.32 Long Colt
.32 Long Colt (also known as.32 LC or.32 Colt) is an American rimmed centerfire revolver cartridge introduced in 1873 by Colt. It was developed from the earlier.320 Revolver cartridge and intended for use in small-frame Colt revolvers. The cartridge was manufactured in several bullet configurations during its production history but saw wider use in Europe than in North America.
Also recorded as .32 LC · .32 Colt
.32 Long Colt
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- Name
- .32 Long Colt
- Field
- revolver cartridge
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Documentary summary
.32 Long Colt (also known as.32 LC or.32 Colt) is an American rimmed centerfire revolver cartridge introduced in 1873 by Colt. It was developed from the earlier.320 Revolver cartridge and intended for use in small-frame Colt revolvers. The cartridge was manufactured in several bullet configurations during its production history but saw wider use in Europe than in North America.
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wikidata · Q4545268 · wikipedia · .32 Long Colt
In this article
Overview
Overview
Despite being similar in appearance and performance to the.32 Smith & Wesson Long, the two cartridges are not interchangeable due to differences in case and bullet dimensions. The.32 Long Colt is no longer in common use but is still produced in small quantities for older firearms.
Key facts
Key facts
• Name —.32 Long Colt • Origin — United States • Type — Revolver • Design Date — 1873 • Production Date — 1873–present • Parent —.320 Revolver • Case Type — Rimmed, straight • Bullet —.312 • Neck —.313 • Base —.318 • Rim Dia —.374 • Case Length — 0.92 • Length — 1.26 • Rifling — 1: • Primer — small pistol • Bwround — 1 • Bw1 — 82 • Btype1 — (factory load) • Vel1 — 790 • En1 — 114 • Bw2 — 80 • Btype2 — lead • Vel2 — 840 • En2 — 126 • Bw3 — 95 • Vel3 — 700 • En3 — 104 • Balsrc — Barnes & Amber 1972
Description
Introduced by Colt with the New Line revolver in 1873, the.32 Colt was inspired by the.320 Revolver, also called the ".32 Webley". It originally used a.313 in (7.95 mm)-diameter 90 gr (5.8 g) outside-lubricated heeled bullet, which was later changed to inside lubrication. This change led to the diameter shrinking to.299 in (7.59 mm), a slight reduction in bullet weight, and a shortening of overall length. The.32 Long Colt was so popular and introduced so soon after the.320 that enthusiasts and manufacturers began colloquially referring to the.320 as the ".32 Short Colt". Even though this terminology is not technically correct, it is still being used today. With a case lengthened by.31 in (7.87 mm) over the.320 Revolver (which means that the.320 will chamber and fire in any weapon designed for the.32 Long Colt), the.32 LC is in the same class in power as the.32 Smith & Wesson Long, albeit without comparable accuracy. Although the.32 Long Colt and.32 S&W Long appear to be similar, the two are not interchangeable due to the case and neck diameter being much narrower on the.32 Long Colt. More popular in Europe than North America, Colt was the most prominent American manufacturer which chambered any weapons in.32 Long Colt, most notably the Police Positive. The FAMAE revolver produced in Chile is currently offered in.32 Long Colt.
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “.32 Long Colt”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q4545268:.32 Long Colt
General reference · Wikidata
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Barnes, p.155, ".320 Revolver".
- 2.Barnes, p.155, ".32 Long Colt–.32 Short Colt".
- 3.Cartridge Board. handloadermagazine.com.
- 4.Barnes, p.155, ".32 Long Colt;–.32 Short Colt".
- 5.Jane's Information Group. Famae 0.38 Special revolver (Chile), Pistols. Jane's Infantry Weapons. Jan 21, 2009.
- 6.Jones, Richard. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009-2010. Jane's Information Group. 19. 2009. 978-0-7106-2869-5.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
Secondary witnessauthority record
General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Militaria
6,095 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- .308×1.5-inch BarnesTerminology
- .310 CadetTerminology
- .32 ACPTerminology
- .32 H&R MagnumTerminology
- .32 rimfireTerminology
- .32 S&WTerminology
- .32 S&W LongTerminology
- .32 Winchester Self-LoadingTerminology
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