.32-20 new loads in Handloader Mag

[JohndeFresno]

Levergunners,
Handloader Issue 290 for June 2014 has some great articles that might be of interest to many here; especially:
.32-20 Handloads for Plinking and Hunting
.45 ACP Ball loads for Pistols and Submachine Guns

Cast bullets are included in these articles.

[Sixgun]

Yes. This months Handloader magazine is an excellent one indeed, but I'm not in agreement with Brian Pearce's excessively heavy loads in the 32-20. I cannot see a case being good for more than 3 loadings with his 2,000 fps powder charges. I see where he uses Starline brass so Starline must be sending him thousands for free so maybe that don't matter. .----------6

[M. M. Wright]

I agree 6 and those loads will probably soon batter the bolt/receiver. I know it would my old 92. I started SASS shooting with an El Tigre in 44-40 but had to replace it because even those wimp loads in great quantity seemed to stretch the frame out. I know, that's soft steel from Spain so whatta you spect?

[AJMD429]

Maybe they ought to have 'Ruger Only' loads for 32-20 like they do for 45-70 and 45 Colt...

If my Buckeye Special is as strong as my friend's 30 Carbine Ruger, I won't fear (not that I really want to use hot loads), because he one time was loading in the field for a 115 grain 'plinker' bullet of 30 caliber, and measured out the charge he was normally using for 30-06. The case was destroyed (unless maybe it could be used with large pistol primers in the future ) but the gun was fine. I was just a kid, but I'm presuming it was one of those small-volume charges of fast powders.

[JohndeFresno]

... I'm not in agreement with Brian Pearce's excessively heavy loads in the 32-20...

Noted - thank you for the disclaimer.

I don't have any experience with this cartridge and therefore did not check anything against reloading manuals, sources, or QuickLoad.

[BenT]

I agree brass life wouldn't be good. But it looks like Brian has had many years shooting the 32-20 . He has a nice collection of handguns in that caliber. I've used his data for my Marlin in 32-20 and it was quite zippy. My next batch will be loaded down.

[Mike Armstrong]

I also noticed an article on new powders for the .30-30 which should interest some levergunners. My only .30-30 is an MGM-barrelled TC G2 (Well, it DOES have a lever!).

[Sixgun]

I agree brass life wouldn't be good. But it looks like Brian has had many years shooting the 32-20 . He has a nice collection of handguns in that caliber. I've used his data for my Marlin in 32-20 and it was quite zippy. My next batch will be loaded down.

In a perfect world, with perfect brass, (properly resized) and a perfect fresh gun, those loads are fine. Probably about 99%'of all 32-20's ever made do not fall into that category. Even the strong Savage bolt guns will stretch brass.

Nothing is more aggravating than digging out the front of a case that's stuck in the chamber wall. Yea, sometimes they pop out.....other times I had had to epoxy up the inside of the case.

Besides, I see absolutely no need or desire to push a 115 gr. bullet faster than 15-1600. (Rifle velocity) At that speed, it will kill anything that it was designed to kill out to 150 meters........easily, and will be easy on the brass and the locking bolts of the gun.

This Brian does the same with the 25-20, hot rodding it to the max. Yes, he does write about the light to midrange loads but maybe it's me thinking here, it seems like he promotes the heavy loads---6.

[Canuck Bob]

Paco pushes the 32-20 hard as well in his articles. More than I'd load my Winoku 92 32-20. I kinda like my factory load levels. It is nice to shoot a lazy load sometimes.

Still it might be worth a copy of the magazine.

[earlmck]

I had to go get my "Handloader" and read the article. Looks like quite a write-up: he has lots of experience with the 32/20 and shows a wide variety of loads at both low pressure and upper pressure levels. So he has info for the old guns and the old fogies and for newer guns (such as any '92 style made with a smokeless era firing pin, somewhere in the early 1900's) and us cutting-edge types who don't see any reason to loaf along at 12 to 1500 fps when you can poke 'em out at 2000 easy enough.

One place he missed a little bit is not having any loads with Lil' Gun. Lil' Gun was made for the 32/20 and gets modestly over 2000 fps with most any 32/20 bullet you'd want to use, and with the case nicely filled.

I sure did like the looks of his Colt SAA with the 7 1/2" bbl!

[BenT]

I sure did like the looks of his Colt SAA with the 7 1/2" bbl!

When I first looked at the picture of the yote he shot I thought it had a 12 inch barrel because of the shadow.

Do you have any load data with LIL Gun . I have LIL Gun on the shelf and really don't use it for anything. I was thinking in the 1500 to 1600 fps range. The load I have right doesn't work well with my sights.

[earlmck]

Do you have any load data with LIL Gun . I have LIL Gun on the shelf and really don't use it for anything. I was thinking in the 1500 to 1600 fps range. The load I have right doesn't work well with my sights.

I tried a few different loads but the only one I chronographed was 12 grains behind the 117 grain Ranch Dog G.C. bullet, (a .65" long bullet) COAl of 1.52, Winchester small pistol primer, vel= 1875 fps. out of the 22" bbl of my Browning m53.

But that was with an early lot of Lil'Gun that gave dramatically more velocity (and pressure) than Hodgdon's data suggested for the 22 Hornet and I have not redone the load since I got a new batch of powder.

I had to play around with bullet lengths to get QL to "predict" that much velocity with that powder charge and when I did it appeared I was at close to max pressure. So my assertion that you get over 2000 fps easily with any bullet using Lil'Gun may have been... uh.... inaccurate?

Anyway, Q.L. thinks that 10.5 grains would give you 1600 fps with that "fast lot" of Lil' Gun with that particular bullet. But as you may know, bullet lengths, seating depths, overall lengths can alter pressures most dramatically in this little cartridge. That's why I gave you all the particulars on my particular bullet and load so you can tell if you want to try this stuff.

[BenT]

Thanks Earl. The Ranch Dog bullet is my go to for the 327 Federal Blackhawk and that is what I would use in the 32-20. Right now my loads have 100gr Rainer bullets. When they are gone I am going to cast bullets.

[Tactical Lever]

Yes. This months Handloader magazine is an excellent one indeed, but I'm not in agreement with Brian Pearce's excessively heavy loads in the 32-20. I cannot see a case being good for more than 3 loadings with his 2,000 fps powder charges. I see where he uses Starline brass so Starline must be sending him thousands for free so maybe that don't matter. .----------6

Should not be an issue with neck sizing, I would think. That seems to be a popular round to hot rod. I could see that with the small case and head, that bolt thrust would be much lower than a fatter cartridge loaded to the same level, and with all the extra steel around the case, having a hoop failure would likewise be less likely.

That said, a small case is not too hard to overload to too high.