Loading with a Winchester .32-20 Tool

[Green Frog]

Ivan,

I'm wondering whether trimming all the cases to a consistent length might also help. Also, a taper/factory type crimp might help him as well, just as long as the bullets don't back out under recoil.

I have currently own three 32-20s. Besides the obligatory '20s vintage M&P, I currently have a Uberti SAA, and the Ruger Buckeye 32 combo with the 32-20 cylinder. In all likelihood at my twilight, the only one I'll be able to justify keeping will be the Ruger... it really can just about do it all.

Gimme all the loading wisdom you all are willing to share!

Froggie

 

[TIMETRIPPER]

I use a factory crimp die for all my cartridges used in a tubular magazine: 32-20, 38-40, 30-30, and even a 348, which has a lot of recoil! A factory crimp die will handle it.
As Ivan said, it is easy to bulge a 32-20 case when crimping with a roll crimp, requiring all cases to be the same length. While not entirely necessary, it helps to seat then crimp in two separate steps when using a roll crimp. A factory crimp die is more forgiving with case length but is a separate step after bullet seating.
If your brass won't hold a crimp, anneal them. Easily done with a propane torch as seen on many Youtube videos.
I have a copy of Ken Waters "Pet Loads for the 32-20 Revolver" and one of his findings was that the 32-20 benefited accuracy wise with a good crimp.
I keep my 32-20 brass separated by manufacturer as there often is quite a bit of difference in length, especially between R-P and Winchester. This helps to keep trimming to a minimum.

John

 

[Eddie Southgate]

Hello friends,

I'm afraid I might need to put my dreams of reloading at the range on hold. Here are the results, 7-yards offhand at a 3" shoot-n-see.

The flyer is mine. More tearing than I would like, but 3.2 grains of W-231 doesn't exactly produce a speedy projectile.

The problem is that the rounds were a bear to chamber, to the point where some wouldn't seat all the way, leading to headspace issues. Rounds dropped more easily into some chambers than others, leading me to think that this is the result of slightly different chamber specs and not resizing the brass. I tested chambering later with some factory rounds and they slipped right in. I'll thoroughly clean the chambers later in case they're just grimy, but I might hold off using the tool again until I acquire a .32-20 firearm with one chamber instead of six.

Looking at the round pictured in your first post it looks like you are shaving lead on one side. Could the shaving still clinging to the side of the case by the crimp explain a chambering issue ?

 

[OrlontheBrave]

I'm starting to see the advantage now of full length resizing, flaring the case mouth, and crimping. Of course I did them when I used normal dies on my single stage press, but I don't think I fully appreciated them until now that I've seen what happens when you don't do them.



Eddie, I think you're right. I cleaned the chambers and tried reseating the empty brass, and they seated a lot more smoothly. Normally I'd fix the issue by flaring the case mouth before seating, but of course the Winchester tool doesn't allow for that. Next time I use it I'll try just scraping off the shaved lead with a fingernail before seating. Not ballistically ideal, but if I were going for 'ballistically ideal' I probably wouldn't be using a Winchester hand tool . . .

 

[Ivan the Butcher]

Ivan,

I'm wondering whether trimming all the cases to a consistent length might also help. Also, a taper/factory type crimp might help him as well, just as long as the bullets don't back out under recoil.

I have currently own three 32-20s. Besides the obligatory '20s vintage M&P, I currently have a Uberti SAA, and the Ruger Buckeye 32 combo with the 32-20 cylinder. In all likelihood at my twilight, the only one I'll be able to justify keeping will be the Ruger... it really can just about do it all.

Gimme all the loading wisdom you all are willing to share!
Froggie

First off: It never hurts anything to have all your brass the same length! Lyman #45 lists trim to length as 1.305". Lee trimmers will produce different lengths for different brands because they index off the inside of the case. For consistent length of multiple brand brass index off the bottom of the rim.

My opinion on load data: Lyman is very accurate! Problem is, Lyman #45 & #46, velocities are listed as Rifles. When you subtract 18 or 20 inches of barrel length and add a cylinder gap, You get revolver velocities. But people get scared.

Lyman #45 most accurate load with 115 grain bullet 3118 or 311359 w/GC
14 grains of IMR or H 4227 vel of 1865fps in 24" barrel ?(at 50 fps per inch velocity loss, a 4" revolver would be 865 fps. Reality, is little different than that.

Lyman #46 most accurate load is listed at 5.5 gr Unique and listed at 1390fps for 24" barrel, subtract 1000 fps for 4" revolver and that would be 390 fps. Reality is a lot faster than that! (VERY GOOD LOAD!)

Both of the above loads work well in GOOD CONDITION 100-year-old revolvers!

I use lots of WW231 and it works well in my revolvers. From Hodgdon's website: 115 LRNFP 3.2gr 839 fps/ 3.5 915 fps from 5.5" barrel. The 3.2gr load worked great in my revolvers. (3.2 gr is a VERY GOOD LOAD!)

I tried Trail Boss with this bullet and I didn't get good results. The size of the air gap makes a big difference on accuracy, and I didn't like the results.

BTW Both Lyman editions recommend Rem 6 1/2 primers. I've always used Win or CCI Small Pistol Standard in 32-20

Ivan

 

[Eddie Southgate]

A problem you often have with the fixed chamber tools is that they are really only designed to seat correctly one bullet design and with the Winchester tool thats gonna be a Winchester mold. A Ideal/Lyman mold might be real close but any difference in crimp groove location or nose shape and length can cause problems. Don't take much difference. Watch Ebay for the .32WCF mold to go with the tool, kinda neat to have anyway. I have them for .30WCF, .38WCF,.32 Winchester Special, .38-55, .44WCF and probably a few others that I can't think of right now. I never gave more than $85 for one and most were closer to $55 but I was always willing to wait for one with all it's parts and clean cavity to come along in those price ranges.