Shoot .32 long in .32/20?

[Bill4570]

Some time ago I bought an old S&W revolver that the seller said was .32long.
BUT after sending off for a letter of authentication from S&W I find I have a hand ejector model of 1905 first change in .32/20.

So, I have shot one box of .32long in this 104 year old gun with no ill affect.

Is it safe to shoot .32long in this gun?

Is there modern factory ammo (.32/20) that is safe to shoot in the old revolvers?

The gun is in perfect working shape with about 50% finish left and excellent bore. Makes a great shooter in .32long.

Thanks for any info.

Bill

 

[mtgianni]

32 long should have belled and not resembled the original case if fired in 32-30. The 32-20 is a tapered cartridge with a shoulder, picture a thinner smaller 30-30. The 32 long is a straight wall cartridge. If they fired without incident someone could have swapped the cylinder for one in 32 long from the original. I would take the fired shells and the gun to a gunsmith.
32-20 ammo is still made though not commonly found.

 

[JP@AK]

32-20 ammo is still made though not commonly found.

Moreover, you need to exercise caution with ammo of recent manufacture. Some of it is heavily loaded for use in Cowboy Action shooting and should not be fired in a .32-20 Hand Ejector, especially one that was made before the heat treatment process came into common use around 1920.

Does your factory letter say the DOB of your gun was 1907? That's right in the middle of the First Change run. The .32-20 HE Model of 1905 was made (with various changes) from 1905 until 1940. There were two models before that, going back to 1899. They are fun revolvers to study.

One more point that may be of interest. Your .32-20 revolver is built on the K frame. The .32 S&W Long version of the Hand Ejector was built on the I frame. They are different guns, although they look quite similar.

Regards,
JP

 

[H Richard]

I would have thought a .32 Long would have rattled around in the chamber of a 32-20. While pressure wouldn't be a problem with a .32 Long, gas blow by and case splitting can be a problem and be dangerous. Unless your gun has had a .32 Long cylinder substituted, I wouldn't recommend shooting .32 Long in it. Double check the chambers to make sure just what caliber it is.

 

[mikepriwer]

What is the serial number of this gun ? There are at least two handfuls
of 32 -20's that were factory-chambered in 32 long. One is in the
43XXX, and another in the 61XXX range.

Your gun most-likely has a 32 long cylinder. Question is - is it factory ?

Mike Priwer

 

[Speedo2]

...manners, gentelmen, manners.

First let me say: Welcome to the forum, Bill4570.
And second: Photos, man; where are the photos? If your gun is indeed a k-frame 32-long, we would all really like to see some photos of that rare bird. -S2

 

[mikepriwer]

Here is a 32/20 series revolver, chambered in 32 long - circa 1910:

The guns that we call the early K-32's are serial-numbered in the
.38 series. The barrels are, most likely, 32/20 barrels roll-marked
for 32 long, and cylinders chambered for 32 long. The gun featured
in the above two pictures is exactly that, except it is serial-numbered
in the 32/20 series. This gun is, in fact, a K-32. I'm surprised that
the factory did not use the 32/20 serial number series in the 1930's,
when they made the final batch of these guns.

Mike Priwer

 

[JP@AK]

Cool, Mike, very cool.
Not only is it a .32-20 HE factory chambered for the .32 Long, it is a target model to boot!
Truly a gem!

I really like the .32-20 HE. One of my favorite guns in my collection is a 5" Model of '02 Target that letters to 1904.
But to have one that letters to a factory .32 Long would be very much fun.
JP

 

[JP@AK]

...manners, gentelmen, manners.

Speedo - I don't get your reference. Did one of us write something rude? I thought this was a quite cordial discussion. What did we do wrong?
JP

 

[Bill4570]

Thank you all for your replys.

The gun was shipped from the factory January 22, 1907.
The serial # is in the 30### range.

I am currently at work and don't have access to the revolver but as soon as I get home I will check the serial number. I think the cylinder has the same number as the frame. But I may be wrong.

The .32 longs I fired in it had no deformation at all. They are rather short for the cylinder, a .32/20 would fit and not stick out of the cylinder.

I will get back to you all later.

bill

 

[mikepriwer]

Bill

When you get the gun in your hands, open the cylinder and look
carefully down any charge hole. Presumably there will not be a
noticeable necking-down, or narrowing of the charge hole, maybe
about 1/2 way down.

Also, get us the full serial number. With that, we might be able to
learn more about the gun. Perhaps there might be another group
of these guns, in the 30XXX range . With the full serial number, we
can find out.

Mike Priwer

 

[walnutred]

There is only around .015" difference between the base diameter of 32 WCF and 32 S&W long. While I’ve never done it I’ve heard more than one person claim to shoot 32 S&W long in both 32 WCF and 7.62x25R without difficult case extraction or splitting. If the cylinder has not been changed my bet is that someone has simply been shooting the wrong ammo in this pistol.

What are the barrel markings and what are the sights?

 

[Babalooie]

I had a couple of 32-20's. Shot .32 longs in both with no real issues. The casings would bulge a little, but never ruptured. I was using Aguila ammo.

Some 32-20 ammo around today is made for rifles and is not supposed to be used in handguns because of the high pressures. Also, some of the original 32-20's were not heat treated properly. Those may cause serious issues if used with modern ammo.

 

[Jim Watson]

Some of it is heavily loaded for use in Cowboy Action shooting and should not be fired in a .32-20 Hand Ejector

Such CAS ammunition as I see is of standard or reduced loading. Of the several brands of .32-20 at Midway, the Cowboy labeled ammunition runs from 800-1000 fps. The standard 100 grain lead smokeless is listed at 1210 fps out of a rifle, which is black powder equivalent.

Some 32-20 ammo around today is made for rifles and is not supposed to be used in handguns because of the high pressures.

If it is around today, it has been around for a long while. The old .32-20 High Velocity and High Speed made for 92 Winchester and 94 Marlin, discouraged for revolvers or 73 Winchesters, dropped off the charts years ago. I think in the early 1960s but no longer have my collection of Gun Digests and Stoegers to check.
The current SAAMI spec for .32-20 chamber pressure is 16,000 CUP, right in there with .38 Special and no provision for High Velocity or +P. So if you buy fresh ammo with lead bullets and not old stock JSP rifle rounds, you are about as well off with a .32-20 as a .38.

 

[sheriffoconee]

my 32-20 digests modern Cowboy Loads from Ultramax with no recoil, no pressure, and they sure as heck ain't gonna hurt a hunnred year old gun..like mine is....
Might weak rounds....
The RIFLE ONLY 32-20 ammo is PLAINLY marked and loaded with short, hollowpoint copper jacketed bullets......
I suspect any LEAD bullet factory load not marked CLEARLY for rifle use only are safe in these old guns

 

[tops]

Some time ago I bought an old S&W revolver that the seller said was .32long.
BUT after sending off for a letter of authentication from S&W I find I have a hand ejector model of 1905 first change in .32/20.

So, I have shot one box of .32long in this 104 year old gun with no ill affect.

Is it safe to shoot .32long in this gun?

Is there modern factory ammo (.32/20) that is safe to shoot in the old revolvers?

The gun is in perfect working shape with about 50% finish left and excellent bore. Makes a great shooter in .32long.

Thanks for any info.

Bill

If you have shot a box with no problems you have answered your own question. I have never shot .32 longs in my 32-20 but I have shot .32 shorts with no problem. The rifle only loads were 80. gr. jacketed bullets. Larry

 

[Bill4570]

OK I made it home.

The serial number on the cyl. matches the frame number.
Whick is 30489.

The caliber designation on the left side of the barrel states: .32 Winchester CTG.

When I look down any chambers there are two "marks" inside. The nearest to the extractor must be the residue left from repeated shooting of .32 long, the furthest towards the barrel end must be left by .32/20.

I am sure this is a .32/20.

I would like to shoot the proper ammo in it.

From what others have said here and what I have seen else where, current production factory ammo is for rifles only.

Is this right?

I can start reloading, just need to buy dies,brass etc.

Thanks

Bill

 

[walnutred]

I don't know of any Rifle Only 32 WCF made in the last 40 years. I'd not be surprised to learn that the ammo factories stopped producing it during WW2 and never resumed. Anything with a lead bullet from a major manufacturer should be safe in your revolver assuming the revolver itself is sound.

As was mentioned most "Cowboy" ammo is on the tame side. That ammo is loaded for target shooting at very close targets, not hunting or defense.

 

[Green Frog]

OK I made it home.

The serial number on the cyl. matches the frame number.
Whick is 30489.

The caliber designation on the left side of the barrel states: .32 Winchester CTG.

When I look down any chambers there are two "marks" inside. The nearest to the extractor must be the residue left from repeated shooting of .32 long, the furthest towards the barrel end must be left by .32/20.

I am sure this is a .32/20.

I would like to shoot the proper ammo in it.

From what others have said here and what I have seen else where, current production factory ammo is for rifles only.

Is this right?

I can start reloading, just need to buy dies,brass etc.

Thanks

Bill

Sounds like you got a good one there, Bill. I would first scrub all the chambers out very thoroughly with bronze brush and Hoppe's to clear out all of the fouling... especially that from firing the shorter .32 S&W rounds (even the "longs" are shorter than the .32-20, as you noticed.) I might even polish the chambers a bit with JBs or perhaps Flitz.

Factory ammo, other than the stuff they are loading for Cowboy Action Shooting (which tend$ to be pri¢ey) is a little hard to find, but Starline makes the brass, and both RCBS and Lee advertise .32-20 dies when last I checked... I just bought a set of Lee dies for mine. As for bullets, I like the lead semi-wadcutters that run around 100 +/- 10 grains or so. The old Ideal 3118 (now Lyman 311008) is sort of the go-to bullet for me. Keep those loads mild and have a ball!

Regards,
Froggie

 

[cgt4570]

OK I made it home.


I am sure this is a .32/20.

I would like to shoot the proper ammo in it.

From what others have said here and what I have seen else where, current production factory ammo is for rifles only.

Is this right?

I can start reloading, just need to buy dies,brass etc.

Thanks

Bill

NO! Current production ammo is safe for revolvers, but works fine in rifles. The hotter rifle-only stuff hasn't been made for years.