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Thread: .32 "Popguns"

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    .32 "Popguns"

    Sharing a previously published article of mine which appeared in The Fouling Shot. I hadn't seen much mention of the .32 revolvers here, so thought I would post this as a thread starter for comment and to shake the trees...

    Tales from the Back Creek Diary - Revisiting The .32 "Popguns"

    The ".32 Popguns" are great small game guns which are much more effective on any game larger than bunnies than a rimfire. With today’s ammo scarcity and greater cost of .22 rimfire ammo, casting your own bullets and loading .32 cartridges with economical powders like Bullseye or TiteGroup is more cost effective. While the .32 ACP or .32 S&W Long would never be your first choice as defense guns, when loaded with flat-nosed, cast lead bullets which are heavy for their caliber, they are more effective than traditional LRN and FMJ factory loads, which served in police and military roles from about 1900 into the early 1980s.

    It is interesting that the Colt 1851 Navy, firing a .375" diameter, 80-grain lead round ball with about 20 grains of 3Fg black powder, killed multitudes of bad guys in its day. That performance approximates a .32 S&W Long revolver with bullet of similar weight, being driven to about 850 fps with 2.5 grains of Bullseye. Using handloaded ammunition, in a strong gun, the ballistics of the .32 ACP, .32 S&W Long, .32-20 Winchester and .32 H&R Magnum and .380 ACP are all quite similar in terms of payload and velocity, about 90 grains at 900 fps.

    In a sturdy, steel-frame WW2-era .32 ACP autopistol, you can safely drive a 90-grain .309" Hornady XTP bullet at 900+ fps from a 3.5" barrel using 3 grains of AutoComp. Substituting a lubricated cast lead flat-nosed cast bullet of similar weight you approach 1000 fps with that same 3 grains of AutoComp and penetrate 30+ inches of water jugs. While Beretta 81 former police pistols being recently imported have light alloy frames, their heavy slides and stiff springs enable them to handle heavy loads safely in moderation, if not for a steady diet.

    A charge of 3 grains of Bullseye or 3.5 grains of 231 or HP38 gives about 900 fps in a sturdy post-WW2 steel frame, .32 S&W Long revolver like the S&W Model 30 or 31, or Colt Police Positive, approximating actual chronograph results for firing 100-grain .32-20 Winchester factory loads fired a 5-inch revolver.

    In post-1918 S&W .32-20 Hand Ejectors having heat treated cylinders you can safely load 3.5 grains of Bullseye, 5 grains of AutoComp, 7.5 grains of Alliant #2400 or 10 grains of 4227 with a 100-115 grain lead flat-nosed bullet to produce about 1000 fps from a 5" revolver having a snug cylinder gap of 0.004-0.006".

    That very level of performance defined the performance "envelope" for the .32 H&R Magnum, in which the "design intent" was to efficiently attain full .32-20 black powder velocity levels in a strong, modern case having correct capacity to efficiently use smokeless powder at pressures approximating the .38 Special +P, which could be chambered in small, compact pocket and "kit" guns. The .32 H&R does precisely that.

    The .327 Federal is to our "little" .32s what the .357 Magnum is to our common .38s. It approximates the ballistics of Winchester 1892 High Speed .32-20 rifle ballistics, but from a revolver. I think of it as a rimmed, revolver equivalent of the 7.62x25 Tokarev round. Its high velocity appeals to varmint shooters and enhances its potential as a defense round, when used with expanding bullets, like the 90-grain Hornady XTP, but is unnecessary for a small game foraging gun, as full charge loads are overly destructive of edible game.

    The great advantage of the .327 is that revolvers chambered for it can also use .32 S&W Long or .32 H&R Magnum ammo, but that you also have a sturdy gun for steady use with heavy loads which you are unlikely to shoot loose with what the late Frank Marshall, Jr. referred to as "adventurous experimentation." And if you really want to singe the hair off the backs of your hands, bring spots before your eyes with muzzle flash, and go deaf the first time you shoot full-charge .327s without ear plugs, then it's your huckleberry!

    I use my .32 handguns for the same things that "normal people" use a .22 LR for, recreational shooting, small game and farm utility carry. I am told by rural-agricultural users the .32 does a much better job at humanely slaughtering stock than a .22. These days if you cast your own bullets from scrap alloy you can load .32 less expensively than buying fresh .22s at current prices. One pound of Bullseye powder will load about 2500 rounds.

    In the rural south and Appalachia .32 handguns and ammo are common at estate sales. I expect that this is a regional preference. Factory ammo is readily available from Internet sellers. Starline makes the best brass. A great variety of suitable molds are available. I seek and accumulate partial boxes of various .32 cartridges in pawn shops and at estate and garage sales in my rural West Virginia county. I eagerly snap up all that I find. My pre-WW2 revolvers are used mostly with vintage factory ammo to avoid inadvertently stuffing them full of hotter loads I would normally use in my S&W Model 30 or Ruger SP101.

    You need only ONE set of dies, a bullet mold, and two shell holders to reload for all of the common .32 pistol rounds:

    .32 ACP
    .32 Smith & Wesson
    .32 Smith & Wesson Long
    .32 H&R Magnum
    .327 Federal

    If just now starting to gear up to feed your new .32 Bunny Gun Fetish, buy RCBS .32 ACP dies having a carbide sizer, expander die and seater.

    Get shell holders for the .32 ACP (or a .30 carbine will work if you already have one) and .32 S&W Long (or a .223 Remington will also work if you already have one). Buy the Lee Bullet Sizing Kit in .311" diameter if you will load for the .32 ACP, or a .314" if you intend to load for the .32 S&W Long, .32 H&R Magnum or .327 Federal.

    The most versatile production "one fits all" molds are the RCBS 32-90CM which cast a 90-grain, flattened roundnose "Cowboy" slug, or the RCBS 32-98SWC or its clones from Accurate, Arsenal or NOE. The Saeco #325 semi-wadcutter is a great choice for the revolvers and will also feeds in the .32 ACP Colt 1903, Beretta 1935 and CZ27 pistols. In other modern guns, maybe, or maybe not.

    If your .32 Auto feeds flat nosed bullets and JHPs, Accurate has several designs which approximate the Buffalo Bore shape, but with sufficient .26" nose length to prevent rimlock. These are 31-077B, 31-084H and 31-090B, are all good choices in .32 ACP, and I also use the 90B in the .32 S&W Long to shoot to the fixed sights of older revolvers.

    If your pistol tends not to feed anything reliably but roundnose hardball, better bullet choices are Accurate 31-081H, 31-087T, 31-087B, or 31-094H.

    Any of the 87 grain and heavier .32 bullets which drop no smaller than .313" are suitable for loading the .32 revolvers, will shoot close to their fixed sights and can tolerate sizing to .311 for the .32 ACP also if you want a dual-use bullet.

    Accurate 31-105T is a double-crimp-groove design of traditional shape similar to factory bullets once used in the .32-20 and .32 Colt New Police. It is optimized for revolver use in the .32 S&W Long, .32 S&W Magnum and .32-20, but is a bit heavy and "fat" for successful use in .32 ACP auto pistols.

    Cast your .32 pistol bullets from common SOFT range backstop scrap or wheelweights, 10-12 BHN is good. Drop them onto a folded towel and let them slowly air cool. Harder quenched alloy is completely unnecessary. Lube your bullets by tumbling in Lee Liquid Alox only until they are a light brassy color all over. There is no need to "fill" the lube grooves for subsonic rounds fired from short barrels. You don't need to buy a lubricator-sizer. If bullets from your mold drop as-cast at .313-.314 you can load them in revolver ammo without sizing. If bullets drop over .314" they should be sized .311" for .32 ACP and .314 for the revolvers.

    Best bang for the buck is to buy Alliant Bullseye or Hodgdon TiteGroup powder, and anybody's small pistol primers.

    The RCBS Little Dandy Measure is perfect for loading the small .32 cases.

    Use the Rotor #00 to load 1.7 grains of Bullseye in the .32 ACP with the 87-90-grain bullets, or 2 grains of TiteGroup for the 75-84 grain bullets. This is also a safe load in .32 S&W Long with 90-105 grain bullets in the pre-1918 S&W 1903 Hand Ejectors and Colt New Pocket revolvers which are not heat treated.

    Use the Rotor #0 to measure 2.2 grains of Bullseye loading lighter 75-80 grain bullets in the .32 ACP, or to approximate factory loads with your 90-105 grain Cowboy lead bullets in the .32 S&W Long for use in heat treated, but pre-WW2 revolvers. The same #0 rotor meters 3 grains of AutoComp as a +P load for sturdy .32 ACPs and as a “full-charge” load with 90-105 grain bullets in the .32 S&W Long.

    Use the Rotor #1 to assemble "full-charge" loads in the .32 S&W Long, using 2.5 grains of Bullseye for about 850 fps with the 90-105 grain lead bullets in .32 S&W Long brass for general use in postwar S&W Models 30 and 31 and postwar Colt D-frames chambered in .32 Colt New Police.

    Rotor #1 and the same 2.5 grains of Bullseye with 71-grain FMJs at 0.97” minimum cartridge OAL in the .32 ACP, which approximates CIP-Euro loads at 905 fps from a 3.5 inch barrel and should not be exceeded in WW2-era steel frame holster pistols, and being OK for moderate use in the postwar light alloy frames such as the Beretta 81, if you are not shooting high volume competition quantities.

    In strong, modern revolvers chambered for the .32 S&W Long, such as the S&W Model 30 or 31, or revolvers factory-chambered for .32 H&R Magnum ammunition, you may use the Little Dandy measure Rotor #3 for 3 grains of Bullseye in .32 S&W Long brass with the 90 grain RCBS bullet or the Hornady 85-grain XTP for about 900 fps from a 4-inch barrel. This is a "full-charge” load for use only in modern steel frame guns.

    You can match factory velocities 1000+ fps with 90-grain lead bullet or 85-grain .312" Hornady XTP in the .32 H&R Magnum using the RCBS Little Dandy Rotor #5 to meter 3.5 grs. of Bullseye in Starline .32 H&R Magnum brass with the Federal 200 primer.

    The same 3.5 grain charge of Bullseye is a standard-pressure, full charge 900+ fps load with 90-105-grain lead bullets which is safe in any post-1905 .32-20 revolver proofed for smokeless powder.

    Some manuals suggest higher velocities in .32 H&R Mag. and .32-20 loads than this, but supersonic velocities defeat the purpose of a non-destructive small game load which permits you to “eat right up to the bullet hole.” The RCBS Cowboy bullet and 32-098SWC have flat noses which provide good crush and deep penetration. They do not need to be driven supersonic to be effective.

    Do not shoot thousands of .32 ACP cast bullet loads with bullets heavier than 80 grains in the tiny Keltec and Beretta “mouse guns” having light alloy frames, because they are "frame crackers."

    If you have GrandDad's Colt M1903 Pocket Hammerless, Beretta M1935, CZ27, or Walther PP bringback from WW2 the 84-90-grain lead loads run like a pony trotting.

    In steel frame guns you have no worries with up to 2.2 grains of Bullseye with the Accurate 31-090B or the 90-grain RCBS Cowboy bullet at .311" diameter and a minimum cartridge OAL of 0.95"

    Consider 3 grains of AutoComp in the .32 ACP with the 90-grain Hornady .309" XTP at 0.95" OAL as +P for occasional and emergency use, not as steady diet in your new Beretta 81. No issues if you "heavy-up" the recoil spring with one intended for the .380 ACP version of your Colt, or Walther steel-framed pistol.

  2. #2
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    Thanks for posting all this! I have been handloading .32 long and .32 magnum for years and about to start working with .32-20.

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    The .32-20, America's Classic, Center-fire, Utility Small Game Cartridge

    Quote Originally Posted by revolvergeek View Post
    Thanks for posting all this! I have been handloading .32 long and .32 magnum for years and about to start working with .32-20.
    Here is my Fouling Shot article on the .32-20, Enjoy!

    Tales from the Back Creek Diary - America’s Classic, Center-Fire, Utility Small Game Cartridge

    The .32-20 was very popular for utility use from about 1890 until WW2 among farmers and outdoorsmen east of the Mississippi. It survived the transition to smokeless powder well and remained popular, even when production of new guns chambered for it ceased in 1941. There were enough existing.32-20 rifles and revolvers to keep this mild, pleasant and effective cartridge barely alive until Cowboy Action shooting enthusiasts re-discovered it, finding its mild recoil and report, good accuracy and adequate energy as attractive as rural-agricultural users did well over a century ago.

    Post WW2 .32-20 loads generally featured a 100-gr. flat-nosed lead or jacketed soft-point bullet. Other than private-label cowboy loads, the only .32-20 rounds commonly found today on store shelves are 100-grain lead flat-nosed bullets loaded by either Winchester or Remington. High velocity 80-grain “Mushroom” varmint loads once loaded for the Winchester ’92 should never be fired in revolvers.

    Pre-WW2 smokeless .32-20s were intended to perform acceptably from either rifles or revolvers. Hercules Infallible (similar to modern Unique), Sharpshooter (similar to SR4759), or DuPont SR-80 (similar to Herco) powders were commonly used. Post WWII WRA and Western cartridges used WC630 (a Ball powder resembling today’s AutoComp). Current W-W loads use WC230 (non-canister similar to 231). Remington loads a non-canister flake powder similar to that used in their .22 LR ammunition. Safe revolver loads with modern powders are 3.0-3.4 grains of Bullseye, 3.5-4.0 grains of W231 or WST, 4.0-4.5 grains of Unique, or AutoComp with Accurate 31-105T or Lyman #311008 cast in soft 8-10 BHN alloy.

    IMR4227 and IMR4198 produce satisfactory low-pressure smokeless loads for black powder rifles, such as the Winchester 1873 and Colt Lightning, using charges listed in the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook, 4th Edition (2010) on p.173. Unburned powder particles leftover from these propellants are a nuisance when fired in revolvers, so while safe, I recommend that these powders be used for rifle loads only.

    Despite being frequently recommended, I found Alliant #2400 less than ideal due to unburned powder in revolvers, when loaded to standard pressures. I list only one maximum, standard pressure load, because most published data already out there is simply is “too hot,” for older guns.

    I found Olin AutoComp highly suitable for the .32-20, as is TiteGroup! Both gave uniform velocities, complete combustion and good accuracy with safe pressures. RCBS Little Dandy Rotor #1 meters 3.2 grains of TiteGroup, approximating factory lead loads. The #3 rotor measures 4.5 grains of AutoComp, a full-charge, dual-purpose rifle and revolver load approximating pre-WW2 Remington-UMC “Dogbone” lead ammo. The #4 rotor meters 3.4 grains of Bullseye, approximating modern factory lead loads.

    Catalog .32-20 ballistics which claimed 1000 f.p.s. from revolvers were based upon solid test barrels. My chronograph testing at NRA never saw 1000 f.p.s. from any .32-20 factory loads fired from a revolver, except for pre-WW2 Remington-UMC “dogbone” logo ammo fired in a particularly tight Colt Single-Action with 7-1/2 inch barrel and 0.003” cylinder gap. Breaking 1000 f.p.s. from a .32-20 revolver requires hand-loads exceeding the SAAMI MAP of 16,000 psi, and probably actually exceeding 20,000 psi. Smokeless-frame Colt Single Actions and S&W Hand Ejectors made after 1918, having heat-treated cylinders, can tolerate somewhat heavier loads, when used in moderation. But please spare the classic Colt Police Positives and Army Specials from “hot load” abuse, because they WILL “shoot loose.”

    Measured Revolver Velocities. My five-inch Colt Police Positive Special was made in 1924 and has a 0.005 cylinder gap. The pooled average of seven samples of factory .32-20 loads was 814 fps. This represents a sensible loading level when assembling revolver loads using fast-burning powders like Bullseye. Current production 100-grain lead .32-20 ammo from Remington and Winchester ranged from 714-780 fps. This is little different than the results expected when firing .32 S&W Long 98-grain lead factory ammo from a tight-gapped revolver of similar barrel length. The highest velocity I recorded among .32-20 factory loads fired in my 5” Colt was 898 fps from pre-WW2 100-grain lead Rem-UMC Kleanbore “dogbone” loads. Peters 100-grain softpoints gave 870 fps. WRA lead loads gave 854 fps.

    Most .32-20 revolvers are either already or nearing 100 years old. Hand loads not appreciably exceeding 900 fps with 100 grain bullets and 850 fps with 115 grain bullets are safe maximums for the Colt Police Positive Special, Army Special and early S&W .32-20 Hand Ejectors. Heat treated S&W Hand Ejectors made after 1918 and smokeless-frame Colt Single Actions may cautiously approach 20,000 psi, approximating the .32 H&R Magnum, about 1000-1080 fps with 100 grain bullets from a 5” barrel. If your satisfaction requires that cylinder flash singe the hair off of your hands, and muzzle flash bring spots before your eyes, then the Ruger Buckeye Special .32 H&R/.32-20 Convertible, the .30 Carbine and .327 Rugers are “your huckleberry.” Please don’t overload and shake apart the older classic .32-20s!

    Rifle velocity of standard pressure .32-20 loads: I chronographed the same seven samples of factory .32-20 loads in a Savage bolt action “Sporter” from the 1920s, having a 25 inch barrel. As in the revolvers, the highest velocity was observed firing 100-grain lead pre-WW2 Remington-UMC ammo from Kleenbore “dogbone” logo box, about 1300 fps. This represents a sensible maximum when loading for black powder action rifles such as the Winchester 1873 or Colt Lightning, using suitable modern pistol powders such as Unique and AutoComp, or in rifles only using 4227 and 4198. A full case, lightly compressed of 4198 powder, about 11-12 grains, provides good bullet base support in the same manner that black powder does. This permits bullets without a crimp groove, to be used in tubular magazine rifles without compression of the magazine spring pushing the bullet deeper into the case.

    WW2-era Peters 100-grain softpoint ammo gave 1150 fps from the Savage. Modern 100-grain lead ammo from Remington and Winchester ran 1170-1180 fps in the Savage bolt rifle. The pooled velocity average for all seven batches of .32-20 factory ammo fired from its 25 inch barrel was 1207 f.p.s. This represents a useful benchmark as a loading level for older black-powder era rifles using 3.0-3.4 grains of Bullseye, TiteGroup, Red Dot or 700-X or alternately 3.5-4.0 grains of 231, WST or Green Dot. The .32-20 is mild and effective as a small game gun. While it is true that the velocities obtained are modest, it has proven effective on small game and wild turkey for over a century. Guns chambered for it have been handed down in families over generations of continuous field use.

    My Savage “Sporter” bolt rifle from the 1920s, firing with simple open sights is thoroughly utilitarian. I have found 2-1/2 to 3” five-shot groups at 100 yards the norm. “Entirely Agricultural” as my esteemed friend Sam Hotton would say! My Colt Police Positive .32-20 is just as accurate as my Colt .38 Special of the same era, but has milder recoil and is the lightest .32-20 revolver I have found having field utility.

    From 1882 through the 1930s, the .32-20 was THE "agricultural utility” gun of choice in rural America. NRA Contributing Editor William C. Davis, Jr. grew up in Tioga County, PA during the Great Depression. He used a 6-inch Colt Army Special in .32-20 to hunt small game. He told me that local hunters who could afford only one rifle often used .32-20s for both small game and deer during those hard times.

    In rural northern PA before 1940, few farms had electricity. Everyday tasks took longer using only human or animal muscle power. People got up at dawn and went to bed shortly after sundown because lamp oil cost money. Leisure time was a few hours after church on Sunday afternoon. Hunters needed to be efficient. Boys developed their field craft to stalk deer within short range to be sure of clean kills. Scopes were too expensive and too fragile for field use. Open sights were most common. Lyman receiver sights were preferred among the most serious hunters. Farmers usually owned only one rifle as a work tool. Hunting and shooting were not hobbies, but life skills. Economy and utility were valued.

    A flat-nosed, 100-115 grain lead bullet at subsonic velocity was non-destructive for edible small game. Simple ammunition reloaded economically using bullets cast over the kitchen stove, lubed with cup grease and assembled on the Ideal tong tool was the norm. The .32-20 proved effective against common farm predators. Revolver loads at 850-900 fps provide a flat enough trajectory to enable 100 yard hits on groundhogs, which in the 1930s were an important rural food source, given depleted deer populations. Using similar loads in rifles, velocities ran 1200-1300 fps, which enabled some expansion of home-cast, soft scrap lead bullets when large bones were struck. The .32-20 offered the best combination of economy and utility for its era. It gave acceptable accuracy and performance, using the least expensive scrap alloy, plain-based bullets. It was pure simplicity, being very inexpensive to load, providing 1700-2000 rounds per pound of expensive and scarce powder in those hard times.

    Bill told me that the maximum effective range of a .32-20 rifle was really about 75 yards. A more typical woods range was usually 25 to 50 yds. Frank Marshall echoed this opinion. A revolver was almost never fired at game beyond 20-25 yards. The traditional hunting ethic was very strong. Hunters would not risk a shot unless a clean kill was certain, or if the family were desperate for meat. No one would consider taking a shot which would likely result in a wounded animal, because such stupidity was a “thief of time” in tracking down to bring back a wounded animal when chores were waiting on the farm.

    An excellent period article on the .32-20 by Maurice H. Decker appeared in Fur-Fish-Game, Vol. 26, No. 2, Aug 1917, pages 30-31. [NOBODY today recommends that anybody use the .32-20 as a “bear gun”, but I thought you might like to read what sporting magazines said about it 100 years ago!].

    “…the .32 Smith & Wesson revolver shell…will shoot very nicely in the .32-20 rifle and forms a very desirable load for dropping small game animals… and will kill small animals cleanly because of its round, pointed bullet…

    …many farmers and stock men…use the .32-20 for butchering purposes, shooting hogs with shorts and cattle with the regular load. A better combination could hardly be chosen or secured with but one rifle, as nothing less powerful than the .32-20 will drop a heavy steer down to stay… while hogs require a light charge similar to the S. & W. for best results in bleeding.

    “The factories recommend .32-20 for game as small as squirrel, but I have found the flat pointed bullet tears up rabbit and even geese pretty thoroughly…when…I want as much meat left for the kettle or fry-pan as possible.

    “For woodchuck shooting…the .32-20 is an ideal caliber…it is a sure killer at short and medium ranges and at …200..yards the High Velocity shells…shoot much more accurately than one would… suppose…

    “Since the .32-20 cartridges have been put out with smokeless powder and lead bullets… I would earnestly recommend the smokeless loads for steady shooting. The metal patched bullet with the smokeless charge of regular power will also prove a valuable load for killing small game without excessive tearing when one happens to be out of the S. & W. shorts.

    “The .32-20 High Velocity…is really a deadly little killer…and…has been used with success many times upon deer and even bear and although… I would always recommend a heavier caliber, the hunter or trapper need have no fear or hesitation of taking a shot at either should it cross his path at a reasonable range…

    “…When years of faithful service…among old timers…are taken into consideration, the Model 1873 Winchester leads in prominence, it being one of the most famous repeaters in existence. It is, however, a little too heavy and clumsy in handling…compared to the Model 1892… [The] '92 …is…the neatest proportioned repeater ever made…It is a smaller edition of the famous game-getting Model 1886…equipped with round barrel and shotgun butt with steel butt plate will make a very quick handling [rifle] with a very good balance….

    “…For extreme light weight and general service the hunter and trapper should examine and handle, if possible, the half-magazine .32-20 carbine which for its weight and size will furnish as much actual business shooting as any…of this class. For use in a country where medium sized and large game may be frequently seen I would advise a carbine with a special smokeless steel barrel and the almost exclusive use of the H. V. loads…With this light…weapon the trapper could drop anything crossed his path, from a Canada jay to a black bear in a steel trap or even at large and in case of a deer crossing his trail at short range he would stand a very good chance of eating venison at his next meal...

    “…I would not advise a shot at a deer with the .32-20 H. V. at over 70 yards unless the hunter is badly in need of meat, as…too many animals shot with low power guns…escape the hunter... of no benefit to anyone…except to furnish food for wolves... 

    My old buddy Dave Bryant in reviewing a draft of this article offered his comments on the .32-20:

    “As a kid bitten by the gun bug in the 1950s, growing up in the rural west, I noticed that farming families were more likely to have a .32-20 leaning behind the kitchen door than did the cattle ranchers, who would have a .44-40 in the same spot. Cattle country was usually elk country, with black bear, coyote and mountain lion. Farming country, not so much, but with bobcats, red fox, hawks and weasel family members being the most common trouble makers, all easily dispatched with a 32-20. (If possible, stay upwind of skunks and civet cats when drawing a bead.)”

    “I can still recall my first impression of working the action of a .32-20 Model 92, a delightful, velvety sensation of oiled smoothness, replete with a discreet snicks and clicks as it first unlocked and then returned to battery. The ’92 was SO different than anything else I'd been able to use up to that point that it caused a sense of awe. Especially so compared to the average Model 94 Winchester carbines of the day with their loose-goosey, rattling workings. I've wished since that Winchester/Miroku would "modernize" these little guns by adopting the angle eject system Winchester eventually developed to allow mounting a scope on top of the Model 94. A compact, lightweight scope allows lever guns to become reliable 200 yard deer guns in their larger calibers and 150 yard varmint and small game takers in the .32-20 and 25-20, using modern bullets and loads.”


    And THAT fairly well sums up the .32-20!

    Table 1 – Factory .32-20 Ammunition in Rifle and Revolver
    Ammunition Description___________Colt Police Positive 5”_____Savage Sporter 25”

    Rem-UMC 100-grain lead
    Kleanbore “Dogbone” box 1930s______898, 44 Sd, 116 ES________1302, 15 SD, 38 ES

    Peters 100-grain softpoint
    Kings Mills, Ohio 1940s______________870, 28, 71______________1150, 44, 137

    WRA 100-grain lead
    Red & yellow box 1950s_____________854, 33, 87_______________1263, 18, 53

    W-W 100-grain lead
    Rounded primer, yellow box, 1970s____800, 11, 31______________1241, 9, 22

    W-W 100-grain lead
    Flat primer, white box, 1990s_________778, 27, 69_______________1172, 18, 65

    R-P 100-grain lead
    Bridgeport, CT 1970s________________780, 24, 67_______________1181, 17, 52

    R-P 100-grain lead
    Lonoke, AR current production________716, 21, 55_______________1140, 12, 35

    Column Mean by Gun_______________5” Revolver______________25” Rifle
    Average Velocity of Factory Loads_____814 fps._________________1207 fps

    Table 2 – Group 1 Standard Pressure Loads for Rifle or Revolver

    Bullet, Little Dandy#, Pdr. Chg.____Colt Police Positive 5”______Savage Sporter 25”

    Remington .311” 100-grain JSP____930 fps, 16 Sd, 45 ES________1230 fps, 26 Sd, 79 ES
    LD#4, 4.9 grains AutoComp

    Accurate 31-105T

    LD#1, 3.2 grains TiteGroup_________858 fps, 22 Sd, 61 Es_______1133 fps, 30 Sd, 67 ES

    LD#4, 3.4 grains Bullseye__________861 fps, 19 Sd, 47ES________1173 fps, 18 Sd, 54 ES

    LD#3, 4.5 grains AutoComp________912 fps, 19 Sd, 53 ES _______1260 fps, 21 Sd, 55 ES

    LD#4, 4.9 grains AutoComp________ 943 fps, 32 Sd, 71 ES_______1315 fps, 32 Sd, 118 ES

    LD#10, 7.5 grains Alliant #2400_____991 fps, 24 Sd, 65 ES_______1348, 29 Sd, 69 ES DO NOT EXCEED!

    LD#13, 10.0 grains IMR4227_______985 fps, 25 Sd, 61ES________1280 fps, 53 Sd, 176 ES

    LD#17, 13 grains IMR4198________974 fps, 21 Sd, 94 ES________1326 fps, 46 Sd, 138 ES
    Last edited by Outpost75; 05-17-2021 at 02:26 PM.

  4. #4
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    Wow, thanks for the article!

    I am sure I "need" a .32 to teach my grandkids.

    Reloading .32 has got to beat buying .22mag.
    REPETITION CREATES BELIEF
    REPETITION BUILDS THE SEPARATE WORLDS WE LIVE AND DIE IN
    NO EXCEPTIONS

  5. #5
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    The info on the .32-20 was great!

    I have developed more and more interest in the utility cartridges of the early 20th/late 19th century like this and the .44-40.

    After reading about the .44-40 as a currently used "farm" cartridge (outside the US), I wonder how much use the .32-20 gets in that role today?
    REPETITION CREATES BELIEF
    REPETITION BUILDS THE SEPARATE WORLDS WE LIVE AND DIE IN
    NO EXCEPTIONS

  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Baldanders View Post
    The info on the .32-20 was great!

    I have developed more and more interest in the utility cartridges of the early 20th/late 19th century like this and the .44-40.

    After reading about the .44-40 as a currently used "farm" cartridge (outside the US), I wonder how much use the .32-20 gets in that role today?
    I have lots of data on the .44-40 and will start a new thread on that somewhere...

  7. #7
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    1943 Colt Official Police 6-inch in .32-20

    I recently got lucky on Gunbroker getting lovely classic revolver cheap because .32-20 ammo and brass are both scarce and expensive and a 6-inch OP is too large to stick in your pants! I was the only bidder!

    The OP has better steel and heat treatment than the earlier Army Specials, so can withstand what the late Frank Marshall Jr. referred to as "Adventurous Experimentation.

    This particular gun was a steal at its opening $430 auction price, having about 90% original finish, cylinder gap pass 0.005" and hold 0.006" with zero end shake, crisp action with correct timing and bright bore.

    I have a selection of pre-WW2 factory WRA, Western, Rem-UMC and Peters ammo in both lead and soft point which I will benchmark. Then to shoot my two primary handloads: 4 grains of WST with Accurate 31-105T, approximating factory lead at 880 fps and 10.5 of IMR4227 with .312" diameter, 100-grain Hornady XTP, which should be about 1050-1080 fps from the 6-inch barrel.

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  8. #8
    @Outpost75 Thank you for the great info!
    -All views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect those of the author's employer-

  9. #9
    Hillbilly Elitist Malamute's Avatar
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    I missed this the first time around, good stuff, thanks!
    “Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”
    ― Theodore Roosevelt

  10. #10
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    As FYI .32-20 velocity data from The Fouling Shot #272 of July-August 2021 fired from 1939 S&W Hand Ejector with 4" barrel and cylinder gap pass 0.005, hold 0.006" having cylinder throats which pin out .315"

    WRA 100- grain lead FN Lubaloy round primer, pre-WW2 867 fps
    Western 100-grain JSP round primer " Bullseye" box WW2 era Sharpshooter powder 932 fps
    Rem-UMC 100 grain lead, balloon-head case 1930s "Dogbone" logo box 889 fps
    Modern R-P 100-grain lead Lonoke, AR 796 fps
    Modern W-W 100-grain lead, flat primer 785 fps.

    Handloads: Starline case, Rem 6-1/2 primer:

    100 Win JSP .311" 4.9 grs. Autocomp 921 fps
    100 Win JSP .311" 9.5 IMR lMR4227 1004 fps

    Accurate 31-105T lead FN wheelweights .314"
    3.2 TiteGroup 858 fps
    3.5. Bullseye 867 fps
    4.9 AutoComp 930 fps
    9.5 IMR4227 949 fps

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