Reloading the .32 ACP

[Trinidad Bill]

[QUOTE=Bmi48219;4343391]

Actually $3 Million, would not be a bad investment if it were in the USA. Did they give any revenues? Getting the equipment here and setting up to run could be very costly.

Since I just sold my business...

Speaking in generalities, this Doesn't sound like a high margin operation. With max output at 84,000 units for 3 shifts, that's 28,000 units per shift using a 15 employee crew. Or 1,866 units / per employee / shift; or 233 units per employee/ hour. If you could wholesale each completed bullet for 20 cents you're looking at total revenue of $46.60 per employee / hour BEFORE you pay for wages, taxes, benefits, insurance, brass, copper, powder, primers, lead, utilities, a building etc. AND before you pay off the 3 million + Euros (4 million USD) to buy the equipment and get it to where you can pay someone to set it up.
I don't think the wife would be too happy.

At 233/hour/employee you would be much better off cutting the staff in half and giving each employee a Dillon 550 (someone said the 550 stands for 550/hour) and letting them have at it. The investment would be a whole lot less than $3 million Euros!

[Outpost75]

[QUOTE=Trinidad Bill;4343799]

At 233/hour/employee you would be much better off cutting the staff in half and giving each employee a Dillon 550 (someone said the 550 stands for 550/hour) and letting them have at it. The investment would be a whole lot less than $3 million Euros!

Depending upon having a reliable source of bullets and cases...

[blue32]

I can run it in volume no problem. After running 250 rounds through my 550, I ran ten rounds over a chrono and got a SD of 13 fps and an ES of 32 fps.

[Harry O]

I have been reloading the .32ACP for some time. I use a Lee single stage press to reload them. They are the smallest cases I can handle with reasonable care. I would not want to try .25ACP cases.

One of my .32ACP's is a preWWII Walther PPK and one is a wartime Mauser HSc. I learned from that that the .32ACP loads and guns are different between the US and Europe. In European guns, the chambers are tighter and they need more pressure to function well. I worked out a complicated way to size the cases down a little more and went up to 2.3gr of Bullseye with a Lyman 311252 bullet. This is a little more than most reloading manuals, but it was necessary to get reliable functioning. I also found out that a very slight roll crimp helped. You can do that because the case is semi-rimmed rather than rimless. The load works in all of my .32ACP's and is reliable.

I reduced some of my reloads down to 2.0gr for my Kel-Tec .32, but I don't know if that was absolutely necessary. It is a very light gun, though.

[trapper9260]

I load my 32ACP in my single stage because of I get a better feel of the round then my T -Press. I found that out when I also load the other 32's alot of it show with the 327mag. So I do the fininsh on the 32 on the single stage press.It works for me .

[Whiterabbit]

I don't load 32 acp, but may start in the future. preprepping for it.

I plan to use a lee loadmaster. I know I will be customizing many parts to make it work, starting with the case feeder, all the way up to the bullet feeder.

[NoZombies]

The 550 does 32 ACP fairly well for me. I probably average 400-500 per hour including press prep (loading primer tubes etc). I don't have arthritis yet, so I don't have the dexterity issues some guys do.

[Walks]

I load .32ACP, 32Short&Wimpy, .32S&W Long & .32H&R Mag on a RCBS Piggyback 2 mounted on the 'ol RockChucker. The only problem I ever encountered was using Moly-Coated 80gr RN's. The little bugger's would slip out of my fingers. Not a problem with conventional lubed bullets or Powder Coated.
The ACP's are shot out of a French PP & a COLT 1903.
The .32Short&Wimpy go into a S&W Lemon Squeezer. The .32S&W Long out of a S&W Model 31 4". And the Mags go into a RUGER SSM.
The Rube Goldberg PiggyBack 2 setup operates just fine As long as you don't slam it around. A firm soft touch, just like a good horse or a good dog.

I can load about 200rds of .32S&W. The rest about 300rnds per hour.
But I just don't rush.

[Trinidad Bill]

I have been reloading the .32ACP for some time. I use a Lee single stage press to reload them. They are the smallest cases I can handle with reasonable care. I would not want to try .25ACP cases.

One of my .32ACP's is a preWWII Walther PPK and one is a wartime Mauser HSc. I learned from that that the .32ACP loads and guns are different between the US and Europe. In European guns, the chambers are tighter and they need more pressure to function well. I worked out a complicated way to size the cases down a little more and went up to 2.3gr of Bullseye with a Lyman 311252 bullet. This is a little more than most reloading manuals, but it was necessary to get reliable functioning. I also found out that a very slight roll crimp helped. You can do that because the case is semi-rimmed rather than rimless. The load works in all of my .32ACP's and is reliable.

I reduced some of my reloads down to 2.0gr for my Kel-Tec .32, but I don't know if that was absolutely necessary. It is a very light gun, though.

Ditto this^^^.

I had a lot of issues getting my .32 ACPs to function properly until I got over 2.2gr of Bulleye. The only American made .32 ACP I have is the 1903 Colt. My FN, PP, CZ, Mauser, Beretta all like a stout load to function properly. A jammed up .32 ACP with a weak load is a PIA to deal with.