New to me 32 Special

[Pb&j]

Long story short. Mother found it in closet and knows I and the wife are the only shooters in the family. Wife brought it back from her trip this weekend and we are the new parents of a Winchester Model 94 32 special. Never even heard of this caliber before. Only thing I have found so far is that the caliber is closely related but has never been as popular as the 30-30. The serial # dates it to 1925 from other searches. Can you fine folks point me in the direction of more history and info on this fun looking shooter. I will be getting in touch with a local smith to go over it and check dimensions on things before firing this puppy. Heck, is the ammo even still available. It looks like someone had it as their favorite brush gun and decided to put poly on the wood but everything else looks okay with some knicks and scrapes on the barrel mostly. Action looks/feels really dry of any lube. Barrel looks pretty clean inside with good rifling from my less than pro eyes. Nice early Christmas gift from Mom anyways.

[canyon-ghost]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.32_Winchester_Special

And although this is very high velocity (hot) ammo: http://www.hornady.com/store/32-Win-Special-165-gr-FTX-LEVERevolution/

[TXGunNut]

Sounds like it needs a good cleaning and a once-over by your gunsmith. Recently became the proud pappa of a more recent one a little while back. Sweet cartridge, very much like the 30-30 but some folks feel it's more suited to CB's. Not going to weigh in on that, I just think it's cool. You'll hear that cases can be made from 30-30 cases but I've had better luck with Hornady 32 Spl brass. Factory loads are still available, or so I hear.

[Geobru]

Remington and Hornady make factory ammo that is readily available here. I just got one too and am looking for loads for it.

[Guesser]

Great gun and great cartridge. Very easy to shoot cast boolits well. I have a Winchester and a Marlin. Both very effective and easy to load for.

[Pb&j]

I'm happy to see that factory ammo is available even in the everlution. Even better to hear they like to eat CB's. After reading the link and more digging it seems this gun was made to go from black powder loads to smokeless. My barrel states "especially for smokeless" but nice to know the history. My biggest concern was finding brass and load data for it. Looks like all is well in the world. Am just getting around to slugging the 30-30 of my late fathers so this is on the need list to be done to the Special once it gets a good go over by the guru. Thanks for for the links and really happy to hear its a good/fun shooter. Thanks guys.

[Bob in Revelstoke]

You say you have a 30-30 also. Be very careful with the ammo as, at a casual glance they can be easily mistaken. The 30.30 will go into a .32 spl and will shoot with no trouble other than poor accuracy. On the other hand, .32spl. can cause no end of trouble.

I have both calibers and colour code for the .32 both on the container and the cartridge. Felt pen in a bright colour works for me. Very nice caliber for cast boolits.

[bruce drake]

You say you have a 30-30 also. Be very careful with the ammo as, at a casual glance they can be easily mistaken. The 30.30 will go into a .32 spl and will shoot with no trouble other than poor accuracy. On the other hand, .32spl. can cause no end of trouble.

I have both calibers and colour code for the .32 both on the container and the cartridge. Felt pen in a bright colour works for me. Very nice caliber for cast boolits.

I'll second Bob's warning. I reload for both but I make a point of using a Round-Nosed Boolit profile for my 32 Win and a Flat-nose profile for my 30-30 to further delineate the two calibers should they ever get mixed up by accident.

Bruce

[Pb&j]

Thank you. Very good warning to be made and very good ideas to keep from ever making that mistake. I'm sure we're all safe but things can and do happen. This site never fails to impress me.

[corvette8n]

8 to 10 gr of Unique under a cast bullet makes for a fun plinker with this gun

[Pb&j]

good to hear being as unique is being used in other loads already. It's a win win all the way around.

[Canuck Bob]

I own a 51 model 94 in 32 Special. Be aware that even though it was not as popular as the 30-30 there were still many thousands made. Canadian old timers and trappers considered it a better bear and moose rifle even though on paper it is similar to the 30-30. Here is a good link for some history and understanding. The slow twist likes cast and it is a fine cartridge. I spent a little extra to get 32 Special brass for full power because I'm a wuss with reloading safety and I don't even own a 30-30. I do have my eye peeled for free 30-30 brass for cast plinking rounds. My mould is an old Lyman single designed for the 32 Rem with a round nose as well. I had it modded by Eric at Hollowpoint to better fill the throat at .002 over groove.

http://www.levergun.com/articles/special.htm

[bob208]

i have shot deer with both the 30-30 and the .32 spl. there is no difference between them.

as for the dire warnings about mixing the two. don't worry the .30-30 will fit in a .32. but the .32 spl. will not chamber in the .30-30. i just tried it.

[Pb&j]

i have shot deer with both the 30-30 and the .32 spl. there is no difference between them.

Big question is...Did you have fun shooting the 32? oh, and did you have to track said deer down into the valley, back up the hill and through the stream on the other side before having to drag it all the way back? Looks like velocity is truly higher than the 30-30 but as brush guns go it probably doesn't really matter. I gotta get this thing shooting and soon.

[Philngruvy]

This site never fails to impress me.
Isn't that the truth!!!

[runfiverun]

be aware some of the die sets for the 32 are made for their 321 diameter bullets but the rifle will most likely want something closer to 323 or so.
i use 324 diameter gas checked in mine [in fact i used the old ideal boolit in my 8 mauser first]
i have to use my 8mm lebel die to seat and crimp otherwise i will crumple the case necks.

[Pb&j]

be aware some of the die sets for the 32 are made for their 321 diameter bullets but the rifle will most likely want something closer to 323 or so.
i use 324 diameter gas checked in mine [in fact i used the old ideal boolit in my 8 mauser first]
i have to use my 8mm lebel die to seat and crimp otherwise i will crumple the case necks.

I see a new notebook in my future to keep all the info straight. I wish I would have gotten into this years ago. So much info. Was reading the sticky for newbs and rifles that I hadn't seen before this morning. Ultra informative. Your info, runfiverun, is appreciated and now noted. Thank you also.

Brad.

[TXGunNut]

I went for the RCBS Cowboy dies. Works great for boolits, no additional dies required.

[double8]

The 32 Special is a good cartridge,....I have a .32 Spcl Saddle Ring Carbine from 1926 and the only thing I don't care for is that it has a lot of drop in the stock and it tends to hurt by digging into the shoulder with a stiff loading. I prefer it over the 30-30 Win.

[double8]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.32_Winchester_Special

And although this is very high velocity (hot) ammo: http://www.hornady.com/store/32-Win-Special-165-gr-FTX-LEVERevolution/

WOW.....I don't like the looks of that pointed bullet going into a tubular magazine.....no sirree, no matter what the specs say. Not for me.

[Duckiller]

Have faith in modern technology. Evereloution bullets won't set off primers in tubular magazines or Hornady would be out of business. You can make 32 Special brass by expanding the neck of 30-30 brass. Use different head stamps or color code or you will never tell them apart. No real difference between the two calibers, you just have the more unique one and therefore can act superior over all 30-30 owners. Enjoy.

[compass will]

I shoot either a (1921) marlin 93 in .32 HPS (why would marlin mark the barrel Winchester Special) or a model 336SC (1946) in 30-30 for Lever gun Silhouette. I use cast boolites all the way out to the 200 yard targets. Both do fine, but I do recall some hits with the 30-30 on the rams that I feel would have gone down with the 32 :).

I use the RCBS dies for the 32 because that was all I could find at the time. People here pointed me at the Boolit mold I use for it.
on mine I think it is loaded a little shorter then lengths shown in the books because the boolit is not as tapered as the jacked one factory ammo comes with. I needed to shorten it because the boolit was sticking in the rifling if I had to eject a live round.

[TXGunNut]

Have faith in modern technology. Evereloution bullets won't set off primers in tubular magazines or Hornady would be out of business. You can make 32 Special brass by expanding the neck of 30-30 brass. Use different head stamps or color code or you will never tell them apart. No real difference between the two calibers, you just have the more unique one and therefore can act superior over all 30-30 owners. Enjoy.


I haven't had much luck w/ converting RP or WW 30 WCF brass to 32 WS. All I have are under minimum length by varying amounts so I can't get a uniform crimp. I have best luck with a light crimp and a couple of boxes of 32 WS Hornady brass gives me that. Guess I could keep shooting my range pickup 30 WCF brass in my thutty-thutty until it stretches out a bit.