I want to load 32-20 for fun plinking. What size bullet is good for this. I see .313 inch bullets at 118 gr. for sale. Is this a good start? I now have two revolvers marked .32 Winchester in my collection and want to shoot them.

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Kevin in Oregon

I have been loading and shooting .32-20 revolvers since ca. 1960. Nearly all of the bullets I have shot are cast in the Lyman 3118 bullet mold. The .32-20/.32 Winchester was factory loaded with lead bullets weighing from 100 to 125 grains, with 100 and 120 grains being most common. The noted bullet above is nominally 115 grains and is basically the classic .32-20 bullet. Any sizing diameter between .311" and .315" works well. Because I shoot several different guns, S&W, Colt, Winchester, Marlin and a Spanish S&W clone in this caliber. About a dozen guns in all. I size all my bullets at .315"

There are a couple warnings with this cartridge. It is too common for ammunition to "squib" in revolvers, and as a result many .32-20 revolvers will be found with bulged barrels. The apparent cause of this is the long for caliber cartridge case that can result in poor ignition of the propellant. Old loading manuals indicate the correct primer for even revolver loads is small rifle. This helps to prevent squibs. Use of a bulkier powder that fills the case well also helps. In over 60 years and many thousands of rounds fired in this caliber I have never had a single squib! A close friend did have one that resulted in a bulged barrel.

To my recollection, for some reason all of the bulged revolver barrels, and it has been several, which I have seen were S&Ws!

.32-20 cases are as easy to load as any other caliber, but they are generally thinner and more easily damaged during loading. Just watch what your are doing and don't try to load these as fast as you can during all operations and you shouldn't have any problems. Be aware that there are two different case lengths for .32-20. Remington are ca. 1.315"+/- long and all others are 1.275"+/- long. Be sure to keep them separate or crimping will be a problem. You can trim them all to the 1.275" length also if you desire.

One of my first two S&W revolvers, and first cartridges I loaded for, was a Model 1902 2nd change .32 Winchester Model S&W that I still own and shoot. It is one of my favorite handguns even after owning hundreds during my life.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me.

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Gunsmithing since 1961

I’ve used Rim Rock with good results. They are rnfp 100 grains and I believe .313. Shoot them in rifles and pistols with different powder loads.

Excellent post and very good advice!

I shoot .32-20 in rifle (1892 Winchester) and revolver (Colt SAA Bisley). Lots of variations in chambers, bore, groove diameters, etc. I get along quite nicely with a Lee bullet mold, 115-grain RN-FP at .312" to .313" diameter. I consider the Lyman M-die essential for neck expansion to allow bullet seating without working the cartridge cases excessively.

Cast bullets will do anything the .32-20 is capable of doing. I see no benefit in using jacketed bullets. So far a number of critters seem to have agreed, joining us for supper!

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Life of the party until 8:00PM

Those will work. I use .3125" bullets from Jerry's here in Tulsa. He casts them in 100 grain, 110 grain and 120 grain powder coated SWC.

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S&WHF #946
S&WCA #3824

I have 4 revolvers in .32-20. 2 Smiths and 2 Colts. I cast a Lyman 311316 and use a gas check. The other mold is a 3118. In hotter loads, I use the Colts. If I want group size, I use the Smiths. Bullseye and Unique are the only powders I use in .32-20. Use care when setting the crimp. Those necks are really thin and buckle easily.

I checked Midway and they had 32-20 brass but it was nickel plated......Said Starline though
I also have a 3118 mold and a couple more..one hollowpoint one gas check.

Check out Bear Creek Bullets for reloading

Official Website | United States | Bear Creek Supply

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Nickel plated brass!!!!

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Gunsmithing since 1961

I have used .312 cast bullets for .32-20. FMJ .30 Carbine bullets seem to work OK, but I have not fired very many of them.

I ordered from Bear Creek Supply in Ca. Have used their bullets before and am happy with them. There are two bullet people in Or., but one did not have the bullet I wanted and the other was more expensive than Bear Creek. By the way, the owner at Bear Creek is pleasant to converse with and very knowledgeable.

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Kevin in Oregon

I have used Bear Creek Bullet's RNFP bullet in my1902 S&W, my 1919 Cot Police Positive Special and my 1990's Marlin 1894CL. I like the Lyman manual #45 Unique Accuracy load in all 3.

I do load some of the jacketed High Velocity loads (think of it as a 30 Carbine with a rim!) It is way too hot for the old Smith's, so I store that ammo in a different location, and I know any jacketed bullet load is for the Marlin Only!

Enjoy shooting your revolvers.

Ivan

A better way to segregate rifle loads from revolver loads is to load them in different brands of cases, or use Nickle for one and brass for the other. Just be consistent in which you do! I would use Nickel for rifle loads because far fewer of these will be fired compared to what will be used in revolvers.

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Gunsmithing since 1961

Wow never thunk of using carbine bullets. I have some 30 cal 115 gr JHPs...Have had 'em for a while Bought them to load in the carbine but they bulged the brass a bit as they are about .311-.312. I loaded a few in 30-30 but they kinda exploded everything they hit. I'm gonna find 'em and try 'em in 32-20...maybe 32 H&R too. I think they are Speer bullets...