New to reloading, need help with .32 ACP

Depending on who's dies you have the size of the primer pins are changeable. There are small flash holes on some cases like lapua Palma brass. I would not enlarge the hole unless you have to. The sealant isn't really holding the primer in, so chemical treatment is unnessary.
https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1458321323
If your ordering mise well add a pack of x small just in case

Some S&B brass I’ve come across have tight pockets or crimped primers so you might need to ream them or take a chamfering tool to them. Hopefully the red goo means they’re neither under size or crimped but it’s better to check than crunch a primer.

Get a Lee universal decapping die, it's never given me an issue with any .32 brass I've used. Also, they sell spare rods cheap that you can modify if you ever run into odd brass again with small flash holes or happen to break the pin.

Also, you don't have to use a press to decap, you can use a metal rod and a hammer to decap for now. Just tap em out.

The laquer doesn't cause problems, but if the primers were crimped you could have issues seating a new primer in. Certain brass and primer brands just don't mix, I've got quote a few PPU cases in .357 that are very loose with Federal and CCI primers. I don't use them, but if I ever get some primers that feel tight in my other cases, they may be a good fit for that PPU brass.

As for the loading, I have found with every .32 handgun caliber that the Lee mouth flare die doesn't seat the bullets square. IDK how the RCBS will do, but the solution I found was use the Lyman M die. It doesn't allow for charging with the flare die on the press, but I assume you're not doing that anyway. Hopefully the RCBS die works for you, if it doesn't get the M die.

Titegroup is fine, but that is a very small amount of powder and I've found Titegroup can be very polarizing in some loads it works very well and others it's awful. For me, I settled on 2gr of Bullseye and in the future when I can get the powder want to try Red Dot. Load up 20 or so cases with Titegroup, you may not like the results and it would really be a drag to find out after loading 200 that they're all crap.

Once you find the right powder and a repeatable and accurate way to charge cases, loading .32 is pretty simple. One reason I stuck with Bullseye is my Lee measure throws 2 grains of it very well. I only use Berry's bullets, they're the cheapest (use to be a nickel a bullet on sale) and the velocity with .32 ACP is low enough that the plated bullets will never have issues. The lack of load variety or bullet variety has me thinking when things get back to normal I'll buy and set up a progressive press to load the .32 ACP on it.

Good luck.

On my first reloading .32 ACP, many of my resized cases had little to no neck tension on my sized, powder coated cast bullets. I ordered a Lee undersize sizing die and that fixed my problem. Just mentioning it in case you experience this when you get to that stage.

Welcome to the wonderful, oft confusing and frustrating world of reloading. 32 ACP and Tite Group= weigh every charge. The charge "span" (min to max) is very small, in many cases less than .5 grain, so I weigh every 32 ACP charge. Learn the plunk test and don't "crimp", just deflare.

My advise to a new reloader; pay no attention to any load data you see on any forum, hear from any range rat, gun counter clerk, or gun shop guru. Get yourself a couple reloading manuals and use the data in them (some powder and bullet manufacturers have good websites for data but avoid "pet loads"type). IN good manuals there is a lot more than jst recipes, and contain a lot of good valuable info...
(If you wanna try some coated bullets before you get into powder coating, Acme sells excellent coated bullets http://www.acmebullet.com/Bullets/32CAL)
Go slow, double check everything, and most important, have fun...

Rex B said:

I don't think I have used it once since I bought it. Using that I came up with .024". Interestingly these cases appear to have two smaller flash ports 180-deg apart between the mail port and the pocket wall. Is that unusual?

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Are you talking about Berdan cases? They have the 2 holes - not the single center hole (Boxer). Reloading Berdan is different to Boxer.

Rex B said:

What kind of issues did you see when using Titegroup - group sizes? These are going to be plinking loads, so absolute accuracy is not required. Minute-of-beer-can will do.

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It's not so much a group size issue, tho it was with some bigger calibers, the reason I didn't want to run Titegroup with .32 was there was such a small amount of powder that I didn't trust it to ignite reliably. I never tried it with .32 ACP, so if you get good results let me know, it'd give me some confidence to try it in my stuff.

Pretty much all the Alliant powders have been MIA since the pandemic started. One reason I started getting more into Hodgdon powders and glad I did, otherwise I never would have gotten hooked on 700x.

As for the Lee decap pin, buy a couple extra to go with the decap die. Modify if needed.

Welcome to the fantastic world of reloading !

32APC works best with bullets approximately in the 70-85gr range, and because most guns are blow back operated, a "faster" pistol powder.

• I have tried the Berry 71gr product, but I greatly prefer the 78gr Polymer Coated from T&B Bullets. https://tbbullets.com/32acp-78gr-rn-polymer-coated/
• After doing target testing on 10 powders, my favorite powder is VihtaVuori N310. This is a low demand powder and you might have good luck finding it locally. The more popular big brother, N320, also gives excellent results.
• On paper Titegroup looks like it might perform well, but this powder (with its extremely narrow loading range) demands extreme precision. As was said above, it will be best to weigh each load... which will get very old very fast. A more common powder like Winchester 231 (also sold as Hodgdon HP-38) gives respectable results with half the trouble. Another suitable substitute is Accurate Arms No.2.

Hope this helps.

Here's a 10yd (30 feet) practice target with the T&B. (Obviously the rear sight needs moving)...

Two flash holes? Indicates Berdan priming. A whole different story, tools, and primers...

Most repossess don't reload Berdan primers. They are different from the Boxer primers you have and are for sale here in the USA and not just because the brass has 2 holes instead of a center hole. If your brass only accepts Berdan primers throw them in the bad brass bucket for the recycler.

I highly recommend you start with a larger case just to learn the procedure. The 38/357 would be a better idea then go to the .32 ACP. (if you have the correct brass) like said above, buy a manual or 2 and read the information in the front of the book, not just the load data. Lyman #51 is a good start and then pick another. (Nosler, Hornady, Speer, Sierra and others depending on what bullets you intend to use most)

Starline is allowing 32 auto for backorder at the moment. I suggest you put in an order while you still can. Maybe pick a brand of brass you like and purchase rounds if you don't want to wait. I don't buy bullets anymore so take the advice of others on what works. Reloading 32 auto is not too difficult and I find loading 50 rounds particularly more satisfying than the larger cartridges. Rfwobbly's 78 gr recommendation looks like a carbon copy for what I use, the RCBS 32-77RN (which weighs right at 78 gr with my alloy and lube).

Well Rex as others have stated. You sure picked the hard way to get into reloading!
There is no way any brass needs to have the primer hole "enlarged" It worked the first time right?.
32 acp brass is fragile and if not lined up correctly in the press, you are gonna fold spindle and mutilate many of them. Then if you actually get to shoot them, you are gonna lose 50% of them into another dimension.

Even if you need them or are low on them , try something easier, 38 special, 45 acp.

But to each their own

.32 is one of those cartridges where, as they say, 'considerable variations in groove diameter may be encountered'. Magtec projectiles are .311, for example, and their cases are sized accordingly. My die (Redding) will not size these cases down to hold .308 projectiles firmly enough to stay put.
In the past I had a Beretta M1935 and getting my reloads to even chamber was difficult, the chamber was so tight - I think I selected one particular brand of cases (cant be sure which one after all these years, might have been Winchester) and stuck with those. Irritating when I had clambered over heaps of .380 ones to find a .32, just so I could use the same reloads as with my Colt.

A phenomenon we are seeing in recent years is lead-free priming cartridges, and they seem to like doing very small flash holes for these.

32 auto is one of my favorites and also the most challenging to learn to load successfully. One thing is for sure, once mastered you won't have a problems with all other calibers. I cast 4 different Lee bullets with 3 being from modified molds to drop around a 73 grain bullet. A few problems I ran into, which have already been mentioned above, are cases getting crunched by the resizing die if the case mouth is just a little out of round, seating dies not properly aligning bullets and low neck tension on the bullet. A Lee U-die helps, as does a properly sized expander plug for the Lee universal expander die. I made custom seating stems for each bullet I cast which seats the bullets perfectly straight. I also made a tapered hand tool to straighten out the case mouths before sizing. As for powder charge, I found it was easier and more accurate to simply make several dippers from 22lr cases.

Rex, can you post a few pictures of the cases, the inside, one without depriming, and then the deprimed ones. I don't think I've seen a boxer primed brass with additional holes before.

I've drilled 9mm flash holes out to the 'normal' size before now, on the pillar drill with a wooden 'shellholder' to keep them in position, setting the stop to down only so far. Only has to be done once.

Rex B, welcome to handloading and especially 32acp. I have a number of 32acp vintage firearms that I shoot and reload. Regarding powder, I recommend Win 231 or HP-38 as that is what I use and what works for me. Berry's bullets are decent as are a number of other brands. I'm just a plinker so as long as my autoloaders cycle and my rounds are fairly accurate, I am happy. All of my RCBS or Hornady decapping die rods are .070" in diameter (from 30-06, 30 carbine, 380acp, 9mm and 32acp). Regardless of the variety of brass that I handload including PPU and S&B, I have had no problems decapping used brass. BTW, I do decap with my press. I have a Lyman case hand trimming tool that I can clean out the primer pockets if necessary, but I have never had a problem such as you are describing. Get the correct diameter rods. I would advise carefully reviewing how you have your dies adjusted to ensure there is no problem there. Keep us posted on your progress. Lastly, as other have advised you must carefully weigh your powder as min to max is very narrow. Win 231 is more "forgiving" than some other powders in these small calibers.

Mk VII said:

.32 is one of those cartridges where, as they say, 'considerable variations in groove diameter may be encountered'. Magtec projectiles are .311, for example, and their cases are sized accordingly. My die (Redding) will not size these cases down to hold .308 projectiles firmly enough to stay put.

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I've shot .308 diameter Speer "Plinker" bullets meant for .30 Carbine in .327 and while they had no neck tension, I shot them one at a time to see how they'd shoot. The result was pretty good, I hit the target each time. The diameter difference for .32 ACP tho is yet another reason I like the Berry's bullets as if there are still some European .32 pistols out there using a .308 groove diameter, the thin plating on the bullets is a lot less stress on the gun to squeeze down than FMJ bullets are.

Back to the .308" bullets, the lack of tension is the reason I'm going to be buying a Lee undersize sizing die and Lyman M Die for .30 Carbine. Can't expect a flaring die meant for .312" to work with .308" bullets. Also, with an undersize sizing die, you don't need to do a full length resize of the brass with that die, only the portion where the bullet is seated.