reloadable .32 rimfire brass

[Chev. William]

Navy Shooter,
Going back over the last page of posts, I noticed an implied question about Chamber shapes:
SAAMI and CIP both publish Cartridge and Chamber dimensions drawings for our Reference.
Some Chambers are designed as Straight walled cylinders, usually Revolvers and .22RF types, while others have varying degrees of Taper designed in, usually high power Rifles or intended for Semi-automatic or Full-automatic weapons use. All Chambers also have what is called a Throat, cut forward of the point where the mouth of a Maximum Length Cartridge case would fall, that is a conical area that transitions from the maximum size of a possible bullet down to the Bore diameter of the Minimum specified barrel dimensions.
This Throat is intended to ease the bullet into concentric engagement with the lands and grooves of the Barrel Rifling so they 'engrave' without removing 'chips' from the bullet. A Chamber that is cut with a square end on the Lands WILL cut from, rather than press the displaced metal into, the body of the bullet.

Sadly, I have an old .22LR barrel that was 'reamed' to make the chamber longer so .22 Shot Shells would not 'stick' in it. It Cuts little Lead Chips from each bullet fired from it now, but the Shot Shells don't present an extraction problem when used now. It has been removed and replaced with a properly chambered 'Bull Barrel' this last year.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

The below is a Quote from a Current gunbroker.com Auction for "299153" Cast lead heeled bullets posted by "Tenmile", whom I believe is J. harrison, from whom I hav epurchased bullets and Cases for .32 Long Colt in the past. his products ar eof Good quality.

"

Description for Item # 461034136

100 heel bullets cast using Ideal 299153 mould. These bullets work equally well in the long or the short case. Weigh around 87 grains. The heel diameter is about 0.298" and the diameter at the lands is about 0.315". Usual hardness is about BHN 8. When loading these bullets to work through the magazine of a Marlin, proper case length is 0.82" My 1891 shot the pictured group (tang sight, 25 yd). Payment by money order. Buyer pays $6.00 shipping on any quantity up to 500 pieces. NO PAYPAL. I also have 32 Long Colt new brass that has been formed from Starline 32 S&W Long. This is what I use in my own rifles. Case length is approx. 0.94", untrimmed. To load 32 long and short Colt, you can put together a die set from parts, some of which you might already have. Size die: A letter "O" drill bushing pressed into an old 7/8-14 die that has been bored for the bushing. For tight chambers an 8mm bushing is a thousandth smaller. These can be had at an industrial supply. I have these on hand (5/8ODx3/4L) for $10 or installed in a used 7/8-14 die for $25. Expander: All you need to do is slightly bell the mouth of the sized case so the bullet will seat without shaving lead. A 30 caliber expander plug can be ground and polished by hand to a gentle taper and will do the job nicely. Seating: 32 S&W or 32 ACP seating die. Most seating plugs are too blunt for the 299153 bullet so can either be relieved to fit or you can use epoxy glue to make a perfect fit. The seating plug on the RCBS 32 ACP die works pretty well as is. Crimping is not necessary. However, if you belled the case mouth too much, run the loaded round into the size die just far enough to straighten out the case mouth. This works better than you might think. If you don't want to resize your brass every time and the heel does not fit tightly in the case, use a touch of retaining grade LocTite to secure the bullet. 32 die sets are usually cheap at gun shows, but a Lee die set probably costs less than the gas to a gun show. It would work to make a sleeve for a 38, 44, or 45 die and turn a seating plug if you have a lathe or a friend who knows how to use one. Lube the bullets with Lee liquid alox or a mix of alox and Johnson's paste wax either before loading or after. It seems like everyone has a method they like. I still have some Rooster liquid jacket. It is available from Midway.

And her is the Descriptive text from one of his auctions for "32 Long Colt" Cases.

Description for Item # 461034420


Twenty (20) 32 Long Colt cases that have been reformed using new Starline 32 S&W Long cases. These are what I shoot in my Marlins. Case length is about 0.92" and if you intend to use these cases in a Marlin 1891 or 92 with the 299153 heel bullets from one of my other auctions they must be trimmed to 0.82" or perhaps as short as 0.78". Sometimes I have the 0.82" cases on hand for an additional 5 cents per case. Those with Ballards have told me these cases work as is with the 299153 bullet. I recently found a Ballard #2 marked "32 Long". This one, #99XX, also likes my cases without any trimming. Buyer pays shipping of $4.00. Buy 50 for $40, 100 for $75, shipping $6.00 for quantities greater than 20 cases. NO PAYPAL. I do not accept paypal payments. To reload 32 long or short Colt, you can put together a die set from parts, some of which you might already have. Size die: A letter "O" drill bushing pressed into an old 7/8-14 die that has been bored for the bushing. For tight chambers an 8mm bushing is a thousandth smaller. These can be had at an industrial supply. I have these on hand (5/8ODx3/4L) for $10 or installed in a used 7/8-14 die for $25. Expander: All you need to do is slightly bell the mouth of the sized case so the bullet will seat without shaving lead. A 30 caliber expander plug can be ground and polished by hand to a gentle taper and will do the job nicely. Seating: 32 S&W or 32 ACP seating die. Most seating plugs are too blunt for the 299153 bullet so can either be relieved to fit or you can use epoxy glue to make a perfect fit. The seating plug on the RCBS 32 ACP die works pretty well as is. Crimping is not necessary. However, if you belled the case mouth too much, run the loaded round into the size die just far enough to straighten out the case mouth. This works better than you might think. If you don't want to resize your brass every time and the heel does not fit tightly in the case, use a touch of retaining grade LocTite to secure the bullet. 32 die sets are usually cheap at gun shows, but a Lee die set probably costs less than the gas to a gun show. It would work to make a sleeve for a 38, 44, or 45 die and turn a seating plug if you have a lathe or a friend who knows how to use one. Lube the bullets with Lee liquid alox or a mix of alox and Johnson's paste wax either before loading or after. It seems like everyone has a method they like. I still have some Rooster liquid jacket and it is available from Midway.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

Wet and 'miserable' here Saturday and Sunday morning with rain forecast to 'peter off' sometime around Noon. My Yard Plantings do need the Water but my Dogs don't like it.

It seems like My "Aging Bones and Body" don't like the Cold and wet as much any more either.

I got my dogs to go out for their 'morning toilet' by going out first and calling them out onto the Patio, then staying out until they had finished. Now I have two damp Dogs at my feet 'begging' for some of my Breakfast. Life is Good At the Moment.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Hooker53]

Always great Information in your post Chev and look forward to all of them that you write. I also have a shivering Mut this morning as she had to go to the Doggie Day Spa yesterday and get a clip. Lol. Dry out soon.

Roy
Hooker53

[tomsp8]

So I'm sitting idly at work, and somehow came up with this....No idea why it had never occurred to me before....
Trimming .22lr cases (or nail gun blanks)... Pull bullet, dump powder, chuck case in cordless drill, cut off with my air powered
hack saw. Using a spacer gives me near exact lengths (I try to cut them so they do not protrude into the
.32 case more than necessary). Took all of 10 seconds from start to finish! Tried the dremel thing before but
kept popping the priming compound from sparks. This doesn't create any sparks at all.
Tom

[tomsp8]

*The cordless drill is simply used to hold the case. The air powered hacksaw is doing the cutting.

[Chev. William]

Interesting idea and good 'Shade Tree" Mechanic process.

Congratulations on the successful process.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[Chev. William]

It is now April 14th, the Day before IRS Tax Filings are due.
This month I took my two Dogs in for a "Summer Short Hair Clip and Bath to remove the long matted and burr filled Winter coats, then stopped at the Vets Office to get them the needed Annual Shots and checkup.
Slowly expanding 600 pieces of .22 Hornet Brass to make parent cases for my Experiments in .25 Stevens and Lengthened .25ACP designs. I decided to do all the Expansion before starting the resizing operations this time. So far I have 300 Neck and Shoulder expanded cases waiting for the rest to be done.
Friends have come by and have helped me getting my 1942 GPW Bodied/MB engined "Jeep' back up on four full tires. They are considering 'cleaning it's bodywork up some more, painting it, and then using it as a 'Service Vehicle' for use at Airshows when they are doing the Pyrotechnics Operations. I am Happy to allow this as it will get the 'Jeep' back in use again and it is fun to drive when it is running. Not Practical for long Freeway rides but great for Local Trips due to its Original Gearing. I do have later model (larger) brakes on it with the original parts stored 'just in case' I ever want to return i tto Original arrangements. (the original brakes were too small for modern Traffic Safety, to long a Stopping distance in an 'emergency' stop). The Body is 'Field Maintained' condition, not 'As Originally Manufactured'.
Dents and dings, Etc. lend it 'character'. Over time I had gone through the Mechanical assemblies and it is in very good, safe and tight, Operating Condition but will of course need full lube and oil service before driving it again as it has set for about 5 years waiting for more money and enthusiasm to continue the Slow upgrades in appearance.
Best Regards,
Chev. William

[ndnchf]

I've spent the last couple days re-reading this thread. It seems I forgot much of what I and others wrote of our 32 rimfires experiences. Over the last few years I've been shooting a #4. Remington rolling block that I converted from 32 RF to centerfire, and a #2 RRB in 32 extra long rimfire. But the #2's bore is pretty shot out. After a lot of experimenting, about the best I could do was 5" at 50 yards.

Well, fast forward to today when another #2 RRB in 32 extra long arrived at my door. This one has avery nice bore. So the 32 rimfire journey begins again!

[Chev. William]

YEA! Good for you Ndnchf.

I had Three days oF Work Last week and three More this week so now am Waiting for the Paycheck(s) to arrive in the Mails.

The work was at 20th century fox studios in Beverly Hills, CA. It is A little more than 53 miles for the daily Commute Round trip and my 'little 1986 Dodge Ram 50 Pickup (holding my tool Kit) gave me a little better than 21 miles per gallon fuel mileage. Pretty nice for a 2.4L Carburetored 5 speed Manual Transmission 'one short Ton' pickup (payload on mine is just over 2000lbs).

Getting up at 0300, out of the house before 0500 to get to my work Site before 0600 confused my two dogs no end, as their normal routine is sleep until 0600, then go out about 0700 to do their 'Thing'. they are usually Very attached to me, trying to stay within 6 feet of me at all Times.
The do "cry" if I leave them outside while I am inside or 'vise versa'.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[w30wcf]

I've spent the last couple days re-reading this thread. It seems I forgot much of what I and others wrote of our 32 rimfires experiences. Over the last few years I've been shooting a #4. Remington rolling block that I converted from 32 RF to centerfire, and a #2 RRB in 32 extra long rimfire. But the #2's bore is pretty shot out. After a lot of experimenting, about the best I could do was 5" at 50 yards.

Well, fast forward to today when another #2 RRB in 32 extra long arrived at my door. This one has avery nice bore. So the 32 rimfire journey begins again!

ndnchf,
I'm thinking that with some PSB (Polyethylene Shot Buffer) over a slower burning powder (2400, 4227) might just tighten the groups up. The PSB acts as a flexible gas check, keeping the gas behind the bullet, allowing it to transverse the barrel without powder gases getting by to harm accuracy. If you want to try some, let me know and I can send you a small amount to test.

I have used it in several applications and in each one, accuracy improvement was the result. The latest was in a friends 38-40 1889 Marlin. It had just about the worst looking bore I have ever seen with pits and grooves along its length. Even rifling seemed to be missing in some spots! Anyway, accuracy with even jacketed factory ammo was pretty dismal. We loaded up some cast bullets using 4227 and then PSB then seating the bullet to compress the PSB a bit. He was amazed at the difference in accuracy. Now the rifle was putting the bullets point on and into about 2" at 50 yards.

Chev William,
Thank you for all the progress reports. Great job!


I was thinking the other day that I haven't had the '92 Marlin on an outing for the last year or 2. I have ammunition loaded so I need to get to the range one of these days...........

w30wcf

[Chev. William]

November 25th I Started a NEW Project At my Gun Shop of Choice:
I Began The Purchase Process (California Version) of a Used Ruger .22 Cal "Single Six" Revolver and dropped off one of my 'horded' LW ".25ACP/6.35 Browning " C-M Barrel blanks to have a new 10-5/8" Barrel started to fit it. I also have ordered a Second 8-round 'Reproduction' .22WMR Cylinder from 'Numerich Arms' to be Reamed out to fit ".25 Stevens/6.35x28.6mmSR Cartridges. This will join the first one that is Reamed to take .25ACP Cartridges.

The Ruger must sit 'unmolested' until the California Waiting Period is finished, which should be about Christmas.

When it becomes available for Work, it will be converted to CF from RF, and the Two Cylinders and the New Barrel will be fitted to Function properly, hopefully with a a minimum Cylinder/Forcing Cone gap suitable for Accurate and Reliable Shooting.

I used most of my first 'three Day paycheck' for the Purchases; $about $385 for the Revolver and $160 for the Cylinder and Replacement 'hand' (as a spare for Fitting to the Revolver/Cylinders for proper indexing). My Gunsmith Tells me he will start machining on the Barrel after the Thanksgiving Holiday so it will be ready for fitting by Christmas. He said he will use a 12 inch Section of the 23.4 inch long blank to make my New Barrel, doing the Initial contour turning between Centers using A driving dog, to get the best concentrically he can between bore and Exterior. Plenty of "meat' in the Blank's 1.1 inch OD to do the turning.

This Ruger IS strong enough to take at least .22WMR, as confirmed by a phone call from the shop to Ruger to verify that by serial number Before Purchase.
This will allow Load Development to middle MAP area, about 25,000psi nominal of the .22WMR.

My Stevens 1894 Favorite works with .27 CAL Grade 3 PTL blanks but not Grade 4 blanks. The Grade 4 behind a Breech seated 53 grain lead bullet bent an original, low alloy, pivot Screw. I have since replaced all Pivot Screws and Pins in the Action with new, High Strength Alloy Heat treated. Steel ones but will not be using any heavier than the 'Grade 3 PTL blanks' in it.

I will be trying BP loads in a 1915 Action that is converted to CF AND has been fitted with the similar new High Strength Pivot Screws and Pins.

I also have a Stevens 'Model 44' action being converted to CF and Fitted with both a Stevens "25.R.F." marked barrel and a shortened takeoff Stainless Steel ".308" barrel chambered for .32 Long Colt. New Pins and Pivots also, and a NOS Breech Block that "bears" on the Back receiver 'shoulders' when in battery.

All in all, a good Thanksgiving Holiday this year.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[ndnchf]

John - thanks for the offer of the PSB. Not sure what I will do with that rifle, but thinking about sending to JES for rebore to 38 S&W. This second #2 has a really nice bore and should be a real nice shooter. I've got more 299153 bullets coming, but been thinking about ordering a 31-090S or 31-090A mold from Accurate. A while back you sent me a few 31-090S bullets to try, I still have some of them and will try them in this new rifle. They worked well in my other rifle after I reduced the heel to .299". I'm intrigued by the 31-090A with the lube groove in the heel. But I don't know if it would work in my rifle which has a tight chamber and needs a .299" heel. It has a small driving band, I'm not sure how well it will stabilize. What do you think? This rifle has a groove size of .3065" and bore of about .302" (the best I can measure). Do you think a .299" heel would bump up to ride the bore?

[w30wcf]

ndnchf,
Perhaps with b.p. and close to pure lead, the .299" heel would possibly bump up. Perhaps it might also with Trail Boss.
It would seem that the better option would be the 31-090S which has more groove diameter engagement which possibly would work better with a smaller than bore riding heel diameter.

If you would like some more 31-090S and / or 31-090A bullets for testing let me know (pm).

w30wcf

[ndnchf]

I'm agree that the 31-090S would probably be a better choice. I don't mind the outside lubrication. Here's something I've wondered about for a while. The typical band diameter of the Ideal 299153 and others run .314" - .315", but nominal groove diameter of my Remingtons run around .308". That is a big difference, the bullet is squishing down .006-.007". That's a lot more than conventional wisdom that says .001-.002" over groove diameter. Maybe other rifles have larger grooves? But my #4 RRB with .008" grooves shoots these large bullets very well, 1.5" at 50 yards.

My new #2 RRB in 32 XL has a tight chamber and very tight bore. It is about .3065-.307" groove size. So I'm thinking that if I order a 31-090S, i'd specify .299" heel and .309" band diameter. Is there any reason this wouldn't work? I've got more 299153 bullets on the way, so I'll play with those first. But a 31-090S may be in my future.

[ndnchf]

W30wcf - I dug around last night and found about a dozen 31-090S bullets I had left that you sent me last year. I turned the heel down to .299" on them, then sized them down to .312" to get them a little closer to my groove size. The chamber is tighter on this rifle than my other #2 RRB, so I'm having to rework the brass a little. But hope to have a few rounds ready to test shortly.

[ndnchf]

I took my new-to-me #2 Remington rolling block in 32 extra long rimfire to the range today. I only had a few rounds and the object was simply to test the function of my reloadable shells. The were loaded with 31-090S bullets (heel turned down to .299") and #3 duo-fast power tool loads. This was just 15 yards, so it doesn't mean much. But the holes are nice and round, they all fired and and extracted just fine. I'm looking forward to more load testing.

[Chev. William]

Nice Horizontal Pattern Spread, not o\so nice Vertical Pattern Spread. For a first trial of a "New" rifle it does look Promising.
Congratulations.
Best Regards,
Chev. William

[A pause for the COZ]

Have a hankerin to put some balls down range with my Steven 32L Rimfire.
To save on cleaning, I have found as others have. Trail Boss works fine and makes a nice light load.
I am using Dixie gun works 32L cases made from Brass Bar stock. You use 22cal blanks as a primer. .310 Hornady round balls.
Pretty simple to load. You just tap a round ball onto the case. With a dipper fill the case with powder from the primer hole. Then install the 22 blank.

I will shoot about 15 or 20. See if it will group enough to take it squirreling.


Gun Dog supply sells the blanks. The Walthers are out of stock right now but they do have another brand of acron blank in stock.
http://www.gundogsupply.com/walther-...orn-blank.html



Ok now thats what I call fun. I shot 18 rounds, no issues at all.





Once I figured out were it was shooting About 4 inches high at the distance I was at 25 yards maybe. The thing shoots really accurate. Should shoot right to the sights at 50 yards or so.
In my book that is good squirrel medicine.

[Chev. William]

Yes, that does Look Good, both Rifle and Target.
It should Garner you a good Quantity of "Pot Meat" and enjoyable Times in the Woods.
Just Like what J. Stevens Envisioned.
Best Regards,
Chev. William