An Accurate 32 H&R Mag Revolver Load?

[jethrow strait]

My results have been a bit disappointing so far, using Water's Pet Loads article as a guide. Have a like-new version of the old Single Six with adjustable sights and a lil H&R 3" stubbie. Grooves and chamber mouths seem to match up pretty well at .312"/.313" but accuracy has so far not compared with larger caliber Blackhawks, using both commercial cast and homecast boolits.

Appreciate any "pet loads" or suggestions.

Thank You, jethrow

[fourarmed]

A friend and I have been shooting a lot of the 311008 in .32mag. Sized .310 it does very well in .308 barrels like the Contender and Merrill with 4 grains of Unique. We have been casting out of his 2-cavity mold, which is new and drops .312 boolits. I just got an old 4-cavity for the 3118, which is basically the same, but which drops them at .314. I sized some of them .310. Haven't shot them yet. They may be great in his Smith M16, which likes bigger boolits.

[9.3X62AL]

I had a Ruger SSM x 5.5", and now use a S&W Model 16-4 x 6". Both did/do fine work with the RCBS plain-base SWC (98 grains) at all velocity ranges from 750-1200 FPS, and powder doesn't seem to matter--I've used Bullseye, WW-231, Unique, and 2400 as appropriate for their respective pressure levels. Sizing to either .313" or .314" works equally well. Surprisingly, the MM 120 grain RFN meant for the 32-20 did not shoot real well from the 32 Mag, but drove tacks in the 32-20 revolvers. Correspondingly, the 32-20's seem to prefer the 115-120 grainers over the 100 grain boolits. I have Lyman #313631 to try in the 32 Magnum next, but the boolit will need to really shine to beat out the RCBS plain base.

With the J-words, AA-7 is THE powder in this caliber with 85 grainers, and WW-296/H-110 with 100 grain bullets.

[Dr. A]

I just used the new gang mold from this forum 314-120, and got good results with 3.5gr. Unique, 4gr. Unique., and 3.2gr. of Titegroup. This last one was the best. The bullet comes out 120gr. in plain wheel weights. I didn't even size my bullets. Tumble lubed, and shot them.

[9.3X62AL]

Sort of a follow-on from the other 32 Mag thread, Dr. A.

Unique in the amounts you show will be my next attempts with the 120 grain Mtn. Mold castings originally intended for my 32-20 revolvers. There's no real reason why these heavier boolits shouldn't work in the 32 Mag, and further work with them and Lyman #311316 will follow.

[Singletree]

I too have tried the bullet from the 314-120 group buy. Cast up 3-400 hundred of them. Used wheel weights and why I water dropped them, I don't know. My S&W Model 16 snubbed them with a number of different loads. Went back to square one, softened the alloy with about a third pure lead and ww. This time air cooled the things. The model 16 is very happy. The load is 6.5 gr. LilGun, not published data so be cautious. This load grouped just over 1 inch at 25 yds. off the bench, 2 power Leupold, 20 degree weather, wind, and snow in the air. I didn't chrono the load, just couldn't get my heart into it.

[digital shooter]

I shoot a Pardini .32 S&W long in competition. My S&W Model 16 is used to shoot any loads that don't perform in the Pardini (very sensitive semi-auto). My most accurate load is a 100gr. H&N wadcutter (DE) bullet with 1.8 grains of 231. This chronographs at 730 ft/sec.
My loads with Meister DEWC(.312), Lapua 98 gr DEWC(.314) don't shoot well in the Pardini, but in the S&W are great. All group within 1" @50ft. and 1.5"@ 25 yards. These loads are too light to perform well at 50 yards.
TJP

[Schnizel_fritz]

Does anyone have a good recepie for a ~100gn plated RN bullet? Preferably that doesent drop much at around 60y? The powders i have is VV 310, 320, 330, 340 and accurate no 2. Im shooting in a M-16 6"

[Nobade]

I like #3118 over 5.5gr. AA#5 in my TC Contender and S&W M-16. Very flat shooting to 100M and holds under an inch at 50M off the bench with the S&W (with scope) and about 1.5 inches at 100M from the TC.

Never liked #2 in the 32 H&R for boolits this heavy. Probably would work well with 90 gr. or so ones.

-Nobade

[Larry Gibson]

What cast bullets are you wanting to use? My original run Single Six with 6 1/2" barrel like a variety of loads with several different cast bullets.

Larry Gibson

[Schnizel_fritz]

I use plated German H&N bullets http://www.hn-sport.de/en/products/b...ullets/32.html (those farthest down)

[Green Frog]

Schnizel_fritz, the VV powders are hard enough to find around here that I don't have any experience with them, but I'll be watching this thread now that it is resurrected to see whether there is something I'll be able to use. I'm not all that crazy about jacketed bullets, just for the expense. Is there something preventing you from using lead bullets that you buy or cast for yourself?

Froggie

[6thtexas]

I had a Ruger Bisley 6 1/2" that I shot for several years. My best load was a RCBS 98-SWC cast out of wheelweights, sized .313", and I used an amount of 2400 that I got out of a Skeeter Skelton article. I won't list it here as I sure wouldn't want to use it in the H&R, but it was great in the Ruger. Velocity was > 1200fps and the cases lasted indefinitely. I still have the original 150 cases I started with and all of them were shot over ten times each. I killed all sorts of small game with it. Only problem was that revolver was LOUD!

[Schnizel_fritz]

Schnizel_fritz, the VV powders are hard enough to find around here that I don't have any experience with them, but I'll be watching this thread now that it is resurrected to see whether there is something I'll be able to use. I'm not all that crazy about jacketed bullets, just for the expense. Is there something preventing you from using lead bullets that you buy or cast for yourself?

Froggie

It`s not jacketed, it`s plated, like Berrys etc

[dubber123]

My last group out of my 6-1/2" Bisley with the RCBS 98 SWC over 3.5 Grs. of Green Dot measured .48 inches at 26 yards. I call it an "Honest 25".. The RCBS boolit is a champ in everything I have tried it in.

[UnderDawgAl]

over 3.5 Grs. of Green Dot

A man after my own heart. GD is my favorite midrange handgun powder these days. I will have to try this in my Ruger 6.5"er.

[Green Frog]

Dubber, have you tried that Green Dot with any heavier bullets? I've got this NOE copy of the old 3118, but they made it enough longer that it runs about 125 grains. I guess I could try your loads with my little MP SWC hollow points that are running just a hair over 100 grains...

Froggie

[dubber123]

Dubber, have you tried that Green Dot with any heavier bullets? I've got this NOE copy of the old 3118, but they made it enough longer that it runs about 125 grains. I guess I could try your loads with my little MP SWC hollow points that are running just a hair over 100 grains...

Froggie

I have an NOE GC RF mold that casts a HP. I haven't done a whole lot of testing with it, but it is far behind the RCBS 98 SWC as of yet. I tried slow and fast, but didn't find much happiness. The mold casts great, and I will continue to try to find a good load. That RCBS boolit just wants to shoot, and does so with many different loads.

[9.3X62AL]

Lots of lead downrange from the 32 Magnum and my 32-20 revolvers since 2005, with numerous rats and jacks donating their services since that time as test media. Conclusions and opinions are as follows......

1) The 32 Magnum (S&W Model 16-4 x 6") is without doubt the most accurate revolver I have ever been privileged to own. With the RCBS 32-98-SWC from 700-1200 FPS, it will meet or beat my sister's truck-axle-barreled PPC Model 10 firing factory Super-X wadcutters or any handload, with either of us "driving" either revolver. The Model 16-4 is box-stock, excepting its grip panels; the Model 10 is highly refined.

2) My 16-4 prefers the RCBS SWC over all other bullets. It will perform creditably/decently with cast and jacketed bullets of all weights from 60 to 130 grains, but no bullet puts the RCBS slug @ .314" in the shade--and that includes small game/varmints to 125 yards. In 92/6/2 metal, it falls free @ .3155" cast at 725*.

3) In the 16-4, the Lyman #313631 (100 grain SWC/GC) shoots indifferently from 800-1200 FPS. Push velocities upward, and groups tighten MARKEDLY, once slower-burners like AA-9, WC-820, 2400, and WW-296 get used. At 1450 FPS, groups at 50 yards run about 25% larger than those produced by the RCBS SWC. This is the only "powder sensitivity" the caliber has shown to date; with conventional pressures/loads, powder labels don't matter--they all shoot that RCBS SWC superbly. Even in the intrepid loads, small pistol magnum primers REALLY screw things up--WIN and CCI SPP both work well, and don't flatten much.

4) With my 3 revolvers in 32-20, all show a definite preference for 115-125 grain bullets over lighter slugs. Run all three at 900 FPS or thereabouts, and the hits will stack atop the sight picture all day. Favored load in these rollers is right from Ken Waters' "Pet Loads" article on 32-20 for wheelguns......6.0 grains of SR-4756 and a SPP in R-P or W-W brass. These same loads run about 1150-1200 FPS in the Marlin carbine, but the Marlin has a STRONG preference for Lyman #311316, whether run at 1200 or 1800 FPS.

[sixshot]

I've taken hundreds of small critters with my Ruger SS 32 maggie using 3 grs of WST & the RCBS slug, it runs about 950 fps in my gun & ground squirrels, rock chucks & grouse hate it. I probably take 300-400 ground squirrels every year with that load. When I want to wind it up I switch to my 8 shot 327, a GC heavy bullet & H110.

Dick