32RF to Centerfire How low to go.

[marlinman93]

Inside lube groove always puzzled me also. I've pulled a lot of heeled bullets and never seen any signs of lube on the heeled portion, and can't imagine how any lube would do anything on the heel area. Never have seen a heeled .32 with outside lube grooves,, but I haven't custom ordered a mold for this caliber. Tom at Accurate always has good molds.

[NoZombies]

The original heeled bullet molds that I have are made with what I would call lube "ripples" on the body of the bullet like very shallow lube grooves. I've never used the heeled bullet designs with the lube groove inside the case. I've always used a tumble lube for the heeled bullets I've loaded and shot. I think a lot of the original factory ammo had swaged bullets with something like 'knurling' to allow the wax type lube to adhere. Much like .22 rimfire ammo.

[Chev. William]

Inside lube groove always puzzled me also. I've pulled a lot of heeled bullets and never seen any signs of lube on the heeled portion, and can't imagine how any lube would do anything on the heel area. Never have seen a heeled .32 with outside lube grooves,, but I haven't custom ordered a mold for this caliber. Tom at Accurate always has good molds.

Accurate Mold # 31-090A on "http://www.accuratemolds.com/catalog.php" is an example of a Heeled .32 Colt Bullet with a Lube groove on the heel.

My Mold is at "Matt's Bullets" for Casting Commercial Bullets as I do not have personal Casting equipment.

Best Regards,
Chev. William

[marlinman93]

I'll have to dig out my Ideal mold and take a picture of the inside. I may also have some bullets here already cast from that mold, and if so I'll post a picture of those also.

edit-Found the cast heeled bullets I have are for .38 Long, and not .32 Long. But I did surprisingly find my old Ideal tool marked "32 L" quickly, so took a couple pictures. The bullet mold does show a very tiny lube groove, but it's on the rounded portion of the bullet nose, so might barel contact the lands, but not the grooves. It's also small enough to not hold any more lube than the liquid alox would fill it with. Here's the images:

[uscra112]

Although the cases are identical, the .32 Long RF and .32 Long are not the same cartridge as the .32 Long Colt. The .32 Long Colt uses smaller diameter bullets than the .32 Long or .32 Long RF. These latter two cartridges date back earlier than the .32 Long Colt and are usually found to have .312"@ bullet diameters. The .32 Long Colt was loaded with smaller .308"-.309" bullets that will rattle down the bore of older guns made for the larger cartridge.
I've shot a bunch of the smaller .32 Colt ammo in my old guns to get the brass, but they rarely shoot well.

My original Bay State rifle (circa 1887) chambered for the centerfire .32 Colt takes a cartridge with a case length of .820", using the 299153 heeled bullet, which weighs about 87 grains. According to "tenmile", the fellow who sells .32 Long Colt brass and bullets on Gunbroker, his Marlins also take a case that is .820" long. These are virtually identical to the .32 Long rimfire, (rifles for which which I also have) the difference being that rimfire cartridges were loaded with an 80 grain bullet, and the rimfire case is only .800 long (after firing). This is the cartridge which I load with 2 grains of Bullseye.

You can see for sale on Gunbroker a box of .32 Colt cartridges pictured with the heeled bullet, and clearly labeled .32 Long Colt. http://www.gunbroker.com/item/709049317 No question that a .32 Long Colt with heeled bullet did exist.

It is on this basis that I suggested the .32 Long Colt centerfire as the analogue to the .32 Long Rimfire. It certainly worked out perfectly when I converted a Hopkins and Allen 932, (rollstamped .32 Long RF), to centerfire. I also have a near-mint Stevens Favorite in .32 Long RF, and the Colt cartridge fits in perfectly.

Now, Barnes depicts a ".32 Colt" cartridge having an inside-lubed bullet, but lists neither the case length nor the bullet diameter. I have never even seen any of this ammo. It should have a case length of about .95", and of course the bullet O.D. is much smaller. How it was labelled for sale, I haven't a clue. For all I know, it might have also been called .32 Long Colt, to add to the confusion. But if it was, it wasn't the first or only one.

[marlinman93]

I've got something over 1,000 rounds of .32 Long, .32 Long Colt, and .32 Short Colt. Plus a bunch of .32 RF Long and Short. Guess I need to get out my kinetic puller and donate one of each that I have to determine what all the variations might be, and list them by the makers.
Have half dozen boxes of new unprimed old stock Remington .32 Long brass also, so I'll measure those too.

[uscra112]

I've got something over 1,000 rounds of .32 Long, .32 Long Colt, and .32 Short Colt. Plus a bunch of .32 RF Long and Short. Guess I need to get out my kinetic puller and donate one of each that I have to determine what all the variations might be, and list them by the makers.
Have half dozen boxes of new unprimed old stock Remington .32 Long brass also, so I'll measure those too.

That would be very interesting. Thanks !

[Lostinidaho]

Malinman--Good looking mold. A two cavity would be faster but the vintage look is good. The bullet shape is nice. The lube grooves are small.

It would be good to see all the different boolits and their weights.

[marlinman93]

Marlinman--Good looking mold. A two cavity would be faster but the vintage look is good. The bullet shape is nice. The lube grooves are small.

It would be good to see all the different boolits and their weights.

I don't think Ideal ever made a 2 cavity mold in their old tong tools?
Yes, I'll include bullet weights also when I get the data from the cartridges I pull apart. Try to get some pictures also.

[Chev. William]

I received my order of Matt's Bullets Saturday and plan to open the box Wednesday.
This is a 1000 piece order of Lyman #257420 65 Grain Nominal bullets and 1000 piece order of Accurate Mold #311090A 90 grain nominal Heeled Bullets.
The Heeled ones were ordered Lubed and will have a film of Lube covering The Heel and filling The lube groove in the heel. I have found the 'film' scrapes off as the bullet is seated in my .32 Colt sized cases. I then Crimp them using a Collet Crimp die I bought from Old West Moulds.

Best Regards,
Chev. William