blue32
Member
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2012
- Messages
- 856
Water seeped into my boots as I shuffled along the dewy floor in the forest on another sultry day in July. I had made my way up a gravel and dirt national forest road to a small foot path that gave way to an overgrown field of various knee and chest high weeds. Pushing through still higher weeds and thorns I stumbled upon 12 to 15 wild boars, mainly 40 to 50 pounders. In my hand was Cimarron’s Uberti 1873 Saddle Ring Carbine in 32WCF. What would have been an easy shot at no more than 15 to 25 yards gave way to an educated show of wild pig behavior. But no bacon this day, I was here to put the Uberti through its paces.
Undoubtedly fueled by a growing interest in cowboy action shooting and firearms in general, rifles and handguns of old are back in the mainstream. And what’s more, they’re back in the original calibers. 32WFC, or 32-20 as it is more commonly known, developed a special place in my arsenal a few years ago. As one looking for a single action that rivaled the Colt SAA, there are not many low cost options that are 1. available and 2. currently produced for that matter. I was able to score an Uberti 1873 Cattleman in 32WCF off Gunbroker for a reasonable price and it wasn’t long before I dreamed of a companion rifle in the same caliber.
The Cimarron / Uberti 1873 is a very true to the original Winchester 1873. My example sports a 19” round barrel, full length magazine tube, English walnut furniture, shiny blued metal, and that tell tale brass cartridge carrier. Unfortunately, the cartridge carrier is not stamped with the cartridge designation – sorry Winchester fanatics. I’ve read posts on forums that say Uberti uses the same carrier for the 32WCF as the 38 spl. for cost saving reasons. While the round does wobble a bit in the carrier, I have not had any issues in chambering rounds due to that fact. The front sight comes attached to the front barrel band and is of the very simple straight post variety. The rear sight is a v-notch with flip up ladder containing gradual distances out to 900 yards. The lever itself and hammer come with a case hardened finish but alas, it wears off with significant use. The magazine holds ten rounds, but Uberti recommends not loading the rifle to full capacity right off the bat (the magazine spring is strong and will require some break-in). The weight of the rifle comes in at a manageable eight pounds. Overall length is about 38” making it a pleasure to carry afield. The cost was the biggest detriment - $1,100 with taxes and shipping from Buffalo Arms (great people to deal with, highly recommended). Initially I was concerned about the rifle acquiring dings and scratches from use in the field. But dings in the wood and small scratches in the metal are a post requisite of heavy field use and I intend to get my money’s worth.
Now to the guts of the rifle. Uberti spared no research in getting the internals correct. Pop off the side plates and you will find those dual toggle links. Look down the bore and you will spy traditional ballard type rifling – a big plus when you consider current factory offerings for ammunition are strictly lead. If anyone is producing jacketed rounds for 32WCF, I would love to know. My rifle’s bore diameter measured .312 so that sets up perfectly for the Rimrock 115 gr. RNFP .313 bullets I was using for the Cattleman.
That last sentence brings me to my next point. 32WCF is a reloading proposition pure and simple. While Black Hills produces some excellent quality rounds with superb Starline brass cases, forking over $38+ for fifty rounds is going to get old pretty quick. The good news: reloading this cartridge is comparable to .38 spl in cost. The 32 is a mouse on powder and lead consumption. If you cast (I wish I could), then there’s no reason not to reload this efficient blast from the past. Even if you don’t dip the ladle buying commercially available projectiles is very doable and it isn’t like .313 bullets are super popular so you can almost guarantee yourself a steady supply.
When reloading ammunition for a lever gun you will find that cartridge overall length or COAL is paramount in determining reliability. Too short and you may get a double feed. Too long and the cartridge may hiccup on the carrier. In my experience, Starline and Winchester component brass worked without a hitch. I ordered a few hundred cases of Remington and found them to be slightly longer. All my cases are trimmed to 1.28” +/- .003”. It is not unusual for ammunition companies to have non standard dimensions for cartridges over 100 years old. This is not a problem if you have a case trimmer. If you don’t have a trimmer just yet, better stick with the former options for now. Actual loading of the 32WCF is like any other rifle cartridge. And don’t pay too much attention to the horror stories in gun forums of this and other hyphenated cartridges in regards to case mouth crumple. I’ve reloaded just over a thousand 32WCF cartridges in the past year on a Dillon 550B and have yet to crumple one case. Of course I watch each case as it goes into the sizing and powder drop / bell dies but this is a labor of love too. Reloading 32WCF and similar cartridges must be a slow and deliberate act. Crank that handle like you were preparing hundreds of 9mm for an IPSC match the night before and you’ll get crushed cases.
The biggest problem I encountered in reloading the 32WCF was in full length sizing. It didn't take long before I figured out no matter how far I screwed in the RCBS full length sizing die into the shellplate on my Dillon 550B, I wasn't going to be able to size all the way down to the soulder. Now, I'm not talking about the shoulder the factory puts on the brass (its moved a good bit back to presumably make it work in a variety of chambers); I had trouble sizing down to the shoulder set by fire-formed brass. Reloaders not using a Dillon shellplate can skip to the next paragraph because this probably will not apply to you. Fellow kool-aid drinkers, Dillon's shellplate for the 32WCF, "J," is just thick enough to keep you from obtaining a fully sized neck. When sized with a Dillon shellplate, the case exhibits a noticeable double shoulder of sorts. This first shoulder stops just short of the fire formed shoulder by .038". Other than unsightly, this did not provide a problem with the Cattleman. However, when you have more than five cartridges under pressure in the magazine tube of an 1873 its going to put more pressure than thumb and forefinger alone. The result is bullets being pushed back into the case. Using the Dillon shellplate gave me a case with only enough neck tension to hold the single grease groove and the exposed lead forward of the grease groove to the cannelure. I did not notice any accuracy problems, but functionality in a lever gun is sure to be a problem if not corrected. The solution is to either mill the top of the four shellplate recesses (labor intensive and extremely detail oriented), or trim some length off the bottom of the die. I chose to take the simple approach and have the die trimmed. Lacking the proper equipment, I turned to Andy Gazaway at Gazaway Machine and Tool in Alpharetta, Georgia. This was my first time requesting permanent changes to reloading equipment so I wanted to give myself some room for error. .038" is what I needed but I specified .045" to leave some room for even tighter chambers in the future. I got the die back about two weeks later. The bottom of the die exhibited a clean and polished cut with the inside of the opening beveled just like it came from the factory. After some small talk about 32 S&W lemon squeezers at Andy's shop, it was time to make some ammo.
Adjusting the newly cut die was trial and error. It was not long before I found the sweet spot that enabled me to fully size the neck down to the fire formed shoulder. Aesthetically and functionally pleasing, I chambered and ejected rounds over and over again. The improved cartridges slid through the action more smoothly than before. Now it was time for some real testing.
By now you’re probably wondering about accuracy. Using Challenge Target’s Steak-n-Shoot 8” plate, I was able to continually repeat dings off hand at 35 yards with the stock sights. Sitting with elbows rested on my knees, popping the plate at 68 yards was no problem. Resting the rifle in the crook of a tree at 100 yards, ringing the plate took more concentration on breathing but will be repeatable for the ardent shooter. All shots were taken with reloads (Starline and Winchester cases, CCI #500 primers, 3.4 gr. of W231, Rimrock 115 gr. RNFP). A good pair of shooting sticks is definitely in my future. Unfortunately, places to shoot more than 100 yards in north Georgia on public land are rare. I bought a Marbles tang sight for the rifle but would like to test the flip up ladder sight before I make any permanent changes.
Cimarron’s Uberti 1873 in 32WCF is somewhat of a loner. Most currently produced lever guns of the late 19th century style come in a variety of calibers as long as 45 Colt, 357 mag, and 44-40 float your boat. You can get a 44 mag, 45-70, or even the ubiquitous 30-30, but if you want something more throw back you’re going to spend a lot of time scanning listings and becoming familiar with the phrase “out of stock.” Its really a shame because 32WCF is such a sweet shooter. Often overlooked in favor of the more powerful/available 357 mag and 38spl, the 32WCF fills a special niche in a tapered bottle neck rifle cartridge suitable for sure fire functioning in lever guns. While definitely not a cartridge to be hot rodded, especially in an 1873 action, a 115 gr. RNFP traveling between 900 and 1200 fps is certainly enough to take any small game you can spot through irons. And if you want to stretch out the target shooting a few hundred yards, I have no doubt it is up to the task. Considering its low cost per round reloaded (I’m doing .138 per round), it’s a fun, light recoiling, and accurate cartridge for when you want to slow down and take it easy. Pair that with Cimarron’s Uberti 1873 Carbine and you have a perfect match.
Undoubtedly fueled by a growing interest in cowboy action shooting and firearms in general, rifles and handguns of old are back in the mainstream. And what’s more, they’re back in the original calibers. 32WFC, or 32-20 as it is more commonly known, developed a special place in my arsenal a few years ago. As one looking for a single action that rivaled the Colt SAA, there are not many low cost options that are 1. available and 2. currently produced for that matter. I was able to score an Uberti 1873 Cattleman in 32WCF off Gunbroker for a reasonable price and it wasn’t long before I dreamed of a companion rifle in the same caliber.
The Cimarron / Uberti 1873 is a very true to the original Winchester 1873. My example sports a 19” round barrel, full length magazine tube, English walnut furniture, shiny blued metal, and that tell tale brass cartridge carrier. Unfortunately, the cartridge carrier is not stamped with the cartridge designation – sorry Winchester fanatics. I’ve read posts on forums that say Uberti uses the same carrier for the 32WCF as the 38 spl. for cost saving reasons. While the round does wobble a bit in the carrier, I have not had any issues in chambering rounds due to that fact. The front sight comes attached to the front barrel band and is of the very simple straight post variety. The rear sight is a v-notch with flip up ladder containing gradual distances out to 900 yards. The lever itself and hammer come with a case hardened finish but alas, it wears off with significant use. The magazine holds ten rounds, but Uberti recommends not loading the rifle to full capacity right off the bat (the magazine spring is strong and will require some break-in). The weight of the rifle comes in at a manageable eight pounds. Overall length is about 38” making it a pleasure to carry afield. The cost was the biggest detriment - $1,100 with taxes and shipping from Buffalo Arms (great people to deal with, highly recommended). Initially I was concerned about the rifle acquiring dings and scratches from use in the field. But dings in the wood and small scratches in the metal are a post requisite of heavy field use and I intend to get my money’s worth.
Now to the guts of the rifle. Uberti spared no research in getting the internals correct. Pop off the side plates and you will find those dual toggle links. Look down the bore and you will spy traditional ballard type rifling – a big plus when you consider current factory offerings for ammunition are strictly lead. If anyone is producing jacketed rounds for 32WCF, I would love to know. My rifle’s bore diameter measured .312 so that sets up perfectly for the Rimrock 115 gr. RNFP .313 bullets I was using for the Cattleman.
That last sentence brings me to my next point. 32WCF is a reloading proposition pure and simple. While Black Hills produces some excellent quality rounds with superb Starline brass cases, forking over $38+ for fifty rounds is going to get old pretty quick. The good news: reloading this cartridge is comparable to .38 spl in cost. The 32 is a mouse on powder and lead consumption. If you cast (I wish I could), then there’s no reason not to reload this efficient blast from the past. Even if you don’t dip the ladle buying commercially available projectiles is very doable and it isn’t like .313 bullets are super popular so you can almost guarantee yourself a steady supply.
When reloading ammunition for a lever gun you will find that cartridge overall length or COAL is paramount in determining reliability. Too short and you may get a double feed. Too long and the cartridge may hiccup on the carrier. In my experience, Starline and Winchester component brass worked without a hitch. I ordered a few hundred cases of Remington and found them to be slightly longer. All my cases are trimmed to 1.28” +/- .003”. It is not unusual for ammunition companies to have non standard dimensions for cartridges over 100 years old. This is not a problem if you have a case trimmer. If you don’t have a trimmer just yet, better stick with the former options for now. Actual loading of the 32WCF is like any other rifle cartridge. And don’t pay too much attention to the horror stories in gun forums of this and other hyphenated cartridges in regards to case mouth crumple. I’ve reloaded just over a thousand 32WCF cartridges in the past year on a Dillon 550B and have yet to crumple one case. Of course I watch each case as it goes into the sizing and powder drop / bell dies but this is a labor of love too. Reloading 32WCF and similar cartridges must be a slow and deliberate act. Crank that handle like you were preparing hundreds of 9mm for an IPSC match the night before and you’ll get crushed cases.
The biggest problem I encountered in reloading the 32WCF was in full length sizing. It didn't take long before I figured out no matter how far I screwed in the RCBS full length sizing die into the shellplate on my Dillon 550B, I wasn't going to be able to size all the way down to the soulder. Now, I'm not talking about the shoulder the factory puts on the brass (its moved a good bit back to presumably make it work in a variety of chambers); I had trouble sizing down to the shoulder set by fire-formed brass. Reloaders not using a Dillon shellplate can skip to the next paragraph because this probably will not apply to you. Fellow kool-aid drinkers, Dillon's shellplate for the 32WCF, "J," is just thick enough to keep you from obtaining a fully sized neck. When sized with a Dillon shellplate, the case exhibits a noticeable double shoulder of sorts. This first shoulder stops just short of the fire formed shoulder by .038". Other than unsightly, this did not provide a problem with the Cattleman. However, when you have more than five cartridges under pressure in the magazine tube of an 1873 its going to put more pressure than thumb and forefinger alone. The result is bullets being pushed back into the case. Using the Dillon shellplate gave me a case with only enough neck tension to hold the single grease groove and the exposed lead forward of the grease groove to the cannelure. I did not notice any accuracy problems, but functionality in a lever gun is sure to be a problem if not corrected. The solution is to either mill the top of the four shellplate recesses (labor intensive and extremely detail oriented), or trim some length off the bottom of the die. I chose to take the simple approach and have the die trimmed. Lacking the proper equipment, I turned to Andy Gazaway at Gazaway Machine and Tool in Alpharetta, Georgia. This was my first time requesting permanent changes to reloading equipment so I wanted to give myself some room for error. .038" is what I needed but I specified .045" to leave some room for even tighter chambers in the future. I got the die back about two weeks later. The bottom of the die exhibited a clean and polished cut with the inside of the opening beveled just like it came from the factory. After some small talk about 32 S&W lemon squeezers at Andy's shop, it was time to make some ammo.
Adjusting the newly cut die was trial and error. It was not long before I found the sweet spot that enabled me to fully size the neck down to the fire formed shoulder. Aesthetically and functionally pleasing, I chambered and ejected rounds over and over again. The improved cartridges slid through the action more smoothly than before. Now it was time for some real testing.
By now you’re probably wondering about accuracy. Using Challenge Target’s Steak-n-Shoot 8” plate, I was able to continually repeat dings off hand at 35 yards with the stock sights. Sitting with elbows rested on my knees, popping the plate at 68 yards was no problem. Resting the rifle in the crook of a tree at 100 yards, ringing the plate took more concentration on breathing but will be repeatable for the ardent shooter. All shots were taken with reloads (Starline and Winchester cases, CCI #500 primers, 3.4 gr. of W231, Rimrock 115 gr. RNFP). A good pair of shooting sticks is definitely in my future. Unfortunately, places to shoot more than 100 yards in north Georgia on public land are rare. I bought a Marbles tang sight for the rifle but would like to test the flip up ladder sight before I make any permanent changes.
Cimarron’s Uberti 1873 in 32WCF is somewhat of a loner. Most currently produced lever guns of the late 19th century style come in a variety of calibers as long as 45 Colt, 357 mag, and 44-40 float your boat. You can get a 44 mag, 45-70, or even the ubiquitous 30-30, but if you want something more throw back you’re going to spend a lot of time scanning listings and becoming familiar with the phrase “out of stock.” Its really a shame because 32WCF is such a sweet shooter. Often overlooked in favor of the more powerful/available 357 mag and 38spl, the 32WCF fills a special niche in a tapered bottle neck rifle cartridge suitable for sure fire functioning in lever guns. While definitely not a cartridge to be hot rodded, especially in an 1873 action, a 115 gr. RNFP traveling between 900 and 1200 fps is certainly enough to take any small game you can spot through irons. And if you want to stretch out the target shooting a few hundred yards, I have no doubt it is up to the task. Considering its low cost per round reloaded (I’m doing .138 per round), it’s a fun, light recoiling, and accurate cartridge for when you want to slow down and take it easy. Pair that with Cimarron’s Uberti 1873 Carbine and you have a perfect match.
