.32-20, any other rounds?

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robinkevin

robinkevin

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The old man has a Colt Official Police .32-20, he never really shoots it much because the .32-20 ammo can be hard to find and expensive. Can this pistol shot any other rounds? .32 S&W, .32 short colt, .32 H&R, .327 or maybe some other round I don't know of?

Thanks
 
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NO is right.

If you look at one, you might notice the 32-20 WCF has a slightly bottle-neck case.

The .32 S&W, .32 short colt, .32 H&R, & .327 are all smaller diameter straight wall cases.

rc
 
Send it to me -- I'll take it off your hands.

Or you might invest in a handloading kit -- Lee makes a handpress that will do the job, and you can fit your whole reloading kit and supplies into a tool box.
 
Greetings
This is another great reason to take up reloading. I have 32-20 rifles & revolvers & never lack for accurate ammo. Mike in Peru
 
I actually did fire a few .32 S&W Shorts in a beat up old .32-20. I knew it was safe because the .32 short is a puny low pressure round and the revolver I used was not good for anything except a wall hanger. The .32 Shorts did chamber and fire but the case mouths split and accuracy was very poor.

You need real .32-20 ammo.
 
Go ahead and order a box or two of cowboy loads. You might be surprised at how well the .23-20 preforms.
 
It likely can be shot with .32 shorts and longs if the rim diameter is sufficient to keep it from slipping forward into the chamber. I do not own a .32-20 and so can not determine this. The .32 colt and S&W cases may split and that is a potential danger that might get you hurt. You may be able to avoid case splitting by wrapping the cases in paper to increase their diameter. Not a safe thing to do but it will likely work if you really need the gun to go bang. Do not do this with the .32 HR Magnum since it has a much higher pressure.
 
Well before I would do anything unsafe I would just buy more .32-20 shells. The are costly but can still be bought. Basically this a great old revolver the old man has but it just sits in the safe cause no one wants to shoot such high cost ammo just to put holes in paper. I was looking to see if there was other options as I was not sure.

I am interested in these cowboy loads though...
 
Thanks RC... some of those are up there with what I have seen but sportsmans guide $27.47 is cheaper than we pay for .357 ammo, might have to buy a few hundred from there.
 
If you own a revolver but no ammo for it, it might as well be a brick because it is just as useless. It deserves a new box of ammo.
 
A number of years ago I purchased a Colt Official police in 32-20 and could not get it to shoot accurately. I finally sold the gun. I was intrigued since I had a Winchester rifle in 32-20 and wanted a pistol in the same caliber.
 
We always keep a few boxes of ammo for each firearm... I just looking for a way for cheaper shooting with it as I enjoy shooting this pistol.

I will be getting into reloading when I can and I would dare say this will be the first round I reload, follow by 30-06 and then onto other handgun rounds such as .357 and .38.
 
DWFan: Shoot the factory stuff but above all, save your brass. You really want to be a handloader if you shoot the .32-20 and here's why...
http://www.leverguns.com/articles/paco/3220wcf.htm
Properly loaded, the .32-20 can hang right there with the .30 Carbine or 7.62x25mm.
Click to expand...

It can be loaded hot in a 92 winchester and not so hot in many of the older revolvers without increase wear and damage to the gun. Many years ago there was a highspeed 80 grain loading that was not to be used in revolvers. What is wrong with a 100 grain bullet going at 950 fps as loaded by the major factories.
 
I have a Colt 32-20 W.C.F. Police Positive Special SN3236XX. I went to the local gun shop for ammo, recieved Remington "Express Rifle loads, Clean bore priming, REM 100 GR LEAD RN 32201 with bottle neck cartridge. Seems to fit ok but not there is no indication on the package that these can be used in a handgun. Are these era correct for my pistol?
 
Remington 100 GR LEAD RN #32201 is current production 32-20 WCF Rifle & Pistol ammo.

Shoot it.

There hasn't been any Hi-Speed copper jacket 32-20 WCF "Rifle Only" ammo that would be dangerous in a handgun loaded commercially since 1950 something.
And as you might note, that was 60 years ago.

You are very unlikely to find anything on a shelf in a store that isn't safe in a handgun.

rc
 
RC,
Thank you for the super fast response. I also took your suggestion (links) and bought some ultramax shells. At the typical ~800fps, I expect the PPS will require a good grip. The ultramax boasts 1050fps.

Fight for your right,
2ndAmender

With this much understood thus far, can you recomend a site for information regarding the date of manufacure for this revolver? I read an earlier post from 'old fuff', something about early models not haveing a tempered cylinder. Should this be a concern?
 
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