.32ACP just as bad in a Nagant?

[Apple a Day]

I have debate on occassion about getting a .32 ACP cylinder for my old Nagant revolver just for a laugh. I don't know why I enjoy playing with that ugly anvil of a revolver but I do. Loaded with .32 S&W Longs accuracy is...wel, it ISN'T. Is accuracy any better with .32ACP in a Nagant or is it just a waste?
Thanks in advance for opinions.
Oh, and I know about reliability problems with the .32 cylinders so that's not what I'm asking about. I just want to know about accuracy.

 

[Thirties]

There is a forum on these guns at this link:

http://www.gunboards.com/forums/UltraBoard.cgi?action=Headlines&BID=47&SID=419506

 

[Jim March]

The question you need to ask yourself is WHY does the accuracy suck?

If it's a bad cylinder with varying throats, then switching cylinders (regardless of caliber) may indeed help a lot. But if the muzzle (crown) is dinged, or the frame isn't straight or the crane is loose or anything else grotesque is going on, swapping cylinders won't help any.

Run the checkout (first post, this forum). That'll tell you a lot about the gun's state at present.

 

[RON in PA]

What Jim posted and also the trigger pull on the Nagants usually is so bad even in SA that accurate shooting is impossible. I personally feel that the 32 ACP cylinder is a waste of money. I would even try and see if 32 ACP will chamber in your original cylinder.

 

[Apple a Day]

Jim & various,
I appreciate the posts but there's nothing wrong with the revolver that the correct ammo wouldn't cure. The fit is fine, no obvious wear, it locks up nicely and the timing is right. The crown isn't worn. It's not "shaving" bullets, spitting at me, binding, or anything horrible like that. The .32 S&W Longs casings come out nicely bulged, though. When I fire a pattern they are centered where I aim. They just aren't tight... ain't pretty compared to everthing else I shoot.
It tasks me... it tasks me and I will have it!
Unfortunately, I can't bring myself to spend nearly as much on a box of ammo as I spent on the gun itself. The only real Nagant ammo I have ever seen was running ~$45 a box. For the same money I could get a .32ACP cylinder.
I have banged through some .32 S&W Long and am thinking of running through some .32H&R magnums to compare. Maybe I'll slip in some ACP also for comparison. I was just hoping someone had more experience pumping various ammo through the Nagant and could spare me the time. I'm being lazy.

 

[Tamara]

Accuracy out of mine with Fiocchi 7.62 Nagant is tolerable (barely).

Accuracy with the .32 ACP cylinder is abysmal (given a trigger that takes two grown men, a small boy, a mule and a chainfall to pull, plus about three furlongs of freebore to jump, this is unsurprising.)


OWS should have some 7.62 Nagant in stock; that's where I got mine...

 

[Apple a Day]

Thanks, Tamara

 

[Jim March]

This is probably more money than the gun is worth, BUT, in theory you could find a 32ACP cylinder and have it reamed to a proper 32H&RMag dimension . It would still be able to fire 32ACPs in that but it would run sweet as hell with 32Mag and do quite well with 32S&W/32S&WLongs. I wouldn't run a LOT of 32H&RMaggies through a Nagant but it's not like it can get all that WORSE and hey, with a cylinder that doesn't swing, it's gotta be reasonably tough?

And seven rounds of 32Maggie is almost worth trying to do *something* about that trigger and CCWing it!

 

[RON in PA]

This just occured to me, when you shoot .32 longs have you tried the target wad cutters. They have a hollow base and will expand to fit the bore diameter.