cimarron low wall 32-20 problem

[Rimfire]

Picked up a low wall 32-20 at an estate sale for a decent price,it is nicely finished on the outside, but the chamber is terrible. Fired cases come out with almost no neck,accuracy is terrible. Anyone else have one with this problem ? If I can't find a decent load it looks like a reline will be necessary.
Pics. show loaded round-middle case was fired in a Rem. model 25-end case fired in cimarron low wall (notice the 2 lines on the case where the shoulder was)

[M71]

Post up some photos of the fired brass and the chamber. Visual details will generate some reply's.

[scb]

If it were me and I wanted to shoot that rifle I wouldn't waste any time trying to get it to shoot like it is. I doubt I would ever get satisfactory groups and would bet case life would be very very short working the brass as much as will be required. I wouldn't mess around, I'd have it re-lined by someone that knows what they are doing. My 2¢.

[VA Jim]

I'd probably have it set back and re-chambered. Shame it got out of the factory that way.

[enfield]

if the bore is good you could rechamber it to something else like 32-30 Rem. or 8x48 sauer you would have the only one !

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Maybe it's not a .32-20? Looks like after firing the case is a straight wall. I'd check the bore diameter.

[.22-10-45]

Have you slugged the bore? I would trim case to remove that short neck on fired case & try some loads before I went to a reline.

[Rimfire]

Bore measures out to .310 I am sizing bullet to .311. Will try loading a few rounds with the bullet seated out as far as possible, and see how that works.

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Well then, if the bore is as it should be, I never heard of a .32-20 Straight! But there's no reason it shouldn't shoot accurately if you reload the fired brass as-is. How to do that? Hmmmmm........you may or may not need a custom die. A regular .32-20 die could be customized by reaming the neck portion out to straight wall configuration. But, drawing on past experience, you might not need a die at all. I once owned a Martini-Henry .310 Cadet that had been converted to .32-20 WCF. The accuracy with factory ammo was abysmally awful--never hit the target at all and the bullets seemed to disappear into the wild blue. I set it aside for a few years but kept it as it wasn't eating anything, and then one day happened to read a paragraph long article/letter in the American Rifleman sent in by a reader who had the same problem and had found the cure by loading the fired brass with 97 gr. .32 Cal. wadcutters. He said that all you had to do was re-prime and charge the case and insert the base of the wadcutter into the mouth of the case, turn it upside down against a table top and press the bullet home by pushing down on the case. No press or dies needed. It worked! The rifle instantly became a tack driver. In fact, it was so accurate that it became boring and I sold it as a problem solved. One of the many mistakes of my life. But, the moral to the story is that something similar might work for you. The .32-20 is so relatively low pressure that you might get away for several reloads without having a sizing die at all. Worth looking into. Cheaper than a barrel job.

[bruce drake]

Take it to a gunsmith to drop it back a thread and rechamber and throat it properly as it was mentioned earlier in this thread.

[montana_charlie]

You should do a chamber cast on that rifle to find out what you actually have to work with.

The case on the right seems to show a restriction way up by the mouth. Where does THAT come from?

[Rimfire]

The "restriction" is the tiny neck that is left after firing.

[pietro]

.

IMO, somebody tried their hand at throating, reaming the chamber longer @ the bore, most likely to shoot longer boolits. .



For almost nil cost, I would fireform the .32-20 cases I had, load up some long boolits, and shoot the new wilcat. .


.

[Rustyleee]

Well then, if the bore is as it should be, I never heard of a .32-20 Straight! But there's no reason it shouldn't shoot accurately if you reload the fired brass as-is. How to do that? Hmmmmm........you may or may not need a custom die. A regular .32-20 die could be customized by reaming the neck portion out to straight wall configuration. But, drawing on past experience, you might not need a die at all. I once owned a Martini-Henry .310 Cadet that had been converted to .32-20 WCF. The accuracy with factory ammo was abysmally awful--never hit the target at all and the bullets seemed to disappear into the wild blue. I set it aside for a few years but kept it as it wasn't eating anything, and then one day happened to read a paragraph long article/letter in the American Rifleman sent in by a reader who had the same problem and had found the cure by loading the fired brass with 97 gr. .32 Cal. wadcutters. He said that all you had to do was re-prime and charge the case and insert the base of the wadcutter into the mouth of the case, turn it upside down against a table top and press the bullet home by pushing down on the case. No press or dies needed. It worked! The rifle instantly became a tack driver. In fact, it was so accurate that it became boring and I sold it as a problem solved. One of the many mistakes of my life. But, the moral to the story is that something similar might work for you. The .32-20 is so relatively low pressure that you might get away for several reloads without having a sizing die at all. Worth looking into. Cheaper than a barrel job.

That's what I'd do before I put a lot of money into it. I shot a T/C contender by lightly neck sizing only, just enough to keep the bullets from falling into the case. At 50 yards it would shoot 3 hole a cloverleaf.

[Rimfire]

How long of a bullet would a 1 in 20" twist handle ? I loaded a few with the cases sized just enough to hold the bullet seated long,will give them a try in a few days.

[Rimfire]

Well seating the bullets long doesn't work, tried 3 different loads this weekend and best group was about 12" at 50yds. I'm thinking it is a lost cause.

[Kraschenbirn]

If you bought the gun new, you should get in touch with Cimarron Customer Service, otherwise, I believe I'd be looking at having that barrel set back and rechambered. Fired brass from my Cimarron 32-20 Low Wall looks just like the sample you've got from the Rem. M25 and accuracy is better than I can hold. I'm shooting the Lyman 311008 (117 gr. from my alloy) sized to .313 over 9.2 gr. AA5744 which produces consistent 100 yd (iron sight) groups right around 2"

Bill

[Rimfire]

I contacted Cimarron to see if there was anything they could do,they took the SN# but I haven't heard back from them. Since the rifle was out of an estate sale I'm not expecting much even though it was supposedly unfired when I got it. I may look into having it re-bored to 38 special.

[olafhardt]

The words "Ackley Improved" keep coming to mind.

[Rimfire]

What would the "Ackley Improved" look like ? Wouldn't I need a longer neck, as it is now the neck is to short to hold the bullet properly.