32 cal loads for handguns

[Green Frog]

...32 mag? They should have named it the 32 Abuse Same bullet over 8 grs. of 2400 and a non-magnum primer in my Ruger Single Sixes. I really need to chrono that to see if I'm coming up a bit light. The wind told me you could load the case to the base of the bullet using 2400 or 296. Now, I really don't want to look like the dude in Sin City with the 1911 slide thru his forehead, but being a re-loader since '77, I gots to know, if you get my drift...

Mumble mumble blah blah disclaimers apply

That seems like an awful warm load to me. Did you find it published somewhere or develop it yourself?

 

[Cholo]

Green Frog, it was published in the early to mid 90's. I still have the article somewhere. It shows no signs of being too hot at all, but I don't have sophisticated equipment to test it with. The Single Six platform is pretty stout. It's a sweet shooting load!

IMHO, most people don't go near what a .32 mag. is capable of in a strong handgun. Also, I believe very few gun writers are willing to publish what they actually load in their .32 mags.

 

[Green Frog]

Thanks Cholo. Maybe I'll load up a test run of them for my R*g*r BH 8-shooter and Project 616. I'm pretty confident that they will take the pressure if a Single Six will. I was wondering what to do with those semi- mag cases I had left over! I don't want to post my hottest 327 FM loads because I wouldn't want them stuck into something too small to handle them... that's why I'm interested in how far folks have gone with the 32 H&R.

Regards,
Froggie

 

[ozo]

Ozo, I see you have a contender. MGM makes barrels for them and for 250.00 I can have a .32 long bbl made. It can be used for off hand single shot shooting. Good gun with an accurate bbl, should be fun. I have a 22 bbl to try first. Larry

I had a T/C bbl chambered for .32 H&R but the bore was cut at .308 and I had to use separate projectiles for it. I don't know why they did that.
I would like a 16.5" bbl chambered for the .327federal
I have several 14" and some 10" and 8" and shoot the 8" in .357magnum the most.

I really want a carbine length bbl for the .327fed to really see what potential it has.

 

[ozo]

"32 mag? They should have named it the 32 Abuse Same bullet over 8 grs. of 2400 and a non-magnum primer in my Ruger Single Sixes"---Cholo [100gr SWC]

Closest I could find, published by MD Smith:
85 Grain Jacketed Hornady HP (.312")
2400 8.4 gr. 1,118 (max)

90 Grain LEAD SWC(.314")
2400 5.6 gr. 968 (start)
2400 6.1 gr. 1,108 (max)
2400 6.2 gr. 1,117

90 Grain Jacketed HP(.312")
2400 8.4 gr. 1,028 (max)

100 Grain Hornady or Speer JHP (.312")
2400 7.7 gr. 1,091 (Max)

So I guess somewhere in there it's not really over-max, yet pretty hot and only used in larger firearms that are known tough....Blackhawk for example, GP-100, even Single-Six and Sp-101 maybe.....

.....but there is not any info on the seating depth for everything talked about here. Some have a cannelure, some don't, and that doesn't mean they were seated to that point.....

 

[J35]

I suppose you could say "because it is there". 720-740 fps for pre-heat treated guns and 820-840 fps for later guns is approx the factory loads from an approx 4" barrel. I've always liked the idea of a tad bit of hot rodding which is one of the reasons I reload. Many have traveled this path with the .32 S&W Long, I'm no pioneer here. There is a lot of info available and some have taken this little cartridge to astounding levels. I don't go for astounding, but I have a few of them, enjoy shooting them and once again, because it is there.

Stu

Going back to that 3 gr of 231 in the 1986 RCBS book, they got 842 fps with a RCBS 98 SWC from a 4" Mod 31.

I got 849 AV. fps today with that load from a Mod 31 4" with the same bullet, average of ten shots. I loaded and shot 25 total.

The 231 I used was purchased in 2006.

I have had the little gun for two years and that is the hottest load I have shot in it to date.

With what shooting I did today it makes 2600 rds that I have put thru it. What a fun little shooter it has been.

I don't hunt anymore, just shoot paper, so I will stick to the loads that fall into the milder side of things like 650 fps to 750 fps.

I have the RCBS 98 WC mold and I had Accurate molds make me a three cavity copy of the RCBS 98 SWC, my cylinder throats are .314 so that's what I size to.

Also have a 00 buck mold, the pellets fall out at .33 and I put them thru a Lee .314 push thru sizer, lube them with Lee Liquid alox and load two because one shoots to low to be any fun and two weigh right at 98 grs and shoot to the fixed sights on the Mod 31.

I have used Bullseye, Red dot, 231,Green dot and Unique so far in my 32 SW Long reloading. Found nice loads with all.

----J

 

[stu1ritter]

J.
I use the Magnus 98 gr. WC sized to both .314 and .313 as I have both cylinder throats to load for. With 2.1 gr. of W231 I was showing 787fps from a 3" on a pre 30 and 838fps from a 4.25" barrel. I wonder if I can calibrate my chrono?
Stu

 

[J35]

J.
I use the Magnus 98 gr. WC sized to both .314 and .313 as I have both cylinder throats to load for. With 2.1 gr. of W231 I was showing 787fps from a 3" on a pre 30 and 838fps from a 4.25" barrel. I wonder if I can calibrate my chrono?
Stu

That's a good question, don't have a good answer, except call the manufacturer and ask.

I am no expert but your numbers do seem high.

RCBS shows 2.1 231 as their top load for the 98 WC at 725 FPS.

I have clocked 1.9 gr of 231 with the RCBS 98 gr WC three different times and got 648,650 and 674 fps. The first two times was with WSP primers and the third was with CCI-500.

And clocked 2 gr of 231 with the RCBS 98 WC once and got 715 fps. This was with a Rem 5 1/2 primer.

I am not familiar with the Magnus WC, I will look them up.

Maybe you have really tight guns ( cylinder gaps)

Do you feel good about your Powder measurement ?

----J

 

[stu1ritter]

Checking my figures on 1.9gr. of W231 with the 3" I was showing 737fps with a SD of 19 and on the 4.25" 777fps SD of 9. My primers are all Winchester with StarLine brass. When I tested both Magtech wadcutters and S&B LRN the velocities were close to factory spec. But, I think I'll contact Competition Electronics and see if there is a way to calibrate the chrono. The guns are fairly tight cylinder to barrel gap and I have two guns with .313 throats and two with .314 and I load accordingly.
The measure is a Hornady LnL and I have several scales and always cross check my throws. I'm pretty sure of the accuracy of my powder throw. My old Redding beam scale and my Pact digital agree along with test weights, so I'm not concerned in that department.
Stu

 

[J35]

Checking my figures on 1.9gr. of W231 with the 3" I was showing 737fps with a SD of 19 and on the 4.25" 777fps SD of 9. My primers are all Winchester with StarLine brass. When I tested both Magtech wadcutters and S&B LRN the velocities were close to factory spec. But, I think I'll contact Competition Electronics and see if there is a way to calibrate the chrono. The guns are fairly tight cylinder to barrel gap and I have two guns with .313 throats and two with .314 and I load accordingly.
The measure is a Hornady LnL and I have several scales and always cross check my throws. I'm pretty sure of the accuracy of my powder throw. My old Redding beam scale and my Pact digital agree along with test weights, so I'm not concerned in that department.
Stu

Sounds good, good luck ----J

 

[stu1ritter]

snip

I have used Bullseye, Red dot, 231,Green dot and Unique so far in my 32 SW Long reloading. Found nice loads with all.

----J

I've just gone into my 1937 Phil Sharpe "Complete Guide to Handloading" and found some interesting info for the .32 and Unique. I've loaded to 2.5gr. of Unique and had 863fps. Sharpe lists fps/pressure with a 4" barrel and he shows loads up to 4.3gr. of Unique and a 98 gr. bullet showing 1010fps at 15,000 psi (CUP). WOW. Says to me we have a lot of room to play here. I am definitely going to calibrate my chrono somehow.
Stu

 

[Erich]

I've just gone into my 1937 Phil Sharpe "Complete Guide to Handloading" and found some interesting info for the .32 and Unique. I've loaded to 2.5gr. of Unique and had 863fps. Sharpe lists fps/pressure with a 4" barrel and he shows loads up to 4.3gr. of Unique and a 98 gr. bullet showing 1010fps at 15,000 psi (CUP). WOW. Says to me we have a lot of room to play here. I am definitely going to calibrate my chrono somehow.
Stu

That's what I was talking about in Post #43 supra - I've only gone to 3.9 grains (and I've really liked the results, as I've discussed on this forum before), but Sharpe gave me the confidence to try it in my solid-frame guns.

 

[H Richard]

stu1ritter, why do you think your chrono is not calibrated? You do realize that no two loads will clock "exactly" alike regardless of how much attention you put in the precise loading of the cartridge. There are too many variables. That's why everyone, even the factory averages 10 rounds. If your loads can get a SD below 20 you are getting some pretty good results. What one gun gets with a specific load will be different with another gun. What one load gets in Winchester brass will be different in Remington brass, (or any other brass). If you use brass form a different lot you will probably get different results. Even the lighting conditions under which you do your chronographs has variance if the clouds shift or the tree limb moves across your sky-screens. Unless you are getting really erratic readings or readings entirely different than expected would I be concerned.

 

[stu1ritter]

H Richard, no my results have been more or less what I expected, I was just seeming to get higher velocity for the loads I've been creating than most other folks. And you are right, it could just be the variation gun to gun and components to components. If I keep my thinking in order, when I chrono'd factory ammo, it was right where it was supposed to be. Sometimes the minds age doesn't allow thinking to be kept in order. :~)

Stu

 

[H Richard]

If you're getting higher velocities, one possible is seating depth. A small "decrease" in the overall length (OAL) (meaning you seated it deeper) could be a cause. If you are using cast bullets with wax type lube keep an eye on the seating plug, as small amounts of wax can build up and actually (over time) seat the bullets deeper. As I said, there are so many variables it is difficult to pinpoint. When it comes to factory loads they have been some of the most inconsistent loads I have chrono'd. I was doing a batch of 12 ga trap loads a couple years ago, so I did 10 rounds of brand new Winchester AA Trap loads. The variation was from 1050 to 1300 fps out of the same box.

 

[stu1ritter]

I only load 98 gr. Wad Cutters in the .32 and I have learned about cleaning out my seating die every box of 50 I made. I have wooden wedges to scrape and lacquer thinner on rags to clean. Didn't take long to learn that one. I also usually wipe down each round before boxing it so I get to look them over quite carefully. Loading for the older Model 1903's I tend to be very conservative as I have one that is pre heat treated cylinders, made in 1912 and I do look carefully at what I feed them. I really don't want to loose one. I only play warm loading with the newer guns (50's-60's) and they are pretty tight.
Stu

 

[Gun 4 Fun]

For those interested in using Unique in the 32 Long, I haven't had a chance to test the following loads across the old Oehler 35P in my K-32 yet, but in Handloader Digest Twelfth Edition, there's a great article by a guy named David Ward on loading for the 32 S&W and 32 Long using his model 31 that he turned into his "ultimate" kit gun by adding adjustable sights, and doing load development for it. Using the RCBS 98 gr cast swc he goes up to 4.5 grains of Unique for 1014 from his 3" barrel. There are a bunch of other loads listed, and all loads listed are for solid frame revolvers, and not any top break designs, nor any swing out design made prior to the heat treating of cylinders.

The majority of his loads run from the high 800's to the upper/mid 900 fps range, and those are the ones he settled on for carrying on the trail.

 

[Paul5388]

This is an interesting thread! I recently reamed a .32 Long rimfire Stevens Favorite to .32 S&W Long, but I still need to reposition the firing pin. Using Phil Sharpe, it should be easy enough to find a black powder load for this pre 1915 frame. Of course, a nice smokeless load would really be nice!

 

[Jaymo]

Alk8944, actually the load I referred to was using HS5 (or was it 6? I think it was 5).
Of course, I can't find any HS5 powder anywhere.

 

[Gun 4 Fun]

This is an interesting thread! I recently reamed a .32 Long rimfire Stevens Favorite to .32 S&W Long, but I still need to reposition the firing pin. Using Phil Sharpe, it should be easy enough to find a black powder load for this pre 1915 frame. Of course, a nice smokeless load would really be nice!

Hi Paul,
All the loads listed on Hodgdon's site are within the original SAAMI specs for the 32 Long, and since it was designed well before 1915, they should be fine in your old gun providing of course it is in sound condition, and I assume it is or else you wouldn't have bothered doing the conversion.

Cartridge Loads - Hodgdon Reloading Data Center - data.hodgdon.com