32-20 bullits

[stevenroy]

in the process of getting components to load my 1906 colt revolver. my lee loading die instuctions call for .312 bullet. S&N manufacture list .313. will I have a problem with .313 diameter?. my caliber is 32-20win

[marlin39a]

No sir, will work fine.

[Guesser]

My 1907 Colt New Army thrives on Lyman 3118 sized .313 and loaded over 3.4 gr. of Trail Boss. I use the same load in 4 other Colt revolvers and an Uberti Cattleman in 32-20.

[9.3X62AL]

32/20 WCF throats can vary. 1906 Colt Bisley S/A--.314". 1920 Colt Army Special--.313. 1930(+/-) S&W M&P--.314". (Now-departed) 1930s Colt Police Positive Special--.312". 2004 Marlin 1894CCL--.313". I size my 32/20, 32 S&W Long, 32 H&R Magnum, and 327 Federal bullets at .314", and all of the guns are happy and leading-free.

[evoevil]

resize them

[Dusty Bannister]

resize them

Why? And to what diameter? He has not even mentioned the cylinder throat diameter.

[vagrantviking]

Slug or measure the cylinder and bore first. That's the best way to know what your particular gun will probably want.

[Outpost75]

My two Colts from the 1920s both have .315 cylinder throats and I load bullets as - cast and unsized at .314".

These are loads I shoot in my Colts and Savage Sporter:

Bullet, Little Dandy#, Pdr. Chg.____Colt Police Positive 5”______Savage Sporter 25”

Accurate 31-105T

LD#4, 3.4 grs. Bullseye___________798 fps, 27 Sd, 60ES______1153 fps, 20 Sd, 72 ES
(Approximates factory load velocity)

Accurate 31-114D

LD#3, 3.0 grains Bullseye_________741 fps, 35 Sd, 92 ES________1041 fps, 26 SD, 78 ES

LD#4, 3.2 grains Bullsye__________861 fps, 20 Sd, 54 ES________1173 fps, 18 Sd, 52 ES

[rintinglen]

My two Colts, a 1923 Army Special and a 1932-33 Police positive Special both do well with .313 as does my post- war (post WW I) S&W. I cast them soft, tumble lube with 45/45/10 or BLL, load them mild and shoot them with no leading or problems.

[stevenroy]

thanks for the come back Dusty.Ive never slugged a barrel but after your post, its time.

[gwpercle]

thanks for the come back Dusty.Ive never slugged a barrel but after your post, its time.
It's not absolutely mandatory to do all the slugging and measuring at first...I cast, shot and reloaded for 40 years before slugging a bore. Load them .313 boolits and see if you have a problem...even money says they will shoot just fine.
This hobby doesn't have to be all complicated unless you like complicated...I'm a simple kinda guy.
Gary

[Guesser]

gwpercle>>>>I'm with you. I loaded my first 32-20 in 1956 for a Bisley. Soft cast from a Winchester mold and loobed with beeswax and beef tallow and unique. They worked, I still use the gun, different mold, loob and powder; but it works, I have no idea what the throats or bore measure.

[gandydancer]

one thousand over will harm nothing. resizing is a waste of time.

[Dusty Bannister]

thanks for the come back Dusty.Ive never slugged a barrel but after your post, its time.

I am not saying it is necessary to slug the barrel, but it would be a good idea to see if the bullet fits the cylinder throats. By fit, I mean not excessively oversized. Try pushing one of the bullets as you bought them and see if it drops through (small) or has to be driven through (a little too large) or just a gentle nudge to get it through. When you load and shoot them, if you have a problem with leading, you can slug the barrel and see what the problem might be then.

Work with the published data and always start low and work up until you have accuracy or the max load.

[9.3X62AL]

I use pin gauges to measure revolver throat diameters. Most machine shops have such tools, and some may be willing to gauge your revolver's throats at nominal cost. I don't pay much attention to bore and groove diameters any more, and concentrate upon determining throat specs. This applies to revolvers, pistols, and rifles.

[HABCAN]

Post #15, last two sentences..........PLUS ONE!!^^^^ Same here, after many decades.

[mehavey]

In both rifle and pistol, you must match bullet diameter to barrel groove plus a thousandth or two.
That said, if the pistol's cylinder throat is not matched to the groove as well (i.e. the throat found to be smaller), all focus on "precise" sizing is for naught.

For the rifle, the hope is that the groove-matched bullet diameter -- when added to the brass thickness -- won't produce an interference fit in the barrel/chamber throat.