. I definitely think she will be handle and will enjoy shooting this 432PD with the .32 H&R Mag round.
I shot off several hundred rounds today to test for reliability and accuracy using several types of ammo. The Black Hills 90 grain lead flat point..intended for Cowboy Action Shooting resulted in several rounds that failed to fire - the three other types fired just fine and did not have a single FTF. Needless to say, I will not be purchasing any more of this CAS type ammo. Here is a summary of the types of ammo I used at the range today:
Georgia Arms: 1) .32 H&R Mag 100gr Jacketed Hollow Point (100 rounds) 2) .32 H&R Mag 100gr Round Nose Flat Point (100 rounds)
Black Hills: 1) Black Hills Ammunition 32 H&R Magnum 85 Grain Jacketed Hollow Point (50 rounds)
[ This CAS ammo did not shoot well with the 432PD - had approx. 8 rounds that failed to fire out of 50 ] 2) Black Hills Cowboy Action Ammunition 32 H&R Magnum 90 Grain Lead Flat Point (50 rounds) ... more »« less
rsanluis rates the Smith & Wesson 432 PD Airweight:
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I researched this pistol and found it to be a very capable gun. I always carry a Seecamp .32 acp in a DeSantis Nemesis Pocket holster and am confident in the caliber to take down an adversary and am really impressed with this pistol. Besides being a magnum caliber, it has six rounds and is almost featherweight at 13.5 ounces! That's incredibly light. It would make a very capable BUG and actually would make an adequate primary home defense pistol IMO.... more »« less
tigwelder56 rates the Smith & Wesson 432 PD Airweight:
