looking for a good load to use in both my Marlin 1894CL in .32-20 using 2400 powder and the lyman 311008 bullet.
looking for a good load to use in both my Marlin 1894CL in .32-20 using 2400 powder and the lyman 311008 bullet.
Last edited by r80rt; 07-08-2013 at 09:54 AM.
I have not used 2400 in my Marlin 32-20 but I have had great success with the 311008 and 31133 HP with Unique at 4.5 to 5gr and AA#7.
Any particular reason for wanting to use 2400? For a woods bumming round I can't imagine bearing 5 gr of Unique.
If you want more velocity I could see it but for a 1200 to 1200 fps load in the rifle it is hard to beat Unique.
Try around 8 gr of 2400 and go from there. You may find it tough to find a balance between unburned powder due to low pressure and leading due to the plain base bullet. Be sure to use a size that fits, find an alloy that works, and use a good lube.
You might want to try a powder like 231 or AA5 instead. Work well at lower pressures and meter well too.
8 grains is a bit high for that one, may spread out too much. Here are mine, from TC Contender, like the avatar shows.
Ron
In all, the .41 Magnum would be one of my top choices for an all-around handgun if I were allowed to have only one. - Bart Skelton
I used 10.0 2400 and the Lyman 311316 for years and years in a variety of rifles and handguns. These days they say it's too hot a load for handguns, maybe they are right, I don't know. I do know that in a rifle it's a killer load up in the 1500 fps range. Were I starting over I'd probably start down in the 7-8 gr range and see what the rifle said. Your 311008 being a PB may or may not like 2400 in the hotter loadings. Proper fit will go a long way towards happy trails with 2400 in the 10 gr range.
FWIW- St Elmer recommended that load with PB boolits.
You'll usually find that 2400 outshoots the fast pistol/shotgun powders in the 12 to 1400 fps range.
And for those of you with Contenders in 25-20 and 32-20, it's a miracle if you can get any cast bullet to shoot well. Do a chamber cast some time and you'll see why.
I got up to 10 grains of 2400 with the Ideal 3118 in Colt SAA pistols, but since have backed off to 9 grains. I use this load with boolits from 100-115 grains. As long as there is a good crimp, there is only a small amount of unburned powder. The load seems to work OK in the Savage 23 and Winchester low-wall rifles, too.
the new lyman cast book starts with 6.6 grains of 2400 with a 115 gr boolit. thats what I tried in my Lee Enfield 32-20 ( just the right size bore to convert to 32-20 and the action is plenty strong )
hey, watch where ya point that thing!
After trying multiple other powders, my load finally became 9.2 gr of 2400 for my 32-20 in my T/C Contender. Been using it for years and love it. Minute of coyote at 200 yards accuracy and better if I have a rest.
Your post is 3 years old , so i imagine you have found what you want, but I use 7.5 grains of 2400 with the 311008 cast soft (1:50) in my rolling block. I found harder bullets and some powders (Unique) caused leading.
"Brass?" "Check." "Lead?" "Check." "Powder? ""Check." "Primers?" "Check." "Lube? ""Check." "Good.... Gun? ......... Gun?......." "ummm.... I'm soposed to have a gun?"
My Contender 32-20 likes about 9-1/2 gr of 2400 with 110-120 gr. boolits but that might be a little hot for other types of firearms.
Have used 8.5 gn. 2400 with the Lyman 3118 since the early 60's as a go to load. Bit on the hot side for pistols and quite low for rifles but seems to have been a good shooting load no matter what.
Did quite a bit of testing years ago and no matter what is said about the "cornmeal", just ignore it as it seems to have no effect on accuracy in any way and to those who say it will jam up their guns, best to just clean that gun every twenty years or so. Might need it for reasons other than cornmeal.
Facta non verba
I'm currently shooting two Uberti 1873-type revolvers in .32-20, using a 115 gr. cast semi-wadcutter. Do you folks think a 5.0 gr. charge of Unique is too stiff? It seems very accurate at 25 yds.
I would be leery of the 5 grain load in revolvers with that boolit. I use the RCBS 32-98 SWC and 5.0 grains, but that is about 10 % lighter. Lyman lists 4.0 grains as top end for that boolit. I'd be inclined to stretch that a mite, their loads are very light in deference to old pre-heat treatment Smiths and dinky Police Positives, but 5.0 grains seems too much. That said, my Browning 53 gets nothing else.
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Many thanks for the reply, rintinglen. I'll drop it back to 4.0 grains and maybe creep back up to 4.5 grains. The Ubertis seemed to be o.k. with 5.0, but I don't know what the long term effects would be on wear and tear.
My Buckeye eats those like gumdrops .
My Contender 10" barrel 32-20 loves 9.4 gr. of 2400. It is accurate (at least as far as my old eyes allow with open sights) out to 150 yards and hits a golf ball regularly at 75 yards. Any coyote that sits still long enough for my eyes to focus at 150 yards or less is in serious jeopardy from that 32-20 and the 113 gr Lee gas check boolits.
Anybody tried Blue Dot? Should be good accuracy and burn really well in the pressure range.
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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 |