My take on the 32-20

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JimT
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My take on the 32-20

Post by JimT »

I found some articles by Harry Owen among the old Sixgunner.Com files and figure I should share them since many here never had the chance to read any of Harry's stuff. Some of the older gents (like Sixgun) will remember him but his writing was always good .. from his experiences with the older Winchester and Colt calibers. These articles are about 23 or 24 years old so some of the resources listed may no longer be in existence.
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My take on the 32-20 (32WCF)
by Harry O


How I got started with the 32-20

The 32-20 (32WCF) has a LOT longer and more illustrious history than I have. The 32-20 is a black powder cartridge that was introduced by Winchester back in the early 1880's as the last of a trio of cartridges which included the 38-40 and the 44-40. All were chambered in the famous 1873 Winchester rifle.

They were originally known by the Winchester Center Fire (WCF) designation, but that was changed to the -dash- number by the turn of the last century. Of course, the number after the dash signifies the number of grains of black powder each contained back in the old "balloon head" cases. All three cartridges are obsolete, but not dead thanks to the Cowboy Action Shooting crowd. Shortly after their introduction, the cartridges were also chambered in the Colt SAA and have been chambered in countless handguns and rifles since then.

I first fired a 32-20 in the very early 1960's. It was the first centerfire cartridge I ever shot and was also the first handgun I ever shot. It was in my father's 32-20 Colt Police Positive Special handgun. Afterwards, he let me use it for hunting whenever I could find and afford to buy ammunition for it. The cost of 32-20 cartridges is the reason that I started handloading a long, long time ago. I owe a lot to the 32-20.

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What good is the 32-20 anyway?

The 32-20 WCF is a delightful cartridge to shoot. The 32-20 is ideal for small game (rabbit and squirrel) handgun hunting. I found out a long time ago that the .22LR is great for small game if it is shot from a good rifle. Before long, I could hit just about anything I could see with my Marlin 39A rifle that had a Williams 5-D peepsight mounted. It was not very challenging, though. I also learned from bitter experience that I could not count on a .22LR to cleanly take small game if fired from a 4" or 6" handgun barrel (this was before the "hypervelocity .22LR's). I needed something more.

What was needed was a 100gr lead bullet at about 900fps from a handgun. That pretty well describes the 32-20 in a handgun. It is absolutely perfect for small game. When used in a rifle, the 32-20 is too powerful for small game. It should be great for medium sized game, but there has not been much of that around here since before I was born.

I have read many places that people have used it to take deer in the past. That is not legal in my state. However, the 32-20 in a rifle is a great plinking gun. Enough noise and recoil so that you know you are actually shooting something, but not enough noise and recoil to ever tire you out. I think of it as a "grown up" .22LR.

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How to reload the 32-20.

The 32-20, like its bigger brothers, has an extremely thin "slopeshouldered" brass case that will buckle at the slightest excuse. Once buckled, the case cannot be salvaged. This is what makes reloading the 32-20 a challenge.

I got started loading the 32-20 over 35 years ago in order to save money. Factory cartridges were expensive and hard to find. Actually, it is easier now to find cartridges and components than it was in the late 1950's/early 1960's. I started with a "pre-owned" Lee Loader that I found at a gunshow. That’s the little box with some pieces of metal that you hammer instead of using a press. I ruined a large percentage of the cases (sometimes up to 50%) and blamed the cheap reloader. I later found out that the reloading kit was not the problem. I have gone through 2 presses and 3 sets of 32-20 dies since then and found that technique is the answer, not more expensive equipment. Now, I usually get through a reloading session without ruining a single case.

The first step in reloading is to obtain cases. Shooting factory loads or buying virgin cases are the most commonly used methods with the 32-20. Neither method is cheap, but it is extremely rare to find once-fired 32-20 brass on a table at a gun show. If you do, check them first, regardless of the price. I have found old brass that was last shot with black powder, and in each case, the brass was rotten. It looked OK, but when shoved into a die, the case came apart in brittle pieces. I understand that this was actually caused by mercuric primers, but BP and mercuric primers went together for a lot of years. The best way to tell is to smell the mouth of the fired case. The smell of black powder is distinctive and it is a warning to stay away unless you absolutely know that recent (non-mercuric) primers were used in it. In addition, the rims of older cases were often thicker than now and many will not fit in a modern shellholder.

Next, vibrate the cases clean. This step may be optional, but it makes all of the remaining steps easier. Then resize and decap the cases. Even if the cases are new, resize them. The brass is so thin that any case which has been handled very much will be out of round. If the mouth of the case is badly "D" shaped (this is common when a case is dropped on concrete), it will buckle if you try to resize it directly. Stick a small Phillips head screwdriver in the mouth of the case, put the tip in the primer hole (from the inside) and rotate the screwdriver to get the mouth close to round. Then it can be resized without buckling it.

Since the 32-20 uses steel dies (because it is a tapered case), it should be lubricated before sizing. I have had minor problems with the cases sticking slightly without lubrication, primarily when they were not cleaned first. Experimenting with several lubricants on the market, all of them (every single one) caused dimples or full buckles in the tapered portion of the case, no matter how thin they were applied. The dies also had to be taken apart fairly often in order to clean out the excess lubricant that collected inside the die each time a case was resized. Plain old (thin) WD-40 worked much better, but even that occasionally caused dimples. What I do now, and what has been very successful, is to wipe each case with a rag that has been lightly sprayed with WD-40 just before placing the case in the die. It takes VERY little lubrication. And, no, I have never had a problem with it killing primers.

The next step is to bell the neck. Most reloading books say not to flare the neck any more than necessary. This is not an idle warning with the 32-20. Play with the die setting until the flare is so small that you can barely see it, but a bullet will seat without cocking or shaving any lead. You will know if the flare is enough. If not, the case will buckle while seating the bullet. Or, the bullets will tilt slightly while seating. This is when the case will stretch or bulge more on one side than the other. In either case, increase the amount of flare. If it is flared too much, the case will buckle at the crimping stage. Decrease the amount of flare. Things are easier now with the Lee Factory Crimp die (more details below), but you are still walking a thin line here.

Once you find the right setting, use locking rings to keep it there even if your dies do not originally come with locking rings (Lee). Once this is done, inspect the neck of each case. Throw out any with nicks, wrinkles, or any other imperfection. If you don't, the case will probably buckle at the bullet seating stage, losing not only the case, but also a bullet, powder and a primer.

This is where the case length should be checked. If you are using cases with the same headstamp, this step is optional. If cases are mixed, find the shortest one and trim all of them the same. Winchester and Remington cases are noticeably different in length (nearly 1/32" -- the Remington is bigger). If not trimmed, the longer cases will buckle at the crimping stage or the shorter ones will not be crimped at all. I have not used Starline 32-20 brass, but have heard that it is of good quality and may be somewhat thicker than other brass.

Once this is done, prime the cases separately. Different powders and guns will require different types of primers. I have used small pistol, magnum small pistol, and small rifle at different times with different powders. Some people say that this impossible or dangerous, but they all fit and all work. The rifle primer is flush with the bottom of the rim and the handgun primer is very slightly low (not high). Just match the primer with the powder. Other than that, there is nothing special about this step.

The next step is seating the bullet. The 32-20 uses a 0.312"/0.313" lead bullet or a 0.310"/0.311" jacketed bullet. There is a wide variety available from about 77 grains to 115 grains. Just make sure that you use flat nosed ones with a crimping groove in lever action rifles.

I tried for several years to seat the bullet and roll crimp it in place at the same time. All too often, the case would buckle, bulge, or would not crimp at all. I don't do that anymore. Now I set the bullet without crimping. Some firearms do not need crimping, such as the Contender and single shot rifles. Revolvers and especially lever actions do need crimping. Without a crimp, a heavy revolver load will recoil enough to walk the bullet forward until the gun jams (BTW, it is not really necessary to load them this heavy. If you need that much power, go to a larger gun.). This usually does not happen with the first shot, but will after 3 or 4 shots. This means that the nose of the bullet must be pulled the rest of the way out or hammered back in. Either is scary. With the lever action, the recoil will jam the bullet further down into the case, raising pressures.

I bought a 32-20 Lee Factory Crimp die shortly after it came out to crimp the bullet after it is seated. It is the solution to all 32-20 crimping problems. This die does not push down on the case as do all other crimping dies. The cartridge holder presses on the base of the crimping die and crimps the case radially. The end result is that that it is easy to get a strong crimp and buckles during crimping are history. Anybody who reloads the 32-20, 38-40, or 44-40 really needs this die. You are just making things hard for yourself without it.

The next step is to shoot the cartridges that you have spent so much time and effort to reload. The reason that I put up with all this trouble is that the 32-20 is the best small game handgun cartridge that I have ever used. The 32 Magnum is almost as good and is childs play to reload, but the 32-20 has had over a 100 year head start. Have fun.

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Differences between rifle and handgun loads.

The 32-20 is finicky about its reloads (especially in handguns). Do not assume that the gun is inaccurate if it is inaccurate with one load. Experiment with other loads first. There are many recommendations for the type of powder and amounts to use in magazines and reloading books. I will not try to repeat them all here. You can start with Doc Smith's 32-20 page at < http://www.reloadammo.com/3220.htm >. I also highly recommend the "Pet Loads" book by Ken Water's, a reprint of his magazine articles for Handloader magazine. It is not cheap, but it is worth every penny.

There are 3 levels of pressure for 32-20's that you should be aware of. Tailor the pressure to the type of gun you are using. If you use a modern rifle or Contender load in an old BP gun or light duty revolver, it will ruin the gun and may injure you.

The lowest pressure level is for original black powder rifles and handguns, and also light duty smokeless powder guns. This level consists of original Winchester lever action rifles, original black powder Colt SAA's, and some more modern, but light-duty double-action revolvers such as the Colt Police Positive Special (PPS) and the S&W Hand Ejector model. Safe loads for these guns can be as little as 50% of the loads listed for modern firearms using modern smokeless powder.

WARNING: I have shot "rifle-only" high-pressure factory loads my father's Colt PPS. The PPS is probably the lightest frame handgun ever chambered for the 32-20. It took only one cylinder full of the high-pressure cartridges to bend the "crane" (some people call the same part the yoke). Luckily, a local gunsmith was able to fix it. I still have it. Later, I shot several cylinder fulls of the hot stuff from a smokeless-frame Colt SAA. It did not hurt the gun, but it had the sharpest "CRACK" I have ever heard from a handgun. That was before anybody had chrono's so I have no idea how fast they were traveling. Back then nobody used ear protection, either. I believe that at least some of my present hearing loss came from shooting a half-box of 32-20 "rifle-only" loads in a handgun. As they say, "Kids, don't try this at home."

The middle pressure level is for smokeless powder versions of the original lever actions, modern Winchester 1873 clones (there are different opinions on whether this should be here or in the lowest pressure level), smokeless frame Colt SAA's and heavier duty double action revolvers, such as the Colt New Army or New Service models. These can take about 70% of the loads listed for modern firearms.

The top pressure level is for original, but smokeless frame single shot rifles, modern Browning or Marlin lever actions, modern SAA's or clones and the Contender. Start at 90% of the load listed. Shooting a cartridge meant for a stronger action in a weaker action will definitely damage the gun and perhaps damage you.

I make it easy to tell the difference between my handloads at a glance by using a different bullet in each type of load. A 95gr to 100gr RN or SWC lead bullet at 900fps (3.0gr to 3.3gr of Red Dot or Bullseye) is used in the Colt PPS at relatively low pressure. An 85gr Hornady XTP jacketed hollowpoint at 1,150fps (6.0gr of SR4756) is used in my rechambered S&W NewModel 16 at higher pressure. And a 100gr Remington half-jacketed softpoint is used at close to 1,700fps (12.0gr of 2400)in my Marlin 1894CL rifle at even higher pressure. Even if they are separated from the marked box, I can easily tell what is in them.

Light loads of pistol or shotgun powders (such as Bullseye and Red Dot) work OK in weak or old guns. However, it is possible to double or even triple charge the 32-20 with these loads. Be careful. After I started reading about unexplained blow-ups of handguns with powder that filled less than 50% of the case, I wondered if it could happen to me. By this time, I had already fired many thousands of rounds that were only about 1/3 full. If it had not happened by then, I figured it probably wouldn't happen. It hasn't yet. I did, however, start to notice that all the unexplained blow-ups I read about were with slower powders. As long as you stick with a fast powder (and only one charge per case), you should not have a problem.

In addition, where the powder lays in the case when it is shot will affect both its accuracy and velocity. This type of reload (low volume of powder) sometimes works better with a filler, such as Cream-of-Wheat, to fill up the rest of the case. Because of the weight of the filler, you need to reduce the amount of powder or the pressure will increase. That is not good when shooting old guns. I recently also tried plastic shot buffer as a filler since it is much lighter weight. Although there is a slight difference, I don't believe that the improvement in accuracy from using a filler is worth the extra effort. If you do use a filler of any kind, make sure that you use enough so that it is compressed quite a bit during bullet seating to keep the powder in place against the primer otherwise you could have a squib load or a hangfire. I have had that happen.

For higher pressure handgun loads, I have found that SR4756 works well. It is consistent and accurate in short barrels.

Larger amounts of slow burning rifle powder work well in modern rifles. IMR4227 and SR4759 are a couple of examples suggested by others. I use 2400 powder myself. Usually, no filler is needed with a rifle. Just make sure that you do not use these cartridges in an older or lighter duty firearm or you will seriously damage the gun. It is very difficult to get one load that will work well in both a handgun and a rifle without handicapping one or the other.

I have tried to make XMP5744 work with the 32-20 since it is recommended for old BP cases. I have been unsuccessful. It does pretty much fill the case, but it does not burn completely even with Magnum primers and a heavy crimp. Velocity and accuracy is variable. I have had better luck with XMP5744 in larger cases. I was also surprised that Unique did not work all that well in the 32-20. It was "average" at best. SR4756 was more accurate in a short barrel at similar pressures.

The 32-20 Contender is different from all other 32-20's that I am aware of. It has a 0.308" barrel. When I asked, the Thompson people wrote me that firing a 0.312"/0.313" bullet through their 0.308" barrel would not cause any pressure or accuracy problems. From my experience, this is half true. There were no pressure problems (the Contender is very strong), but standard 32-20 cartridges did not give good accuracy from the Contender barrel I owned. From correspondence with the silhouette crowd who use this barrel, it is obvious that the Contender cartridge is really a wildcat. In fact, they often refer to it as a 30-20 Silhouette cartridge. Even Redding lists the Contender dieset as different from the 32-20 dieset. The 30-20 cannot be used in revolvers or lever action rifles made for the 32-20 since they are over length, are loaded to very high pressure, and have pointed bullets. That is not a 32-20 in my opinion.

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Factory Cartridges.

There is a fair amount of misinformation and half-truths floating around about 32-20 factory cartridges. First, the warning about NOT using high-velocity, high-pressure, "rifle-only" loads in a BP firearm or a light duty handgun is true. However, you cannot buy those cartridges anymore. As near as I can tell, the last ones were made prior to WWII. They are collectors items now and if you find a box somewhere, you can sell them for enough to buy two or three of more recent boxes of 32-20 ammunition. The "real" high-velocity, high-pressure rifle loads have a warning on the back that says "use ONLY in modern rifles". Believe it.

BTW, in my defense, part of the reason I fired "rifle-only" loads in my fathers PPS was because I found them in an old hardware store in a town we were driving through when I was about 15 years old. I could afford the box, but when reading it, I saw the warning. The guy behind the counter told me that it meant "don't use them in old black powder guns". Obviously, my fathers gun was not a BP gun. I believed him (probably because I wanted to), bought the box, and the rest you know. Don't make the same mistake.

Modern 100gr half-jacketed "high velocity" loads are NOT the same thing as the old "rifle-only" loads. They are considerably downloaded and say "safe in any rifle or handgun" on the back of the box. In fact, the latest "high-velocity" cartridges are actually downloaded from the ones manufactured in the late 1950's/early 1960's. The older cartridges gave 900fps from a 5" handgun barrel. The newer ones are down to around 800fps from the same gun. They are only barely faster than the lead bullet standard velocity loads nowadays.

Shooting modern factory cartridges in a modern gun is like shooting a .22LR. Not very satisfying. Pushing the speed up gives a much more satisfying load. Anyway, modern factory loaded cartridges are safe in all sound guns, even the ones marked "high-velocity". However, you must handload the 32-20 in order to get very much enjoyment out of it.
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Re: My take on the 32-20

Post by AmBraCol »

I miss HarryO. His writing about the old calibers and about rolling block rifles is good stuff. Thankd for dusting this one off for us.

A sporting goods store owner I knew way back in the 20th Century had a CBC single shot 32-20 that he used for hunting. He started reloading for it when primers and smokeless powder became available. I don't recall what bullets he was using, but his powder dispensing method was "interesting". He'd take about what the factory appeared to use (CBC - now known in the US as MagTech) and add a bit, sometimes quite a bit, to that amount. The only thing that kept him from blowing himself up was that CBC singleshot built on a 12 gauge sized frame. There was a massive amount of steel around the chamber and for a good portion of the barrel as well. I never got to shoot that rifle as we never hunted together, but he claimed that the penetration of his loads was FAR superior to the factory ammo. Those rounds would probably wreck a '73 Winchester or any of the old sixguns in that chambering.
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Re: My take on the 32-20

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I wish I could say this article is useful to me but I have regrettably lost two chances to own a .32.20 one was a Marlin CL and the other was a Winchester 92 that Kirk had for sale... :oops:
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Re: My take on the 32-20

Post by JimT »

gamekeeper wrote: Mon Jan 30, 2023 9:18 am I wish I could say this article is useful to me but I have regrettably lost two chances to own a .32.20 one was a Marlin CL and the other was a Winchester 92 that Kirk had for sale... :oops:
I will be posting other articles by Harry O on different calibers. Who knows? There are still some out there ........ :D
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Re: My take on the 32-20

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gamekeeper wrote: Mon Jan 30, 2023 9:18 am I wish I could say this article is useful to me but I have regrettably lost two chances to own a .32.20 one was a Marlin CL and the other was a Winchester 92 that Kirk had for sale... :oops:
What is the reloading component situation over there? Brass and primers are an issue up in the US right now. Dies, bullets and powder can be scrounged but the brass and primers are scarce at best right now.
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Re: My take on the 32-20

Post by Bill in Oregon »

A Winchester in .32-20 is the only original Model 92 that I have owned. The rest have been from Brazil. It sure makes for a great plinking round, in a rifle not much more bark than a .22.
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Re: My take on the 32-20

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Bill in Oregon wrote: Mon Jan 30, 2023 11:35 am A Winchester in .32-20 is the only original Model 92 that I have owned. The rest have been from Brazil. It sure makes for a great plinking round, in a rifle not much more bark than a .22.
I had loads for mine that were dead silent. All you heard was the hammer CLACK when you pulled the trigger. Pushed a 95 gr. cast bullet a bit over 500 fps.
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Re: My take on the 32-20

Post by Tycer »

My absolute favorite cartridge. I think my Remington Model 25 might be my favorite firearm. Maybe.
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Re: My take on the 32-20

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AmBraCol wrote: Mon Jan 30, 2023 10:19 am
gamekeeper wrote: Mon Jan 30, 2023 9:18 am I wish I could say this article is useful to me but I have regrettably lost two chances to own a .32.20 one was a Marlin CL and the other was a Winchester 92 that Kirk had for sale... :oops:
What is the reloading component situation over there? Brass and primers are an issue up in the US right now. Dies, bullets and powder can be scrounged but the brass and primers are scarce at best right now.
Nath could give you a more accurate answer but as far as I know we are not exactly swimming in reloading stuff either.
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Re: My take on the 32-20

Post by marlinman93 »

Harry wrote from experience, and not to sell guns or ammunition. His writings were the sort of articles I tore out of gun magazines and punched three holes in to keep in a 3 ring notebook to read again and again!
Back when I first discovered this article I was already a big fan of the .32-20 and I recall smiling at many of his comments about the cartridge, and agreeing to what he wrote. I had a S&W in .32-20, a Ballard, and numerous Marlin leverguns in .32-20, and loved the cartridge. I still consider it the finest short length rifle cartridge around, and have shot mine out at 400-500 yds. and enjoyed a lot of dings with my rifles in .32-20 caliber.
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Re: My take on the 32-20

Post by Oldncrusty »

Thanks. I needed that!
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Re: My take on the 32-20

Post by Ray »

A local (next larger city ) gunshop posted on f.b. that they had three cimarron models p jr. 32-20/32 h&r combos for $525. I called to confirm then rushed there only to find that they had erred. What they had were three full-sized model p-s 32-20s in each of the barrel lengths.

My question for the single action oracles is this.....which to buy ? 4.75" or 5.5" or 7.5" ?

I'm leaning towards the shorter of the three.....
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Re: My take on the 32-20

Post by AJMD429 »

.
I agree with this paragraph...

"I bought a 32-20 Lee Factory Crimp die shortly after it came out to crimp the bullet after it is seated. It is the solution to all 32-20 crimping problems. This die does not push down on the case as do all other crimping dies. The cartridge holder presses on the base of the crimping die and crimps the case radially. The end result is that that it is easy to get a strong crimp and buckles during crimping are history. Anybody who reloads the 32-20, 38-40, or 44-40 really needs this die. You are just making things hard for yourself without it."
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Re: My take on the 32-20

Post by JimT »

Ray wrote: Mon Jan 30, 2023 10:11 pm A local (next larger city ) gunshop posted on f.b. that they had three cimarron models p jr. 32-20/32 h&r combos for $525. I called to confirm then rushed there only to find that they had erred. What they had were three full-sized model p-s 32-20s in each of the barrel lengths.

My question for the single action oracles is this.....which to buy ? 4.75" or 5.5" or 7.5" ?

I'm leaning towards the shorter of the three.....
Since I have somehow ended up with old eyes I have fallen for the 4 3/4" ... 4 5/8" (Ruger) ... the shorter barrels seem to work better for me.
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Re: My take on the 32-20

Post by Sixgun »

I could go on for years describing the 32-20 but Harry said it all as good as it could be told. He also was a huge fan of the 38-40.

I have rifles in 32-20 from Winchester 1892, Winchester 1885, Colt Lightning, and a Smith hand ejector made in 1906…..I let more than a few go, especially 1892 Winchesters…..maybe around a dozen or more……sold Doc AJMD a Remington 25…………..back in the eighties and nineties they were all over the place. Wanted a Colt SAA but it had to be a first gen in nice condition….found one but turned it down at 25…was a 90% gun…yea, should have bought it but this was about 1995 and I didnt have the loot to play with.

3rd gen Colts didn’t interest me….besides, there’s little to gain with a 32-20 in a handgun as there’s always the 357 that can be loaded down to match it…

The 32-20 is one cartridge I couldn’t live without…….you can do soooooooo much with it. Cat sneeze loads are very easy to make due to the small case capacity…..like the .22L.R., the 32-20 kills past its size……..back in the seventies I must have killed a wheelbarrow load of squirrels with it…my eyes were sharp then and I’d bust ‘‘em out of oaks and hickories and watch ‘‘em make that long drop and thump. The 32-20 is the reason I stopped hunting squirrels……ate so many of them I got sick at the sight….reminded me of rats. Shot a feral cat with one at 100 meters away offhand. That cat must have jumped 5 feet in the air and thump…..shot crows out of trees and groundhogs on the ground. Could have had a turkey but stupid decided to leave the rifle back at camp and carried an even more stupid shotgun instead….and there’s this turkey, silhouetted against the sky 50-60 yards away……just looking at me.

When woods loafing a Remington 25 is THE gun to have…….about the size of a model 61 Winchester. You can plink while walking without disturbing the woods. Sold that rifle to a doctor in Indiana who goes by the name of AJMD a.k.a. Mr Covid Curer.

LOTS of memories with the 32-20………..my favorite one now is an 1885 Winchester Low-Wall with a special order half rd./oct. barrel. Had a tang sight on it but I changed it to a MVA 36” and used the dovetails as I didn’t want no extra holes in it……with 5 grains of Unique with a Lyman gas check bullet it’s very close to being a MOA rifle.

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With an original Marbles “special base” tang sight.

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Colt Lightning in 32-20 to the left, then a 38-40 with the 44-40 to the right.(serial number 58)

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32-20 Smith made in 1906 and shipped to the Belknap Hardware store in Louisville, Kentucky…..the Remington 25 is close to being new but is in 25-20.

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Model A Uzi’s
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AmBraCol
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Re: My take on the 32-20

Post by AmBraCol »

Ray wrote: Mon Jan 30, 2023 10:11 pm A local (next larger city ) gunshop posted on f.b. that they had three cimarron models p jr. 32-20/32 h&r combos for $525. I called to confirm then rushed there only to find that they had erred. What they had were three full-sized model p-s 32-20s in each of the barrel lengths.

My question for the single action oracles is this.....which to buy ? 4.75" or 5.5" or 7.5" ?

I'm leaning towards the shorter of the three.....
I'd lean towards the 5.5" - because I've got a Barranti holster for that size/length and nothing to fit it - yet. Other than that, I'd look down the barrels and see which one allowed me to see the sights best.
Paul - in Pereira


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marlinman93
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Re: My take on the 32-20

Post by marlinman93 »

Ray wrote: Mon Jan 30, 2023 10:11 pm A local (next larger city ) gunshop posted on f.b. that they had three cimarron models p jr. 32-20/32 h&r combos for $525. I called to confirm then rushed there only to find that they had erred. What they had were three full-sized model p-s 32-20s in each of the barrel lengths.

My question for the single action oracles is this.....which to buy ? 4.75" or 5.5" or 7.5" ?

I'm leaning towards the shorter of the three.....
All of my SAA are 4.75" barrels and I love them! I happen to have a Uberti in .32-20 also and it's a great gun. The mainspring was a bit heavier than needed so I lightened it, which improved the feel of the action. It's pretty good, but not quite up to my AWA SAA action feel. But not much of the SAA I own are.
Pre WWI Marlins and Singleshot rifles!
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