Winchester 32 special ammo

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CHARLESQUINN
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Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by CHARLESQUINN »

Can anyone tell me where to find Winchester 32 special ammo I just inherited Model 94 from 1955
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by Irishtexan »

We used to have it at Cabelas when i worked there, just have to keep looking around at places that sell ammo, dont bother looking at Wallmart, might look at small town gun shops thats where i got my last box.
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by AmBraCol »

CHARLESQUINN wrote: Sun Feb 06, 2022 2:09 pm Can anyone tell me where to find Winchester 32 special ammo I just inherited Model 94 from 1955
The current ammo scene is spotty at best. "Obsolete" cartridges like the 32 Special are not likely to see any new production any time soon. Your best bet is to shop around for the dies (fleabay and Gunbroker are a couple places to haunt in this pursuit) and see if you can chase down the brass, bullets, primers and powder. You may end up needing to resize 30-30 brass, which isn't too hard if you use the right neck expansion button and a bit of lube. I'd be looking at Accurate Molds in order to cast up the bullets, then necking up some 30-30 brass and assembling some cast bullet ammo for it. I had to do the opposite late in the 20th Century in order to keep the old family 25-35 shooting. Necked down a bunch of 30-30 brass and was able to keep going until they brought out a run of the new brass. My brother ended up cornering the local market on 25-35 brass so the old necked down 30-30s languish on the shelf.
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by Ray Newman »

AmBraCol gave good advice.

Before I started to reload .32 Win Special, it was easier to find factory ammunition around hunting time.
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by 3leggedturtle »

Welcome to the Best Enabler's Forumn there is. What part of the country you from or at?
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by CHARLESQUINN »

I’m in Chattanooga TN
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by Trailboss »

CHARLESQUINN wrote: Sun Feb 06, 2022 2:09 pm Can anyone tell me where to find Winchester 32 special ammo I just inherited Model 94 from 1955
It appears out of stock at most places. This outfit has them instock but the price is 4x what I used to see.

https://greenacressporting.com/product/ ... round-box/
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by Bridger »

I sure would t pay what that site is offering them for.

I picked up 4 boxes of .32 Spc Winchester Power Points at a gun shop/hardware store in North Louisiana about a month ago. $28.99 a box, and they had 2 boxes of core lokts at $32.99 but I left those for the next guy. So there is some recent manufacture stuff out there at sane pricing you just have to look for it. .32 doesn’t sell as fast as 30-30 anyway so you’ve got that working in your favor.
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by marlinman93 »

As far as I know .32 Win. Spl. is not considered obsolete yet? It is in lower demand, so ammo makers don't make much, and when they do the cost is a bit higher. Of course right now everything is overpriced and tough to find, so your best bet if you don't reload is online.
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by AmBraCol »

marlinman93 wrote: Mon Feb 07, 2022 3:45 pm As far as I know .32 Win. Spl. is not considered obsolete yet? It is in lower demand, so ammo makers don't make much, and when they do the cost is a bit higher. Of course right now everything is overpriced and tough to find, so your best bet if you don't reload is online.
Note I put "obsolete" in quotes. It ain't a 6.5 Whizbanger or "tacticool", so doesn't get the press and public demand that some rounds do. But there's a quiet and steady demand for it among a certain demographic for quite a while. Everything's upended right now though. No telling WHEN certain calibers will get produced again. The usual seasonal ups and downs no longer seem to have the same effect as in years passed.
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FLINT
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by FLINT »

Glad to hear of a new 32 special owner!

I agree that your best bet will be to check local gun shops - especially those in less trafficked areas, you may find a box or two on the shelf.
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by JOG »

I found two boxes a few weekends ago. It's still hit and miss out there.
Good luck on your hunt!
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by pinefd »

I just joined the forum, and I believe this may be my first post here. The main reason I joined was because I also just picked up a Model 94, made in 1921...a saddle ring carbine, in 32 Win Special. It's my first old Winchester, having bought a few new ones as well recently. I've also been on the hunt for some ammo, and picked up a couple of boxes of the 32WS from here (at $3.75/round :cry: ): https://miwallcorp.com/rifle/hard-to-fi ... n-special/

If you aren't already doing so, keep checking on Ammoseek.com, at least daily, for some to show up. The only two listed there now have it for $4.00 and $4.25/round. I also recently picked up a newer Model 94 in 38-55, which is a caliber that's also very hard to come by and expensive. So my brand new Model 92 in .357 Mag gets most of the range time. I can't really afford to shoot the others much.

Anyway, good luck with your ammo search, and congrats on the "new" gun!


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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by Griff »

Howdy and Welcome to THE forum to you both! I don't shoot either 32WS or the .38-55 so can't be of any help... other'n to say, reloading is really the way to go... another whole hobby. It really opens up a LOT of options for ammo choices!
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by pinefd »

Griff wrote: Mon Feb 07, 2022 10:58 pm Howdy and Welcome to THE forum to you both! I don't shoot either 32WS or the .38-55 so can't be of any help... other'n to say, reloading is really the way to go... another whole hobby. It really opens up a LOT of options for ammo choices!
Thanks, Griff! I actually just bought some reloading equipment, and was able to find components for the .38-55, but not for the 32WS. I'll be taking an NRA reloading class next month, so I'm hoping by then, I may be able to find some 32SW stuff.


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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by Rusty »

There are a lot of places online to buy ammo such as luckygunner.com. Ammoseek.com scours the net and keeps track of everyone who is offering it for sale.
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by Trailboss »

I've been loading for the 32WS for about 30 years and have killed lots of deer and a few bear with it. Been loading for the 38-55 for the past 10 years. I cast for both calibers and use 30-30 cases resized for both. I don't bother to pickup my casings as I have so many extra 30-30, no need to recycle. A die set for each, a brick of primers, a pound of powder, a a bullet casting die and a bag of 30-30 cases. Not a huge investment for lots of shooting.
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by pinefd »

Trailboss wrote: Tue Feb 08, 2022 2:09 am I've been loading for the 32WS for about 30 years and have killed lots of deer and a few bear with it. Been loading for the 38-55 for the past 10 years. I cast for both calibers and use 30-30 cases resized for both. I don't bother to pickup my casings as I have so many extra 30-30, no need to recycle. A die set for each, a brick of primers, a pound of powder, a a bullet casting die and a bag of 30-30 cases. Not a huge investment for lots of shooting.
Thanks for that feedback. I had forgotten that 30-30 brass can be used for 32WS (and 38-55), not that I have any 30-30 brass anyway. But at least 30-30 isn't unobtainium, like 32WS is. I may very well end up going that route, but I figure I can wait until after I take that reloading class next month, especially considering that I'm in the northeast, and I probably won't be doing much, if any outdoor shooting for a couple more months, anyway.


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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by Griff »

pinefd wrote: Tue Feb 08, 2022 9:58 pm
Trailboss wrote: Tue Feb 08, 2022 2:09 amI've been loading for the 32WS for about 30 years and have killed lots of deer and a few bear with it. Been loading for the 38-55 for the past 10 years. I cast for both calibers and use 30-30 cases resized for both. I don't bother to pickup my casings as I have so many extra 30-30, no need to recycle. A die set for each, a brick of primers, a pound of powder, a a bullet casting die and a bag of 30-30 cases. Not a huge investment for lots of shooting.
Thanks for that feedback. I had forgotten that 30-30 brass can be used for 32WS (and 38-55), not that I have any 30-30 brass anyway. But at least 30-30 isn't unobtainium, like 32WS is. I may very well end up going that route, but I figure I can wait until after I take that reloading class next month, especially considering that I'm in the northeast, and I probably won't be doing much, if any outdoor shooting for a couple more months, anyway.
Frank
Another suggestion if I may? in the interim before your reloading class, scour any local gunshops for old reloading manuals... even new ones... If you're going to be shooting cast bullets, be sure to get Lyman's 4th Edition Cast Bullet Handbook. While it only devotes one page to the 32WS and 1-½ to the .38-55, it has several chapters on various aspects of loading cast bullets by my friend Mike Venturino. You won't be disappointed. You can never have too many reloading manuals... No, even over a 40 year span of buying reloading manuals, I don't have too many... And while I don't "need" some of the older ones, I'll still refer back to them from time to time, to refresh my memory on a point, or look something up for a friend.

Another help to gaining knowledge and confidence in loading is to find a "mentor". While speed is nice, and I load on a progressive most of the time, for my rifle rounds, (mostly 30-30) I still use my trusty Rock Chucker single stage. Quality, consistent, accurate ammo is far more important than quantity.
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by OldWin »

I have a pile of rifles chambered in 32WS. I really like the cartridge a lot.
As for brass......yes, you can use 30-30. However, if you have 30-30 chambered rifles also, it can be an issue. I mounted a campaign with Star Line to produce brass with a 32WS headstamp. They FINALLY did. While I'm not sure if it is available, I bought a lot of 500 not long ago.
As for bullets, don't overlook cast, as others have mentioned. The 32WS is an excellent cast bullet cartridge due it's slower twist when compared to 30-30. It will give excellent results with minimal effort.
For jacketed, i use the Hornady 170. I use IMR3031 exclusively for this cartridge.
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by pinefd »

Griff wrote: Wed Feb 09, 2022 1:57 pm
pinefd wrote: Tue Feb 08, 2022 9:58 pm
Trailboss wrote: Tue Feb 08, 2022 2:09 amI've been loading for the 32WS for about 30 years and have killed lots of deer and a few bear with it. Been loading for the 38-55 for the past 10 years. I cast for both calibers and use 30-30 cases resized for both. I don't bother to pickup my casings as I have so many extra 30-30, no need to recycle. A die set for each, a brick of primers, a pound of powder, a a bullet casting die and a bag of 30-30 cases. Not a huge investment for lots of shooting.
Thanks for that feedback. I had forgotten that 30-30 brass can be used for 32WS (and 38-55), not that I have any 30-30 brass anyway. But at least 30-30 isn't unobtainium, like 32WS is. I may very well end up going that route, but I figure I can wait until after I take that reloading class next month, especially considering that I'm in the northeast, and I probably won't be doing much, if any outdoor shooting for a couple more months, anyway.
Frank
Another suggestion if I may? in the interim before your reloading class, scour any local gunshops for old reloading manuals... even new ones... If you're going to be shooting cast bullets, be sure to get Lyman's 4th Edition Cast Bullet Handbook. While it only devotes one page to the 32WS and 1-½ to the .38-55, it has several chapters on various aspects of loading cast bullets by my friend Mike Venturino. You won't be disappointed. You can never have too many reloading manuals... No, even over a 40 year span of buying reloading manuals, I don't have too many... And while I don't "need" some of the older ones, I'll still refer back to them from time to time, to refresh my memory on a point, or look something up for a friend.

Another help to gaining knowledge and confidence in loading is to find a "mentor". While speed is nice, and I load on a progressive most of the time, for my rifle rounds, (mostly 30-30) I still use my trusty Rock Chucker single stage. Quality, consistent, accurate ammo is far more important than quantity.
Great suggestions, thanks! I have one reloading manual, which came with my Lee Classic Turret Press Kit, that I recently purchased. The kit included "Modern Reloading", 2nd Edition, by Richard Lee. I'm going to order Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbook right now, on your suggestion. Looks like it should arrive here tomorrow.

Regarding the"mentor" suggestion, that's not as easy to find around here. I really don't know anyone locally who reloads, although I'm sure there are probably some closet shooters and reloaders in the area. I used to help my dad reload when he was doing it decades ago, but he's been gone over 20 years now, and I've pretty much forgotten everything I learned while helping him.

Meanwhile, I'm not in a huge hurry to start reloading, since I don't expect to be doing much shooting for another couple of months, when spring arrives. And even on those occasions over the winter when I do feel like getting out and shooting, I've been taking my new Winchester 92 in .357 out. Here it is with my "new" Model 94, from 1921:

Image

Thanks again!


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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by pinefd »

OldWin wrote: Wed Feb 09, 2022 2:40 pm I have a pile of rifles chambered in 32WS. I really like the cartridge a lot.
As for brass......yes, you can use 30-30. However, if you have 30-30 chambered rifles also, it can be an issue. I mounted a campaign with Star Line to produce brass with a 32WS headstamp. They FINALLY did. While I'm not sure if it is available, I bought a lot of 500 not long ago.
As for bullets, don't overlook cast, as others have mentioned. The 32WS is an excellent cast bullet cartridge due it's slower twist when compared to 30-30. It will give excellent results with minimal effort.
For jacketed, i use the Hornady 170. I use IMR3031 exclusively for this cartridge.
I DON'T have any 30-30 rifles, so I shouldn't have the issue that you alluded to, but it also means that I don't have any old brass that I can use for reloading 32WS. As I've already mentioned, 32WS brass is non-existent right now, but 30-30 is available, so I'll probably end up going that route. And I've been trying to find the jacketed Hornady 170s for reloading for a while, but everyone is out of stock, so I'm sure I will end up using cast bullets. I have 2 lbs. of the IMR3031, along with some LRPs; I just need the brass and the projectiles.

Thanks for your suggestions!


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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by OldWin »

pinefd wrote: Wed Feb 09, 2022 3:22 pm
OldWin wrote: Wed Feb 09, 2022 2:40 pm I have a pile of rifles chambered in 32WS. I really like the cartridge a lot.
As for brass......yes, you can use 30-30. However, if you have 30-30 chambered rifles also, it can be an issue. I mounted a campaign with Star Line to produce brass with a 32WS headstamp. They FINALLY did. While I'm not sure if it is available, I bought a lot of 500 not long ago.
As for bullets, don't overlook cast, as others have mentioned. The 32WS is an excellent cast bullet cartridge due it's slower twist when compared to 30-30. It will give excellent results with minimal effort.
For jacketed, i use the Hornady 170. I use IMR3031 exclusively for this cartridge.
I DON'T have any 30-30 rifles, so I shouldn't have the issue that you alluded to, but it also means that I don't have any old brass that I can use for reloading 32WS. As I've already mentioned, 32WS brass is non-existent right now, but 30-30 is available, so I'll probably end up going that route. And I've been trying to find the jacketed Hornady 170s for reloading for a while, but everyone is out of stock, so I'm sure I will end up using cast bullets. I have 2 lbs. of the IMR3031, along with some LRPs; I just need the brass and the projectiles.

Thanks for your suggestions!


Frank
Yes, sounds like you are GTG with 30-30 brass, so that will be easy.
I expect that Hornady does a seasonal run with these bullets. Wait till they come available and buy a pile (that's what I do). I only really use them for hunting. If you decide to hunt with cast, I'd do a gas check mold to make it a little easier at higher velocities.
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by FLINT »

I loaded some 32WS last year with the Hornady 170gr and 32gr of 3031. Shot really good and very close in velocity to factory ammo, so that's what I'm sticking with.
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by FLINT »

if you can't find any hornady's, I'd email Hawk bullets. They made me some .321 bullets for my 32-40 that shoot great and performed incredibly on a whitetail doe.

https://hawkbullets.com/bullet-selection.html
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by Ray Newman »

Speaking of old reloading manuals, Cornell Publications has reprints available for many and some going back to the 1870's for Sharps, Remington, and Winchester, etc. I've purchased some and they are very good reprints for a reasonable price.

http://www.cornellpubs.com/index.php
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by pinefd »

Thanks so much for all the great info, guys! And Flint, that Hawk Bullet recommendation looks great. I'll definitely give them a try.


Frank
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by Oldncrusty »

Ray Newman wrote: Wed Feb 09, 2022 8:04 pm Speaking of old reloading manuals, Cornell Publications has reprints available for many and some going back to the 1870's for Sharps, Remington, and Winchester, etc. I've purchased some and they are very good reprints for a reasonable price.

http://www.cornellpubs.com/index.php
Huge thanks!
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by piller »

Just my 2cents worth, but IMR3031 has been my most accurate powder in both . 30-30 and . 32WS for all bullets tried. Not the fastest, but best accuracy is more important than a few feet per second.
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Re: Winchester 32 special ammo

Post by pinefd »

piller wrote: Thu Feb 10, 2022 7:27 am Just my 2cents worth, but IMR3031 has been my most accurate powder in both . 30-30 and . 32WS for all bullets tried. Not the fastest, but best accuracy is more important than a few feet per second.
I'm glad I've got a good supply of it then!


Frank
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