103 year old gun, finally found ammo, great book..a very nice Christmas

[444 Magnum]

Any of you ammo, reloading experts please feel free to chime in about the "4 point aggressive" looking crimp on this HSM ammo.

I noticed and was curious about that as well but I didn't want to ruin the mood.

Speaking of ammo, this thread made me go check my ammo stores- 10 plus boxes each of .25-20, .32-20, .38-40, and .44-40. I have several Winchester rifles in each caliber so I stocked up several years ago. I'm glad now that I did.

 

[Model19man]

Regarding the post about Midway USA having .32-20 ammo in stock today, 1-5-24, if I recall, there is a difference in .32-20 rifle ammo and .32-20 revolver ammo, and I believe the Winchester presently in stock at Midway USA as of 1-5-24 is listed as rifle, not handgun ammo. Some will not care, and I doubt the hand ejector will have a catastrophic failure (who knows), however, parts are a problem, and I would not want to harm one of those fine old revolvers.

There were different loadings for rifle and revolver maybe 100 years ago. You will not find any of that on the shelf today. It's a talking point that is way past its prime and not a consideration these days.

 

[sbrmike]

I also did not like the crimp but didn't want to burst a Christmas bubble. They chambered; that is a good thing. The brass should blow out on firing. Let us see the brass after firing. I hope it doesn't crack at those crimps. When you reload there are options for crimping. I use mainly RCBS dies and they usually come with a Roll crimp capability. Some Auto Pistol calibers from RCBS have different (Taper) crimp options available.

I sometimes crimp as a separate step, using the same die but with the seater removed and the die set up different to crimp. Many people swear by the Lee Factory Crimp Die, which is only a single crimping die, not part of a die set. I have never used one or seen one used but have threatened to try one many times!

 

[Model19man]

Many people swear by the Lee Factory Crimp Die, which is only a single crimping die, not part of a die set. I have never used one or seen one used but have threatened to try one many times!

The Lee Factory Crimp Dies come in many different flavors these days. The basic Carbide Crimp Die is available either with a roll crimp or a tapered crimp, depending on revolver or not. Some of them are not "carbide" but instead have a set of four jaws that only engage the brass below the seated bullet. Such is the case for the Lee FCD for the 30 M1 Carbine, which is the same one used for the 32 WCF. I highly recommend you try the Lee FCD when crimping the 32 WCF reloads. It makes a world of difference, and no other company offers anything similar.

This is a video from 2015. It's good but there are many options for the Lee FCD that have been released in the past 9 years.

Lee Factory Crimp Dies - The Best Crimp In The Business - YouTube

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I have a 4" 1902 M&P made in 1902 and a 6" Colt Official Police Special made in 1919 and a modern Marlin 1894 CL from the late 1980's. When I bought the Marlin, I bought RCBS dies and already had a 117 gr RFP mold w/GC. You don't need the gas check, but they won't hurt anything.

I like the unique load and also like the Win 231/HP-38 load. Avoid jacketed bullets in your revolver. The pressure isn't a problem but the old steel wears out pretty fast.

I don't know how much you plan on reloading, but you may just want to buy a batch of 500 bullets and forget the casting & sizing expense.

I have used cast bullets from 105 grains up to 117, no real difference in loading. I have also used Bear Creek Bullets (they are cast and Moly Coated) and they shoot very well in carbines, normal revolvers and guns with rough and darkened bores. I used thee load from LYMAN #45; 4.5 grains of Unique. and a Carbine Only load of 14 grains of IMR 4227 with the Gas Checked bullet (recommended accuracy load) 1800 fps!

Ivan

 

[jkingrph]

I looked up that ammo online. She must love you.

Second that, I just ordered some. Just don't want to clear all the junk off my reloading bench. Lowes price I found was $1.40/round.

 

[jkingrph]

Congratulations on getting some .32-20 ammo! I think you received the last 3 boxes known to exist. I was actually online yesterday looking for some .32-20 ammo and it's impossible to find. Every place is Out of Stock. It's about the same situation for .41 Magnum (unless you just want 20 rds. of "bear stopper" @ almost $2.00/round) and .44 Special. I was hoping that when COVID died down that ammo would start free flowing again...I guess not for the less popular calibers.

Look here, Rifle Ammo - 32-20 Win Ammo - Outdoor Limited
I just ordered some last night.

 

[Model19man]

Look here, Rifle Ammo - 32-20 Win Ammo - Outdoor Limited
I just ordered some last night.

Looks like a scam site - might want to be sure that you used a credit card -OutdoorLimited.com Reviews | 26 Reviews of Outdoorlimited.com | ResellerRatings

 

[AJ]

I had a Winchester Model 1892 in .32-20, years ago. Did not shoot it much as I was a poor Marine S/Sgt. (read way under funded for raising a family and shooting/guns). Ammo was easy to find at the time as my Mom&Pop gunshop stocked it. Sold it like a fool when someone offered me about 4 times what I had paid for it.

I do shoot a 115 year old revolver (Colt Model 1909 U.S.Army). Ammo for it is easier to find as it is chambered in .45 Colt.

 

[22lrfan]

Starline isn't taking back orders on .32-20 brass at the moment, but you can sign up for a notification when they do have brass in stock.

Starline Brass | Rifle, Handgun, and Pistol Brass

I ordered 500 Starline .32-20 about four months ago. It arrived the week before Christmas.

 

[AJ]

I ordered 500 Starline .32-20 about four months ago. It arrived the week before Christmas.

Hope that was a very welcome present!

 

[Retired W4]

That crimp from post #20 looks UGLY.

My buddy who loads my 32 Colt Short is about to make a 500 round run of 32-20. He deals in hard to find ammo and brass at the local shows. He is real good at what he does.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

I ordered 500 Starline .32-20 about four months ago. It arrived the week before Christmas.

Best gun porn I've seen in weeks!

Ivan

 

[Kinman]

A buddy of mine is deep into the whole Thompson-Center Contender world, has a number of complete barrel collections and got me involved with a couple of purchases. He helped me out while I was working on a .218 Bee Martini and needed some brass which can be formed from 32-20 and 25-20, our problem was that it always turned out short from the resizing, I eventually came up with a good supply of .218 Bee cases that proved just what I needed to provide the accuracy potential I was looking for. He had told me back then that 32-20 was in high demand, probably due to the many wildcats spawned from the base case. Starline was the last known manufacture, I ran across some with a head stamp like quality cartridge.
Its a fun cartridge to reload for I have Smith's and a Winchester which require different powder charges. While reloading the most care must be exercise during primer removal/re-sizing. The case mouth is extremely fragile, you get the feel for it after crushing a few if your used to working something like .44 or .45 which doesn't take any finesse at all, 32-20 takes a bit of feel and a "mature" hand is helpful, take your time and have fun.

 

[Metalmeltdown]

Cmansguns....I imagine it's too late to trade in the wife at this point in theory but given her Christmas Gifts to You, She is a Definite keeper. Nothing greater in life that respects and appreciates your love for firearms, esp. Old Iron!! Keep on keeping her Happy, you definetly know the score. Congrats on your revolver!

 

[Old Corp]

That's great, 2023 had me finally find a K frame .32-20 on GB, and it was in my state (only 4+ hours away!)
At the time, I did not know .32-20 ammo and brass were so hard to find.
Searched high and low, and only place that would accept backorders was Dillon. (well, Optic Planets would, but that's a whole 'nuther story...)

A few weeks ago brass from Dillon arrived - enough for me to have fun with.
My model is from the late 1920's I believe. Shoots a little high, but don't care.

 

[AJ]

That's great, 2023 had me finally find a K frame .32-20 on GB, and it was in my state (only 4+ hours away!)
At the time, I did not know .32-20 ammo and brass were so hard to find.
Searched high and low, and only place that would accept backorders was Dillon. (well, Optic Planets would, but that's a whole 'nuther story...)

A few weeks ago brass from Dillon arrived - enough for me to have fun with.
My model is from the late 1920's I believe. Shoots a little high, but don't care.

You can regulate your loads to compensate. Had to do that with my Colt M1909. Or pick a different point of aim (lower) to compensate.