.32 ACP / 7,65 Browning Mold

[Piet]

I shoot a Walther PP in 32 ACP a lot . I still had the LEE C309-120R mold that I used for .30 M1. It seemed a good candidate for modification. The handles must be taken of first. The pins are staked in place. The pins will fall out when the holes are drilled to a larger diameter . The sprue plate must also be taken off. The top of the blocks are machined until the the gas check shank , the band and the grease groove are gone. The result you can see in the picture. The weight is 75 grains. I size the bullet to .309" . With 2.0 grains Accurate arms No. 2 the pistol functions OK . The cartridge length is 24 mm .The accuracy is the same as with factory ammo. I guess it would be very easy for LEE to produce this mold. It is just a depth adjustment of the cherry. :idea:. The mold is completely unbalanced after the modification. I turn the mold upside down to close it.

[Old Ironsights]

Or, you could just have Dan at Mountain Molds cut you one to spec... ;)

[9.3X62AL]

That's a nice adjustment for the 32 ACP, Piet.

I'm another 32 ACP enthusiast, and also have a Walther PP so chambered. I've used a number of heavy-for-application moulds in this caliber, to include Lyman #313249 (85 grain RN) and the Lee 100 grain RN. More recently, I received a #313226 (77 grain RN) that is designed for the caliber from a board member here, but have yet to heat it up.

The 32 ACP is a GREAT cast boolit caliber--I've run castings through a half-dozen examples I've owned in this caliber, and all were quite accurate and very pleasant to shoot. The 32 ACP and SWL were usually the first centerfire handguns my daughters fired as kids, and if they do a range day with Mom and Dad THOSE MID-CALIBERS BETTER COME ALONG WITH US.

I've mused over a truncated cone design for the 32 ACP and 7.62 Tokarev/30 Mauser/30 Luger, and after we get settled into the new digs I'll have Dan cut such a critter.

[Piet]

Thanks for the reactions. I certainly could have bought a mold for the 32 ACP, Old ironsights. But I had the 30M1 mold and it was not much work to change it. Being a cheapskate also does not help :)
I had a 32 ACP mold from RCBS , but I sold that one when I moved from Holland to Luxembourg. (long ago). I also have the 93 grain mold from Lee. But that measures .315" as cast. Sizing that down nearly closes the grease grooves. I bought it for 7,65 French Long MAS.
I am very interested in the truncated cone design 9.3x62AL. I hope you will post the design and the results when you get around to it.

[Old Ironsights]

Thanks for the reactions. I certainly could have bought a mold for the 32 ACP, Old ironsights. But I had the 30M1 mold and it was not much work to change it. Being a cheapskate also does not help :)...

Well, yeah, if you have the M1 mould to sacrifice than that's cool. But if you don't, unless you get a group buy a Lee mould won't be cheaper... and I'm pretty sure they will never make it a stocking item.

For some reason I've never had the desire to reload .32 even though I've owed several.

[txpete]

I am also a 32 auto fan:-D.I really like this lyman mold casts a good bullet and accurate in my PP's.
pete

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v238/txpete/walther765cast001.jpg

[txbirdman]

Somewhere I acquired a .32 RCBS 70(something, I'll have to look) grain mould I have no use for. If some of you 32 guys are interested in swapping something for it I'd be willing to send it your way.

[Odinbreaker]

What are you looking to trade for?

[txbirdman]

I've already traded it to another forum member.

Thanks,

[9.3X62AL]

TX Pete--

I stand ocrrected, the #313226 I mentioned above is actually the Lyman #311252. Memory isn't the best way to work once ya turn 50.

Piet--

The TC idea is not entirely my own, a poster who no longer belongs here made up such a mould and sent me some samples, about 75 grains IIRC. These ran like water through the PP, and did BAD THINGS to a couple jackrabbits who had the great misfortune to amble into range while I was afield with the PP. The Lee 100 RN seems to be the "go-to" boolit for the 30 Luger and 30 Mau/7.62 Tokarev, so the need for a TC design for those calibers isn't real strident. RN 100 grainers @1250 FPS collect what's fired upon very well--it's the 32 ACP's slower velocity that benefits from a flat-point profile on small game and varmints.

I also load for the 7.65 MAS pistol, and Lyman #313249 works GREAT in that caliber. The full-caliber front drive band makes it a decent hunting boolit.

[Newtire]

Looks just like the 311252 Yup Al

[cuzinbruce]

When I first got a French 1935A pistol, I didn't have a mould that looked even close. So I took some 32/20 bullets, Lymans 311419, an 85 grain flat nose gas check design and tried that. With 20 Bertram cases and a set of 32 ACP dies, they worked fine. Fed perfectly, even if they are quite a bit shorter than the spec. Couldn't find any load data so I extrapolated from .32 ACP and .32 S&W Long. Neat little pistol. I should shoot it more.

[TAWILDCATT]

lee has a 90 gr TC..314 dia if you size and lose the groves so what use LEES bullet lube. at $17. for 2 cavity what have you spent compared to a lyman $45.
:coffee:[smilie=1:

[zardoz]

I was using search to find posts about the 32ACP, and this one caught my eye.

I was wondering if the same method as used by the original poster, could be applied to either the 311-93-1R or 311-100-2R Lee molds, to yield a boolit in the 70 to 80 grain weight category with less metal being removed from the mould blocks?

I do have access to some very fine toolmakers where I work that would do this mod for me gladly, as they are avid part time gunsmiths.

I envision a boolit that resembles the 356-111-1R or 356-125-2R Lee moulds with the one lube groove, yet scaled down to 32 ACP.

Is this feasible given the economy of the Lee moulds?

[Mohillbilly]

Lee has a little .314 75gr TL swc that I sized down for my carbine. I think it was designed for the 32 ACP, ought to do good for it. I have to try it sometime.....

[9.3X62AL]

Zardoz, that isn't just feasible--in your sitch that sounds right practical. So does Mohillbilly's suggestion. I haven't looked at the Lee site for some time--it would appear that I need to update my prehistoric self.

[zardoz]

Thanks for the word of encouragement there.

Last night, I went ahead and ordered a 311-100-2R double cavity from Graf & sons. It said it was the last one in stock. Also ordered the .311 sizing die, and that was the last one in stock as well.

I have a feeling that this is something my toolmaker friends could do in a manner of 30 minutes or less. If it doesn't work out, I'm only out $20 for the experiment, but I think the chances of success are pretty good, if it worked out well for the original poster.

Seems like the 32 ACP ammunition is getting scarce around here, and it also seems expensive relative to the cost of the materials that go into it. I realize all ammo prices have been on the increase, but it seems out of proportion.

One concern I had about that TL SWC design was seating depth, and feed in an semi-auto action. I tend to feel that the 2R nose designs are the most reliable transitions onto the feed ramps.

[9.3X62AL]

Cast boolit 32 ACP ammo is VERY cheap to assemble. When you get 85-100 boolits per 1# alloy ingot, and are using microscopic powder weights--the primer cost is the most expensive element of the equation. They can meet or beat the price of 22 LR, and in a pistol they are far better for small game and varmints than the 22 LR.

[45 2.1]

The TC idea is not entirely my own, a poster who no longer belongs here made up such a mould and sent me some samples, about 75 grains IIRC. These ran like water through the PP, and did BAD THINGS to a couple jackrabbits who had the great misfortune to amble into range while I was afield with the PP.

Yep, Joe made a good boolit there, didn't he.