Loaded my first ever .32 cal rounds today

[Riomouse911]

I didn’t want to derail the really good .327 thread posted earlier today...

I finally will be joining the ranks of .32 caliber handgun shooters. In two days my 6.5” Ruger Single Six Bisley .32 H&R gets out of the regulatory penalty box and I get to take it home.

In anticipation of getting to shoot on Friday, I preemptively ordered dies, 200 Starline cases and 500 MBC 100 gr coated RNFP bullets.

I resized, flared and primed the cases last week, and today I loaded 100 with 4.0gr Unique. This was under the max loads I’ve seen in Lymans 47th (4.2 gr) and on other load-data sites, so I feel comfortable the Ruger will handle them with no issues.

With the .38-.357 being the smallest handgun rounds I normally reload, the .32 caliber bullets felt almost like raisins in my hands. With such a small case I weighed a lot more charges than I normally do while confirming the powder measure charges, but once all was set even historically cranky Unique metered very consistently for me. I load on an O press, and the small .32 H&R cases made it a bit tougher to peer inside the case to confirm the powder levels in the cases I didn’t weigh. Something to get used to I guess.

All in all it was a fun trip down a new road, once I get a chance to shoot I’ll post how they shoot in the new gun.



Stay safe.

 

[Milt1]

Very nice!

 

[Crazy Horse]

I have dies for teh 32 acp, but have been reluctant to reload the 32, it seems like such a small case.

 

[Frulk]

Congrats!!!.....I'm pretty sure you're going to really warm up to that gun and caliber combo. For the life of me I can't figure out why there aren't more reloaders shooting this caliber as its just plain fun to bang away with and very cost effective per unit. Most .32 H&R and .327 FM platforms make great trail and camp guns.

I'll first say I’m a big fan of Unique. Now that this is out of the way I don’t like using it in the .32 H&R Mag. I've never had a squib load until I used it in this caliber.

For background. I load all rounds on a T7 with a Little Dandy Powder Measure on it. The movement of the turret to each station settles the powder nicely and deletes all voids in the stack. As I turn the rotor I can see the powder level inside the LD drop. Each time I turn the rotor I focus on confirming that the powder level drops. Even with the small amounts of Unique in the .32 H&R case I'm able to confirm that powder movement.

So here's what happened: Early January a few years back I and some buddies are 2,000 feet down in a canyon. Cold!!! I think the ambient temp was 17 or 18 degrees. My buddy wanted to shoot the Single Six and I pulled it from my holster, handed it to him and moved back to an atv to get some coffee from the thermos. BANG! nothing wrong....BANG!.....nothing wrong....bang...Before I could say anything another soft...bang....."HOLD UP" I yelled. I came back to my buddy and took the gun. In the middle of the barrel was a small bulge..at the end of the barrel just barely sticking out was the first bullet. (Only after making it home were we able to confirm it was the first bullet and the second one was stacked up behind it...Done by pushing a segmented dowel in from the forcing cone)

My hypothesis on what happened. I rode around almost all day in those temps on an atv with the holster strapped to the outside of my Walls jacket and that gun was every bit as cold as the ambient temp. I was using a Federal small pistol primer and I'm thinking it just wasn't making enough heat/flame 'reliably' to set off that big granular/flakey powder in those temps.

That load was a 95 grain LSWC with Fed 100 Primer and 4.2 grains of Unique that averaged 1,062 FPS through the Chrony.

No, I did not pull some of the remaining cartridge's apart. I still have the remaining box of the offending loads on a shelf in the basement. Just haven't gotten around to addressing the issue. They do have "Do not use possible squib loads" in a thick sharpie written on the plastic case.

Since then I've only used AA#7 and have been pretty happy with it.

 

[cfullgraf]

Welcome to the ranks of 32 caliber shooters and reloaders.

 

[Riomouse911]

Congrats!!!.....I'm pretty sure you're going to really warm up to that gun and caliber combo. For the life of me I can't figure out why there aren't more reloaders shooting this caliber as its just plain fun to bang away with and very cost effective per unit. Most .32 H&R and .327 FM platforms make great trail and camp guns.

I'll first say I’m a big fan of Unique. Now that this is out of the way I don’t like using it in the .32 H&R Mag. I've never had a squib load until I used it in this caliber.

For background. I load all rounds on a T7 with a Little Dandy Powder Measure on it. The movement of the turret to each station settles the powder nicely and deletes all voids in the stack. As I turn the rotor I can see the powder level inside the LD drop. Each time I turn the rotor I focus on confirming that the powder level drops. Even with the small amounts of Unique in the .32 H&R case I'm able to confirm that powder movement.

So here's what happened: Early January a few years back I and some buddies are 2,000 feet down in a canyon. Cold!!! I think the ambient temp was 17 or 18 degrees. My buddy wanted to shot the Single Six and I pulled it from my holster, handed it to him and moved back to an atv to get some coffee from the thermos. BANG! nothing wrong....BANG!.....nothing wrong....bang...Before I could say anything another soft...bang....."HOLD UP" I yelled. I came back to my buddy and took the gun. In the middle of the barrel was a small bulge..at the end of the barrel just barely sticking out was the first bullet. (Only after making it home were we able to confirm it was the first bullet and the second one was stacked up behind it...Done by pushing a segmented dowel in from the forcing cone)

My hypothesis on what happened. I rode around almost all day in those temps on an atv with the holster strapped to the outside of my Walls jacket and that gun was every bit as cold as the ambient temp. I was using a Federal small pistol primer and I'm think it just wasn't making enough heat 'reliably' to set off that big granular powder in those temps.

That load was a 95 grain LSWC with Fed 100 Primer and 4.2 grains of Unique that averaged 1,062 FPS through the Chrony.

No, I did not pull some of the remaining cartridge's apart. I still have the remaining box of the offending loads on a shelf in the basement. Just haven't gotten around to addressing the issue. They do have "Do not use possible squib loads" in a thick sharpie written on the plastic case.

Since then I've only used AA#7 and have been pretty happy with it.

Yowch! I hope the damage wasn’t enough to ruin the gun completely.

I haven’t shot unique in such low temps, I don’t know if it’s super sensitive to extremes or not.
I did see the 4.2 gr load was a max load for the 100 gr LSWC in the Lyman 47th, so I think you’re right about the primer not having the spark to light enough of the powder to fire normally. Under normal conditions it’s an 1,100 fps load out of a 6” barrel.

I’ll remember your info if I’m in the cold and desire to shoot a similar load in the .32.

Stay safe.

 

[Highland Lofts]

The 32 caliber is a fun gun to shoot for sure. After the first 327 federal magnum, i bought three more of them. I like loading for it and have brass & dies for 32 Short, 32 Long, 32 H&R Magnum.and 327 Federal Magnum.
I do need to buy some more 32 caliber bullets.

Any suggestions on what you guys are useing and where you are buying your bullets from?

 

[Hondo 60]

I have all manner of 32s on my shelves.
The cool thing about 32 acp is that they're semi-rimmed.
That means you can use them in a revolver.
So I reload 32acp, 32 S&W, 32 S&W long, 32 H&R & 327 Fed.
Why? Just cuz I can!

 

[GoldieMI]

I’m a big fan as well. 98 grain MBC DEWC Hitek coated in 327 brass and 32 S&W Long brass. I only load it for target loads but it’s one of my favorites for sure.

 

[Walkalong]

I’m a big fan as well. 98 grain MBC DEWC Hitek coated in 327 brass and 32 S&W Long brass. I only load it for target loads but it’s one of my favorites for sure.

They shoot very well.

 

[Average Joe]

I reload .32-20, for an old S&W revolver, nice soft shooting round.

 

[Riomouse911]

The 32 caliber is a fun gun to shoot for sure. After the first 327 federal magnum, i bought three more of them. I like loading for it and have brass & dies for 32 Short, 32 Long, 32 H&R Magnum.and 327 Federal Magnum.
I do need to buy some more 32 caliber bullets.

Any suggestions on what you guys are useing and where you are buying your bullets from?

I ordered the hi-tek coated RNFP and DEWC from Missouri Bullet Co., took about two weeks from purchase date to arrival date.

Stay safe.

 

[Riomouse911]

They shoot very well.
View attachment 943558

At the same time I ordered the RNFP I ordered 500 of those, too.

To load them I'm still awaiting the bulk-pack of 500 .32 H&R cases I bought two weeks ago on GB, the seller posted the auction but is awaiting the shipment from Starline (They're a five-digit GB seller, they offered to refund my $$ but I trust them to come through. If it's delayed for a while longer I'll cancel.)

I'm a Bullseye shooter with .38 WC, will BE work for the .32 WC loads just as well?

Stay safe.

 

[Frulk]

This thread is motivating me to load some .32 H&R. I’ve been side tracked by the .327 FM too long.

 

[Walkalong]

I'm a Bullseye shooter with .38 WC, will BE work for the .32 WC loads just as well?

I would assume so, but I have only used WST, AA #2, and N-310 for WCs in .32 Long & .32 Mag cases. All shoot better than I do.

 

[Walkalong]

This thread is motivating me to load some .32 H&R

As well it should.

 

[Frulk]

I need to confirm how the .32 H&R Mag with a 115 gr LRNFP bullet cycles in the Henry .327 Rifle.

Then work up a shared load for the rifle and the .32 H&R Mag Single Sixes.

Riomouse911... was that Ruger of yours brand new? I seem to remember Ruger showing it on their website recently.

 

[mstreddy]

Nice.
I loaded my first 32 S&W Long rounds a couple of weeks ago. Tried them out in the Colt Police. It was awesome. I picked up a Ruger Single Seven in 327 Fed Mag and now I'm waiting for an order of brass from Starline for the 327 Fed Mag. I'll try the 32 Longs in it while I'm waiting.

I'm loving my 32s. 32 ACP, 32 S&W Long and now 327 Fed Mag. If I see a good deal on a 32 H&R Mag, I'll pick it up.

 

[film495]

I have dies for teh 32 acp, but have been reluctant to reload the 32, it seems like such a small case.

I've done some 32 ACP. It is worth doing even though the small cases do make it a challenge. Reason being then going back to .38 Special seemed much easier after mucking with the tiny little cases and bullets.

 

[Frulk]

By luck while cleaning/straightening the reloading room today I came across a tray of 100 sized and primed Starline brass in .32 H&R Mag.

Going to load them up this week in the evenings with some .314 115 gr. LRNFP using Accurate #7 and #9 and maybe another powder or two. Will report back on what FPS they achieve in the Single Six and how they cycle in the Henry Rifle.

 

[TTv2]

I have dies for teh 32 acp, but have been reluctant to reload the 32, it seems like such a small case.

It's easy. I do 2gr Bullseye under a Berry's bullet and do the charging with a Lee PPM. Probably gets 825 fps from my pistols, but I'm not using these for anything else but fun. Unique and Red Dot have higher velocities in the manuals, but I don't see myself wanting to use any 60gr JHP bullets for the .32 ACP, so I stick with Berry's and whether it's 800 or 900 or 1000 fps, it's all doing the same thing.

 

[TTv2]

Speaking of the .32 ACP and Berry's .32 bullets, I'm going to advise the OP not to shoot .32 ACP in his revolvers, at least not handloads. First time I did I was getting 350 fps from a .327 SP101 with Bullseye and 0 fps with Unique. I say 0 fps because the bullet didn't leave the bore and it appears to me that the long jump in the cylinder saps the pressure fast from .32 ACP.

Now, I have had really good accuracy with .32 ACP in .32 Mag revolvers, but they weren't Rugers and Ruger does things different with .32 revolvers. Ruger loves making the throats big.

Speaking of the Berry's 71gr bullet tho, there's load data out there for that in the .32 Mag and I've found it to be a good, cheap bullet for plinking, enough so that I use it with Trail Boss. Out of the SP101 I get around 860 fps, but the .32 Mag Single Six having a longer barrel it would probably be around 900 fps. I wouldn't be afraid to use Unique or Bullseye with that bullet, just keep the velocity under 1250 fps or it may cause issues with the plating on the bullet.

For defense loads I would stick with 85gr XTP's and load them as hot as you can. The 100 gr XTP's are too heavy for the .32 Mag to get up to expansion velocity. Lyman 50th edition manual is saying Accurate #5 and HS-6 powders are the fastest for the 85gr XTP's.

After the debacle with the Charter Professional and how far off the POA is with a Heritage revolver I have, I've lost interest in the .32 Mag, even tho I went and bought about 700 cases of it the past two years. No, they're not for sale, but my musings are that until someone makes a good .32 Mag snub that's doesn't cost me over a grand, I'd rather focus on loading .327. Even starting data has enough velocity to be an effective self defense tool and is significantly more powerful than .32 Mag. Crank it up to full power and .327 has nearly twice the energy as .32 Mag... and twice the pressure.

OP, one suggestion I have is if you wet tumble make sure you decap the cases before you tumble otherwise you're going to get a few cases where pins will get stuck in the necks sideways. Best way to remove them is take a rod and stick it thru the flash hole.

 

[TTv2]

Congrats!!!.....I'm pretty sure you're going to really warm up to that gun and caliber combo. For the life of me I can't figure out why there aren't more reloaders shooting this caliber as its just plain fun to bang away with and very cost effective per unit. Most .32 H&R and .327 FM platforms make great trail and camp guns.

They're great for almost any use, but the main reason why even reloaders aren't bothering is largely because it's not .38 or .357. I started loading .38/.357 because I was finding so much brass at the range for free that I couldn't say no. Bullet selection is much better for that caliber too, not too mention a bit more power.

You can make the case for increased effect on larger animals with 158gr bullets vs 120gr bullets, but when it comes down to simple self defense I'm not seeing what .38 and .357 are capable of doing in stopping an attacker that an 85 or 100 grain hollow point in .32 or .327 Mag can't do, comparatively speaking. I'm sure someone will pop in here and say back in the 80s when they were "on duty" there was a hostage situation and a thick glass window and a 400 pound Fijian involved, but we're talking basic self defense here where you're not going to be in circumstances involving windows and hostages.

I know that's not in terms of reloading, but that's how people justify not buying a caliber. It's the same method that people of the 9mm use to justify not owning pistols in calibers smaller than 9mm. Heck, even if it's bigger than 9mm then the argument changes to "they all work the same."

The real truth is it comes down to cost. The initial cost for .32 is more than .357/.38 because of the brass, new die set, bullets they don't already have, not too mention that there are no 40+ year old revolvers in the .32 or .327 Mag made by S&W or Colt or Ruger that are indicative of the utmost quality. It's also got to do with people not being able to accept new calibers are having any staying power because .38 and .357 have been around before they were born.

I'll admit, when it comes to something like .357 Sig and 5.7x28, I just don't "get" them. What are they doing that .40 S&W/10mm or 7.62x25 Tok aren't? I'm not completely tone deaf tho, when something new comes along that I see is doing something that another caliber just cannot do in a certain size pistol, I'll accept it and do what I can to raise awareness of it.

I swear, I'm going to start petitioning North American Arms to declare March 2nd as ".32 NAA Day" because it does what .380 can't in expanding a bullet from a sub 3" barrel and getting 12 inches of penetration in gel. And yeah, I've seen the new .380 Hydra Shok Deep load do good, but I need to see more videos.

There are a lot of reasons, but the best way to get the .32 revolver out of the attic like the redheaded stepchild is for all the revolver companies (S&W, Taurus, Rock Island, etc. ) to start making snubs in the .32 Mag and .327 Mag.