Newbie wanting to load .32 S&W (short) with Pyrodex- what do I need?

[Chakotay]

Hello!
I purchased an antique Forehand & Wadsworth British Bulldog from GB years ago that I've always wanted to shoot.
Buffalo Arms seems to be perpetually out of stock on this black powder cartridge. So I've been entertaining making some of my own.

Having never loaded my own ammo before I have no idea where to start. I shoot cap and ball revolvers, so I have plenty of Pyrodex.

What's the cheapest route to go about this?

[Der Gebirgsjager]

An interesting question, but I don't quite follow you on "cheapest route." (?) It is, as they say, what it is. You can use Pyrodex, but I'd use the Cartridge grade rather than the P grade. So, being a cap and ball shooter, you know that Pyrodex is interchangeable with BP on a volume, but not weight basis. I'd use a scoop measure that would throw the desired volume of BP, fill it up with Pyrodex Cartridge. Since most BP centerfire cartridge shooters tend to use as much BP as they can get in the case the same is probably true about Pyrodex Cartridge, but I'd start with less. Clean the old Bulldog well after your shooting session. I've loaded several centerfire pistol calibers with Pyrodex -- lots of fun to see things like .38 Specials smoke. Oh! And welcome to the forum!

DG

[Battis]

I'd choose a bullet (or roundball) and determine how far into the case it seats, then fill the rest of the case under it with BP.
I recently loaded .32 S&W short for a "Lemon Squeezer" revolver. I used 1.1 grs Bullseye, and .321 roundballs sized to .311. But, that doesn't apply to the Forehand & Wadsworth British Bulldog if it wasn't meant for smokeless powder.

[Chakotay]

Thanks for the replies fellas.
Der Gerbirgsjager, I guess by "cheapest route" I mean that I'm not looking for expensive, multipurpose reloading equipment as this is very likely the only caliber/cartridge I'd be reloading. And that's only because I can't find it anywhere.
Something like a cheap Lee Loader in .32 S&W . . . I'm going to need one of these, correct? Brass, primers (I've seen special black powders primers?), bullets, lube, a measure?

Bear in mind you're talking to someone who has zero experience or equipment . . . but I KNOW of it.

[Battis]

You could buy a used single stage press. I've bought them for $50 or so.
Lee dies. Brass. Small pistol primers. BP. Lube.
As I said, I used .321" roundballs sized to .311". Or you could find small bullets.
Truthfully, I'd rather load my own than buy those rounds online. At least you'll know what's in them.
I shot cap and ball for many many years. The first cartridge round I loaded for was .50-70 (black powder). It was going to be the only round I loaded for. Yeah, well, I amaze myself when I see how many calibers I now load for.
I will say, this is the forum to come to for advice.

[Oyeboten]

Thanks for the replies fellas.
Der Gerbirgsjager, I guess by "cheapest route" I mean that I'm not looking for expensive, multipurpose reloading equipment as this is very likely the only caliber/cartridge I'd be reloading. And that's only because I can't find it anywhere.
Something like a cheap Lee Loader in .32 S&W . . . I'm going to need one of these, correct? Brass, primers (I've seen special black powders primers?), bullets, lube, a measure?

Bear in mind you're talking to someone who has zero experience or equipment . . . but I KNOW of it.

If I understand you correctly, you just would like to be able to shoot the old thing once in a while, without having to get in deep cost wise and hassle wise with acquiring a lot of stuff needed to be loading that Cartridge.

I'd say, just lock in a search term on Gunbroker for daily email alerts, and find a Box or partial Box or a couple Boxes of .32 S & W there.

I am sure that any old or new or in-be-tween off the shelf .32 S & W in Smokeless would be designed by the Manufacturer to be safe in the weakest BP era Revolvers, just as they all do with .38 S & W.

[Bazoo]

Howdy and welcome to the CB.GL forum.

I've never loaded BP cartridges. But for basic loading your on the right idea of a Lee loader. A funnel and the appropriate lee dipper should be all you need. Lee loaders come with a dipper but I can't say if it will grow the appropriate amount of pyrodex.

I will suggest to you another possibility. Maybe a member close to you could help if they already have the needed dies.

[Chakotay]

I've looked through Gunbroker. Currently there's only 2 listings for boxes of .32 S&W Short black powder. Listed at $110 and $135 respectively. The price isn't necessarily the issue, it's the fact that both are obviously vintage antique ammo. Almost more like collector pieces. I know ammo doesn't really "go bad", but I would like to insure it goes "bang" when I pull the trigger

[Der Gebirgsjager]

Yeah--the price of obsolete ammo has become astronomical. Some thoughts about your problem: First, if you could locate a box of new brass it wouldn't have to be resized. Just load it, shoot it, and then reload the empties which would likely still fit in the same gun. So in this case you might get by with just a seating die. As for finding the unfired brass, if you take into account that you could cut down .32 S&W Long to .32 Short length, then that doubles your possibilities of finding brass. Next, I might have some .32 Long brass I could let you have for the postage. I think I also have a new, unused set of Lee dies for .32 S&W Long purchased years and years ago (about 35) in anticipation of reloading for my wife's .32. It was sold in favor of a Taurus .38 Spec., so I could pass them along. But, but, but....you still need a press. So, unless you intend to seriously get into reloading, a Lee Hand Press should be more than adequate for your needs. I'm not certain, but could look, that the .32 Long dies would work for the .32 Short. If you do some intensive internet research, I think you'll find someone selling .32 Short brass at an affordable price. If not, you're faced with the possibility of having to cut down the S&W Long cases.I'm thinking that a very small dose of smokeless powder, like Bullseye, would be better than the Pyrodex idea. Forehand & Wadsworth was sort of a middle-of-the-road revolver in quality and strength, and I think you'd do fine. A Lee Loader in .32 S&W Short would be a really great find, and just right for your situation, but I'm not sure they ever made them...….and the rarer Lee Loaders have gone through the roof like everything else. Another possibility to keep your eyes open for, and probably more likely to find than a Lee Loader, would be a Lyman 310 Tong Tool in that caliber. Once again, prepare for a severe financial hit.

DG

[Nobade]

I'd go for a Lee Hand Press and a set of their currently made dies. A box of primers, can of powder, dippers, and bullets and you're in business. And clean the inside of that revolver as well as the fired cartridge cases really well if you use Pyrodex in it.

[HumptyDumpty]

I reload these all the time, both with smokeless (for those revolvers that can safely fire it), and BP. I get my projectiles from Acme Bullet Company (here). They shoot great, and a lubed version is available, though both varieties seem to shoot exactly the same. For BP loads, I currently utilize FFFg, though FFg worked well, before I could get my hands on the finer granulation. I simply fill the cases by hand, and eyeball the charge; just enough to get some light compression, with the bullet seated to a nominal OAL of .9241 inches. For all this, Lee dies have served me well. Most of my little 32 revolvers shoot fairly high, so start at bad-breath range, and work your way back, with Kentucky Elevation.

[bruce drake]

Starline Brass makes 32 S&W brass and LEE Precision makes affordable reloading dies in that caliber along with all their other reloading presses and equipment.

I reload for a 2nd model Iver Johnson .32 S&W Breaktop pistol like the one in this video.

That said, mine is a better condition than his and I have a thread on here where I have a picture of it and the loads and results of shooting the pistol.

https://youtu.be/zQknkwifljg

And here is the thread to get you started.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...d-bullet-molds

[Chakotay]

Love Forgotten Weapons on Youtube. I've watched every one of Ian's videos!
I found these on eBay. This what I need?:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lee-32-S-W-...UAAOxypNtSfRq7
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lee-single-...4AAOSw-1terLT2

[bruce drake]

Love Forgotten Weapons on Youtube. I've watched every one of Ian's videos!
I found these on eBay. This what I need?:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lee-32-S-W-...UAAOxypNtSfRq7
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lee-single-...4AAOSw-1terLT2

You'll need a few more items to reload beside a press. Lee sells starter kits if you want the basics to go along with the die set you found. that small of a cartridge will require a powder scale to ensure you load the right amount of powder.

[toot]

just how do you take a .321 RB. and size it down to a .311 DIA. RB.? doesn't the sizer just squeeze two sides only and not the whole projectile top to bottom as it does on a pointed bullet?.

[garandsrus]

Dies are on sale at Midway. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1011201072?pid=832053

Here’s ammo with black powder for sale: https://www.buffaloarms.com/32-s-w-s...-50-amobp32sws

[Chakotay]

Dies are on sale at Midway. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1011201072?pid=832053

Here’s ammo with black powder for sale: https://www.buffaloarms.com/32-s-w-s...-50-amobp32sws

Thanks. Buffalo Arms was the very fist place I looked. And I check there regularly. It's always out of stock.

[Wayne Smith]

Yes, the things you found on ebay are a start. That press does not come with a primer seater, so you will need some way to seat primers. A rod - brass or steel - that will set in the case and a hard surface and you can set primers. You will pop a few so you might as well start doing that so you won't be surprised when it happens by accident - that's what I did as a teenager learning to load with a Lee Loader. (I'm 67 now!) Set the primer on the surface open end up, set the case on the primer, set the rod in the case, and tap the rod with a hammer. The primer will seat.

Before that you have to deprime and size the case. You will need the size/decap die, a shell holder for 32S&W, and the press you found on ebay or one like it. Place the shell in the shell holder and force it into the die - this will size the case back to nominal and punch out the old primer.

I believe that die set comes with an expander die - this opens up the case mouth so a bullet will set in it. This is your next step, and most of us do batch loading, i.e. we size/decap all of our cases, then expand them all, etc.

Now you prime the case. Then you add the powder - measured by the little scoop in the kit or, with BP a case just under full (I don't know Pyrodex), and put the bullet in the expanded mouth of the case. You put this in the shell holder with the seat die in place in the press and seat the bullet.

That die set comes with instructions for setting the dies to fit your cases - read and understand these before you do anything else.

This is a very sketchy introduction to loading a cartridge. If you will get any loading manual, and I can recommend the Lyman 50th - yes, the 50th edition of their loading manual - for a complete introduction to the loading process. It is well worth the price.

[Wayne Smith]

just how do you take a .321 RB. and size it down to a .311 DIA. RB.? doesn't the sizer just squeeze two sides only and not the whole projectile top to bottom as it does on a pointed bullet?.

Yup that's exactly what happens. You have a slightly elongated ellipse rather than a round ball. This gives it more grip on the rifling and makes it a little more accurate. I use buckshot in my 32S&W but have found the somewhat irregular so I size them first.

[Wayne Smith]

i have no idea where Hurst, Tx is. Is there anyone that is within reach of this guy to give him a hand?