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Thread: Shotshell load for .32 S&W Long?

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy
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    Shotshell load for .32 S&W Long?

    Would like a shotshell load for hiking with the .32 SWL for the occasional rattlesnake encounter. I may only have #9 shot available to load.

    Haven't noticed plastic shot capsules available for .32. If not, could a load be made up using cardboard wads or what?

    Don't need to max out the power.

    Thanks!

  2. #2
    Boolit Grand Master Outpost75's Avatar
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    Use .327 Federal brass. Neck down the forward portion in a .310-.311" size die, making a bottleneck case which will chamber in your revolver. Charge with 2 grains of Bullseye and push 1/2 of a cigarette filter firmly over the powder. Fill case with shot, striking off level with a fingertip, and use your .32 Long seater die to seat a .30 cal. gascheck into the case mouth. Finish with Redding Profile Crimp die.
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  3. #3
    Boolit Buddy
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    Excellent solution!

  4. #4
    Boolit Grand Master
    Mk42gunner's Avatar
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    I made shot capsules for the .32 S&W Long from a McDonalds straw by heating with a butane lighter and using a drill bit for a mandrel. IIRC they held 67 grains of #12 shot.

    Not a whole lot of shot, but it is about three times what is in a .22 CCI shotshell and they are effective.

    My plan was to use Outpost75's recommended 2 grains of Bullseye, but life got in the way and the project has languished.

    Robert

  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy
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    My brother made them for his wife. She was outdoors a lot and they lived out in the county. Don't know the powder or charge weight but he would seat a gc cup up, fill with #12 shot, place a gc cup down over the shot and even with the case and crimp. Lot of ways to do it. Good suggestions so far.. very effective on pests.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master Thumbcocker's Avatar
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    I would try to find #12 shot.
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  7. #7
    Boolit Master
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    Agree on the #12, simply because the case is so small.

  8. #8
    Boolit Master WRideout's Avatar
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    I actually made 357 shotshells using wads punched from styrofoam meat trays using a cartridge case. Worked fine. For your purposes, wads cut with a hole punch to the ID of a cartridge case could be made from almost anything; cardboard, plastic cartons, etc.

    Wayne
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  9. #9
    Boolit Man
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    Quote Originally Posted by WRideout View Post
    I actually made 357 shotshells using wads punched from styrofoam meat trays using a cartridge case. Worked fine. For your purposes, wads cut with a hole punch to the ID of a cartridge case could be made from almost anything; cardboard, plastic cartons, etc.

    Wayne
    interesting,do you put one between powder and shot as well as to hold the shot in?

    Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk

  10. #10
    Boolit Master
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    Ballistic Products carries many kinds of shot, including #11,#12, everything the shot shell loaders need, plus. Might take an old style overpowder wad or some other 'suitable' sheet goods(plastic,cardboard) and punch out a wad using a 5/16(.312) hole punch.

  11. #11
    Boolit Master
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    A longer shot container works better than a. Longer cartridge case.
    In SHOTLOADS FOR PISTOLS
    gearnasher in a sticky explains how to accomplish this.
    Well worth the time to read.
    .

  12. #12
    Boolit Master WRideout's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jgstrug View Post
    interesting,do you put one between powder and shot as well as to hold the shot in?

    Sent from my SM-S906U using Tapatalk
    Yes; with small charges of fast-burning powder it seemed to do fine.
    Wayne
    What doesn't kill you makes you stronger - or else it gives you a bad rash.
    Venison is free-range, organic, non-GMO and gluten-free

  13. #13
    Boolit Buddy
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    Great info gentlemen! Off to the bench! Thanks.

  14. #14
    Boolit Buddy
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    Success! Loaded a standard charge of 700x under a thin cardboard wad (stamped out of a cracker box) followed by 45 grains worth of #8 shot (all I had available) with another wad on top. Did not totally fill the case to the mouth. Recoil and report are minimal. Shot pattern was decent at 5 paces. Penetrates 5 layers of cardboard and then dented or lightly embeds in plywood. Did not penetrate a tin soup can. I think this is enough for a hiking snake load. Coincidentally a small rat was dispatched at 5 feet using the load. HOWEVER, the outer wad must be retained in place or it will dislodge including the shot if in the cylinder when another round is fired, even another light snake load. I used some candle wax over the wad up to the case mouth. DISCLAIMER - none of this load may function or be safe in your firearm and I do not recommend you or anyone try it. Doing so is at your own risk.

  15. #15
    Boolit Grand Master jmorris's Avatar
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    Ha,ha, I hope we don’t need that disclaimer here.

    Should move the thread to the “Shot loads for pistols” forum here.

    https://castboolits.gunloads.com/for...ds-For-Pistols

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check