I think a line can be seen, where the RN saw no advantage to the excessive power of the 42pdr, not being useful enough at the 'moderate' ranges actually used, to compensate for the additional bulk, crew requirements and weight, and cost of ammunition.

The 32pdr is 'ample' at 400yds in reduce, double shot, so the gun is more than sufficient for firing at longer ranges with single shot, and the gun points well in line of metal at 1 degree to 620yds, with a hitting space on a screen of 16yds/ft of height, plus the depth of the target, with superior penetration to the other charging states at their shorter ranges.

The French patterns of guns are routinely fought at their line of metal ranges of approximately 1.5 degrees for the heavier patterns (reducing for lighter calibres in the galliard pattern), so these have longer ranges of 650m+ for the heavy gun by Revolutionary War tables - more by tables from the 1820s.

John Clerk suggests that the receiving of fire from multiple enemy ships in many of the 'lasking failures' is indicative of ranges of fire of 1200m+, and is agreed with by Adm Rodney, who clarifies 'pistol shot' as being 400yds (and seldom obtained) in a footnote (though pistol shot will carry beyond that, it is a fairly 'long' carry, so this may be a misstatement of musket shot, but it is distinguished from musket shot being half gun shot).