Howdy all,

I recently bought a S&W Model 30 (aka .32 Hand Ejector) and I'm gearing up to handload .32 S&W Long.

I've always obtained my brass by purchasing loaded factory ammo, but that was when I was using calibers that are readily available from major American manufacturers at reasonable prices. Unfortunately, Remington and Winchester .32 Long ammo is ~$27-$30/50rds and Federal is ~$12/20rds. OTOH I've been able to find relatively cheap ($15-$20/50) .32 Long ammo from Aguila, S&B, Fiocchi, and Magtech, but their brass seems to get lots of negative reviews on the 'Net.

Question: Is the inexpensive brass really that bad? If so, should I bite the bullet (no pun intended) and buy unloaded Remington or Starline brass instead?

IMHO it would depend on how much you plan to shoot the ammo you reload. I have reloaded Fiocchi brass in 45acp with no problems. Some of the Magtech 44 mag brass I tried to reload did not fit the shell holder. I have a 32-20 hand ejector and I am using remington brass. If you plan on reloading the brass several times bite the bullet and get starline it will give you much better service in the long run. Then check out gunshows and on line for old factory loads.

I've reloaded quite a bit of S&B brass with no problems. I also just got a .32 S&W long revolver and I'm going to start loading for it with S&B brass from their wadcutter load. I expect it to last practically forever, but I'll let you know if I have any problems .

Remington 32 S&W long brass is good. I saw bulk PMC 32 brass around but forgot where I saw it. Maybe Graf or Natchez. Lapau is the most expensive for sure. No such thing as Cheap Factory Brass any more. I've reloaded my Remington a lot over the years, but load a 98 gr Speer HBWC at around 700fps. I read somewhere that Starline in this caliber has a smaller inside case capacity than most other brands. That the brass was thicker at the primer end. Not sure how true that is. Starline might be a better choice if your going to load hotter for a revolver. I load for a Pardini HP and a Hammerli 280. Just paper punchers!

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Originally posted by Ignatz:
No such thing as Cheap Factory Brass any more.

True, but in terms of factory loaded ammo, I can get Aguila for about half the price of the Remington, which IMHO qualifies as "cheap".

quote:

I read somewhere that Starline in this caliber has a smaller inside case capacity than most other brands... Starline might be a better choice if your going to load hotter for a revolver. I load for a Pardini HP and a Hammerli 280. Just paper punchers!

FWIW I'm not intending to hot-rodding it; this is for low-powered plinking and paper punching. I'll use my .38Spl guns for serious business.

Also, isn't a .32 Long case capable of holding about twice the powder that's prudent to load it with? If this is the case, slightly lower case volume should be a non-factor.

I am having excellent results reloading the brass from Magtech 32 S&W long ammo.