32/20 police posative

[Bullshop]

Yesterday someone traded in a Colt Police Posative in 32/20. Last patent date on the gun is 1905. The finish is mottled but the gun is tight with perfect bore. Barrel length looks to be close to 6". Wonder of wonders the grips are complete and without cracks.
So since I have never loaded for this model I would like to hear about what kind of loads others put through them.
I happened to find a box of .314" 90gn rn lying about and since my powder measurer was holding Alliant E-3 I loaded some with 2.7gn. Oh I dont know it just seemed about right. Anyway sticks, rocks, cow pies etc within 100 yards were hit with regularity. I even did some long range to about 500 yards and WOW! I like this little bugger. Shoots ever so much better than the J frame S&W I have in 32 mag.
BTW loaded with the .314" boolits ammo needed a little nudge to seat in the cylinder. Sizing them to .312" they drop in clean.
Comon Al I know you must shoot one of these, lets hear about it.

[Guesser]

I shoot a PPS in 32-20 made in 1925, 4" and a wonderful little revolver. I cast Ideal 3118 soft, size .313 and load over 2.9 grains of Trail Boss. Random targets at random ranges, just as you described, are not safe. Great fun with a great gun and cartridge.

PPS=Police Positive Special; the Police Positive was too small to chamber the longer cartridges, 32-20 and 38 Special, hence, PPS

[turtlezx]

your shooting with 2.7 gr of powder in a pistol @ 500yds ?? :veryconfu

[canyon-ghost]

http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx228/3rdshooter/contenders/32-20WCF800x6002.jpg

What's a 32-20, Lol! I shoot a TC Contender to 100 meters in 32-20.

http://i758.photobucket.com/albums/xx228/3rdshooter/contenders/32-20WCF005.jpg

I can tell you this much, the brass is thin. You might have to full length resize every time to reload it. I use some Alberto VO 5 gel as case lube so to load 100 rounds of 32-20. I love this caliber and know a few good stories about it. I've also loaded for my little H&R double action revolver with Bullseye. My best shooting has come from the RCBS 32-98-SWC mold. It's a plain base flat nose much like the Lyman #008, 115 grain mold. It just shoots a bit better.

The 32-20 is still the best shooting of it's kind. They've tried 32 mag, .327 Federal, and a few more trying to replace it. 32-20 is just top of it's field and the original. Love it.

Starline still makes new brass for it. starlinebrass.com from Sedalia, MO. Really, really good brass and you can buy it from the factory!

Good Luck,
Ron

[Nobade]

Personally I wouldn't be shooting that revolver with smokeless powder. Those soft cylinders are just too easy to bulge. A full load of 20gr. FFFg under a soft cast #3118 lubed with, what else, NASA lube is extremely accurate and will allow your fine old revolver to last a long time.

[bob208]

i have a pps in .32-20 with 4" garrel never fired it. i have a 6" barreled one in .38spl. that one is a tack driver. it is kept in the closet by the back door as a grab gun. it is loaded all the time.

[Bullshop]

Oh so this is a PPS?
It seemed to shoot to the sights with 90gn boolits so I wondered how it would be with heavier like 115gn boolits.
Yea 500 yards its not too hard to walk shots in then fairely consistantly hit or come awfully close to something the size of a kitchen chair. The dry conditions here have made it quite easy to spot hits kicking up plenty of dust.
So was not the 32/20 loaded commercially with smokless powder for revolver post 1900?
9.3x62 Al you are the resident 32 guy what say yea of these old Colts?

[Guesser]

500 yards with a hand gun, any caliber or cartridge is a lot of fun. If you can see where your projectile hits, you can correct and continue. In Military terminology it is called "ranging". I shoot clay pigeons on the hill side at various ranges out to 150 yards with 32 S&W, 85 gr. 313249 over 1.5 gr. of Trail Boss. What's not to like????

[Nobade]

I'm unsure about Colt, but S&W didn't recommend using smokeless powder in their revolvers until 1909.

Of course it's your gun and you can do what you want to with it, but I figure black will give performance better than smokeless at pressures the gun's designed for and ensure its long life. Of course smokeless can give higher performance, but the pressures go up as well.

Plus it's more fun to shoot!

[Bullshop]

I'm unsure about Colt, but S&W didn't recommend using smokeless powder in their revolvers until 1909.

Of course it's your gun and you can do what you want to with it, but I figure black will give performance better than smokeless at pressures the gun's designed for and ensure its long life. Of course smokeless can give higher performance, but the pressures go up as well.

Plus it's more fun to shoot!
You are right and I hope to try some BP as soon as I can find some.
I am not using smokeless to get improved performance its just what I have on hand. I dont need any performance much over a 32 long.

[rintinglen]

I have been shooting D-Frame Colt's for something like 35 years. At one time I had 9 pre-war Police Positives and Police Positive Specials aswell as a Cobra and a Detective Special. I currently have only 4, but one is a 6 inch blued 32-20 Police Positive Special. The Police Positive Specials's were made from the get-go for smokeless powder, having first seen the light of Day in 1908.
In deference to it's age, I keep the loads light in my 1928 vintage 32-20, it likes the 32-98 SWC from RCBS over 3.4 grains of WW-231 and also does fine with the 32-84 boolit over 3.0 grains of Bullseye. I have also been experimenting with the 32-98 WC over 2.7 grains of Bullseye and 3.0 grains of WW-231. Both group well, but I need to get them to hit a little closer to point of aim.

[Bullshop]

Is that a fact? Huh made for smokless from the gitgo, very interesting. That makes me feel better.
I think I remember reading in Dave Scovill's book "Loading for the Peace maker" that he recomended 3gn bullseye with a 115gn boolit. That is for the model P which though I dont and never have had one I believe is a larger gun with heavier cylinder walls.
I dont really know how the two guns compair.

[Guesser]

A problem affecting accuracy with the 32-20 and small charges such as 3.0 gr. of B'eye is that the long narrow case allows the powder to string out away from the primer unless the cartridge is tipped up so the powder can settle against the flash hole. The strung out powder charge allows and promotes erratic ignition severely affecting accuracy. I have 5 Colt revolvers chambered in 32-20, 1907 to 1925. I found that the bulky, case filling Trail Boss powder eliminated the erratic ignition when I forgot to upend the gun after each firing. I don't hot load any of the old guns and the TB loads make them fun and accurate.