Ruger 32-20/32 H&R Convertible

[Old Savage]

Picked this one up today great shape, one of the 200 done for Buckeye. Gearing up to reload, very beefy cylinder wall .14", between the cylinders .2". Measuring the cylinder mouth and bore measurements I think these are actually 30-20s as John Taffin said TC did.

Thanks to Sixgun for contributing cases and dies to this upcoming project.

[6pt-sika]

I had one a few years back . Bought it as NIB or LNIB anyway I kept it five years sold it and never bothered to shoot it .

[AJMD429]

I read in a gun magazine 10 years ago or so that they were indeed 308 caliber and use the same Barrel as the 30 Carbine Blackhawks. I remember thinking at the time if they used the same material and hardening for the cylinders that they should be quite strong. A friend of mine managed to accidentally overcharge a 30 carbine load with what he described as "a 30-06 powder charge" and fire in his Blackhawk with no apparent damage to the gun, although the brass case head look like you could probably put a shotgun primer in it....!

The 30 carbine Ruger Blackhawk using factory 30 Carbine ammo is probably the loudest gun I have ever heard fired, and I definitely I'd wear both plugs and muffs if I ever fired one again. I would expect that a really hot 32-20 load would have the same acoustic properties, though I've never tried it.

[ollogger]

Awesome revolver Fred! had a savage bolt years ago & later a 73 Winchester both in 32-20, they were a joy to
shoot, dang sure would like to come across a good hand gun in one, but for now the 32 H&R will have to do


Brad

[Jay Bird]

Oh man! Fred got one of the best...if not the best New Model Ruger ever to hit the market. Fred.....you know I have to ask.....

CAN I HAVE IT???
Ok..let's get started.....slug the bore and measure the cylinder throats. You can get a good idea on what the throats are by sliding a known diameter bullet down through the chamber. A bullet that is the perfect fit will just slide through on the tight side. Take apart a shotgun buckshot load a bit larger than the groove diameter to test for the bore.....I never knew they used a .308 bore so I'd like to see the results....it won't matter anyway for accuracy as long as the throats are .311 or .312. The barrel will do a great job at sizing the bullet.....might slightly affect high pressure jacketed loads. Let me know if you need help or buckshot.

If the throats will allow a .312 bullet to slip through, just load a bullet with 1 grain of Bullseye and shoot it in a towel. Neighbors won't hear it. It'll give ya a perfect measurement of the groove diameter.

I've never seen those grips on a Ruger but I've never laid eyes on a Buckeye 32-20. My 38-40 has standard wood stocks but are made from Goncalo Alves.....at least that's what they look like. Your stocks will look great on one of my Rugers...can't wait to get it!

You get aaallllllll the neat stuff...and the soft stuff too!---your pal-----6

[6pt-sika]

The Buckeye I “had” , had regular Blackhawk walnut no figure grips .

[Old Savage]

Better detail of the grips. Ruger says it shipped in 1988.

More careful measurement of throats and barrel appear to both be at .312.

Now Six, I am calling it "Sixgun". It came with some faux ivory grips with a star on them. We could have those emblazened with your likeness Maybe with your signature like that Elmer Keith gun.

[Jay Bird]

Oh Fred! I feel so honored! Imagine, a sixgun named after Sixgun. I'd be happy is you just had "Sixguns" emblazoned on the cylinder in honor of the many single action revolvers that have given me pleasure in life.....and of course, it shows possession with the "s".

I really do like those stocks.

Now, come on...we have a BIG day ahead of us...talking 32-20....Ruger....anything single action!

BTW, I overnighted a pre paid empty Fed Ex box addressed to me. It's just a tad larger than your Buckeye...to allow room for bubble wrap.----- 6

[Old Savage]

Inventory:

900+ Hornady 85 gr., 100 93 gr. RN, 100 93 gr. Wadcutters. One lb Unique, one lb AA5, some American Select, some 2400. And, found 200 Starline 32-20.cases + 123 (my questionable count) your contribution. That all should be good for 800-1600 fps loads according to my investigation..

Still dealing with a flare up of a shoulder injury so time to plan. .4.0 gr Unique should be a good start.

[Old Savage]

Btw, hope you are serious about that prepaid shipping box. I do have a rather unique item I would like to get to you for range days. Think I have one in my Jeep though.

[piller]

O S, you mentioned that your buullets were good for 800 to 1600 fps. Wouldn't you be running in the 40,000 psi or greater range to get much above 1200 fps? Do those thin cases on the 32-20 stand up to that sort of pressure?

[Old Savage]

Well Pill, I haven't reloaded for this yet I am going by the data in the Hornady 8th edition and knocking off 100 fps for the barrel length difference as per BBTI. I did not go to the top velocity just what I could likely get with 2400. I don't know what pressure they worked with. I would certainly expect that to be harder on the brass. But, in a 6 1/2" 44 Spl you can get 1250.fps without getting near that pressure.

[Jay Bird]

Ok...we're getting somewhere.....4 of Unique is a great plinking load....very little noise, recoil, accurate and easy on the ears.

As you know, your Ruger will handle a lot more than that. As I've aged, handguns are meant to be handguns and pleasure comes with ease of whatever you are doing in life. Got a good laugh at the handgun match yesterday...some guys with full power 44 / 357 / 41 / 460 / whatever mags knocking down steel animals that weigh a few pounds....I've used the 30 carbine in a Ruger for our matches and it knocks over anything easily except the heavy 80 lb rams.

For busting rocks, steel plates, and other inanimate targets out to 200 meters 5.5 of Unique or a load of 2400 will be fine.---6

[AJMD429]

Btw, hope you are serious about that prepaid shipping box. I do have a rather unique item I would like to get to you for range days. Think I have one in my Jeep though.

"Inquiring minds want to know....."

[piller]

Well Pill, I haven't reloaded for this yet I am going by the data in the Hornady 8th edition and knocking off 100 fps for the barrel length difference as per BBTI. I did not go to the top velocity just what I could likely get with 2400. I don't know what pressure they worked with. I would certainly expect that to be harder on the brass. But, in a 6 1/2" 44 Spl you can get 1250.fps without getting near that pressure.

I am just guessing at the pressure by using Hodgdon's reloading site. They only show the milder loads for older and weaker designs than your pistol. However, knowing that pressure goes up faster than velocity, I am guessing that getting up to higher velocities in that small of a diameter would mean quite a bit higher pressures. Sort of like with the pressures in .22 lr vs the much higher pressures in .22 Magnum. The .44 Special gets higher velocities than the .38 Special at similar pressures. The .32 Special gets higher velocities than the .30-30 with similar pressures. Within limits, the larger diameter round gets higher velocities with lower or similar pressures. Again, within limits. I would expect your handgun to be able to digest anything that you would ever feed it due to the size of the cylinder and frame. All that metal around the case would probably hold up to any power level the .32-20 could achieve. I wonder what the brass would limit out at.

[Old Savage]

Truth is I don't load anything to max and will likely use moderate loads. But the issue with pressure is not really relative to caliber but what sectional density you are trying to push at what velocity. I am looking at an 85 gr bullet here. For instance in the 38 caliber you are looking at a 110 bullet.

[wm]

VERY NICE ……. Very nice indeed.

I'm deeply green with envy.



Wm

[Old Savage]

Reloading for a convertible like this, if you want medium to moderate velocities it is probably better to go with the the 32 H&R for durability and carbide reloading convenience. The 32-20 offers performance advantages but likely at the cost of shorter case life.

[Tycer]

7.5 gr Lil’gun. 85-115

[Merle]

Picked this one up today great shape, one of the 200 done for Buckeye. Gearing up to reload, very beefy cylinder wall .14", between the cylinders .2". Measuring the cylinder mouth and bore measurements I think these are actually 30-20s as John Taffin said TC did.

Thanks to Sixgun for contributing cases and dies to this upcoming project.

they only made 200 of these? no wonder They never are seen...

[Old Savage]

They were also made in 38-40 and 44-40. I have seen different production numbers but 200 seems to have been for the 32-20 version, likely the least popular.

[piller]

32 caliber just didn't catch on like the 30, 38, 44, and 45 calibers did. I do not know why, and I am not sure if there is any kind of good reason. Still, it seems to be just as good as any of the more popular calibers when used appropriately. The .32-20 killed one of the biggest whitetail deer ever taken. It is sort of rare now, and that seems to be due to the caliber just not catching on the way some others did. Popularity is not always a good measure of capability.

[Turdyturdy]

Actually, the 32H&R / 32-20 and the 38-40 / 10 mm Blackhawk convertibles were called Buckeye Specials. Ruger made these for Buckeye Sports distributors in Ohio. I have both guns. I think they were made in 1989 and 1990. They both have a Buckeye symbol stamped on the top strap.

[Old Savage]

Mine shipped in 1988 according to Ruger.

[Turdyturdy]

A Gunsmith near me has a 32 cal Buckeye and has reamed the 32 H & R cal cylinder to 327 Fed mag. He told me those guns are so stout they can easily stand the increased pressure. I load my 32 HR cases with 4.5 gr of W231 with a 85 gr XTP. With 100 gr XTP I use 4 gr of W231 For the Buckeye. I also have a Single Six 32 HR that I will not shoot those loads in. Not as robust as the Blackhawk.

[Old Savage]

Looking this up again for a couple friends.

[EdinCT]

I load 4 gr of Unique in the 32-20 for plinking in my rifle with good case life and 10 gr of Alliant 2400 (not for older revolvers) with good case life. Starline brass is better than others.
Elmer shot an elk with his 32-20 and while performance was not stellar he got it done. He loaded it hot because he believed the wall thickness was insurance.
I would like a Ruger 32-20, I had just gone through a nasty divorce when the Buckeye's came out and that saved me from the expense.
But I have heard that you can load a 32 wcf into a Ruger 30 carbine Blackhawk cylinder and it will fire fine. So if the buckeyes bore is 308 it might be an less expensive way to shoot 32-20's. Can anyone confirm that has a fact ?
Enjoy your Good Fortune!

[Rockrat]

You can with the new models but you have to trim the case a bit. Then you resize with a 30 carbine size die. Only problem, is that the case wall thickness of the 32-20 case is so much less than the 30 carbine, you might not have enough neck tension to properly hold the bullet.