Busyhands94
Member
Howdy fellow highroaders, I recently purchased a pre-1988 Iver and Johnson revolver chambered in .32 S&W. I am looking for some good info or better yet some personal experience in loading the .32 S&W short with blackpowder.
Pardon me if I've got some stupid questions on this subject, I've never loaded any centerfire cartridges with BP or smokeless, with the exception of shotgun shells.
How many grains are needed for a good standard load?
Does anyone make a mold that is affordable so I can just cast my own and not have to worry about buying pistol bullets all the time?
Do I have to use soft lead in BP metallic cartridge reloading or can I just use some of the hard lead that I have plenty of?
Will "Magnum" pistol primers affect the velocity of this diminutive cartridge in any way?
Once I get the pistol I'll post pictures, this is a sweet lil' gun. I have to fix a trigger issue, the hammer won't stay back. I'm thinking it's either that the sear on the hammer has been worn down or the sear spring is missing or broken. Either way I'm fixin' it.
I already bought some brass from a fellow and bullets from Midway USA, so that's taken care of. All I need is primers and powder and I'm set. I already have some ideas for a homemade reloader.
It seems whenever I buy an old gun I am attracted to the one in a strange oddball cartridge that you can't just go and buy at Wally World. First I get a 16 gauge shotgun and now a .32 S&W short? I hope that in 50 years I'll still be able to handload these obsolete calibers and gauges.
Any help or advice is appreciated!
~Levi
Pardon me if I've got some stupid questions on this subject, I've never loaded any centerfire cartridges with BP or smokeless, with the exception of shotgun shells.
How many grains are needed for a good standard load?
Does anyone make a mold that is affordable so I can just cast my own and not have to worry about buying pistol bullets all the time?
Do I have to use soft lead in BP metallic cartridge reloading or can I just use some of the hard lead that I have plenty of?
Will "Magnum" pistol primers affect the velocity of this diminutive cartridge in any way?
Once I get the pistol I'll post pictures, this is a sweet lil' gun. I have to fix a trigger issue, the hammer won't stay back. I'm thinking it's either that the sear on the hammer has been worn down or the sear spring is missing or broken. Either way I'm fixin' it.
I already bought some brass from a fellow and bullets from Midway USA, so that's taken care of. All I need is primers and powder and I'm set. I already have some ideas for a homemade reloader.
It seems whenever I buy an old gun I am attracted to the one in a strange oddball cartridge that you can't just go and buy at Wally World. First I get a 16 gauge shotgun and now a .32 S&W short? I hope that in 50 years I'll still be able to handload these obsolete calibers and gauges.
Any help or advice is appreciated!
~Levi
Last edited: