This is not an argument against anything said so far or to come, but how my personal philosophy evolved, based on my personal situation and expectations for my own future.
ONE: You are going to expend a primer regardless of the bore size, bullet, weight, powder-charge, etc. Large or small, pistol or rifle - ONE primer will be used regardless. The Primer seems to be the one commodity affecting all of our shooting habits at the moment, even though we here are not hurting for bullets, and most of our loads are easy on powder and brass. You are going to expend ONE primer, whether it's a 25 ACP or a 458 Lott.
SMALL primers seem to be the only ones really being supported at the moment. Good for the 25 or 32, or many larger cartridges. Large primers are something I'm using in ONE revolver and ONE rifle and I won't be buying any new guns which require them for the foreseeable future. Yeah, I'd like to have a 360 BH, but not going to commit right now.
Adding a cartridge which is not on my roster at the moment spreads precious resources even thinner.
I love the 32s and would love to mess with them as small game rifles and revolvers, maybe even a neat little auto. The 32s offer a lot of potential and a LOT of flexibility, but I'd stop short of personal protection and hunting larger than "small" game. A 32 would cover the vast majority of my real-life/everyday needs fairly well.
BUT, the 35 caliber won out for me. I can mimic 32 power with light 38 and 357 loads, or take advantage of a LOT more power, if needed, without really stretching limits. I COULD chamber a rifle for 360 BH, 35 Remington, 358W or 35 Whelen IF I really needed more. I HAVE a 357 Max barrel I've never shot, but... same dies, same moulds, some of the same powders as the 38/357 Mag, so it's a no-brainer to have that extra power on tap IF I were to want or need it, without adding extra equipment/clutter.
I actually HAVE a small handful of LARGE-PRIMER 357 brass, if it were to come that. My revolvers will reliably fire small pistol AND small RIFLE primers, even in DA. The 35s take no less effort to cast for, the smallest 35s are the weight of the largest 32s and there is a much larger selection of moulds. Yeah, I only USE two or three 35 cal moulds, but I went through a lot of them to find the few I like best.
Brass for the 38/357 is much easier to find (for me) than any of the 32s. I've purchased brand new, quality 357 Mag brass, in quantity, THREE times during the current "drought" and at a price that was easy to swallow. If I ever had to scrounge brass, I am certain it would be easier to find than any of the 32s. I see loaded ammo on shelves for the 38 and 357 Mag from time to time, but NEVER see 25 or 32 ammo anywhere. JUST starting to see 380 ammo again, but I don't use it.
The 357 Mag actually covers my needs as well as a 32 would (as expressed above), but is easier to source brass and data for, ammo if I HAD to, and has the added advantage of a larger selection of revolvers at prices I can afford. I cannot argue with the accuracy of my 357s, from the lightest loads to the heaviest, in carbine OR revolver.
The 357 is not as cool or "cute" as the 32 (or 25 ACP), which actually does matter to me, but the 357 made more sense. It's still a compromise, but the compromise seems more on the pragmatic level for me - foregoing something I'd really, really LIKE in deference to something I happen to NEED a bit more.
Not for everyone, and if someone can manage the smaller bores in their battery and at the casting/loading benches, within their limits of fiscal and time resources, by all means - GO FOR IT! It really is COOL and really is FUN and they have a LOT of practical use. There are a number of 32 revolvers I'd love to have and a carbine would be the berries - same revolvers and long-arms I like and use for the 357s, actually.
The 32s are awesome. A 25 ACP rifle would be REALLY awesome. I think it would be a lot of fun and I think it would be very useful as well.
