.32 Remington Reloading Project.....And Vintage Ammo

[otisrush]

Background: I have my grandfather's deer rifle - a Remington Model 14 pump in .32 Remington. My adult son LOVES it and loves shooting (what little) we've shot it. As a reloader I want to help him to keep shooting it.

I don't have the dies yet. This is a project I figured I'd get to eventually. My question now revolves around the condition of the loaded ammo I have and whether I should use it.

The last time we shot it (a few years ago) I saved the brass of course. Last night, for giggles, I deprimed them and wet tumbled them. I discovered multiple case failures I couldn't see when they were sooty. I kind of recall one shell "sounding weird" when we shot it.

I'm, very sadly, concluding I shouldn't shoot the remaining 40-or-so rounds I have. (None of this is reloads. These are factory rounds - but they're probably 80 yrs old?) Storage conditions haven't been unusual. Were corrosive materials still in use in the '30s or so and is that powder sitting in there so long deteriorating the brass?

What is really bumming me out is, assuming the remaining loaded rounds shouldn't be shot, that means I have no easy source of brass - even if I pulled the bullets. It's seeming like the brass itself is unusable. There are websites out there about converting brass to .32 Remington - but oh man - I'm not so sure I want to get to that level.

Any inputs would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

OR

 

[entropy]

Not sure if anyone is making .32 Rem. brass on a regular basis. It is tough to find; best bet is scour the gun shows, but any brass you find will be around the same age or older. Forming them from another case might be tough, as you have already found. There are firms that will make up brass in any caliber you want, but they are spendy. Group buy, anyone?

 

[Blue68f100]

I would break one round down and see if the powder has gone bad eating on the brass. Then make a decision on what you find.

In the mean time start looking for brass. Contact a few of the mfg, they may have some old stock some where.

 

[wild willy]

Grafs has 32 Remington brass

 

[otisrush]

Great idea Blue and thanks for the pointer Willy.

OR

 

[splattergun]

I would pull a few and look at both the powder and the case. The powder might have deteriorated and caused the brass to break down or, it could simply be that deteriorated powder is causing over-pressure.
Either way, new brass is cheap insurance for a valued firearm.

 

[cfullgraf]

Midway also has 32 Remington cases. $2 each though.

They can be made from 30 Remington (not 30 Remington AR) but those cases may be as difficult to find.

Also, cases can be made from 30-30 Win cases but they require a lathe. The lathe does not have to be too sophisticated to turn the rim down and cut a new extractor groove. There are several small hobby lathes out there that might be available for a song on the used market.

I have a Mauser hunting rifle that my grandfather brought back from France in WWI. Ammunition is obsolete and unavailable for it but I enjoy making cases periodically and shooting it.

 

[otisrush]

You all are awesome. I think probably Grafs is the right answer: Get new brass.....and it's half the price of Midway.

For how little we'll shoot the rifle 50 pieces of brass will suit us nicely. I bet we shoot less than 20 rounds per year - and even then the purpose of pulling the trigger is to help recall a previous era that neither I nor my son actually lived in.

I'll disassemble all the current rounds. It'll be interesting to see what conditions are like inside those cases.

That brings up, now, the next question: Any reason I can't use the 40 bullets I'll end up with after pulling them?

Thanks again!

OR

 

[35 Whelen]

I have, I think, two boxes of old 32 Remington ammunition. Shoot me a PM if you're interested.

35W

 

[Wis-Harpo]

I to have a 32 Rem in the Rem model 14 pump. I have pulled the bullets on 2 boxes of old factory loaded cases. Redding was the only company that listed reloading dies for sale. Then there is the problem of bullets. The Hornady 170 grain flat point and FTX polymer tip have the cannelure in the wrong position to crimp the bullet. They were made for the 32 Win Special, and the OAL of the cartridge is very important. If the cartridge is too long, you can not feed it into the tubular magazine and it also will not be lifted by the cartridge carrier. So the only choice is the 170 grain Speer flat nose bullet. The cannelure is closer to the right position, but not quite. The case has to be trimmed to the minimum length of 2.030.

I just loaded 25 cases with IMR3031, IMR4198, and Trail Boss. The first 2 powders had 2 different loadings, and the Trail Boss had just 1 load. The first 20 cases were vintage pulled bullet cases, and the Trail Boss were from Un-Primed empties probably from the 60's to 70's. All of the old pulled brass cases had primers that backed out from .009 to .014. Vary troubling! The Trail Boss was loaded in un-primed empties had primers that were flush to .003 backed out.

I was going to submit a post about the primers backing out, but luckily this question was posted. I had loaded the pulled bullet cases about 4 times, and they always had protruding primers after shooting mild loads. There was a post about low velocity loads that backed out primers, so my last loadings were 1 to 2 grains below max loading. They still backed out. The Trail Boss was a 10.5 grain max load, so I thought that they should have backed out also, but they did not as much as the IMR loads.

So that is my question? Do I have a headspace problem, or a cartridge case problem ? After 4 loadings of the 20 pulled cases, I lost 1 case to neck split only seen after polishing, but no bright ring at the case head or case head separation . I once had a 303 British that had case head separations after 1 firing with modern factory loads . That I assumed was from improper head space.

 

[35 Whelen]

I to have a 32 Rem in the Rem model 14 pump. I have pulled the bullets on 2 boxes of old factory loaded cases. Redding was the only company that listed reloading dies for sale. Then there is the problem of bullets. The Hornady 170 grain flat point and FTX polymer tip have the cannelure in the wrong position to crimp the bullet. They were made for the 32 Win Special, and the OAL of the cartridge is very important. If the cartridge is too long, you can not feed it into the tubular magazine and it also will not be lifted by the cartridge carrier. So the only choice is the 170 grain Speer flat nose bullet. The cannelure is closer to the right position, but not quite. The case has to be trimmed to the minimum length of 2.030.

I just loaded 25 cases with IMR3031, IMR4198, and Trail Boss. The first 2 powders had 2 different loadings, and the Trail Boss had just 1 load. The first 20 cases were vintage pulled bullet cases, and the Trail Boss were from Un-Primed empties probably from the 60's to 70's. All of the old pulled brass cases had primers that backed out from .009 to .014. Vary troubling! The Trail Boss was loaded in un-primed empties had primers that were flush to .003 backed out.

I was going to submit a post about the primers backing out, but luckily this question was posted. I had loaded the pulled bullet cases about 4 times, and they always had protruding primers after shooting mild loads. There was a post about low velocity loads that backed out primers, so my last loadings were 1 to 2 grains below max loading. They still backed out. The Trail Boss was a 10.5 grain max load, so I thought that they should have backed out also, but they did not as much as the IMR loads.

So that is my question? Do I have a headspace problem, or a cartridge case problem ? After 4 loadings of the 20 pulled cases, I lost 1 case to neck split only seen after polishing, but no bright ring at the case head or case head separation . I once had a 303 British that had case head separations after 1 firing with modern factory loads . That I assumed was from improper head space.

It sounds like you're pushing the shoulder back when you size the brass. This happened to me with some new 35 Whelen brass. The solution is to size the neck of the case only back to the shoulder, then seat the bullets out so they jam into the rifling so as the hold the case against the bolt face. You'll likely have to single load these, but after one firing, the shoulder right on your brass and you can then seat bullets normally, but still only size the neck.
The problem with the .303 Brit is very common and it's pretty much a given that you neck size only .303 brass.

35W

 

[SlowFuse]

You've gotten some good info so far.

On the age of the ammo, if thats the box your ammo came out of its not from the 30's. More like mid 50's to early 60's.

 

[otisrush]

You've gotten some good info so far.

On the age of the ammo, if thats the box your ammo came out of its not from the 30's. More like mid 50's to early 60's.

Thanks. That's very helpful. I figured "the 30s" because that was when my grandfather was likely actively hunting deer. But your comment makes me realize that my dad was using it in the 50s. One of the majorly cool finds I had after my parents died was a box of really old photos we'd never seen before. Some were of a camping trip my in-his-20s dad took with his friends. (This would have been in the '50s.) Leaning up against a tree in one of the photos is the Remington Model 14.

Thanks for the info!

OR

 

[Jesse Heywood]

Powder can go bad in loaded ammo and destroy the case. I just tore down about 700 223 rounds, new manufacture in the 60s-70s. I scrapped about half the cases. The bullets can usually be salvaged. One needs to get all the corrosion off the bullet. They can be tumbled.

 

[Wis-Harpo]

To 35 Whelen

When I full length size the brass, I use RCBS lube on a pad for the case body. Then I put powdered graphite on the neck only. After I full length size, I can see where the graphite is pushed back up to the shoulder. It does not look like the shoulder is being pushed back because the graphite ends right at the start of the shoulder. The Redding die just touches the shell holder, with NO cam over.

It is a good suggestion to hand load a case with the OAL right into the lands. Something that I have not heard of before, probably because I have not had this trouble before. I have 2 un-useable boxes of Hornady bullets that I can use the bullet into the lands method. In can back off my Max load of 10.5 grains of Trail boss to about 8 grains and load the bullets fully into the lands, so I do not raise the chamber pressure . I know about how long the OAL should be. Should I load the bullet about .010 longer and have the bolt seat the bullet back into the case to be certain I am making contact?

Could this rifle have a long chamber? If so your method would extend the shoulder for a proper fit at the next reloading. Cool Beans---THANKS

 

[35 Whelen]

To 35 Whelen

When I full length size the brass, I use RCBS lube on a pad for the case body. Then I put powdered graphite on the neck only. After I full length size, I can see where the graphite is pushed back up to the shoulder. It does not look like the shoulder is being pushed back because the graphite ends right at the start of the shoulder. The Redding die just touches the shell holder, with NO cam over.

It is a good suggestion to hand load a case with the OAL right into the lands. Something that I have not heard of before, probably because I have not had this trouble before. I have 2 un-useable boxes of Hornady bullets that I can use the bullet into the lands method. In can back off my Max load of 10.5 grains of Trail boss to about 8 grains and load the bullets fully into the lands, so I do not raise the chamber pressure . I know about how long the OAL should be. Should I load the bullet about .010 longer and have the bolt seat the bullet back into the case to be certain I am making contact?

Could this rifle have a long chamber? If so your method would extend the shoulder for a proper fit at the next reloading. Cool Beans---THANKS

That's exactly what I would do, seat the bullet too long and allow it to push back in the case. I personally would use something other than Trail Boss, something that will provide enough chamber pressure to definitively expand the brass. Then after I fired a few, I'd visually compare/measure/compare them to cases that hadn't been loaded yet. This method worked perfectly in the Whelen I mentioned. After I'd done it once, everything was fine. I think the problem with cartridges such as the 32 and 35 Remington as well as the Whelen is they don't have much shoulder at all on which the cartridge can headspace.

35W

 

[Wis-Harpo]

I will use starting loads of either IMR3031 or IMR 4198. When I used Trail Boss with MBC 170 grain Hi-Tek coated bullets, I could hear my shot , then hear the bullet hit the 100 yard target. Will the shoulder be lengthened, and not cause case head separation ?

 

[35 Whelen]

I will use starting loads of either IMR3031 or IMR 4198. When I used Trail Boss with MBC 170 grain Hi-Tek coated bullets, I could hear my shot , then hear the bullet hit the 100 yard target. Will the shoulder be lengthened, and not cause case head separation ?

Yes, IF the shoulder is too far back, it won't be lengthened, per se, rather it will be moved forward. It's no different than fire-forming cases to a chamber.

I know what you mean about the report...then the bullet striking the target. Just this evening I was shooting some cast loads out of one of my 03A3's at 200 yds. I'd hear the "crack" of the rifle, then the bullet smacking the steel. Fun stuff.

Here's the two boxes of .32 Remington I have. Both boxes are pretty worn but the ammunition looks OK to me. If anyone's interested, let me know.





35W

 

[Wis-Harpo]

To 35 Whelan I finally got to the range today to fire form my .32 Rem
brass. I used the 170 grain Hornady Flat Nose bullets, that I could not use because of the placement of the cannelure, to fire form the brass. I seated them about .015 into the lands to make certain the case head was tightly against the bolt as you suggested. I loaded 15 rounds with the starting load of IMR3031, and 5 with a Trail Boss load at 85%. To my surprise, they both worked to prevent primer setback. All of the primers were flush as they should have been all along.

As long as I was going to the range, I took my .45 ACP M&P pistol, and Bolt
Action 45-70. I tried 3 different loads in my 45-70 using IMR3031 for the first time. I loaded them to 1400, 1500 and 1600 fps using the older Hornady manual. I was loading full house 2100 fps loads with IMR4198, but at 67 years old, they are too brutal on the shoulder. The 1500 fps load gave 2.66 " at 100 yards with Hornady's 350 grain Round Nose bullet. But the 1600 fps loading gave 0.78 ". I guess that I found my new go to load. But what a span in grouping. The IMR4198 full house loads only gave me 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 groups.

 

[35 Whelen]

Interesting stuff. thanks for the report!

35W