Hand Ejector 32-20 Handloading

[Plutonius]

I have both a 32-20 Hand Ejector Made in the 1930s and a Winchester 1892 chambered in 32-20 made in 1911. I will be handloading this cartridge and want something hotter than the HSM cowboy action loads that I purchased before. From some of the loads that I have read about I believe 4.5gr of W231/HP-38 under a 115gr Lead RN bullet should be good for both of these pieces.

Anyone else have any loadings they used with W231?

 

[DWalt]

You probably should post your question in the reloading area of the forum.

 

[Plutonius]

You probably should post your question in the reloading area of the forum.

Will Do,

Thanks!

 

[Alk8944]

I have both a 32-20 Hand Ejector Made in the 1930s and a Winchester 1892 chambered in 32-20 made in 1911. I will be handloading this cartridge and want something hotter than the HSM cowboy action loads that I purchased before. From some of the loads that I have read about I believe 4.5gr of W231/HP-38 under a 115gr Lead RN bullet should be good for both of these pieces.

Anyone else have any loadings they used with W231?

First, your revolver was not made in the 1930s as production of this model ceased in 1930 as far as can be determined. It continued to be catalogued until 1940 and three guns shipped as late as 1965 but was all warehoused production from 1930 or earlier. If you want to post the serial number we can give you an educated guess as to shipping date as several of us have accumulated shipping date lists for this and other models.

231/H-38 are not the best choices for this cartridge for either revolver or rifle, nor are Bullseye or Red Dot. All take up to little of the case volume and can result in ignition problems and subsequent damage to the revolver. Better to use a powder that fills the case better, AND use Small Rifle primers always. I have been using Unique and 2400 almost exclusively in this cartridge for over 50 years and have never had a squib load, but know people who have! The .32-20 is highly susceptible to squibs as evidenced by the high percentage of bulged barrels found in revolvers of this caliber compared to other calibers where bulges are rarely if ever seen!

Don't believe those who will tell you that rifle primers in revolver cartridges will cause mis-fires as they are harder, this is pure BS. I have fired over 50,000 rounds in handguns using small rifle primers over the past 50+ years and have never had a single mis-fire in any gun!

 

[Gordyf808]

First, your revolver was not made in the 1930s as production of this model ceased in 1930 as far as can be determined. It continued to be catalogued until 1940 and three guns shipped as late as 1965 but was all warehoused production from 1930 or earlier. If you want to post the serial number we can give you an educated guess as to shipping date as several of us have accumulated shipping date lists for this and other models.

231/H-38 are not the best choices for this cartridge for either revolver or rifle, nor are Bullseye or Red Dot. All take up to little of the case volume and can result in ignition problems and subsequent damage to the revolver. Better to use a powder that fills the case better, AND use Small Rifle primers always. I have been using Unique and 2400 almost exclusively in this cartridge for over 50 years and have never had a squib load, but know people who have! The .32-20 is highly susceptible to squibs as evidenced by the high percentage of bulged barrels found in revolvers of this caliber compared to other calibers where bulges are rarely if ever seen!

Don't believe those who will tell you that rifle primers in revolver cartridges will cause mis-fires as they are harder, this is pure BS. I have fired over 50,000 rounds in handguns using small rifle primers over the past 50+ years and have never had a single mis-fire in any gun!

Trail Boss works really well too. One of my favorites
Aloha

 

[jag22]

I have several 32-20 pistols and rifles and find 231 works great. However, for pistols I only use 3.0 and rifles I use 4.5. I have shot some of the 4.5s in a pistol and it just really felt too stout. Put the 3.0 in a nice heavy octagon barrel 1892 and it feels like a 22 but is still very accurate. If you're dead set on trying 4.5 I wouldn't load too many, don't think you are going to like it in your pistol.

 

[Hondo44]

You can consult old loading manuals, and you'll find the hotter loads you seek. But if your gun was produced before 1920 be aware it does not have a heat treated cyl and won't want to push what's safe in your revolver.

 

[Plutonius]

First, your revolver was not made in the 1930s as production of this model ceased in 1930 as far as can be determined. It continued to be catalogued until 1940 and three guns shipped as late as 1965 but was all warehoused production from 1930 or earlier. If you want to post the serial number we can give you an educated guess as to shipping date as several of us have accumulated shipping date lists for this and other models.

231/H-38 are not the best choices for this cartridge for either revolver or rifle, nor are Bullseye or Red Dot. All take up to little of the case volume and can result in ignition problems and subsequent damage to the revolver. Better to use a powder that fills the case better, AND use Small Rifle primers always. I have been using Unique and 2400 almost exclusively in this cartridge for over 50 years and have never had a squib load, but know people who have! The .32-20 is highly susceptible to squibs as evidenced by the high percentage of bulged barrels found in revolvers of this caliber compared to other calibers where bulges are rarely if ever seen!

Don't believe those who will tell you that rifle primers in revolver cartridges will cause mis-fires as they are harder, this is pure BS. I have fired over 50,000 rounds in handguns using small rifle primers over the past 50+ years and have never had a single mis-fire in any gun!

Mentally I rounded the year up. The particular handgun was made in 1928 per a S&W letter.

 

[Plutonius]

Trail Boss works really well too. One of my favorites
Aloha

Mine as well. I use it for 44-40, 45LC and 38Spl. I can`t find any reloading data for it with 32-20 though.

 

[Plutonius]

I have several 32-20 pistols and rifles and find 231 works great. However, for pistols I only use 3.0 and rifles I use 4.5. I have shot some of the 4.5s in a pistol and it just really felt too stout. Put the 3.0 in a nice heavy octagon barrel 1892 and it feels like a 22 but is still very accurate. If you're dead set on trying 4.5 I wouldn't load too many, don't think you are going to like it in your pistol.

This sounds like a prudent choice. I know the 1892 can easily handle the 4.5gr of W231 but I will keep it more conservative with the hand ejector.

 

[glowe]

Unless something has changed, you don't need hot ammo for SASS?? A standard 32-20 load in a pistol will give you around 900 fps and the same ammo shot in a long barrel rifle will develop close to 1400 fps, both should be quite adequate for Cowboy Action. Chronograph your reloads and you might not need any change in your recipes.

I use a 93LRN and 5 grains of Unique, which gives me around 900 fps in a revolver. My trusty Lyman Reloading Handbook No.40 (1955) lists lots of loads for the 32-20. To give an idea of the velocity differences from pistol to rifle, here are some Unique loads listed. These loads are maximum loadings for Unique.

Rifle Section - 90 grain LRFP - 6.0 g - 1680 fps ------ 100 grain LHP - 5.5 g - 1500 fps

Revolver Section -90 grain LRN - 5.5 1160 fps ------ 100 grain LHP - 5.5 g - 1065 fps.

I find that a full case of Trail Boss is anemic in my revolvers, generating under 700 fps with a nearly full case.

 

[bmg60]

Hi
I have 5 Targets that I shoot Here is a target with the load. My gun that I shot this load
in is one of the last ones made it is S.N 143XXX if your gun is close to this one it is safe to shot this load.
Jim

 

[CptCurl]

Plutonius,

I also enjoy the same combination of S&W .32-20 HE and Winchester 92 in .32-20. Love them! I posted some glamour shots of mine at this thread: http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-hand-ejectors-1896-1961/456661-couple-32-20s-range-today.html

I don't consider myself an expert on anything, but I will say that I have been safely loading ammunition for over 50 years. Having tried to find a perfect load for both the rifle and the revolver, I have come to the conclusion that the perfect load must be a compromise. Likely it will not be optimal in either gun.

I started by reading all loads listed in the loading manuals at my disposal and available on the internet. Of particular interest was the article by Ken Waters first published in July 1982 in Handloader and included in his publication, Pet Loads. It's entitled, ".32-20 Revolver." Waters reported best results with SR4756.

I tried his loads, first in the rifle. I got great results in the M92 using his load of 6.0 grains SR4756, 100 grain Berry plated bullet, a 6-1/2 Remington primer (small rifle), and Winchester brass. Then I tried this same load in my S&W .32-20 HE. It's way too hot for my revolver. Yet he found it ok in his S&W. Just goes to show that individual guns will react differently.

My revolver seems to really like 3 grains of Red Dot behind the Berry 100 grain bullet, which is an obviously mild load. I loaded that with the Remington 5-1/2 (small pistol) primer and had no issues at all. I haven't tried this particular load in the rifle but would expect it to be on the puny side.

I'll do more experimentation, but really I don't expect to find a load that works optimally in the rifle and still can be fired in the revolver.

One last thing: Concerning the issue of whether you have a heat-treated cylinder, you must remember your S&W letter gives the date your revolver shipped from the factory, not the date of manufacture. I can't give you an approximate serial number that divides the heat-treated cylinders from those that are not. Perhaps someone here can do it. I use as an approximate rule of thumb the presence or absence of the "Made in USA" roll mark at the front right side of the frame. The date of that mark coincides roughly with the onset of heat treatment of cylinders. Actually, I think the roll mark is slightly later, so if you have the roll mark, your cylinder is heat-treated. Somebody correct me if I am wrong.

Enjoy loading for you .32-20s. I love mine.

Curl

 

[glowe]

. . . One last thing: Concerning the issue of whether you have a heat-treated cylinder, you must remember your S&W letter gives the date your revolver shipped from the factory, not the date of manufacture.

Heat treated cylinders are pretty much a mute issue with regards to 32 Winchester S&Ws. The cylinder and barrel outside dimensions are the same as for the 38 Special, but both have twice the amount of steel surrounding the holes for the 32-20. Even the early ones are very strong revolvers and any standard loading offered in publications will be just fine in a good condition revolver.

 

[CptCurl]

I agree. I think heat treatment of the .32-20 cylinders has little to do with issues of strength.

 

[jag22]

32-20 is the only round I load that is for pistol and rifle. It is interesting to note the differences in felt recoil based on the gun it is fired in. As I said above, in a heavy octagon barrel 1892 it really feels light. Next, and a little bit less, is an 1892 with the traditional round barrel and lastly is a Remington 25 which is a pump action rifle. I know some "experts" will say felt recoil isn't really a very good way to measure a particular load. I still think common sense tells me that felt recoil says a lot about that round.

One other thing, I'm not a big fan of lead for various reasons. I use the Rainier 100 grn plated bullet. Very happy with it, sometimes it's a little hard to find (best source is Midway) so I stock up when I see it.

 

[Plutonius]

This is the 32-20 Hand Ejector

Serial is 159XXX

 

[glowe]

This is the 32-20 Hand Ejector

Serial is 159XXX

By looking at the gun, if the stocks are original, the gun is a 1920s manufacture and should have the heat treated steel. The large ejector rod knob (mushroom shaped) ended in late 1920s for most standard manufacture revolvers. The serial number raises lots of questions, since the accepted end number for this model is 144,684. My guess is that it is a very late special order, probably sometime in the late 1930s.

Could you check the number on the bottom of the butt one more time??

 

[Plutonius]

I whipped up a small batch using 4.0-4.1gr HP-38 with a 120gr RN bullet from Missouri Bullet Company. Recoil was minimum out of the 1892 Winchester and based on the movement of my steel dueling tree, about the same force as the HSM 32-20 I used to judge the recoil from. I will push my next batch to 4.4-4.5gr and call it a day. I will probably use the 4gr loading in the hand ejector.

 

[Plutonius]

By looking at the gun, if the stocks are original, the gun is a 1920s manufacture and should have the heat treated steel. The large ejector rod knob (mushroom shaped) ended in late 1920s for most standard manufacture revolvers. The serial number raises lots of questions, since the accepted end number for this model is 144,684. My guess is that it is a very late special order, probably sometime in the late 1930s.

Could you check the number on the bottom of the butt one more time??

You know what, I did it again

The first time I got a letter it lettered wrong because I misread the 3 thinking it was a 5 and I did it just again.

The true serial number is: 139XXX
According to the Factory Letter it was shipped on October 15, 1928 and delivered to Summers Hardware Co. in Johnson City TN. 6" Blue finish with checkered walnut non-medallion square butt grips.