Mould suggestions for Winchester 32 WCF and 44 WCF

[KirkD]

I'm looking for just one mould for each of my calibers. The first would be for a Winchester Model 1892 44 WCF that has a groove diameter of .429, so I'd like a bullet that will feed perfectly, and drop from the mould a little over .429. The second is a Winchester Model 1892 32 WCF that has a groove diameter of .314. I want to stay away from a gas check design, as gas checks just add expense to my shooting. Plain base is what I prefer. Any suggestions?

[slughammer]

Hornsurgeon has Lyman 427098 for sale. This is a nice RF mold, plain base and should be ideal. Not sure where it drops, but it could well be .429. Might want to give him a shout.

http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=31550&highlight=427098

[EDK]

For the 44/40, I'd use the newer LYMAN 427666....my 4 cavity casts at .431+ with an alloy anywhere from 12 to 16 Brinnell hardness. It has a crimp groove that older designs don't have..and you'll need it with smokeless loads. It feeds easily in 44 Special and Magnum brass in all three 44 MARLIN 1894 Cowboys I load for.

I'd also get a copy of Mike Venturino's SHOOTING LEVER GUNS OF THE OLD WEST. A lot of data and historical information on lever guns and loads.

For the 32/20, Mike suggests LYMAN 311008...he sized them at .313, so you could tinker with alloy if your mould didn't cast .314 or more.

:Fire: :cbpour: :redneck:

[KirkD]

Thanks, fellows. I have Mike's book .... I have thoroughly enjoyed it. If I recall correctly, the Lyman mould he recommends does not have the crimp groove in the right place. I'll have to double check. I'll check out that new Lyman mould 427666.

[Jon K]

KirkD,

Just happened to just recently been there done that.

44 WCF Saeco mould #444 (RNFP)and #442(TC) will drop @.4295-.430 in WW+lino or Lyman #2 or .428 in 20:1 lead/tin. These are both for the 44-40 and will cycle fine.
Saeco #446(RNPF) will drop @ .4315 in WW+lino or .430 in 20:1 lead/tin. This mould is for the 44 spl/mag and is .312 from the crimping groove to nose. It will be 1.605-1.610, if your gun can cycle that. This one was recommended by Deputy Al.

32 WCF Lyman 311008(FP) will drop @.314 in WW+lino or Lyman #2. Saeco #322(FP) will drop @314 in WW+ lino or Lyman #2.

All of the above boolits are PB no GC, and shoot GREAT.

Jon

[Chuck 100 yd]

I bought an RCBS 170 gr .32 mold a month or so back. It casts a very nice bullet that shoots well in my 94.
Below is a pic of the results from my NEI mold that casts a bullet just a little too long to stabilize in the 1:16 twist.
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c356/chuckleininger/IMG_1600.jpg
Groups with the RCBS 170 are just a tiny bit smaller but the holes are round.

[Four Fingers of Death]

Willbird I think it was had a neato 120gn plain base boolit in a group buy a year or so ago. They are long gone, but someone might want to sell theirs (I don't so forget it :) ) Good luck. Mick.

By the way Chuck, that group is minute of most things in my book.

[KirkD]

Thanks fellows. Some very helpful info here. Chuck, just to clarify, I'm talking about the 32-20 not the 32 Winchester Special. That group you got, however, is very nice and I enjoyed seeing that photo. Always a pleasure to see a nice target/bullet/rifle combination like that. The only high speed rifle I have is a 30-30, and I do use gas checks on those bullets for sure.

[Don McDowell]

Kirk for the 32 you might want to look at the RCBS 98swc. The one I have is dropping bullets at .314 and 100 grs, when cast from wheelweights. As good as that bullet is working from 2 different 32 h&R's and has shown some promise as a plinker in a 30-30 (properly sized of course) I can't help but think it'ld be great in the 32wcf.

[Trailblazer]

Good thread! I hope to be looking for a 44-40 mold also if a certain deal goes through this afternoon. Venturino said that the RCBS-44-200-FN is his favorite 44-40 bullet.

[KirkD]

Thanks, Don. I may have to go with the mould you suggest, given what I mention below, although I would prefer a full 115 grain bullet (although, 100 grain is close enough, probably).

Jon K, I checked Venturino's book re. the Lyman 311008. That bullet, at least in Venturino's book, has the crimp groove too far back, so to feed properly through an original Winchester, it has to be set so far back in the case that there's barely any forward band to crimp on to. You fellow's who have recommended the Lyman 311008, is there a new revised Lyman 311008 mould out with the crimp groove in the proper place for an original Winchester? If not, are you using a Lee Factory Crimp on it, and, if so, how well does it work on that particular bullet in giving enough 'bite' to keep the bullet from being shoved into the case?

[Don McDowell]

Kirk from my previuos experiences with the 32wcf, I don't think there's a thing you could do with it that the extra 15 grs of bullet would be missed. I've seen the 100 gr bullet drop whitetail deer like thors hammer, don't believe another 15 grs of bullet would of done it any gooder.

[KirkD]

Don, that is good to know. I don't plan to hunt Whitetail Deer with my 32 WCF, but in the back of my mind is to always be prepared for situation that are unplanned for, and having to hunt deer with my 32 WCF was exactly one of those unplanned situations that I had in mind. I am very happy to hear about the success of that 100 grain bullet on deer. Mostly, it will be used for varmints.

I checked out that bullet on the RCBS website. Looks nice, but I'm a little nervous about what kind of O.A.L. it will give if crimped in the crimping groove. When you get a chance, would you mind measuring the OAL of one of your loaded rounds? Worst come to worst, I could crimp on the forward driving band, provided the crimp doesn't need to be too far forward.

[Jon K]

Kirk,

Yes, I am crimping ahead of the crimp groove. Lee FCD. I can cycle 1.605, but I am now seat to1.585. That's in a Marlin 1894 CL.

Jon

[Uncle R.]

That 427666 looks good - but with that little bevel on the base, will it run through an RCBS lubrizer without aggravation?

[Don McDowell]

Kirk I don't have any 32wcf rounds loaded with either the lyman or the rcbs bullet.
I do however have some unsized 311008's and cast from wheelweight they measure,313diameter, .625 nose to tail, the rcbs98swc measure .55 or some such (don't have any unsized at the moment, so they're all sqoozed to .312). At any rate from the nose of either bullet to the top of the groove below the driving band is essentially the same length. If one will cycle thru your action the other will also.

[KirkD]

Thanks, Don. Good info.

[tanstafl10]

I can second Don McDowell on the feeding of the two boolits in question. Been using both in a project with a Win M 92 in 32 WCF. OAL of the loaded RCBS 98 gr is 1.59 and the Lyman 113 gr is 1.60. I am crimping on the drive band with a wee bit out of the case mouth. I get nice accuracy with a 4.0 gr load of Unique.

To get the .314 diameter, I have been using linotype. I am happy with the results. It has been a fun project!

[6pt-sika]

Kirk ,

For the 32-20 I mostly shoot the Lyman 311316 , this is a 113 grain gas check design . The mould is no longer made but they can usually be found on ebay fairly easy .

Also use the Lyman 311419 . This is a 90 grain gas check bullet and is also no longer made . However these turn up on ebay from time to time as well .

For a decent readily available mould you might want to try the Saeco #322 this is a 113 grain plain base bullet . I have this mould and have shot a fair number of this bullet also . I just seem to prefer GC'd bullets .

[6pt-sika]

My own experiences with the bullets I mentioned above have been totally with my four MArlin rifles . When I had my old 1892's I had not gravitated to cast bullets yet !

My preference for the 311316 is for silhouette , but I also have thoughts in the back of my head about taking at least one stupid doe with the little bullet .

In the April 2008 issue of "Handloader" Brian Pearce has an article about the 32-20 . And like myself he seems to like the 311316 quite a bit .
He also has a good bit of loading information as well . May be a good idea to scratch around and find yourself an issue for reference .

[KirkD]

Thanks for that info. Looks like I got a few choices to look into.

[6pt-sika]

I almost forgot !

Ranch Dog has some moulds suitable for the 32-20 being cut when Lee gets to it !
If I'm not mistaken they will be 100 or 115 grain and gas checked . I am not sure if he plans to market these or not ! But they are on the table so to speak !

[smilie=1: