32 S&W - Hard or Soft?

[260 Striker]

Will be converting a Remington 32rf rifle to 32 S&W Long soon and will be using very mild loads to keep things under control. Read old Ken Waters article about 32 S&W Long for handgun and he suggested hard cast bullets. Since I want to keep things mild, I think pure lead bullets would be best and slug up easier into the rifling. Gun has excellent rifling with just light touches of frost in several spots so pure lead should shoot OK if I find the right alloy/load combination. Any suggestions about alloy? I currently use pure lead, WW, linotype and a bunch of Leadheads rejects for casting. Will be trying two Lee .312 moulds. Might even try to make a jig to drill hollow bases if that would help.

[Outpost75]

In my Rook Rifles I use 1:40 tin/lead, about 7-8 BHN. This is similar to the original bullets used in blackpowder ammunition and works well with the fast burners, such as Bullseye or TiteGroup.

[reed1911]

I shoot both .32 S&W and 32 S&W Long with both pure and hardcast with no issues on either. I don't cast, but buy them cast and swage pure lead and tumble lube. I think you will have an issue finding something that won't shoot, it is such a mild little critter that just about everything does really well.

[frnkeore]

I would add some tin to the pure lead, just for better fill out of the bands. 2% (50/1) or even just 1% (100/1) I think would help fill out and shoot better in a rifle.

Frank

[Mk42gunner]

ACWW at about 12.5 bhn work okay in my No. 2 Remington Rolling Block; I would not go any harder, and may go softer the next time I cast for it. The bore is shiny, but rough on it.

My rifle leaded badly when I tried the Navy Arms 32 Long Rimfire in it, but since I converted it to center fire and use FWFL, no leading and decent accuracy.

Robert

[Nobade]

Soft lead and black powder. After loosening my #4 rolling block quite a bit after ONE shot of smokeless ammo, I recommend and use nothing but black in these conversions.

-Nobade

[260 Striker]

Nobade, I have some Pyrodex RS. Would that work and do you have any recommendation for loads? My two Lee moulds are the 93 grain round nose and the 90 grain SWC tumble lube. My rifle is also a Rem. No 4 and I don't want to hurt it. Would be fun to see some smoke out the end of the barrel.

[DeanWinchester]

I load for a friends .32 long S&W hand ejector revolver. I use stick on wheel weights. Not quite but close to pure lead. They shoot very, very well.

[Nobade]

Nobade, I have some Pyrodex RS. Would that work and do you have any recommendation for loads? My two Lee moulds are the 93 grain round nose and the 90 grain SWC tumble lube. My rifle is also a Rem. No 4 and I don't want to hurt it. Would be fun to see some smoke out the end of the barrel.

Pyro RS will be pretty weak in the small amounts you will use, but it certainly will fire a boolit down range. You probably will be able to just scoop the case full and seat a boolit on it to compress the powder. If that is too much compression, just back off the charge a little until it works. Use real black powder lube on the boolit, and clean the cases and rifle right after shooting. And at least twice more on the following days, since Pyrodex is so corrosive. Oh, and make sure your cases are annealed well so there is no blowback into your face. If it does, clean the breech block really well too including inside the firing pin hole and the pin. If at all possible, use real black powder - it is so much nicer and less corrosive to deal with.

-Nobade

[260 Striker]

I wonder if I could get enough Trailboss in that small case to get the bullets out the end of the barrel. TB should be very low pressure.

[Outpost75]

Trail Boss should be OK and close to factory loads in pressure and velocity.

[Nobade]

Trail Boss should be OK and close to factory loads in pressure and velocity.

Velocity - yes. Pressure - absolutely not. A 1/2 case of Trailboss is what wrecked my rifle. That stuff is NOT a low pressure powder despite how low the velocity is.

-Nobade

[I'll Make Mine]

Better double check your chamber dimensions -- it's my recollection that .32 RF translates to .32 Colt, not .32 S&W -- smaller case diameter and a heeled bullet in the original, or a hollow base to let the bullet upset into the rifling after the ammo makers switched to inside lubed. Soft lead is the ticket with the hollow base bullets, and black powder pressures are what your rifle wants, whichever case chambers...

[UBER7MM]

Soft lead and black powder. After loosening my #4 rolling block quite a bit after ONE shot of smokeless ammo, I recommend and use nothing but black in these conversions.

-Nobade


Same with SR-4759