Smith & Wesson 632 Ultimate Carry Review [2025]

I have been carrying snub nose revolvers on and off for the better part of six years now. During that time I’ve worn heavy all-steel guns, and incredibly lightweight alloy snubs. Calibers range from the flagship .357 Magnum to the relatively tiny .22WMR. The idea of something that split the difference between ease of shooting and reasonable bullet performance is something that we all chase. Those of us carrying our subcompact wheelguns are the prime suspects when it comes to lusting after this balance of form and function.

It was right around SHOT Show 2024 when Lipsey’s and American Fighting Revolver announced their collaboration on the Ultimate Carry line of revolvers. Touting higher quality control and overall quality, additional calibers, and reasonable weight, my interest was piqued. Once the guns went live I put in an order for two 632 Ultimate Carry’s to my local Lipsey’s dealer. Months later, how have they stacked up to shooting and carry?

Design of the 632 Ultimate Carry

If you’ve ever handled a modern J-Frame, then the Ultimate Carry line will be familiar to you. These aren’t a massive departure from the norm, rather a refinement for the serious and casual shooter alike. This specific model is chambered for .32H&R Magnum, holding six rounds in its cylinder. Within the UC line, shooters can also choose guns in .38 Special, with stainless and blued finishes available for both chamberings.

There are a variety of modifications made to this series to help it stand out from the bog standard snub. These include upgrades to springs and pins for reliability, durability, and an improved trigger press. Each charge hole in the cylinder is chamfered to aid with rapid loading, which is especially helpful on the clock. The often maligned internal lock is absent here, something that S&W should apply across the board.

Grips are supplied from VZ, providing a high horn grip and enclosed backstrap. These allow you to choke up on your grip for more control, and I think they do a great job mitigating recoil. Unfortunately these stocks are only available with purchase of an Ultimate Carry revolver. VZ does not sell them publicly, though they certainly should. Those carrying reloads are in luck, as the grips work excellently with speedloaders such as those from HKS and Safariland.

Sights

XS Sights provides the irons for the Ultimate Carry line of guns. These feature a U-notch rear, and a rounded front post filled with a tritium vial and fiber optic for low light use. Our rear sight is serrated to help reduce glare, and overall the sights are nicely dehorned. The biggest benefit here is that these sights are actually regulated for common loads, meaning your guns will hit to the sights more often than not, something other manufacturers should take notice of.

Personally, I’m not a fan of U-notch sights, as they give me difficulty with my elevation. As with most XS sights, these rust fairly easily, so you’ll want to stay on top of your cleaning schedule to avoid any corrosion. Between my two examples, one arrived with a broken tritium vial, which fouled the sight picture and prevented any low light advantages. This broken vial was replaced by the S&W gunsmiths during the 2024 Revolver Roundup at Gunsite free of charge. Since then I’ve encountered no issues, and my second UC example’s sights arrived intact.

Overall the XS sights on the Ultimate Carry are absolutely a step above most snub nose revolver sights. I’d love to see an option for a square notch and post down the road. Something with a stronger finish, such as those from Ameriglo on the 640 Pro, would also be a welcome option.

Range Time with the 632 Ultimate Carry

The Smith & Wesson 632 Ultimate Carry was a staple of my conceal carry throughout most of 2024. In addition to regular range time, it also saw a lot of use at the 2024 Pat Rogers Memorial Revolver Roundup. Between my two samples, I have fired approximately 674 rounds, with roughly 570 of those being through my personal gun. Below is the specific round count.

• 12x Magtech 98gr .32S&W Long LRN
• 30x High Desert Cartridge Company 98gr .32 S&W Long wadcutter
• 100x Aguila 98gr .32 S&W Long LRN
• 5x Fiocchi 100gr .32 S&W Long wadcutter
• 5x Buffalo Bore 100gr .32 S&W Long wadcutter
• 50x S&B 100gr .32 S&W Long wadcutter
  • 1x Light strike, fired on second attempt
• 150x PPU 100gr .32 S&W Long LRN
• 208x Magtech 98gr .32 S&W Long SJHP
  • 11x Fail fire
• 5x Hornady Critical Defense .32 H&R Magnum XTP
• 6x High Desert Cartridge Company .32 H&R Magnum JHP
  • 1x Fail fire

Round count on second sample of 632UC:

• 103x PPU 100gr .32 S&W Long LRN
  • 1x Fail fire

We’ll touch on the failures to fire first. I was not able to attempt second strikes with most rounds due to failures occurring during timed courses of fire. The SJHP Magtech load also provided several failures to fire with my Taurus 327 Defender. Speaking with Chuck Haggard, he mentioned seeing similar problems with Magtech from other shooters throughout 2024 due to hard primers. This leads me to believe that most of my failures to fire are ammunition related rather than a problem with the Ultimate Carry.

Cleaning and Maintenance

2024 was a big year of revolver learning for me, specifically moving away from the typical .38/.357 loadings. For those opting to shoot .32 caliber revolvers, you are really going to want to stay on top of your cleaning schedule. Most loadings are unjacketed lead, which will be dirtier than any JHP or FMJ load. On top of this, .32 Long seems to be especially dirty. This can begin to impact reliability, along with causing issues loading and unloading your gun. Regularly brush out your chambers and wipe the gun down.

If you’re primarily shooting unjacketed ammunition, clean the bore with solvent regularly as well. You’ll build up a lot of fouling in the grooves of your rifling very quickly. While .32 Long is a very accurate cartridge, improper maintenance can turn your gun into a smoothbore surprisingly quickly. Regular cleaning will help keep things running smoothly, and is a lot easier than playing catch-up if something goes wrong. Take my word for it. I love .32 calibers, but they require a little work. If that doesn’t sound interesting to you, pick up one of the Ultimate Carry guns in .38 Special and go on your merry way.

Skills and Drills

Recoil with .32 Long feels like .22WMR in this gun, meaning there is hardly any recoil with most loads. On more than one occasion I would stop, thinking I’d had a squib from the low report and recoil, only to be pleasantly surprised that everything was totally fine. The .32H&R loads feels similar to a .38 Special +P load in a slightly heavier (20oz) gun. This means that shooting characteristics are fantastic with the 632 Ultimate Carry compared to many other snub revolvers.

In 2024 I put together a course of fire for full size revolvers that is based off of the Rangemaster IC qualification. Having never tried this with a snub, I thought I’d give it a spin with the 632UC.

Alternative Carry Methods

Being a fairly lightweight gun, coming in under 16 ounces, the 632UC is a viable candidate for ankle and pocket carry. Initially I experienced issues with the rear sight snagging on my pocket holsters during the draw stroke. It was never enough to foul the draw, just enough to slow things down a little bit. While this could be fixed with a rear sight redesign, there is a solution currently available. American Fighting Revolver makes a pocket holster specifically designed to be paired with the UC line of revolvers. I picked one up at Roundup, using it for a block with Cecil Burch and Chuck Haggard, and I’m happy to report that it fixed my snagging problems.

For those looking at ankle carry, be aware that the VZ grips here can interfere with some holsters. Previously I used a Glaco Ankle Glove, which features a thumb-break retention strap. The grips on the Ultimate Carry prevent this strap from clasping due to their size. While I could opt to forgo the retention strap, that isn’t something I’m interested in here. Instead, I have moved to the Wilderness Tactical ankle holster, which uses strong elastic to hold the gun in place. While I am still experimenting here, it seems to be a better solution than leaving the Galco unsnapped.

Final Thoughts on the 632 Ultimate Carry

I love the Smith & Wesson 632 Ultimate Carry revolver. While there are some things I would change, these are largely personal preference rather than any serious knocks against the gun. Lipsey’s and the team at American Fighting Revolver really knocked it out of the park on this one, and hopefully this trend continues. The 632UC really strikes a fine balance between a carry gun and a shooter thanks to the refinements here and the soft shooting caliber. If you’re looking at carrying a revolver, I highly recommend you pick up something from the Ultimate Carry line.

MSRP across the entire Ultimate Carry line sits at $759 as of this writing. You can pick one up from your local Lipsey’s dealer, which can be found >>HERE<<

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