.32 acp slugging results

[interlock]

Hi guys,
i am a little surprised. i have a manhurin .32acp ppk. i have decided to shoot cast bullets through it.

so i slugged the barrel. result 0.3085. very tight

i bought a set of lee moulds that cast 93 grain bullets and had them milled down a couple of mm. it now throws 63.5 grain bullets. the bullets look lovely. i have measured them at a uniform .311.

I dont intend to size them down .... factory jacketted are 311. I have loaded some up to try tomorrow.

I made a load of felix lube and have i lubed them with it.

wish me luck guys.

steve

[interlock]

So.... Do I need to scrub the barrel copper free?

[FergusonTO35]

I would scrub out any thick fouling you see, but don't worry about a little staining.

[captaint]

Just on general principle, I would scrub that barrel and get it as clean and copper free as possible. As said above, it might not cause a problem. Then again....... Mike

[runfiverun]

that copper might be why you are seeing the 3085 diameter.

[FergusonTO35]

Euro .32's tend to slug tight, .308-.309 is fairly common.

[interlock]

update:

CCI small pistol
2.5 grains of vectan A1 (2.4 is recomended for 71gr)
GECO brass
63.5 grain lee bullet (milled lower) 30% ww and 70% lead
felix smear lubed

ok. this is how it went. no significant improvement in accuracy.
shots were quiet in report, low on recoil and did not eject very far, indeed one blocked.
some unburned powder.

conclusion

the powder load is light. insufficient pressure to burn all the powder. Insufficient pressure for good cycling.

in the uk i cant get 32 acp brass easily, infact it is £26 per 100 rds loaded - £24 per 100 rds brass. I try and recover the brass but they get so easily lost!!!


http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/ukroehunter/2012-08-16102338.jpg

[PS Paul]

Cute little round (ha-ha)!! I've reloaded .32 ACP for 15 years or so but I've never actually cast for it since I do not yet have a mold. That might change. I use Bullseye pretty consistently. Works my WWII-era CZ 27 nicely!

[interlock]

Cute little round (ha-ha)!! I've reloaded .32 ACP for 15 years or so but I've never actually cast for it since I do not yet have a mold. That might change. I use Bullseye pretty consistently. Works my WWII-era CZ 27 nicely!

.... yeah for sure! i sort of think they look more like jewellery than rounds, especially when they are buffed up.

i have found that i could just push the bullets deeper into the case so i have now applied a light crimp to them. I think this will help with a fuller burn as well. i will have a crack again tomorrow.

steve

[Freischütz]

2.4 Gr of 231 and the MiHec 74 gr bullet work well in my CZ83.

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http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/ukroehunter/2012-08-17110358.jpg

here is the pistol

[aarolar]

Any leading issues I bet not being 2thou over...

[interlock]

No, the barrel looks gleamingly clean. I really am surprised. There is a but of carnuba wax in the felix lube I an using. much cleaner than I imagined.

[PS Paul]

mm)My RCBS ACP die set has a TC (taper crimp) die, but I have wondered if a roll crimp might work since it is kind of a "semi-rimmed"case? Are you using a roll crimp on these? Since it is a pretty low-pressure round (unlike 9mm), I think seating deeper as you've been doing won't cause a huge spike in pressure? Just curious, that's all.... I don't actually know any others who load this petite caliber and I cannot actually remember talking to ANYONE over the years who has loaded this either. Most times I even mention mention it I get the funny"why bother?" look.

[PS Paul]

Just a lot of fun for me, by the way....same as you, I'm sure, is why (ha-ha)!! Neat pistol, too. A beauty, in my book

[Jal5]

Steve I have used that 93 gr Lee mold as is for my 32 ACP pistol over Bullseye. The one I have tried recently with this recipe was a 1903 Bayard gun and it shoots my reloads more accurately than any factory loads I ever found for it. No leading at all. I haven't tried it for my other 32 acp Mauser gun yet.

Nice looking gun by the way!
Joe

[FergusonTO35]

in the uk i cant get 32 acp brass easily, infact it is £26 per 100 rds loaded - £24 per 100 rds brass. I try and recover the brass but they get so easily lost!!!

You're in the UK and have a pistol? If so you might not want to be broadcasting that on the net...

[I'll Make Mine]

I don't actually know any others who load this petite caliber and I cannot actually remember talking to ANYONE over the years who has loaded this either.

When I owned a .32 (Excam or FIE, I forget which, made by Tanfoglio in Italy -- wish I had another one to go with my .380 and .25) I loaded when I could find my brass; in those days (late 1970s) I used Speer half-jacket 100 grain "Plinker" bullets and a Lee Loader (what they now call a "Classic"), using the provided dipper and one of their recommended powders (I think it was Red Dot, but it's been thirty years or so and I don't have any notes from then). The rounds worked okay, but I found so few cases after firing factory rounds that I never finished the first box of 100 bullets before trading the .32 against (IIRC) an XP-100. Wish I had that one back, too, come to that.

So, now you know someone who has loaded for .32 ACP. Not much, but have done it... :mrgreen:

[PS Paul]

Well, then I guess I will call you "friend" there, Mr. I'll make mine!! ha-ha! I suppose the truth is I am just kind of "anti-social" and don't get out enough. I tell ya, the VERY scenario played out this morning when I showed a guy a .32 ACP Beretta at the store I run. I told him I reload the .32 and he looked at me and started laughing! He must have thought I was pullin' his chain until he looked at me and saw I was not joking. The poor little .32 should get more respect. Until then, I'll just keep shootin' 'em with a smile on my face!!

[interlock]

You're in the UK and have a pistol? If so you might not want to be broadcasting that on the net...

It's all perfectly lawful and above board I assure you.

[paul edward]

Have been reloading the .32 ACP since 1975.
Cast boolits from my Lyman 311252 mold weigh 78 grains and measure .311".
With 2.5 grains of Winchester W231 this load works the slide of several blowback pistols and gives decent accuracy.

This boolit also works well in .32S&W and .32 S&W Long.

Odd that .32 ACP brass is hard to find/expensive in the UK. Do you reload Berdan primed cases?

Virtually all of my .32 ACP brass is range pickups.