.32-20 Winchester

[hockeynick39]

Anybody know where I can find a Ruger Blackhawk or Vaquero in .32-20 Winchester? No Colt SAA clones or originals and I looked at Bud's, Gunbroker, Gun Genie, Guns America..........

[Outpost75]

Ruger New Model Blackhawk in .30 Carbine works with Starline .32-20 brass at 1.280-1.285" trim length and fires either round interchangibly. If cylinder throats are smaller than .310" you will want to have them honed up by DougGuy, but otherwise works fine and will handle full-charge 1892 Winchester type loads.

Once fire-formed to the Ruger .30 Carbine chambers I use RCBS .30 carbine dies with .32-20 shell holder. Works fine.

Other .32-20 brass runs longer, and will need to be trimmed for use in the Ruger. I use the Lee Quik-Trim for .30 Carbine to uniform mine. Only needs to be done once.

[Green Frog]

The most elegant solution would be to find and buy one of the special edition combo Blackhawks that were marketed about 30 years ago by Buckeye Sports of Ohio. There were 3 different series done, the first of which had a cylinder chambered in 32 H&R and a second chamber in 32-20. They aren't cheap these days, but can be had from various auction sites. I had one when they first came out and selling it still ranks as one of the 2 or 3 dumbest gun transactions I ever made! I lean more toward the later 327 Federal Mag cartridge for my hot 32s, but I do own a Navy Arms/Uberti SAA replica in 32-20 and it "ain't goin' nowhere" until or unless I can somehow get another one of those Buckeye Specials.

As friend Outpost75 stated, you can "make do" with a Blackhawk in 30 Carbine, but I would really rather have a revolver chambered for the exact caliber I want to shoot. What I don't know is what would happen if you were to take a 30 Carbine chamber and run a 32-20 reamer into it. Would any metal be removed? How much oversize would the untouched areas of each chamber be?

Regards,
Froggie

[1Hawkeye]

That's gonna be a tough hunt. Ruger never made the blackhawk or vaquero in .32-20 but back in the late 80's or early 90's they did make a limited run of single sixes called buckeye specials for Buckeye shooting sports a distributor in Ohio. They were a dual cylinder set up with one cylinder being .32-20 and the other being .32 H&R mag. They are very sought after collectors pieces but they do pop up from time to time. I can't remember but the also might have done a single six with a vaquero style top strap and dual cylinders for Davidson's about 15 years ago in the same calibers. Another option is to get a blackhawk in .30 carbine and have the chambers re-cut but then you might have to load a .309" diameter bullet rather than the .311"-.312" or it might shave a lot of lead at the cylinder gap.

[1Hawkeye]

Hey Green Frog great minds think alike.

[Outpost75]

The most elegant solution would be to find and buy one of the special edition combo Blackhawks that were marketed about 30 years ago by Buckeye Sports of Ohio. There were 3 different series done, the first of which had a cylinder chambered in 32 H&R and a second chamber in 32-20. They aren't cheap these days, but can be had from various auction sites. I had one when they first came out and selling it still ranks as one of the 2 or 3 dumbest gun transactions I ever made! I lean more toward the later 327 Federal Mag cartridge for my hot 32s, but I do own a Navy Arms/Uberti SAA replica in 32-20 and it "ain't goin' nowhere" until or unless I can somehow get another one of those Buckeye Specials.

As friend Outpost75 stated, you can "make do" with a Blackhawk in 30 Carbine, but I would really rather have a revolver chambered for the exact caliber I want to shoot. What I don't know is what would happen if you were to take a 30 Carbine chamber and run a 32-20 reamer into it. Would any metal be removed? How much oversize would the untouched areas of each chamber be?

Regards,
Froggie

A .32-20 SAAMI-dimensioned reamer might lengthen the chamber enough so that .30 M1 carbine will no longer headspace properly, but won't cut anywhere else.

Fire-forming .32-20s in the Carbine chamber turns the case from a bottleneck to a straight taper with cylindrical neck. Starline .32-20 brass is the same length as their .30 carbine, 1.280-1.285 and can be used as-is. With other .32-20 brass the longer 1.300-1.305" case impinges against the case mouth and makes the head stand proud and binds the cylinder.

[hanover67]

Why don't you get a used Colt or Smith & Wesson? I have a Colt Army Special 6" barrel .32-20 and I love it. Cost me $400.

[Outpost75]

Why don't you get a used Colt or Smith & Wesson? I have a Colt Army Special 6" barrel .32-20 and I love it. Cost me $400.

These days one which doesn't require $200-$300 in gunsmithing work demands more than $400...

Truth be told I have spent $400 to refurb a $250 gun that I really wanted.

[hockeynick39]

You mean, something like this:
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/814544148
If you look closely at the literarture, it says Buckeye Blackhawk, not single six. Thank you for the information though. Don't believe I'll be spending no $2600 on pistols unless it's an original Colt SAA in good condition!!!!!!

[El Bibliotecario]

It is an internet tradition that people asking simple questions must endure non-answers telling them what they really need. So...

Having a .30 Blackhawk, in which I shoot ammunition loaded in 32-20 cases, if I had it to do over again instead of such a heavy, cumbersome weapon I would get a Single Seven in .327 Magnum.

[Green Frog]

That's gonna be a tough hunt. Ruger never made the blackhawk or vaquero in .32-20 but back in the late 80's or early 90's they did make a limited run of single sixes called buckeye specials for Buckeye shooting sports a distributor in Ohio. They were a dual cylinder set up with one cylinder being .32-20 and the other being .32 H&R mag. They are very sought after collectors pieces but they do pop up from time to time. I can't remember but the also might have done a single six with a vaquero style top strap and dual cylinders for Davidson's about 15 years ago in the same calibers. Another option is to get a blackhawk in .30 carbine and have the chambers re-cut but then you might have to load a .309" diameter bullet rather than the .311"-.312" or it might shave a lot of lead at the cylinder gap.

I think you will find that all three of the Buckeye Special series were based on the full sized Blackhawk. The smaller Single Six cylinder would have been too short for the 32-20, and too small in diameter for the 38-40/10mm combo as well as the 44-40/44 Mag combo. They are building a Single Seven in 327 Fed Mag but it won't take the longest of the 327s.

Froggie

[missionary5155]

Greetings
Do not overlook the Dan Wesson 32-20. We have one and it would last 5 lifetimes as it is based on the 357 frame.
Mike in Peru

[Guesser]

Colt Army Specials in decent condition are not hard to find and they are very fine shooters; I own and use 2 of them.

[6thtexas]

OH, the Buckeye Special is a Blackhawk-NOT a Single Six

[1Hawkeye]

Yep my bad. I could have sworn it was a single six as for the gb link they are on crack price wise. The last buckeye I saw in that condition had 795 on it for a price tag and that was late last year at a lgs it was the .38-40 / 10 mm.

[nhithaca]

I happen to have both the 10mm/38-40 and the 32 H&R/32-10 Buckeye specials I bought in the early '90s (w/ boxes). With 6.5" barrels and all steel frames, ejector tubes and trigger guards they shoot 32 Mags like 22 Mags and the 10 mm is like a mid range 357. Both shoot better than I can.
Never did see the third edition of the series; what were the calibers? 44 Mag/44-40 or ?

[Green Frog]

I happen to have both the 10mm/38-40 and the 32 H&R/32-10 Buckeye specials I bought in the early '90s (w/ boxes). With 6.5" barrels and all steel frames, ejector tubes and trigger guards they shoot 32 Mags like 22 Mags and the 10 mm is like a mid range 357. Both shoot better than I can.
Never did see the third edition of the series; what were the calibers? 44 Mag/44-40 or ?

When the series was announced we were told there would be three guns released over three years. Now that I think back on it, I’m not sure they ever actually followed through with the third one in the series... in theory at least, “subscribers” to the series would be able to get all three with the same serial number, differing only in prefix. As I sit here typing and thinking on it though, I can’t recall ever seeing the promised 44 combo, and really I don’t recall seeing that many of the 38-40/10 mm. :coffeecom I know they do exist, but I’ve never seen numbers. Meanwhile, Buckeye Sports is no more, so we can’t ask them. :(

Froggie

[Outpost75]

I got tired of waiting for the .44 Magnum/.44-40 combo and had one built, fitting and chambering a Bowen cylinder blank onto my Ruger Super Blackhawk 5-1/2" and fitting a steel XR3 grip frame and Bowen sights. John Taylor's .44-40 reamer has correct dimensions also so that you can load .430" diameter bullets in new .44-40 Starline brass, which is needed to shoot accurately in the Ruger .429 barrel. He rechambered my cylinder to enlarge "too tight" factory chamber necks and cylinder throats on my Ruger .44-40 Vaquero also, so it now shoots like it was a rifle.

And probably can be done for less than the collector price for finding a Buckeye Special.

242526

[Green Frog]

I got tired of waiting for the .44 Magnum/.44-40 combo and had one built, fitting and chambering a Bowen cylinder blank onto my Ruger Super Blackhawk 5-1/2" and fitting a steel XR3 grip frame and Bowen sights. John Taylor's .44-40 reamer has correct dimensions also so that you can load .430" diameter bullets in new .44-40 Starline brass, which is needed to shoot accurately in the Ruger .429 barrel. He rechambered my cylinder to enlarge "too tight" factory chamber necks and cylinder throats on my Ruger .44-40 Vaquero also, so it now shoots like it was a rifle.

And probably can be done for less than the collector price for finding a Buckeye Special.

242526

Isn’t it telling that a Model (any Model) of a gun (any gun) can be custom built for less than one a factory discontinued (or refuses to build) due to “lack of consumer interest?” Think about how many Model 28s got converted to 44 Special and 45 Colt because S&W wouldn’t make them. The thought processes of the people in charge of the manufacturers are indeed strange! I wonder what it would cost to build a combo 32 RBH... a custom barrel and two custom cylinders plus labor on a donor gun. HMMM :-?

Froggie

[Outpost75]

...I wonder what it would cost to build a combo 32 RBH... a custom barrel and two custom cylinders plus labor on a donor gun. HMMM :-? Froggie

Round numbers about a grand +/- plus the donor gun, depending upon what you pay for a barrel, what sights you want, whether you will need custom cylinder blanks or will rechamber existing cylinders (MUCH less machine work), and whether you need custom chamber reamers and loading dies made, which substantially bumps the cost...

[Green Frog]

I was actually thinking of duplicating the Buckeye Special 32 combo gun, so I would need to buy 2 cylinder blanks from Bowen as well as a barrel blank to profile and fit. Add front sight ramp (fortunately just one, which might be salvageable from the donor gun original barrel but maybe not :???:) and it’s beginning to look like that particular project might not be so economically viable. I wonder whether on of Bowen’s six shot cylinders could be made to function with my eight shot 327 so I could get a 32-20 that way? :roll:

Froggie

[hockeynick39]

Seems plausible.