Reaming .32 ACP Case

[beeser]

I'm fairly convinced that my problem loading .32 ACP lead cast bullets has to do with the brass cases being used. The bullets are .314 in diameter and the cases have an ID of .306. The cases are S&W head stamped but I believe are actually made by Fiocchi and have a thicker wall than many others. I think the bullet is being swagged down when it is pressed into the much smaller case. What I plan to do is use a Forster Power Case Trimmer with a 308 (.311 diameter) reamer to open up the case ID. I'm new to all of this so any comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

[Outpost75]

That is one solution, but there is no need to use .314" bullets in a .32 ACP. Correct bullet diameter is .309-.311" depending on the pistol. It is better to use a bullet with a short shank and appropriate head length which is designed for the .32 ACP. This is necessary so that the seating depth does not exceed that of factory FMJ rounds, thereby avoiding impingement of the bullet base against the case body taper where it begins to thicken.

I use the Accurate 31-087T bullet sized to .311" in either W-W, RWS, Geco or Fiocchi brass for use in my Walther PP, Colt M1903 Pocket Hammerless, Beretta 3032 Tomcat and CZ27, using 2 grains of Bullseye, seated to an overall cartridge length of 0.955-0.970", the load is accurate, hits hard, penetrates like the Buffalo bore and runs like a pony trotting. The expander plug in my RCBS die set is .308"

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[JWFilips]

This is just my 2 cents: I have loaded a lot of 32 acp for many old guns from 1914 mausers , 1942 MAB's, Feg's Ortgies etc right to my Modern Jennings Light carry arm All in my 32 acp collection.
The nominal boolit I size to is .312" Even for the MAB which is at .309" You need to modify your case size die because it is sizing your brass to Jacketed spec Not cast boolit spec. Get Buckshot here on this forum to make you a custom expander die to get those boolits in without them getting swaged. Then you will be shooting great with cast boolits in 32 acp BTW I use a lot of Fiocchi brass Yes it is tight until you size & load it to cast boolit specs...then it is fine

My choice of boolit is exclusively the flat nose 75 Grain Ranch Dog! Jerry at Carolina Cast Bullets can help you there! ( Unless you get real lucky and find an old mould)

[beeser]

I should've mentioned in the beginning that the pistol being used is a Pardini target gun with a .313" barrel. It's a fairly new offering by Pardini and a good number of shooters are having success with the .314 LSWC bullet. Unfortunately the availability of .32 ACP brass is fairly limited and what I have is the thicker walled stuff.

[EDG]

You say nothing about expanding your brass or your chamber diameter.

What is your chamber diameter?

What is the wall thickness of your brass?

Expand the brass or open the sizing? Or have you failed to mention that you have a tight chamber to go with the larger groove diameter.

Reaming brass is a sorry process unless you are tooled for it properly. Without guidance the reamer will just follow the existing inside diameter with NO guarantee of uniform case walls.
You have a target pistol? Why not find some decent brass or turn the brass that you have but only if your chamber is too small. If your chamber is large enough to work with properly sized and expanded brass you might try that approach.

If your brass is merely being sized too small you can expand it or you can open a steel sizer so it is not sized so small.

[noylj]

If you are not using an expander die (some get by with jacketed bullets by only flaring the case mouth), do so. If you are and your case ID is too small after expanding, you need a larger expander. For lead bullets, being sure to use the correct expander is important.
Let's say your expander is 0.310" in diameter and your cases are coming out at 0.309". You want to use a 0.314" cast bullet, so you want the case ID to be 0.312-0.313". Thus, you need to get a 0.313" expander (or, at least a 0.312"). All die companies will be happy to talk to you about this and make a custom expander plug.

[JWFilips]

Shoot some factory loads & don't resize cases just reload your cast ( with neck expanding a bit to accept your boolit You can use stubby needle nose to just flair the case neck in a pinch) you may just be over-analizing.
You do not need to remove brass you need to open brass more...again JMHO

[beeser]

If you are not using an expander die (some get by with jacketed bullets by only flaring the case mouth), do so. If you are and your case ID is too small after expanding, you need a larger expander. For lead bullets, being sure to use the correct expander is important.
Let's say your expander is 0.310" in diameter and your cases are coming out at 0.309". You want to use a 0.314" cast bullet, so you want the case ID to be 0.312-0.313". Thus, you need to get a 0.313" expander (or, at least a 0.312"). All die companies will be happy to talk to you about this and make a custom expander plug.

I now have a .312" and .313" expander and some other brass with a thinner wall thickness. This brass (Magtech) has an ID of .310. I'll see how this works first before reamer the thicker wall brass.

[Outpost75]

I now have a .312" and .313" expander and some other brass with a thinner wall thickness. This brass (Magtech) has an ID of .310. I'll see how this works first before reamer the thicker wall brass.

This should work. I have a Beretta with 20cm barrel in .32 ACP which I resize brass using .32 S&W Long die and reload with Accurate 31-087T which shoots quite well. Not UIT centerire match pistol, but quite acceptable. I use Fiocchi brass and 1.7 grains of Bullseye OAL 0.955".

[1_Ogre]

reaming out the ID of the case, IMHO, is not the way to go. That is going to lead to problems and splitting of the case mouths. Better to use a smaller boolit that is designed for the cartridge. Sounds like your boolits are too large, causing your problems

[trapper9260]

The dies I have is hornady and I was usen the expander die in that but did not work for me so i got the Lyman and took care of the problem.For my P32 I use 312 in that for cast and 313 in my 327.I use the same dies for all.I went by the lyman reloading manuel that state to go with 312 in 32acp.I have no problems of feed or leading.