# Antique gun question: what's a 32-20? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 18, 2018, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antique-gun-question-whats-a-32-20/814416 "2018-05-18T18:28:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antique-gun-question-whats-a-32-20/814416/1 "2018-05-18T18:28:43Z")
Blues pioneer Robert Johnson wrote a song called 32-20 Blues, in which he’s apparently talking about a pistol. I know a little bit about guns, but I’ve never heard of a 32-20, aside from the song. Was it a popular gun in Johnson’s day? I’ve read of .32 caliber revolvers in the old days; is that what he sings about? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antique-gun-question-whats-a-32-20/814416/2 "2018-05-18T18:33:45Z")
It refers to [Winchester .32-20 ammo.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.32-20_Winchester) ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2018, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antique-gun-question-whats-a-32-20/814416/3 "2018-05-18T18:47:12Z")
If you don’t want to read that and pick this out of it, even though it is in the first paragraph; _The name .32-20 refers to the **32 caliber** bullet of .312-inch-diameter (7.9 mm) and standard black-powder charge of **20 grains** (1.3 g)._ ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antique-gun-question-whats-a-32-20/814416/4 "2018-05-19T05:39:59Z")
Thank you, Czarcasm and Chimera, for telling me exactly what I needed. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antique-gun-question-whats-a-32-20/814416/5 "2018-05-19T14:51:00Z")
I have a Winchester Model 92 rifle\*, made in 1897 that uses .32-20. It’s a nice round to shoot. Little recoil, and the rifle is accurate. \*The rifle has a different buttstock, with a curved shoulder-end with a metal plate, and a longer forestock with an end cap no barrel band, and a 24" barrel (octagon in my case) as opposed to the more familiar carbine that has a flat butt, a shorter forestock with a barrel band and no end cap, and a 20" barrel that is usually round. {There were carbines with octagon barrels though.) ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2018, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antique-gun-question-whats-a-32-20/814416/6 "2018-05-19T21:09:58Z")
At one time, the fairly linear relationship between mass of [black] powder and performance meant knowing the charge weight gave you a useful indicator of what the cartridge was good for. Once smokeless powders came in, with no obvious relationship between weight and velocity, this ceased to be of value and the practice faded out.