Lyman 3118 in .32 S&W (Short)

[hanover67]

I am researching loads for a .32 S&W Colt Police Positive. I'd like to try the 115gr Lyman 3118 flatnose boolit but I have not located loading data for it. The top weight I've found is 100gr. Has anyone tried that boolit in the .32 S&W?

[Outpost75]

In the 0.92" length .32 S&W Long case seat the bullet at 1.24" OAL and load 1.7 to 2.0 grains of Bullseye. If all you have is the 0.55" long .32 S&W case, seat the bullet out to 1.0" minimum OAL and use 1.0 to 1.5 grains of Bullseye.
Use soft lead and size bullets .314"

[Walks]

Are you looking for loads for the .32S&W or the .32S&W Long. You reference only the .32S&W in your title/ question.

Outpost references a load for the .32S&W LONG.

Please don't shoot that load in any .32S&W,

Or a top-break.

[Outpost75]

OP references Colt Police Positive. This is a swing-out cylinder version chambered for the .32 Colt New Police, aka .32 S&W Long. Police Positive in 1908 replaced the New Pocket and New Police revolvers formerly chambered in .32 Long Colt (altogether different ctg). The 1908 patent date rollmarked on the barrel is the clue, indicating the gun has the "Colt Positive Lock".

If he has only 0.55" .32 S&W (not long) brass he can seat the bullets out to minimum 1.0" ctg. OAL as I stated and the lighter loads I suggested will be safe.

The heavier bullet will shoot high.

[Tracy]

Police Positive is S&W Long. Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook lists several loads with that bullet.

[hanover67]

The gun is a Police Positive Target Model and the serial number places its manufacture in 1920. I bought it on an auction site where it was listed as ".32 S&W" caliber but the photos were so blurry I could not read the barrel stamping. I emailed the seller and asked what exactly was stamped on the barrel but did not get an answer. I'm hoping he wrote by .32 S&W he really meant .32 S&W long, aka .32 Police or .32 New Police, the Colt name for the .32 S&W Long, which is a lengthened version of the .32 S&W. The gun will ship and arrive here next week so I'll find out then. I wanted to order reloading dies before arrival, but I'll have to wait. So, I was researching loads for both the .32 S&W and the .32 S&W long in the meantime. According to some sources I read there were some Police Positives chambered in the shorter .32 S&W. The Target model has adjustable sights so elevation can be regulated to hit the POA. I use the Lyman 3188 boolit in my .32-20 revolvers and I have a mold to cast it. It is listed for the .32 S&W Long in Ken Waters Pet Loads book as accurate in that caliber.

[Outpost75]

Patent date on the barrel is key!

If it does not have the 1908 patent date on the barrel the chambers are most probably bored straight through .335" cylindrical without a ball seat. Later police positives would have 0.93" length chambers for the .32 Colt New Police or .32 S&W Long with 15 degrees Basic transition to .314-.315 cylinder throats. My 1924 gun is that way, not a PP Target, but regular 4" service gun which is my garden lettuce protector.

Accurate 31-105T is a double-crimp-groove design to fit either the .32 Long, New Police or .32-20 Police Positives.
I cast these 1:30 tin-lead and load 2.5 grains of Bullseye in the .32 S&W Long, or 3 grains in the old Colt Police Positive in .32-20. In the S&W Hand Ejector .32-20 with heat treated cylinder post-1918 or in the .32 H&R Magnum I load 3.5 grains of Bullseye.

[hanover67]

Interesting comment about the barrel patent date. I can read it in the photo and it is July 4, 1905, yet the gun was made in 1920 according to the serial number. So, I'm still in the dark until it arrives, probably in 2 days. Also, I found another reference which said that the Target Model "G" was made in the following calibers: .22LR, .22WRF, .32 Colt, and .32 New Police. Its a mystery why the listing was for ".32 S&W." I'm hoping that really means .32 S&W Long.

I have Bullseye, Unique, 700X and 2400 powders, so I'm thinking either Bullseye or Unique will work. Ken Waters had good results with Unique in .32 S&W long in a Colt Officers Model in that caliber.

[RED BEAR]

32 sw long data is pretty much every where. The sw on the other hand can be had it just takes a little looking. I just love the old top breaks in 32sw i like bulls eye ,red dot and unique in it.

[hanover67]

Mystery solved. The gun arrived at my FFL today and the barrel caliber marking is ".32 Police." That's the good news. The bad news is that the seller is not an FFL and was not familiar with California's bizarre gun laws. California requires that a gun be shipped by an FFL as well as received by one and it has to have a special label on the package. So, the gun will have to be shipped back to the seller and he will have to find an FFL in his state to re-ship it to my FFL. And, it is going to cost me $80 for my FFL to ship it back. What a crock! I bought the gun through Gunbroker and the seller was shown as having done 350 transactions, all with excellent ratings by the customers. There was no indication that being a California buyer was an issue.

[Green Frog]

Mystery solved. The gun arrived at my FFL today and the barrel caliber marking is ".32 Police." That's the good news. The bad news is that the seller is not an FFL and was not familiar with California's bizarre gun laws. California requires that a gun be shipped by an FFL as well as received by one and it has to have a special label on the package. So, the gun will have to be shipped back to the seller and he will have to find an FFL in his state to re-ship it to my FFL. And, it is going to cost me $80 for my FFL to ship it back. What a crock! I bought the gun through Gunbroker and the seller was shown as having done 350 transactions, all with excellent ratings by the customers. There was no indication that being a California buyer was an issue.

Don't be too hard on the seller. The California gun laws were just achieving their intended purpose, to make getting a gun legally as difficult (and confusing) as possible. Is it any wonder that so many dealers around the country have just thrown up their hands in disgust and said dealing with a socialist, anti-gun state just isn't worth the effort? I feel sorry for the legitimate gun owners in CA, but until you guys take back your government from the antis, you are getting what you paid for. My sympathies!

Meanwhile, if the gun really is chambered in 32 Police, I don't know where that leaves you. The 32 Colt cartridge is different from the 32 S&W, while the 32 New Police uses a dimensionally identical case (but different factory bullet.) I've never seen the marking for 32 Police, so I don't know where that leaves you for the reloading we've been discussing. Please keep us abreast of your findings and of course good luck dealing with the bureaucracy. "Non corundum illigitimatum!

Froggie

Froggie

[hanover67]

I'm not criticizing the seller, but he was clearly unaware of the FFL requirement for shipping into California. True, California's laws seem intended to disarm the law-abiding gun owners who obey them at increasing inconvenience and cost, all without meaningful effect on the bad guys. When a state legislature enacts 800 new laws in an annual legislative session, one can be sure that many of them are geared to effect citizens and try to change their behavior to something the state wants rather than what the people want. But, there are so many residents getting free stuff from their government there is no way they are going to vote against it. So, we elect, and worse, re-elect people whose primary goal is to stay in office and ride the elected liberal elite train for as long as they can. That's how we get Senators like Barbara Boxer and Kamella Harris.

Anyway, the Colt .32 Police cartridge is the same as the .32 Smith & Wesson Long. S&W originated the .32 Smith & Wesson, a short .32 caliber pistol cartridge for their break open revolvers. When they initiated the hand ejectors they lengthened it and called it the .32 Smith & Wesson Long. About the same time (1907?) Colt developed the Police Positive revolver in .22LR, .22WRF, .32 Colt, and .32 Police calibers. Colt did not want to put the S&W name on the barrels of its guns, so they re-named the .32 S&W Long as the .32 Police. The Remington .32 S&W Long bullet was a 100gr roundnose, and the .32 Police was a 100gr flat nose, otherwise the cartridges are identical.

The seller had it listed on Gunbroker as ".32 S&W." I assumed (hoped) he really meant .32 S&W Long and took a chance and bid on it. I guessed right, and the barrel is stamped .32 Police Ctg. I think the mislabeling of the caliber turned off a lot of bidders because I won it at a very attractive price, well below my maximum bid. But, now I have to put up with this round-trip nonsense.

[Green Frog]

Sounds like it's all starting to get sorted out, hanover67, even if you now have to wait around twiddling your thumbs while your gun has a longer vacation trip than most of us will! At least you have some time to get some ammo loaded so as soon as it comes home from the FFL you can take it out to the range for its inaugural trip. From all I have heard and what little personal experience I have with the Colts intended for LEOs on the street, they are good, durable guns, and the combination of size and caliber should make that one fun for you to own and shoot.

Best regards,
Froggie