32-20 (32WCF) in S&W hand ejector

[Old Dave]

I've been gifted with a large cigar box full of like new loose but mixed head stamp 32-20 ammo. I've also been warned about using rifle ammo in a revolver. I have an as new S&W hand ejector and a Uberti single action both are 32-20. None of this ammo is jacketed or hollow point. I have sorted & I would say it looks like 4 groups. One is starline head stamp, which I expect is cowboy action stuff. The rest is WW headstamp. One is with brass colored primers, one with silver color primers & the last group is still WW with silver primers but there is a red colored sealant looking material around the primers. Again, except for the starline, the rest is WW & all projectiles are plain lead. Do we have any ammo experts? THANKS!

 

[W.E.G.]

There is one double-charge, and one squib in that "gift."

You will find them if you shoot that stuff.

 

[arjay]

The loads with red sealant are factory as are the brass colored primers.The rest,who knows?

 

[k22fan]

The loads with red sealant are factory as are the brass colored primers.The rest,who knows?

Not necessarily so. I have reloaded with Remington primers that were brass colored and probably other lots that I can't remember for sure. During the 1980s applying a sealant around your reloads' primers to extend their shelf life was a short lived fad.

It sounds like the Old Dave may have been given a mix of reloads. While Starline brass is used by some small cartridge loading companies that sell cowboy loads, Starline is in business to sell to the home reloading market. The last big surge of interest in .32-20 was its use in Thompson Center Contenders during the 1980s in 100 yard Hunter Pistol Silhouette competition. Contenders are built for pressure as high or higher than the famous "for rifle only" .32-20 factory cartridges were loaded to.

Old Dave,
If you are tempted to fire them, try to contact who ever gave you the cartridges and learn what you can about their origin first.

 

[DWalt]

You probably do not have any of the old .32-20 HV rifle factory loads. Those all used jacketed hollow-point bullets. When you buy random reloads, you do not know what you are getting.

 

[gregintenn]

Pull the bullets and reload them to your specifications. You'd be taking a big risk, in my opinion, firing them without knowing for sure what they are. A risk I sure wouldn't take.