ruger 30 carbine to 32acp conversion

[ewlyon]

Hey all, I am running an idea through my head and i was looking to get your opinion.
Basically, would it be possible to get a super blackhawk cylinder chambered in 32 acp and have that fitted to a blackhawk in 30 carbine? This would just be so you could use a quieter and cheaper round for target practice. Right now i am just thinking that the biggest problem would be getting the cylinder, although i have heard of people using 32acp in cylinders chambered in 327 mag and 32sw long. Have a gunsmith fit that to the revolver and it should be good to go, right?
Let me know what you think

 

[PapaG]

Where are you going to get " cheap" 32 acp ammo. 30 carbine is a snap to reload and you can load down quite easily for a revolver. Using a SBH cylinder would require sleeving and rechambering, not a cheap process.

 

[40 rod]

Have you tried shooting .32s out of the carbine cylinder? They might just rattle down the bore without hurting anything.

 

[ewlyon]

32acp ammo is cheaper than 30 carbine, thats why im calling it cheap. And of course reloading would be the best and easiest solution but this is just something i am thinking about in terms of can it be done? and if so, how? Also this would not be a permanent change, this would just be so you could switch cylinders to switch cartridge.
as to shooting the 32acp out of the regular cylinder, thats the kind of thing i would be reluctant to try unless some else does it first or test it maybe with some glue bullets.

 

[40 rod]

I was just curios if you you had done it first. I have read somewhere years ago about 32-20s and how they can digest quite a list of other rounds ..32acp..32s&w,7.62 nagant ect. I have fired 32acp out of a 32 h&r, but I understand that 32 acp will destroy most old top-break .32s. in any event don't expect accuracy. It is doubtfull that anything good will come of this.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Have you tried shooting .32s out of the carbine cylinder? They might just rattle down the bore without hurting anything.

.30 Carbine takes a .308" bullet; .32 ACP takes a .311 to .312" bullet. The bullets would be a tight fit.

.32 ACP cases are loose in a .30 carbine chamber. As I recall the Ruger .30 carbine revolver from decades ago, the cartridge head spaces on the case mouth, so a .30 carbine cylinder would swallow a .32 ACP. the firing pin could not reach it.

The Opening post is about making a .32 ACP cylinder with proper chambers for .32 ACP.

 

[waidmann]

I bought both .303 and .308 chamber inserts to fire .32 ACP in rifles. The results were not worth mentioning

 

[40 rod]

( on fireing 32s in the 30 carbine cylinder)they might just fit well enough to fire, of course the cases would swell out of spec. ,the biggest hazard might be bullets sticking in the bore. But i have fired 32 acp out of 26 inch .308 dia rifle barrels with the proper adapters.

Does Ruger still make the single six in .32 ? I bet a new one will be cheaper than a custom cylinder.

 

[Jim Watson]

Ruger no longer makes the .32 H&R Single Six. While you can shoot the semi-rimmed .32 ACP in a lot of revolvers, it is a mismatch and probably won't shoot very well. At least it would not be an overload for a Ruger as it is for some of the shackeldy old .32 S&Ws people keep wanting to load with ACPs.

A new cylinder made and fitted by Hamiton Bowen will cost $795, assuming you can get him interested in the caliber at all.

Brownells will sell you a blank Ruger cylinder for $189.95 if you are equipped to ream, chamber, and fit it to the gun.

 

[CraigC]

It's rather impractical but certainly possible and not at all difficult. It will be expensive. As Jim posted, there are no other cylinders available for potential rechambering, it will have to be a new scratch-built cylinder and those run $700-$800. That's a lot of money to spend to use an anemic cartridge out of a large frame sixgun. You'd be far better off spending your money on a reloading setup or a .32 Single Six. I'm all about the most eccentric custom revolvers a man can dream up but this makes no sense to me.