I am interested in some loads for my Remington Model 25 rifle in .32-20. I have some Ultramax "cowboy" factory loads and they seem very anemic (they are surely toned down for use in a revolver)....I think my .22 rimfire packs more punch. No factory rifle loadings are available. Do some of the old reloading manuals list data with powders still available today?

I just bought some dies and some Hornady 85 gr XTP's. Primarily the rifle will be used for coyotes and woodchucks under 100 yds (open sights on gun). I have much more effective and efficient rifles to do this kind of work (.22-250, .244 Rem), but would really like to bring this cool old rifle out a few times a year.

I would like a muzzle velocity around 1200-1500+ fps. I have H-380, IMR 4064, and Titegroup on hand. If push came to shove, I will go buy a can of some other powder.

I realize this has nothing to do with our S&W interests, but thought there may be a few of you out there who may be able to lend a hand on this request. Thanks much.

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I load 32-20 for my Ruger Blackhawk revolver. So I have looked at a lot of loading data for the 32-20 cartridge.

The first thing I notice is that bullet diameter can vary depending on the barrel. I use the .314 bullet, but I also have the other cylinder for 32 H&R mag. In one of my manuals they have loads for TC which is closer to what you want. But due to the bullet issue, TC sized their barrel for the .308 diameter bullet.

So my first question would be, have you slugged your barrel to determine what bullet diameter you should be using? I realize most run more toward .311 diameter, but .314 might be a bit large?

I might be able to provide you some load data, but I will have to do a bit of digging to go through my manuals.

Pick your poison 32-20 3 levels of pressure

I have recently bought a Ruger Blackhawk in this caliber.
Now, I know it is not a rifle , but it does have a six and 1/2"
barrel and is modern steel and is in a gun made for a 357 magnum.
The weak link here is the brass, now that being said you can go a lot hotter then what I typically see in books without much trouble, or I should say I have and it has worked out well.
I just compare to other cartridges, and very slowly work up.
Lead bullets are much safer for experimenting and would seem to be more in line with what gun was designed for.
Mr Kelly lists 11.5 grains of 2400 and a 115 grain bullet , I believe.
I loaded 10 grains of 2400 in a new case and same bullet, wow !
I do not believe I would go to 11.5 grains myself anyway.
I was not even going to list my load , but since Mr Paco Kelly went over 10% higher ...
YMMV

The only cronographed load I have for my Marlin 1894cl is 11.0g of 4227 behind a cast 115g LGC bullet using a Win Sm Rifle primer, it clocked 1332fps. That is my standard load for this rifle, the first one tried and extremely accurate, no leading. According to my notes ejection was fine, primers looked good but being 4227 it did leave charred powder grains in the bore.
Not being able to see your rifle I would highly recommend sticking with a lead gas check bullet, the steels used in those weren't the same as we have today. If you have to, or want to load jacketed I'd start with a mid range load, see what happens and go up or down from there. You'll most likely find your best load somewhere in between that point and just below max. In the .32-20 the brass is the weakest link in the chain (as I believe has already been pointed out) it is very thin, but by sticking with a midrange load you should be able to get several loadings out of it with not problems.
RD
RD

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Guys,
Thanks for the recommendations. I believe the bore is designed for .312 dia. bullets, which the Hornadys are.

This rifle was manufactured in 1928. Do you think using jacketed bullets will harm the bore? Or does it unnecessarily cause more pressure, straining the breechblock?

Kelly's article was very informative.

I have the same rifle (love it) along with a couple of 1892 Wins and a couple Colt pistols and use the Ranier 100 grn flat nose
for both. I like the weight (have shot 115 grn lead but don't like the smoke) so this is the heaviest I've found. I usually load for the rifles with Accurate #9, the pistols I load much lighter with a couple different powders. It just seems a waste to shoot the light bullets in a strong rifle, the 100 grn won't feel like a 22. Its still a small round for a rifle but I think you will like it.

jag22,
Thanks for the info. I did find an old ad from Remington from the early thirties. It was for high speed jacketed cartridges designed for their Model 25. I am going to try some IMR 4227 pushing the 85 gr HP at around 1600 fps, according to the Hornady manual that I found the load in. I want to use this rifle on coyote this winter and think this load is just what I am looking for. The 100 gr HP may be better, but I already bought the 85 gr so will give them a try.