.327 Federal and .32 S&W Long

[dobe]

I Just purchased a Ruger Single 7, and I'm dying to cast and load a bunch for my grandson and me. I've been away from loading, but will set up my bench within the next few months.

I would like to load for the .327 as well as the S&W Long. I would like to start with the S&W Long, and load some very mild WC for my grandson.
I would appreciate recommendations for

WC mold for the S&W Long
SWC mold for the .327
Brass recommendations for both.



Thanks is advance.

[dondiego]

Starline brass is good stuff. Don't overlook .32 H&R mag brass either.
The loading data is online a the powder mfgr. website.

[Gus Youmans]

Dobe,

I suspect that the only brass you can get that is not already loaded is Starline and even then only when they make a run. You may be able to find it at Midway or on Amazon but I am not sure. Just about any brass will work fine.

I have the RCBS 98 grain SWC, Accurate 31-105K SWC, and the NOE 115 grain SWC. I have not worked with the latter mold, having just received it, but the other two work well in both .32 S&W Long and .32 H&R Magnum brass. I also have the Lee 90 grain tumble lube mold but it will remain on the shelf because the other molds cast better and shot better in my limited tests.

I have the RCBS 98 grain WC mold and have bullets cast and ready to lube but have not shot them yet. Of the six .32 caliber molds I own, the two RCBS molds are the easiest for me to cast with. Aluminum molds are a relatively new thing to me and I am still getting the hang of casting with them because of the difference in the heat retention properties of aluminum.

I had Tom at Accurate Molds design the 31-120S for me because I have a Ruger SP101 in .32 H&R Magnum that shoots low and I wanted to try a heavier bullet in order to get the gun to shoot to point of aim. The mold accomplished what I hoped it would and seems to shoot OK but I have not worked up any loads for it or shot it out of a Ransom rest to compare its accuracy to the other .32 caliber bullets out of that gun. Although it is not a SWC it cuts a pretty clean hole because of the large meplat.

My Single Seven has not arrived yet but the two bullets I will try first will be the 98 grain RCBS and the Accurate 105K. In my tests to date the RCBS bullet seems to give the best accuracy but it is only a two cavity mold, whereas the 105K is almost as accurate and is a 5 cavity mold.

Unless you just want a wadcutter mold I think you will find that the SWC bullets will be more accurate than you or your grandson can hold and can be loaded down to the same velocity as wadcutters.

Gus Youmans

[dougader]

I've always loaded 32 HRM for the soft stuff in my 327's... a 94 grain rnfp with 3.0 - 3.5 grains of WW231.

In 327, I use the Speer data you can get online as a guide:

http://www.speer-bullets.com/pdf/327_Federal_100gr3990_DataFile_Final.pdf

http://www.speer-bullets.com/pdf/327_Federal_Magnum_GDHP_115gr_3988_DataFile.pdf

[MT Gianni]

The RCBS 98 swc works well in the 32 Long and H&R. Finding a 32 wc mold is difficult at best without going to a custom mold maker.

[williamwaco]

This not a WC or SWC but I really like the 311008 in mine.


http://www.midwayusa.com/Product/236603/lyman-2-cavity-bullet-mold-311008-32-20-wcf-312-diameter-115-grain-flat-nose

[dobe]

Should I just forego the S&W Long, and simply load the HR and .327 Fed.? I can
t see loading all three.

[williamwaco]

Should I just forego the S&W Long, and simply load the HR and .327 Fed.? I can
t see loading all three.

Load the brass you have.

If you don't have any, load the brass you can find.

[dobe]

im starting from scratch with this caliber.

[Green Frog]

Since I load my 32 S&W L for both an I-frame Smith as well as my Ruger and S&W (custom) 327s, I load them to very mild target levels. I like a 95-100 gr SWC over about 1.8-2.2 gr of Bullseye. My 327s get a big NOE 125 gr PB version of the old 3118 Ideal design over medium warm loads of a long discontinued powder that approximates Accurate #9. I was out shooting both of these today in my custom K-frame 327 and it digests them all quite well! ;)

Froggie

PS Starting from scratch? Buy a couple of boxes of whatever 32 S&W and 327 is available and save the brass to reload as mentioned above. Shoot, reload, repeat. :)

[dougader]

You can get both 32 HRM amd 327 FM brass from Starline. I wouldn't mess with all 3 calibers, either, unless I already had the brass.

[rintinglen]

I am in something of the same boat that the OP is, in that I am feverishly awaiting the passage of the unconstitutional 10 day waiting period before picking up my own Single Seven. If you have no brass, I can only echo the advise given to stick with the 327 brass. Graf and Sons had starline brass available recently and I bought 300. I just finished loading 100 327 Magnums with a starting load of H-110 and MP 314-100 HP boolits, I have some 32 H&R brass as well left over from a failed attempt to buy a 32 Single Six.
I have a bunch of 32 SW Longs for my old hand ejector. RCBS makes a 32-98 WC as well as their excellent 32-98 SWC, so you should have no problems finding a Wadcutter mold. I have several other molds that I will be trying as well. My Blackhawk 327 was very partial to the 32-98 and 5.0 grains of Unique, but also shot 32 SW Long Wadcutter loads well, albeit to a very different point of aim.

[catskinner]

RCBS 32-98-SWC is a good mold. I also use the Saeco 322 in my Marlin 1894. These are both plain base molds.

[35remington]

I have a very clean I frame Smith 32 long, 4 1/4 inch. A summer long project has been the utilization of the RCBS 98 WC, the RCBS 98 SWC, the Lyman 313492 Class 3 wadcutter and the Lee 90 SWC with various loads.

If developing fun, accurate practice and target loads at low cost I see nothing excelling the RCBS 98 WC. It is not difficult to obtain this mould as it is a standard item from RCBS. 720 to 750 fps, traditional target speeds in the 32 long, are obtained with such powder charges as 1.8 grains Red Dot and 2.0 grains Bullseye. Accuracy is very good, and recoil very mild. Great fun.

The RCBS 98 SWC is a very different bullet, probably seating more shallowly in the case than any other SWC of comparable weight. A very large amount of its 102.5 grain as cast weight is parked in front of the case mouth, and charges of 2.5 grains of Bullseye are needed to get in the 800 fps vicinity. For "easy on the gun" for a given velocity the 98 SWC probably has lower pressures than any other bullet, but the greater case space means extreme spreads in velocity are higher than for more deeply seated bullets.

Since I have an I frame, "easy on the gun" matters. These revolvers are just flat tiny.

For "cheap for the buck and fun" the 98 WC leads the SWC if moderate velocities suffice as the deep seating gets more velocity than the SWC with like powder charges, at the cost of higher pressures per charge weight.

The shoulder on the RCBS 98 SWC is so little larger in diameter than the nose of the bullet it's really more of a RNFP than a SWC.

One of the oddball things I do is size the WC to throat size and seat to a much shallower depth (crimping on the front of the middle band) while increasing the powder charge to get somewhat higher velocity than the WC's seated to the crimp groove at the same pressures. About 75 fps is gained over the deeply seated WC's thereby, I suppose increasing its effectiveness to some degree....sort of a "full charge wadcutter" for the 32 long. Since the 32 long's case is actually short, any increase in powder charge with deeply seated WC's is not recommended. The 38 Special wadcutter can obtain "full charge" velocities with deep seated wadcutters.....but the smaller 32 long case cannot do so.

If you want both WC and SWC, I can recommend both RCBS moulds unreservedly. Good quality moulds that drop good bullets. Only downside is they are double cavity only.

Most of the fast powders do well, but really for all around use I find nothing much better than Bullseye. Red Dot and WST do well, with WST and Bullseye metering better. Afraid I cannot recommend Universal. Its dismal showing in any lowish pressure straight wall case of moderate to longer length continues unabated.

[dobe]

Fellows, I appreciate the info.

[dragon813gt]

A Single Seven followed me home tonight for some odd reason. Order brass from Starline. Everyone needs to this. And I'm suggesting it for a very selfish reason......I want them to make and ship the brass I ordered tonight :)

I will have to look into the molds suggested so far. This revolver is so far down on my projects list I'm wondering why I had to buy it :laugh:

[SteveS]

I've been having good luck with a Saeco #323 95gr. WC over 2.0 grains of Red Dot in my .32 mag Single Six. Very mild, target load.

[burrkiss]

I use http://www.midwayusa.com/product/254640/lee-6-cavity-bullet-mold-311-93-1r-32-20-wcf-32-s-and-w-long-32-colt-311-diameter-93-grain-1-ogive-radius with great results. I have low power loads for quick draw defensive practice, and full power ones as well. works great for .327 magnum,.

[EMC45]

I personally like the RCBS 32-098, Lee 90gr. SWC TL and I have a 115gr. loose copy of the Lyman 3118. They all perform.

[NoZombies]

One of the great things about the various flavors of .32's is that they are almost universally accurate.

I will admit to being a mold collector as much as a caster, maybe even more so. I believe I have something in excess of 60 .32 caliber molds at the moment. With that being said, the recommendations given here are spot on. The RCBS 98 grain SWC mold is essentially a shortened version of the 3118, and might be just about the best 'all around' bullet for the .32's.

For WC's don't be too concerned with the design, they all shoot about the same for me, ranging from the Lee TL to the H&G #66 to the Mihec HBWC. I would say get whichever you can, if you really feel the need for a WC mold, but I don't think they gain much in the .32 over what a good SWC or RNFP does in the caliber.

[winchester 71]

most of the good 32 H&R bullets won't work in 327 due to the nose sticking out!!!!!! yupp real bummer...........got the NOE 115 Kieth bullet that locks up the pistol and cant seat deeper.......lee TL works great at 2.0 Clays...........am working on 311316 in a old Ohaus mold that makes .314 bullets and am going to sell off some molds to buy a Accurate 31-105 mold with the short nose as this is the key to getting 327 to go......short nose is a must......3118 is a no go RCBS 31-98 a no-go and the really sad part is NOE has but one 115 gr mold that will work......best service, great molds and great price and nothing available....a truly depressing revelation anyway 327 really shoots great with the Lee T/L 90 and am working on a slow single cavity 313492 that casts really good , right size bullets and fast GC 311316/ Ohaus #14 rigt now.............

[Gus Youmans]

Winchester 71,

What you report about the RCBS 98 grain and the NOE 115 Keith bullets is correct when the bullets are seated normally but I seated both bullets to the front of the first driving band and had no issues with either bullet. I doubt the different seating depth is going to have an effect on accuracy one way or the other but have not conducted any tests to confirm my suspicions. These were light loads, so increased pressure from seating the bullets deeper was not an issue.

Gus Youmans

[winchester 71]

Gus...............shoving the bullet into the case rises pressure, crimping on the bullet kind of defeats the whole concept of cutting crimping groves into molds, I sold the NOE 115 SWC and had a bullet made that does the job properly every time and has a shorter then.300 nose............

[leftiye]

You guys must have the new single sevens. The 8 shot blackhawk, and my K frame are plenty long in the cylinder. for even longer cartridges. I'm not sure about the DA rugers, I don't (and won't) have none.

[Gus Youmans]

Winchester 71,

I guess my load development methodology is different from most subscribers to this forum. The first thing I do when working with a new cast bullet is to determine the seating depth. When developing a load for a revolver, I put an empty cartridge in the chamber and measure from the rear of the cartridge to the front of the cylinder and subtract .01, and that is my target overall length. I then seat a bullet to the crimp groove. If the overall length is close to my target length, I am done. If the dummy round is too long, I seat the bullet until the front driving band is flush with the case mouth. If I expect to fire that load in several different revolvers, the dummy round is chambered in each of the cylinders to make sure the ammo is interchangeable. When working with a semi-auto, I gradually increase the seating depth until the dummy round passes the "plunk" test and then determine if the dummy round is short enough to work through the magazines. Once again, if that load is to be used in different pistols, each pistol is checked to make sure that the rounds will fit, feed, and function properly. Once seating depth is determined, the seating die is locked down and not changed throughout the load development process. My starting powder charge is always well below max. I never take any load info from the internet and use it without trying to find some other credible source that lists a similar load with a similar weight and bullet design - and I still start lower and work up.

Aesthetically, I like to seat bullets so that they are crimped in the crimping groove but it is not a show stopper. The first revolver bullet I cast was the Lyman 358429 and it had to be seated deeper to work in the revolvers I was loading for, so it is second nature for me to crimp on the front of the driving band, if necessary. I have found a lot of reasons (excuses) to buy a new mold but being able to seat the bullet in the crimp groove has not been one of them.

leftyiye - the Single Seven is the only .327 Federal Magnum I own that requires special consideration for bullet seating. I have not had any issues with the GP100 or either of the SP101s in .327 Federal. I have an SP101 in .32 H&R Magnum that will not allow bullets with wide front driving bands to be seated to the crimp groove because the chamber throats are short, not because the cylinder is too short.

Gus Youmans

[rintinglen]

139491
The NOE 115 works fine and shoots well if loaded to an OAL of 1.50 inches. With my brass, that means you are at the very front edge of the crimp groove. You do have to be careful with the OAL in the Single Seven. The Blackhawk and GP 100's have no such problems, but the Single Seven, while a better fit to the Cartridge in IMO, is limited in this regard.

[sandman228]

Should I just forego the S&W Long, and simply load the HR and .327 Fed.? I can
t see loading all three.
that's what I would do . and cast the lee .314 90 gr swc bullet .