32-20 Super Speed

[Gordon]

Here is a partial box of the original and "scary" 32- 20 Super Speed " rifle only " load. Note the tiny hollow point and what appears a heavily copper jacket.I doubt it mushrooms much out of my Old Winchester or Marlin 32-20 rifles, I never shot game with them or recovered any bullet from the wood I fired them into. I have fired a couple cylinders full out of my 1927 Colt Army Special a couple decades ago and it got 1100 +- fps from the 6 " barrel thru a chronograph, and they extracted just fine. I fired 5 out of my Uberti Hartford model 7.5" and got 1200+- fps.a couple years back That's with an 80 grain bullet and you can get that performance with similar bullet weights in reloading manuals for safe pistol use. I think what they are not safe in is smaller framed guns, old black powder model 73 s Winchester's ,Colt lightnings, Older Saa Colts ect. I have a feeling the PSI ratings are in low 20,000 psi range.

 

[Gordon]

Now there ARE later "Hi speed " loads made by various manufacturers that may or may NOT have warnings on them , Most have a more modern looking semi jacketed 80 grain bullrt and one Canadian CIP loading had a heavier bullet and no warnings ect. but was notoriously "hot" Also probably not a good idea in the old Spanish copies floating around and others. But in the Later Army Specials and Later SAA and K frames that kind of pressure range should not be a problem. Not for any 1910 or early guns tho. . I load most of my 32-20s with a 115 grain lead cast flat point and Trailboss Powder with loads out of the 7.5" Uberti Hartford Model just over 1000 fps. Those loads go up to almost 1500 fps in rifles BTW

 

[Jim Watson]

Phil Sharpe shows rifle loads up to 28000 pounds (CUP) and pistol to 15000 with one load at 17000.
Ken Waters said the old HV loads were around 15000 pistol and 30000 rifle.

I once read a thread about the apparent high incidence of bulged barrels in .32-20 revolvers and exotic theories as to the cause.

 

[silicosys4]

I'd be careful with that ammo through a revolver
Those high-speed rifle only .32-20's reportedly ringed a lot of barrels in older .32-20 revolvers. I have a .32-20 Army Special that had been cut down to a snubnose some time in its past, and I'm guessing the reason it was cut down was due to a ringed or bulged barrel.




Apparently the old high speed rifle only loads used rifle powder that didn't always ignite and burn reliably, leading to a squib load and a stuck bullet.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/32-20-revolvers-anything-i-should-know.603441/

 

[Gordon]

I'd be careful with that ammo through a revolver
Those high-speed rifle only .32-20's reportedly ringed a lot of barrels in older .32-20 revolvers. I have a .32-20 Army Special that had been cut down to a snubnose some time in its past, and I'm guessing the reason it was cut down was due to a ringed or bulged barrel.

View attachment 902238


Apparently the old high speed rifle only loads used rifle powder that didn't always ignite and burn reliably, leading to a squib load and a stuck bullet.

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/32-20-revolvers-anything-i-should-know.603441/

Well it allmost got out apparently not a pressure problem, other than lack of. These suckers CRACK when fired !

 

[Jim Watson]

My Dad's work gun - he was a city bus driver and robbery for change boxes was a risk - was a Police Positive Special .32-20 with barrel sawn to 2 inches. You could see the heat blue where the front sight had been soldered back on.
Was it cut off for concealability or was that a side effect of clearing a bulge? Who knows, he did not have the work done, bought it that way.
He loaded it with some sort of JSP. I never saw a box of ammo, in those days you could buy loose cartridges and he probably did.

 

[Coyote3855]

Well it allmost got out apparently not a pressure problem, other than lack of. These suckers CRACK when fired !

I read somewhere that the grips on many .32-20 revolvers are broken because the shooter dropped it and grabbed his ears after the first shot.