The .32-20 revolver

[David LaPell]

Another gun I want to start making cast bullets for is my Smith & Wesson M & P in .32-20. I want to make a good 100 grain cast bullet for small game hunting. Anyone else make bullets for the .32-20?

http://i561.photobucket.com/albums/ss57/Smith29-2/Picture038.jpg

[Bret4207]

You are going to have to start searching. IMO the very best 32-20 boolit is the 311316 Lyman, even with the cost of GC's. Another good one is the 311631. Both are long discontinued. There are a bunch of workable moulds out there.

Nice to see someone else likes Wondersights.

[ronbo]

I can't remember the number but have an Ideal 4 cavity plain base mould that works well in a Colt army special and Marlin 1894 old model carbine.

Added, the Ideal mould number is 3118

Colt Army Special 32-20 1922

http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/sling_862.jpg

[Guesser]

ronbo: I also have an AS from 1922, also 6" and also looks and shoots really good.
I have and use 4 Colt revolvers in 32-20. A Bisley, 7 1/2"-1912; a New Army 6"-1907 and two Army Specials dated 1919/1922. I was introduced to casting and loading for the Bisley in 1956 when I inherited it from my Grandfother. I got my own set up a few years later and have been at the 32-20 ever since. I find for the older guns that the Ideal 3118 works better than the 311316, you don't need a gas check and bore diameters differ somewhat so the 3118 cast soft and used over Trail Boss or Unique works very well. I size all my bullets to .313. The old New Army won't handle the same loads as the Bisley or the Army Specials, mainly because it has been used harder and shows more wear. For your old S&W, start low and work up. I have tried lighter bullets but the 115 grain seems to be easier to shoot accurately. Both my 3118 and the 311316 drop at 115+/- from soft alloy. I use Small Pistol primers and they work well, some have suggested Small Rifle but I don't need them in the old guns.

[Larry Gibson]

You are going to have to start searching. IMO the very best 32-20 boolit is the 311316 Lyman, even with the cost of GC's. Another good one is the 311631. Both are long discontinued. There are a bunch of workable moulds out there.

Nice to see someone else likes Wondersights.

Couldn't have made a better recommendation myself. I have both moulds and either are the cat's meow in 32-20s, revolvers or rifles.

Larry Gibson

[9.3X62AL]

Agreement on the Lyman #311316 being the "go-to" 32-20 mould design, though the gas check is superfluous at safe revolver pressures. I had Mountain Molds cut me a 120 grain rounded SWC for the 32-20 rollers in the safe, and 5.5-6.0 grains of SR-4756 does great work in my Bisley SAA and S&W M&P. Throats can vary in wheelguns of this caliber--the Colt runs .311", the S&W goes at .314".

[leftiye]

311576. Lapped and Beagled, sized .314 With gas check.

[dubber123]

I bought a 32-20 S&W recently off a auction site. It arrived with a less than stellar bore, but after retouching the crown, and a marathon firelapping session, it turned out OK. The RCBS 98 gr SWC (.314"), over several different loads (all peppy, hint, hint), shot well. With the nasty bore and all, I got it to sub 3" at 50 yards. The tiny sights are the biggest hindrance right now. Have fun with yours.

[2 dogs]

The best 32 bullet I have seen IMO in the LBT 118 grainer. Very accurate and hard hitting!

[StrawHat]

Here are a couple of links to others who have cast for the 32 WCF.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=49347

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=42430

Skeeter Skelton gives one load in this article

http://www.darkcanyon.net/Handgun%20Loads.htm

http://www.sixguns.com/tests/tt3220.htm

The 32 WCF was the first centerfire handgun I fired. I have two of them, a 5" M&P and a 6 1/2" M&P. Both are a lot of fun but neither gets as much time in the holster as my 38s or the M25s. I guess I'll have to work on that.

Surprised nobody has mentioned the Lyman 3118!

[Bret4207]

I have a Colt Army Special 32-20. Mine is a run of the mill aged looking old girl. Over the years I've put some pretty stout loads though her with never a bobble. The sights are the limiting factor for me. I've been mulling over the addition of either a Wndersight or a J frame sight for years. One hole or a slight opening of the trough on the top strap...either way it's going to be better than a sight I can't shoot well with.

I don't think anyone has mentioned the other required piece of 32-20 revolver equipment- EARS!!! THESE THINGS ARE LOUD!!!!

[Guesser]

I listed 3118 in post #4. It is the best for 32-20 in all of my Colts and I have used it in a '73 Winchester dated 1920 or so, never tried it in a newer Marlin. I also size it to .310 and use it and 311316 in 30-30 and 30 Carbine. 3118 is a great design and very versatile.

[9.3X62AL]

I'm another 32-20 shooter who has done without Lyman #311008 so far. Its lack of a crimp groove was a non-starter for me, and my S&W 32s all require a fatter boolit than Lyman's cavities often produce. Hence the spec'd mould for 32-20 revos from Mountain Molds.

Good point by Bret, driven home again by the recent acquisition of a Blackhawk in 30 Carbine. THESE THINGS BARK. Even the milder loads running 850-900 FPS put out quite a report.

[jmh54738]

While I have both 3118 and 311316, I use ten times as many 3118 bullets in 32-20 revolvers, although I use the 316 at higher velocities in the rifles.. The GC isn't needed at revolver velocities, so why bother with the extra expense.

[405]

For 32-20 carbine and rifle I've found the Lym 311316 hard to beat. For my Colt SAA 4 3/4" the Saeco #326 seems the best. It's a SWC plain base bb with single lube groove at about 100 grs.

[Bret4207]

I know everyone says the GC "isn't needed" for revolver speeds and pressures, but they don't hurt a thing either!

[Guesser]

I agree on the gas check not hurting anything, but it does add unnecessary cost. That said; I use the 311316 gas checked and sized .313 in 327 Federal Magnum at something over 1200 FPS and am still working up and have a new USFA 327/32-20 convertible on order. I strongly suspect that I will be using more gas checked 311316s in the future in 32-20.

[405]

If the goal in a load is max velocity out of a long gun then no doubt the 311316 is THE bullet for the 32-20. If the goal is max accuracy then each load/bullet is tested in each gun and the most accurate is determined by the target. My goals are low to moderate velocity/pressure and max accuracy.

For MY guns and MY goals (not anyone else's) the Lyman 311316 in my loads has proven best in my Win 92 & 73 while the Saeco 326 in my loads has proven best in my 4 3/4" Colt SAA. I've shot many types of 32 cal bullets with many load combinations in those three guns and those two bullets have proven best for my guns/goals. I've also found that no reasonably designed 32-20 bullet has been terrible- only that these two were the best.

Pic is Lyman 311316 on left and Saeco 326 on right.

[Dean D.]

Enjoy your M&P David, I've sure had a lot of fun shooting our family's old M&P.

I'd highly recommend that you slug the throats on your cylinder as they seem to vary and do tend to be large as has been mentioned above. Our M&P throats slugged out at .315 while the bore is .3125. It's darned hard to make a .311 boolit accurate with those dimensions! :veryconfu

Check out this article by Glen Fryxell, I think you will enjoy the read, I sure did!

http://www.lasc.us/FryxellPreachersGun.htm

Good luck and have fun!

P.S. I give a really big +1 to the Lyman 311008 in this revolver.