.32-20 A Serious Cartridge for Relaxin'

[bmcgilvray]

tjpopkin

Both your SAA and your Army Special are great shooting candidates in .32-20. If your SAA came by its cosmetic appearance honestly and hasn't been harshly scrubbed or damaged I'd be tickled with it as it is. That Army Special could be a top choice for .32-20 shooting. I like the frame size and trigger pull of most early Colt DA's Ive seen.

I've never tried the Black Hills .32-20 ammo. Perhaps I should. Some late production Winchester .32-20 I got a while back was disappointing.

 

[tjpopkin]

bmcgilvay,
Absolutely, the SAA is an honest working gun..
It belonged to a friend who had a friend that used it for years. It really shoots well. In fact, at 45yds, it is right on. So is the Army Spl. I was truly impressed with the BlackHills Ammo in these guns..I bought the dies and brass, and now some reloading chores.That is unless I get an offer I can't refuse.
Terry

 

[gold40]

There is a Colt Police Positive 5" for sale at the ON TARGET GUNSHOP in St. Louis for $250. It has the old style hard rubber grips. Condition is decent, with lots of scratches and small pits, and maybe 50% finish. Tight lock-up. I passed on it due to the lightly pitted barrel.

I'm still looking for a nice 32-20 revolver.

Wonder why Smith doesn't offer a special new run in this chambering?

 

[Bullet Bob]

I'd like to have a nice 5 or 6" K frame in .32-20, but so far haven't found the right confluence of condition and price.

I do have a Browning 53 in the caliber though:

 

[Cocked & Locked]

This is my only .32-20. As per Roy J., it dates to 1927. It has what appears to be a King Super Police Night Sight...front sight only.

I've pictured it here in the past...thought about getting it lettered for whatever reason, but have not done so.

 

[Tin]

Cocked & Locked, great looking piece you have there.... Tin..

 

[bmcgilvray]

C&L that's a nice revolver. The grips have a rich dark color. The can of Whiz looks to be about as old as the revolver. Wonder if it was a LEO's side arm in its day since it has the sight modification.

I always liked the pistol grip versions of lever action rifles. Bullet Bob's has the right look with the pistol grip and the fancy walnut. I don't need one like that I'd have to shoot it.

Does anyone hunt with his .32-20 and have any tales to tell? Has anyone actually used a .32-20 to take a deer? I've got a friend who used a .25-50 Winchester Model '92 to take his first two deer when he was a kid.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

Does anyone hunt with his .32-20 and have any tales to tell? Has anyone actually used a .32-20 to take a deer?

I have not, probably on the anemic side from the revolver.

But now you've got me thinking. I'm going deer hunting tomorrow and am carrying my .30-40 Krag that was very nicely sporterized (new handmade stock and all) by an armorer during WWII.

Perhaps I should carry my .32-20 S&W revolver along as my sidearm just for the cool factor if nothing else.

 

[Bullet Bob]

"I always liked the pistol grip versions of lever action rifles. Bullet Bob's has the right look with the pistol grip and the fancy walnut. I don't need one like that I'd have to shoot it."
________________________________________________

And I do! That picture is from the seller; it doesn't look quite that pristine anymore.

 

[bmcgilvray]

Good for you Bullet Bob. Bet it shoots great.

I've taken a few deer with my .30-40. Works great.

 

[NKJ nut]

The 32-20 is great. I have a hand ejector from 1912 that is very accurate. I do not shoot hot loads in it due to the soft steel. my understanding is that these were not heat treated until the 20's. The Ruger buckeye and Browning 53 will take a lot of magnum level loads. I feel like the 32-20 is under appreciated. If more people would try it I think it would be more popular. It makes a great field ctg. but to get the level of performance that it is capable of you must handload. There have been some good articles in Handloader about loading this caliber. The 32-20 is one of my favorites.

 

[Smithhound]

I love my .32-20, there is just something about walking through the woods with this old Smith on my hip, I also have a Marlin 1894cl in the same chambering. To keep the reloads seperate, when I place the rifle loads into an MTM plastic case I take a large red sharpie and draw a line across the base of each.
RD

 

[bigolddave]

Smithhound

I have the same combination. I had the Browning 53, but it was too pretty to take out in the woods, so I sold it to somebody who would. The Smith is about my favorite.

 

[jfw042]

I bought a 1905 2nd change 32-20 target a week or so ago, knowingly paying too much but I wanted it! The bluing is probably only 75% or so, the bore is great & the grips # to the rest of it. Shot it this last weekend & it was a ton of fun. Here is my question: in the trigger guard at some point in time someone drilled two holes. They run parallel to the triggerguard. They had been filled with plug screws at some time in the past. Any guesses as to what they were for? Ever heard of this modification before?

 

[depicts]

bmcgilvay,
I saw what I thought was a Winchester Mod 94 marked 32 WCF this week in very nice condition for sale for $400.

What do you think? Is that a decent buy with good wood, nice bluing, some wear on the receiver, but honest wear?

For some reason I was thinking the 32 WCF was a longer cartridge, not a pistol round. Obviously you know more about it than I do.

I think I better go back today and look at that winchester again.

This is at the shop I told you about that sells mostly machine guns and special class 3 guns. They don't pay much attention there to the old Smith's I like, and apparently, Winchester lever actions either.I find some real bargains there some days.

Nice pics "B"

Bill

 

[bigolddave]

Depicts,

If you bought a Winchester 1892 in .32 WCF for $400, you have done very well. I just paid $1200 for a quite nice Take down rifle, and I thought I was about right. The take down feature adds a little, but condition is mosre important. Just after I bought mine, I saw a solid frame in .32 for $750, with the octagon barrel so heavily polished for refinishing that you had to look twice to see that it wasn't round.

When I first started buying guns, in the late fifties, model 92's were $35 on up, with many to choose from. Now, as with all lever guns, whether Winchester, Marlin, or Savage, the sky seems to be the limit.

 

[depicts]

Thanks Dave, I'll have to take a much closer look at the rifle. I couldn't get there today.

 

[Ronbo]

That is one classy looking Smith. I saw one that looked like that at the last gunshow I went to though it was in 38 spl caliber.

Picture is of a Colt army special made in 1923 same as my Mother and a Marlin from 1898 both in 32-20.

 

[RQuigley]

Depicts
Better check that Model 94 again. I don't think that model was ever chambered for 32-20. It was chambered for .32-40 and .32 Special, however.

 

[Hussygun]

i love this round. have a 1905 M&P 6", an SAA colt, two M-92 win and a rem m-25 pump. its a mild plinker and you can easy jack it up to mini magnum status in a good 92 or solid SAA smokeless proofed revolver. it the perfect wood chuck killer along the ditches and wooded areas here in MI farm country. the remington pump seems to shoot the round very well indeed. Phil