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Old 01-07-2017, 03:42 PM
McShooty McShooty is offline
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Default Sellier & Bellot .32 S&W Long

Sellier & Bellot is a manufacturer of cartridge ammunition located in the Czech Republic. The company is owned by CBC, a Brazilian company that also makes Magtech ammunition.
The Sellier & Bellot line is extensive with ammo for rifles, handguns, shotguns and rimfire arms. Many of their products are imported into the United States. The Sellier & Bellot .32 S&W Long uses a flat-nosed, 100 gr bullet so the cartridge is similar to the old .32 Colt New Police but can be fired in any revolver chambered for the .32 S&W Long. This ammo has been available from many ammo sources on the internet.

The S&B 32 Long performs about the same as ammo from other factories, that is, lightly loaded and unsuitable for most handgun applications other than plinking. On a hot day it did manage 742 fps (ES 33, SD 15) from the five-inch barrel of my Cimmaron Model P Jr and 696 fps (ES 107, SD 31) from the four-inch barrel of my S&W Model 30-1.

I got a surprise from a TC Contender with a 10-inch custom barrel made by Match Grade Machine of Hurricane, Utah. From this barrel the S&B ammo produced 1009 fps (ES 62, SD 16). This performance was verified on two other occasions. Accuracy was good with an eight-shot group measuring 1.12 in. at 25 yards. The best seven measured 0.80 in.

The velocity increase of the S&B in the 10-inch is not matched by Remington (841 fps) or Magtech (826 fps) ammo, although these are good velocities. I conclude that the Sellier & Bellot 32 Long ammo uses powder that is more progressive and is able to take advantage of the longer barrel length. I have to admire a barrel that puts 32 Long performance in a league with the 32 H&R Magnum. Gonna have more fun with handloads.
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