The 32 Winchester Special was introduced in the Model 1894 Winchester lever-action in 1902. It is based on the 30-30 Winchester case necked up to take a .321-inch bullet. Its 170-grain bullet at 2250 feet per second is obviously very similar to the 30-30's 170-grain load. Intended to be more powerful than the 30-30, it really isn't, although its larger diameter bullet probably hits a bit harder. Even so, it was perceived as more powerful--thus a better "black bear cartridge"--and remained a popular chambering in both Winchester and Marlin lever actions for many years. No new firearms are currently chambered to 32 Winchester Special, but ammunition remains available from Federal, Remington, and Winchester.
