32 S&W Long Loads for Lee 311-93-1R Bullet

[Alangaq]

Hi guys, I recently acquired a S&W 32 Regulation Police revolver chambered in 32 S&W Long. I intend this revolver to be a step up in the training scheme for my young boys (10, 8 & 6) once they have mastered .22 LR in the Ruger Bearcat, which the oldest has now done. That being said, I picked this revolver for the ergonomics and reported mild recoil as well as the economics of an inexpensive round to cast and reload for.

As many of you likely know, reloading data for this cartridge seems to be a bit hard to come by, especial loads that are specific to the Lee 311-93-1R bullet, so I am basically looking for validation on my load particulars. That said, if any of these look hot, please let me know.

Lee 311-93-1R 6 cavity mold, bullet alloy is close to pure lead with a BN around 8, bullets are dropping at .312 and 92 grains, and I am lubing them with LLA and loading them unsized to a COL of 1.16 with WSP Primers. My test loads are as follows: 2.5 gr Unique, 2.5 gr Red Dot, 1.9 gr Red Dot (LD Rotor #2) and 2.0 gr Bullseye. I have a lot of Red Dot and am really hopeful that I can find a nice load of it that will shoot to point of aim. I would prefer to save my Bullseye for my 38 Special and 45 ACP, as it is a bit hard to come by in my area and I don't have much left... I do have a bunch of Unique which I also use in my 45 Colt loads, however I suspect that it may be a bit dirty and not the ideal powder for this little 32.

I am also building these up with the Lee carbide pistol dies including the Lee carbide crimp die, which I suspect acts somewhat like a pseudo bullet size die while in the process of crimping the bullet into the case.

Any tips or suggestions that you would care to offer would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Alangaq]

I forgot to mention that I have only loaded 20 rounds of each powder charge and plan to shoot them over the chrono once I can break away and get to the range. I am looking for a target velocity of 750 - 800 fps. Does that sound about right?

 

[tlay]

Not sure what your barrel is but I use a .313 to .314 bullet in my 32. It may work out for you. Try Lyman 49 manual for a good recipe for 32 long and 32-20.

 

[Alangaq]

Yes, I am concerned that my bullets may be a bit on the small side... if they lead the barrel or key hole I will harden up my alloy and see if they drop out a little bit bigger in diameter.

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Use a wooden dowel, and drive one of your bullets down the barrel to see what that diameter is check the cylinder chamber throats also. My experience with 32 S&W Long is use Winchester 231, some people prefer Bullseye (because the already have it). Unique is also a long time favorite for 32 long. I would forget Red, Blue and Green Dot for this small case. The Lyman #55 powder measure was made to work especially with flake powders, It has a small "hammer" attached for vibrating those powders into consistent charges. I cast a couple of bullets for 32. one is a Lyman like your Lee, another is a 115-117 grain 32-20 bullet (mine is gas checked). Hornady lead SWC and WC 90 grain bullets are also very good bullets. Have fun. Ivan

 

[Alangaq]

Thanks for the input! I will have to see if I can find my Lyman 49 manual.. likely in a box someplace.. unless I loaned it out.. Will also try and slug the barrel in the next day or two and see what it measures out as. The throats are about .313, and these bullets will fall thru without any assistance, but are not sloppy loose. Was kind of hoping that they would bump up just a tad upon firing..

Ivan, I don't have any W231, and our powder situation here in AK is pathetic at best. Reputable sources claim that due to the haz mat regs, our incoming barges are limited to 400 lbs of powder total, and during off peak season (now) we only see two barges per week. That works out to 800 lbs of powder per week, for the entire state. So having made a really long story out of that, I really don't imagine I will have a chance to score any W231 any time soon.

One other difficulty that I ran into when loading these first few cartridges was the fact that I didn't have a loading block that fit the little 32 S&W Long cases. Everything I tried had holes that were so deep that there wasn't enough case left above the loading block to facilitate charging with powder, or picking the cases out of the block with fat fingers. Anyway, I ended up fabricating a couple of loading blocks from some left over walnut that turned out pretty nice. Will post up some pictures when I get a chance.

 

[tlay]

You can use HP38 in place of the W231. It is the same powder made at the same place, just a different label. You can make your own loading blocks out of a piece of wood. You can also use the left over cartridge holders from store bought ammo.

 

[Bruce51]

Your load with Red dot is perfect as Pet Loads has 2.4-2.6 grains with a 91 grain cast bullet.

Your load with Unique is light so expect unburned powder and low velocity.

Even when using 3.3 grains of Unique with a 90 grain SWC Hornady there was unburned powder in my cases.

Bullseye will get the job done. I would save the Unique for your other calibers.

BLM

 

[stu1ritter]

I would be checking the cylinder throats. All of my .32 S&W Long mic out between .313 and .3145 across 4 different guns across 50 years. .311 are a bit small I think unless the Colt has much tighter cylinder throats than the S&W's I own. It's the cylinder throat that matters. I use pin gauges to check the throats.
Stu

 

[AABEN]

When you can find some 231. I think you will find it to be good for about all hand guns. I use it for light bullets in my 44 mag.

 

[bobsdad]

Latest Handloader magazine

If you can find it, the latest (Feb. 2014) issue of Handloader magazine has a nice article by Gil Sengel, "Classic Loads for the .32 S&W long". He attempts to duplicate some of the older factory loads. He shows results for loads with Red Dot, Green Dot, Trail Boss, Unique, Universal, Herco, HP-38 and SR-4756. He uses cast a 98 grain roundnose and a 87grain wadcutter.

 

[Alangaq]

Bobsdad, I will make a run to the magazine stand at lunch and snag a copy! I don't know why I don't just subscribe... I usually end up buying a copy whenever I see it anyway.

St1ritter, I don't have any pin gauges, however my digital calipers puts the throats in the same ranges as yours. Will try and cast some more this weekend using a harder alloy and see if they drop a little bigger.

Bruce Lee M, I'm glad to hear my Red Dot load is in the ballpark.. I have nearly 2 full pounds, and if I can get that powder to work in the little 32 I should end up with enough powder for 5,600 rounds! Likely enough to keep the boys shooting for a few years! And at current AK prices ($28 per pound) that works out to 1 cent worth of gun powder per shot, plus the cost of primers ($38 per brick) which is a little less that 4 cents each, and I will be below my goal of 5 cents per round. Almost exactly the per cartridge price of bulk .22LR here in AK (if you can find it) so I am already a happy man!

 

[mtgianni]

If the 2.5 gr of Red Dot did not shoot to point of aim I would file the sights until it did. Mine is that accurate in an I frame. I use the 90 gr SWC Leee but expect little difference with the rn you have.