Making 32 win special brass

[Beamer]

Am short on 32 special brass but have lots of 30-30 brass. Can I fireform 30-30 in my 32 to get usable cases?

[leadeye]

I just run the 30-30 brass through the 32 special size die and then load it up. As far as shooting 30-30 ammo in the 32 special, my only close experience has been shooting 32-40 in a Winchester that had been rechambered in to 32 WS. This produced the correct size brass, but some had splits.

[Chill Wills]

Yes.
Just lube the necks (inside) well and expand.

Expanding any cartridge neck works better if you push the case into the die a little at a time and back out.
The motion is fast enough. Just like up 1/8", down 1/32", then up 1/8" and so on, feeling your way along. This avoids crumpled cases and split necks.

A good tapered expander is helpful (as comes with the die set). Some of the brands are better than others. Some brands are blunt.

[Randy Bohannon]

Or you could just buy proper head stamped brass from Starline
https://www.starlinebrass.com/32-winchester-special-brass

[Markopolo]

I just run the 30-30 brass through the 32 special size die and then load it up. As far as shooting 30-30 ammo in the 32 special, my only close experience has been shooting 32-40 in a Winchester that had been rechambered in to 32 WS. This produced the correct size brass, but some had splits.

this... but anneal your brass and run it through... then MARK the bottom of the case!!!!!! so you dont get em mixed up...

[pcmacd]

Why would I buy Starline 32 SPL brass when I have nearly 900 once fired 30 WCF cases?

The conversion is truly simple; it doesn't get any easier than this.

I first tumble my (sorted by headstamp) 30 WCF (30-30 Win) range pickup brass with a bit of paint thinner and some Iosso polish and run it for ten minutes, covered, before putting in the brass, to evenly distribute the polish beforehand. I use the paint thinner in the corn cob to keep the dust down when I separate the brass and cob in my Dillon spinner. Thinner also helps to disperse the Iosso polish. Water would keep dust down, too, but it makes the cob stick inside the cases, and doesn't play well with the Iosso polish.

Adjust the LEE 32 Win SPL die to be fully down on my Forster Co-Ax press - don't back it off the conventional 1/4 turn! Most calibers I forgo the sizing die spindle and use the Lyman "M" series dies to open up the case; the Lee 32 WCF die has a gently tapered spindle that does not negatively affect the runout of the sized brass. Most of the time the "no spindle on sizer/Lyman 'M' die" to open the case mouth does a superior job. Not here. The LEE is an excellent die, and a bargain to boot.

Put a _very slight_ coat of Imperial sizing wax on the body of the case, excepting the neck. LESS IS MORE HERE.

Dunk the neck in some Imperial graphite dry neck lube. Dunk it a couple of times and use any tool to tap the case such that the extra graphite falls back into the container.

Place the case in the press, haul down on the ram, lower the ram, rotate the case 90 degrees and do it again. This helps with case concentricity - this is routine for me.

Check cases from time to time in a Wilson 32 spl gauge, and runout on whatever tool you use - I've both the RCBS and NECO units; I've found the NECO to be a bit more sensitive.

I've been getting a routine 1.0 to 1.5 mill (0.0010" to 0.0015") neck runout using this procedure, which is sort of awesome, considering the inexpensive tooling employed here.

After sizing, wipe the case down with a dry or solvent rag. Ream the primer pockets with a carbide tool. If you own a Square Peg fixture or a vibratory engraver, knock out the "30-30" on the case head with a pair of Xs.

I don't know that it is necessary, but I wash the brass in paint thinner to ensure that all of the lube is gone, esp. inside the necks which is hard to get to with a rag. The thinner can be used over and over.

I've found that 33.5 grains of Hodgdon 4895 beneath a Hornady 32005 165 grain jacketed flex tip bullet in Winchester brass gives amazing results along with a CCI 200 primer. That load is from Pet Loads p. 373 (excepting the primer.) This is approximately a half grain or more below max in Pet Loads, depending on how you interpret the data for the 165 grain bullet vs. the quoted 170 grain projectiles in the book. And of course it depends on your lot of Hodgdon 4895.


--->>> (And NOT!!! IMR 4895!!!) <<<---

So?

--->>> start with 10% less propellant and work up. This load is safe in my 1942 manufactured Winchester 1894; it might not be safe in yours. <<<---

I use the LEE FACTORY CRIMP die in 308 Winchester to crimp in the bullet a modest crimp at the cannelure.

Buon appetito!

...

[pcmacd]

this... but anneal your brass and run it through... then MARK the bottom of the case!!!!!! so you dont get em mixed up...

Can you really chamber a 32 WCF in a 30-30?

...

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Like previous comments, lube inside of case neck along with standard resizing in your 32 Special die and load them. Fireforming JUST to open the neck is a waste of powder and primer. The 30-30 neck opens to 32 with little trouble - I use a Lee EZ X Expander for 32-40 (MidwayUSA - $2.99) Annealing after can extend case life. Leverevolution can speed up the 165-170 jacketed bullets but I get better accuracy with 35grains of my H4895 with the Speer 170 - gave 2" vertical bu 4" horizontal at 200 yards(wind?). My rifle shoots Hornady pointed gummy into 4" vertical at 200 yards, really not much difference in Ballistic Coefficient between Speer 170 and Hornady 165. Rifle has 4-16 Simmons scope, helps group size a lot at 200 yards. I mostly shoot 195 grain lead sized .323 Flatnose Gas Check with 16gr Accurate 5744 out of my Marlin 336SC with 24" barrel. Commercial cast .323 155-165 grain plain base work with 6gr HP38 for me for rapid fire tin can fun. I do use the Lyman 32 'M' die, Lee 32 Special dies and the Lee Factory Crimp for all the different loads.

[barnetmill]

Can you really chamber a 32 WCF in a 30-30?

...
32 special WCF will enter the tubular magazine of a 94 winchester and should fail to completely chamber. I suspect it would tie up the gun when fed by a forceful throw if the lever, but I have never done it so I can not say for sure. If possible it is always a good idea to clearly label ammunition.

[NEKVT]

According to Arthur Pirkle's book of specs for the M1894 there were four different cartridge guides for 38-55, 30-30, 25-35 with 32-40 and 32 WS utilizing the same guide. "Unless the cartridge guides are also changed the M1894 will not feed properly, if at all."

[garandsrus]

Just resize the 30-30 in the 32 Spec size die and you are all set. You won’t feel any difference than normal case sizing.

[barnetmill]

According to Arthur Pirkle's book of specs for the M1894 there were four different cartridge guides for 38-55, 30-30, 25-35 with 32-40 and 32 WS utilizing the same guide. "Unless the cartridge guides are also changed the M1894 will not feed properly, if at all."

You say four guides but list 5 cartridges and one of the guides may likely work with two similar cartridges. My vote says 30-30 and 32 special use the same guide.

[Texas by God]

Since the resized 30-30 brass is in fact now .32 Special brass- there will be no feeding problems. My 38-55 was once a 30-30 and it feeds perfectly with the original cartridge guides.

Sent from my SM-A716U using Tapatalk

[Onenutt]

Does anyone have some load data to share for 32 Win Special using 180 grain cast boolits? Rookie reloader here….

[wmitty]

Welcome to the forum, Onenutt! This is a little more difficult than I thought at first. I have a Marlin waffletop in .32 Spcl that I use the rcbs .32 -170 -FN cast boolit in. I’m looking at the Lyman cast bullet handbook 3rd edt. and it only shows loads for the fast burning powders for their 321297 boolit. Unique shows 7.5 gr giving 1195 f/s and 10.5 gr producing 1485 f/s. The heaviest boolit listed for the .30-30 is the 173 gr 311407 but loads are shown and copper units of pressure also shown so you have a rough idea of what the listed charge wt of powder would produce pressure wise in the .32 spcl. Re - 7 shows 26 gr at 2055 f/s and 32800 copper units of pressure while imr 3031 shows 26 gr at 1943 f/s and 33700 c.u.p. and WW 748 shows 33 gr at 2184 f/s and 33400 c.u.p. Hopefully this will give you an idea of what you might consider as starting loads IF you will reduce these charges by 10 % and work up in .2 gr increments. The .013” larger groove diameter of the .32 will give a slightly higher velocity with the same weight boolit vs the .30-30; while the lcharges are safely mild as Lyman shows the highest pressure loads in the 38-39 k c.u.p.range. I like Re-7 myself and the .32 spcl is such a fine cast boolit shooter with the 1-16” twist rate barrel I have thought about re-boring a 788 Remington for this cartridge. Hope this is of some value to you.

[pcmacd]

Welcome to the forum, Onenutt! This is a little more difficult than I thought at first. I have a Marlin waffletop in .32 Spcl that I use the rcbs .32 -170 -FN cast boolit in. I’m looking at the Lyman cast bullet handbook 3rd edt. and it only shows loads for the fast burning powders for their 321297 boolit. Unique shows 7.5 gr giving 1195 f/s and 10.5 gr producing 1485 f/s. The heaviest boolit listed for the .30-30 is the 173 gr 311407 but loads are shown and copper units of pressure also shown so you have a rough idea of what the listed charge wt of powder would produce pressure wise in the .32 spcl. Re - 7 shows 26 gr at 2055 f/s and 32800 copper units of pressure while imr 3031 shows 26 gr at 1943 f/s and 33700 c.u.p. and WW 748 shows 33 gr at 2184 f/s and 33400 c.u.p. Hopefully this will give you an idea of what you might consider as starting loads IF you will reduce these charges by 10 % and work up in .2 gr increments. The .013” larger groove diameter of the .32 will give a slightly higher velocity with the same weight boolit vs the .30-30; while the lcharges are safely mild as Lyman shows the highest pressure loads in the 38-39 k c.u.p.range. I like Re-7 myself and the .32 spcl is such a fine cast boolit shooter with the 1-16” twist rate barrel I have thought about re-boring a 788 Remington for this cartridge. Hope this is of some value to you.

With gas checked bullets, I have routinely, across all calibers, shot hard cast gas checked lead bullets at jacketed velocities, or perhaps slightly less. Never issues with leading. Accuracy good.

I don't understand this requirement to use "reduced loads" for quality cast bullets?

Of course, you do not want to exceed sensible pressures in old weapons, where these fast burning reduced loads make lots of sense.

[DocSavage]

If I might make a suggestion to avoid confusion on case I D,use only one brand of brass for conversion and if possible put them in an easily identifiable cartridge box.