Is there any reason to go 32 Special if you already load for 30-30?

[Stopsign32v]

Finally got a 30-30 pre 64 Winchester 94 but found a nice looking one in 32 Special. Only thing holding me back is having to reload for yet another different chambering.

Does it make sense or just stick with 30-30s?

[ohen cepel]

I have some of each. Remember my Grandfather and great uncle always debating the two. Uncle was a 32 guy and Grandfather a 30-30. I don't think there is a big difference in them myself. Would get the 32 if it was a deal and you like the rifle, never hurts to have another :-)

Have a 35 Rem? Need one of those also. I don't have that one yet aside from a Contender barrel but have been looking.

[1Hawkeye]

Know the feeling , I'd just keep going with the 30-30 unless the 32 is an 11 on the cool factor. Otherwise its just another mouth to feed.

[Winger Ed.]

I'd stick with .30-30s.
But then again: Whoever dies with the most toys--- wins.:bigsmyl2:

[dverna]

What are your needs...that comes first.

Then what are your wants?

If you are practical, the .30/30 makes more sense. Lots of good molds if you want to shoot cast and brass is easier to find and cheaper. The .32 would be another toy with no upside to my way of thinking.

Now, If I found one really cheap I might be tempted to get it converted to .35/30, but it would need to be a $350 gun to make it worthwhile. It will likely cost $300 to do the conversion than add in dies. Lots of .35 cal molds to pick from for shooting cast and a good 200 gr FTX for jacketed.

[cwtebay]

I enjoy collecting (accumulating?) rifles chambered for each originally offered chambering. My oldest son claims that my 32 special to be far superior to the 30 WCF or 25-35, 32-40, 38-55. On paper or in truth be told ballistics - ain't a spit of difference between the 30-30 and 32 special. I still load for them all, enjoy each for a variety of reasons also. Also a fun 35/30 for that matter!
But....he who dies with the most dies (reloading dies that is).....

Well, he still dies. But it's fun to chase those little idiosyncrasies nonetheless.

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[eastbank]

my favorite 32 spl is a winchester 1938 model 64 that was not cheap, but not out of the world. i am able to hit ping-pong calls at 35 yards off hand with it. 165 gr j bullets at 2300 fps.

[gc45]

My Pre-64 32-S shoots very accurate with cast bullets. It may be the 1 in 16 twist and wider lands of the 32 that helps, I don't know for sure but sure like it!

[Der Gebirgsjager]

It's the old Chevy vs. Ford argument. There is no practical difference between the two.

DG

[Hick]

The Winchester 30-30's have a twist of something like 1:12. The 32WS has a twist of something like 1:16-- which means it does not spin up a boolit as fast. That makes a 32WS a superior cast bullet gun. That said, I have one of each and they both do fine.

[bruce drake]

ballistic similar cartridges. Lee's 8mm 170gr Roundnose is a great starting mold for the 32 Win Spl. If you explore more into 32 caliber bullet molds for that rifle, NOE offers a great 133gr Flatnose gas check design that makes for a perfect varmint and small deer round.
https://noebulletmolds.com/site/product-category/326-8mm/325-133-fn-p1/

[stubshaft]

It's the old Chevy vs. Ford argument. There is no practical difference between the two.



+1 - Everyone knows that Chevy is the better choice though...

[indian joe]

no sensible reason at all to get a 32 special ........unless you want one = that is the best reason !!!!!!!!

[Randy Bohannon]

I’ll take the .32 Special over a 30-30 any day everyday, 1:16 R.O.T. shallow rifling as opposed to 1:10 R.O.T. deep cut rifling for jacketed bullets.
The .32 Special barrel has never changed from its parent barrel the 32-40. One the easiest decisions by Winchester to use up 32-40 barrels with a necked up 30-30 case and a reamer. Early 94’s in .32 Special had reversible elevators on the rear sight, for B/P or smokeless. Most definitely the better cast bullet cartridge.

[Nobade]

I’ll take the .32 Special over a 30-30 any day everyday, 1:16 R.O.T. shallow rifling as opposed to 1:10 R.O.T. deep cut rifling for jacketed bullets.
The .32 Special barrel has never changed from its parent barrel the 32-40. One the easiest decisions by Winchester to use up 32-40 barrels with a necked up 30-30 case and a reamer. Early 94’s in .32 Special had reversible elevators on the rear sight, for B/P or smokeless. Most definitely the better cast bullet cartridge.

This mirrors my experience. With either naked boolits or paper patched, I find that getting top accuracy with the 32 is easier than with the 30-30. Also the 32 works reasonably well when loaded with black powder and appropriate boolits, where the 30-30 can be made to work but is more difficult.

[pmer]

If I had neither the 30-30 or the 32 WS and was going to cast I'd go with the 32 Winchester Special because of the slower twist rate. I resize 30-30 brass for my 32ws and don't have a 30-30. I use jacketed data for cast in the 32ws right up to the top and never seen serious leading.

[John Taylor]

Now the difference, the 30-30 was designed to be reloaded with smokeless powder and the 32 special was designed to be reloaded with black or smokeless. That's the reason for the slower twist. Sort of like a few other cartridges out there like the 38 special. The slow 1 in 16 twist was the same as the 32-40 ( a black powder round). The first year of production of the 94 all were made in 32-40 or 38-55 because the nickel steel barrels were not available til 1895.

[bedbugbilly]

I wouldn't kick either of them out of bed for eating crackers.

When I was a kid, we had a Winchester 94 in 32 spl. and it was an amazing little gun to shoot - accurate as whoever was behind it. In 1966, my Dad got the bug to trade it in on the Winchester 66 Centennial 94 (rifle version) 'cause he thought it was pretty and would be a collector piece - that rifle sat in the gun rack unfired for the next 50 years when I settled my parent's estate and my brother wanted it. I would love to have the 32 special to play with cast and both smokeless and BP.

My father-in-law had a Winchester 94 in 30-30 that he bought used in 1935 - I used to use it when he and I went deer hunting up in th UP after my wife and I got married in the early '70s. It, too, was a fine shooting rifle and I would have loved to have had it but he gave it to his son, my b-in-law who turned right around and sold it for the money.

I had a lWin. 94 Ranger and regardless of the darn cross button safety, it was a nice little shooter in 30-30 - I sold it and now regret it.

I don't thin a person can go wrong with a 94 in either of those cartridges - if I had both, I would shoot both.not leave them in the rack to look at. Boils down to it all depends on what YOU like.

[Char-Gar]

We are talking cast bullets here, right? It is all about rifling twist. The Marlin 30-30 has a 1-10 twist, the Winchester 30-30 has a 1-12 twist and the 32 WS has a 1-16 twist. The slower the twist, the faster you can push the bullet with great accuracy. Which rifle is best for you depends on how fast you want your bullets to go.

I have five 30-30s of various makes and one 1959 Win. Carbine in 32 WS. You could not get the 32 away from me for love nor money.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

I've got Marlin's in .32 Special, .35 Rem and .30-30. I think the .32 Special is the easiest to get accuracy, with the .35 Rem next. The 1-16 twist they both have seems to make higher velocities less of an issue. I run .323 in the .32's I have, .360 in the .35 Rem MicroGroove. The rim on the .32 Special makes loading light less of an issue for cases shortening due to firing pin impact compared to the .35 Rem, though drilling primer pockets controls all that for light loads. I do shoot the .32's more than the .35's and 30-30s though my Savage 99 .308's and .300's get the most use.

[JDL]

There's always need for another rifle :D but, the .30 WCF is a mighty fine cast shooter. Even better in my opinion is the .303 Savage and it has almost become my favorite cast shooter.

[georgerkahn]

Finally got a 30-30 pre 64 Winchester 94 but found a nice looking one in 32 Special. Only thing holding me back is having to reload for yet another different chambering.

Does it make sense or just stick with 30-30s?

My two rules of thumb are: If the rifle shouts "Buy me!!!" I rarely can say, "no!". And, rifles are made for two and only two purposes: To buy and to shoot. That being said, volumes have been written on how useless a calibre the .32 Winchester Special calibre is -- but I have one that is alllmost a "benchrest lever action" (is there such a thing: ;)) provided I shoot CAST bullets in it.
I also have it's rimless cousin -- the .32 Remington (practically the same as .32 WCF) -- which behaves similarly.
IF the rifle is in great mechanical shape... go with it. I have not, but a friend (Steve) has both .32 and .30 model 94's, and he uses .32 WCF BRASS in both -- just neck sizing down for the .30 WCF.
Good luck... Just as God is making no more real estate -- the old Winchester levers are not being made, either...
geo

[.45Cole]

buy the 32 and bore it to 38-55, then you will have two different rounds and the 38-55 chamber can be to your spec (I wouldn't buy a factory 38/55 rifle). OR if in you like to take a beatin you can line the 32 to 219 Zipper. Too bad they weren't takedowns, then you could toss the 32 receiver in the back closet and have a 30-30 / 219 zipper rifle with the swap of a barrel.

Or just leave it a 32 and leave it on the shelf as you already have the 30-30 and the 32 would be like 2 left hands.

[rintinglen]

In normal times, I'd say just go with the one that floats your boat, but in these days of Biden Buying, where nothing is on the shelf, and components are few and far between, I'd stick with the 30-30. Unless you stumble onto a package deal, with a couple hundred rounds and/or pieces of brass, the 32 Winchester Special has little to recommend it. Molds are scarce, dies are scarce, guns are scarce, ammo is scarce. Persons with more experience than I applaud the 32 as a cast boolit gun, but in my limited usage, they're ain't a dimes bit of difference between them.
As far as buying one and having it bored out to some other caliber? Puhlease don't. Aside from the cost of conversion and difficulty of conjuring up components, there were relatively few 32 Specials made, and they aren't making any today. Do your custom barrel stuff on a shot-out Marlin or a boat-anchor 94 30-30, not on a collectible piece of history.

[MT Gianni]

buy the 32 and bore it to 38-55, then you will have two different rounds and the 38-55 chamber can be to your spec (I wouldn't buy a factory 38/55 rifle). OR if in you like to take a beatin you can line the 32 to 219 Zipper. Too bad they weren't takedowns, then you could toss the 32 receiver in the back closet and have a 30-30 / 219 zipper rifle with the swap of a barrel.

Or just leave it a 32 and leave it on the shelf as you already have the 30-30 and the 32 would be like 2 left hands.

Far better to to take the 30-30 to 38-55 than the 32 as they are much more often found.

[444ttd]

i'd leave as is. its a great cartridge and history(well, mine anyway!!!). my dad's friend let me borrow a win m94 in 32 spl years ago. i shot two doe with that and it hooked me on deer hunting. i was 15 yo when my grandfather gave me a m94(1972) in 30-30 and i would slay untold number of deer. i put the 30-30 in the safe for about 20+ years and then 3 years ago, i sent it to JES Reboring to make a 35/30-30. i then put a williams fp aperture sight on it and now has 2 doe to its name.


https://i.imgur.com/nBFtFB6.jpg

[Nobade]

A nice thing about the 32 is if you already have a fat 30 mould, around .314", you can paper patch them to use in the 32. I shot my 32 for years without having a die set for it, just hand seat a boolit over a charge of powder the right height to set the length correctly and it worked great. When the base got too big I'd run them through a 38-55 FL die and be good to go. Cases last forever that way also.

[cwtebay]

A nice thing about the 32 is if you already have a fat 30 mould, around .314", you can paper patch them to use in the 32. I shot my 32 for years without having a die set for it, just hand seat a boolit over a charge of powder the right height to set the length correctly and it worked great. When the base got too big I'd run them through a 38-55 FL die and be good to go. Cases last forever that way also.Now that's an interesting technique!
How did you get your bullet to stay put? I'm just thinking saddle bags or jacket pocket or spring tension in the magazine tube.

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[Soundguy]

I reload for dozens and dozens of calibers.. cast for most of them too. once you load and cast for a bunch of stuff.... what's one more...

[Char-Gar]

Reading this thread, I find that many folks think the 30-30 and 32 Win. Spl. rounds are peas in a pod. That would be true, if you want to keep your cast bullet going 1,800 fps more or less. That is not true, if you want your cast bullet to go 2,300+ fps.

The current Japchester line, still makes rifles in 32 Win. Special. Bullet molds are readily available from several makers and dies are not that hard to fine. Within the past two months, I bought 500 32 Win. Special cases from Starline. I don't buy factory ammo for any caliber, so I have no idea what that situation is like.

[Eddie Southgate]

I got both . I like the .32 better .

[Nobade]

Now that's an interesting technique!
How did you get your bullet to stay put? I'm just thinking saddle bags or jacket pocket or spring tension in the magazine tube.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

Mostly I single load them at the range but they'll work fine in the magazine as the spring holds them together.

[Outpost75]

A matter of personal preference. Here in WV a used .32WS will sell for about $100 less than a similar pre-1964 .30-30 in similar condition. When the .32 barrel gets worn accuracy will fail before a faster 12-inch twist .30-30, but a shot-out .32 WS can usually be bought really cheap and can be affordably relined to any caliber you want, or rebored to .35-30 or .38-55. No bad choices.

[Nazgul]

I have a 1959 32 Win Special that is as accurate as it can get. Use an RCBS mold that it likes.

When I bought it they took off a few $'s because the action was stiff. It still had the hardened factory grease in it.

Don

[OverMax]

Have both. I like the 32 spec better. Although performance between is about the same.
If ever intending to shoot cast or patched. Special_ is better suited for the purpose in my opinion.
Good bragging point: "everyone has a 30 wcf. Not many can claim they own a >Special<" [smilie=s:

[mnewcomb59]

Reading this thread, I find that many folks think the 30-30 and 32 Win. Spl. rounds are peas in a pod. That would be true, if you want to keep your cast bullet going 1,800 fps more or less. That is not true, if you want your cast bullet to go 2,300+ fps.

The current Japchester line, still makes rifles in 32 Win. Special. Bullet molds are readily available from several makers and dies are not that hard to fine. Within the past two months, I bought 500 32 Win. Special cases from Starline. I don't buy factory ammo for any caliber, so I have no idea what that situation is like.

I see lots of guys using 30 or more grains of powder to shoot a reduced load around 1700-1800 fps before accuracy poops out in their 30-30s. My 1:30" twist 357 rifle shoots a 30-30 weight bullet (160 gr) accurately over 2000 fps with 18 grains of powder. That is 200 fps faster than a 1:10" twist 30-30 can shoot with the same alloy, and it is using half the powder. If you wanna shoot 30-40 grains of powder with a cast bullet and get some serious power the 32 special has all kinds of accuracy near max loads. Like Char-Gar said, the 32 special can get 400-500 fps more than the 30-30 with any given alloy. Plain base WW? Add 400 fps to what your 30-30 can do. 50-50 WW Pure with a gas check? Add 400-500 fps to what your 30-30 can do. Hundreds of fps faster than a 30-30 can shoot a similar weight bullet.

My opinion is if you wanna shoot 30-40 grains of powder, you gotta be getting some energy out of it. If all you want is a 180 grain bullet at 1800 fps a 357 lever can do it with half the powder and a shorter, faster lever throw.

[bruce drake]

A matter of personal preference. Here in WV a used .32WS will sell for about $100 less than a similar pre-1964 .30-30 in similar condition. When the .32 barrel gets worn accuracy will fail before a faster 12-inch twist .30-30, but a shot-out .32 WS can usually be bought really cheap and can be affordably relined to any caliber you want, or rebored to .35-30 or .38-55. No bad choices.

I'd recommend you buy that "shot-out" 32 Win Spl and then load it with 8mm bullets sized at .324 or .325". You'd be surprised how accurate it is when the bore has a bullet that matches it. :) And you'd save 100 bucks!!! :)

[MostlyLeverGuns]

Worn barrel on a .32 Special, really? Old rumor from even before the internet. Some early lots of .32 Special ammunition were loaded with .318 jacketed bullets starting all the nonsense about worn-out barrels and lousy accuracy. Accuracy is really bad when you shoot 30-30's through the .32 Specials, might kill a deer now and then. It takes 4000-5000 rounds to wear out a .308 or .30-06, probably more than 10,000-12,000 to wear out a .32 Special. Do you really think those 1 box a year(20 rounds) or less shooters wore out those .32 Specials. Might be cheaper because the .32 is DIFFERENT (better?) and ammo is harder to find.

[45-70 Chevroner]

Finally got a 30-30 pre 64 Winchester 94 but found a nice looking one in 32 Special. Only thing holding me back is having to reload for yet another different chambering.

Does it make sense or just stick with 30-30s?

If you have the money and the price isn't in the Rolls Royce price range, I would get one. Like said there are not many out there. I loved the one my grandfather gave me back in the 70's. I shot it a lot with cast. Then gave it to one of my grandsons in 2010.

[quail4jake]

+1 - Everyone knows that Chevy is the better choice though...

Well...notice that the tow hooks are on the front of a chevy....that's the place to attach the tow strap that is pulled by the FORD!

[1Hawkeye]

Well...notice that the tow hooks are on the front of a chevy....that's the place to attach the tow strap that is pulled by the FORD!

Nah that's for attaching the magnets to pick up all the parts that fell off the ford.

[Bigslug]

Practically, neither is a better 200-yard meat maker than the other.

Unless you've got one of the rarer, longer versions with the more sophisticated sights, there's better things to try your hand at generating Benchrest-quality groups with than the base 20" saddle-ring carbine. A specialized single shot .32-40, for instance.

Good arguments for the .32 having more cast bullet accuracy potential, but then again, gas checks will help you there, and once more - - 200 yard meat maker, not Benchrest rifle.

Buy the .32. . .if it moves you.

[wmitty]

I bought an extra barreled receiver for my 788 Remington (.30-30) with the idea of reboring it to .32 Special with it’s 1:16 twist rate. The Marlin I bought in this chambering is very accurate and the 788 would be an excellent platform to see just how accurate the .32 slow twist combination actually is. Of course, a slow twist.30-30 would be very close to the same combination.

[DK'dUranium]

Something to consider, if any lever guy believes he may ever own a .375 Winchester, with its attending unavailable ammo, spent .32 Special cases fireform nicely for that. The necessary neck expansion is rather less than using 30-30 like all the old threads advise. I created three boxes of .375 recently that way and lost only a couple to splitting.

[yeahbub]

One interesting reason (to me) is to have a rifle to paper patch my conventional .30 cast boolits for. Patching a .312 cast to .322 for a .321 barrel is easy and you'll never have a problem with leading. Also, the .32 Special has a slower twist (1:16") more amenable to use with black powder from back in the days when smokeless was not yet available to reloaders. This will allow full velocities without exceeding the rortational limits for cast boolits common to 1:10 or 1:12 barrels. According to Larry Gibson's testing, a 1:10" .30 cal achieves this rotational limit for at ~2100 fps, beyond which accuracy begins to degrade. It's not a reason to lay out cash for another rifle though - at least not for me. There's just about no difference in performance.

[BRatigan]

292527292528 Here are some pics of my new M94 Sporter. Winchester made the last M94s in 32 Win Spl in 2019. They ran for two years I believe. I am currently working up a load for the 170 Hi-Tek2 Missouri Bullet .321 round. I slugged the barrel and I believe it should work fine. I have limited cjoices for powder and 4198 only showed promise at the bottom. I am trying Varget and 2015BR tomorrow. I am seating the bullet on the first driving band after the crimp groove. I got lucky on the stock wood as I never laid eyes on the rifle before I bought it. Loads for it would be appreciated if anyone would like to contribute.

[OverMax]

If its Winchester. 760 or 748 was purposed for their deer rifle cartridge powders. I primarily use two powders for 32 spec & 30wcf reloadings. IMR 4198 and a surplus WC 860 & IMR 4227 (a duplex) charge.

[Randy Bohannon]

Do the new ones still have 1:16 ROT and shallow rifling ? Nice rifle BRatagan, 10 grs. Of Unique and a 170 gr. bullet shoots very well in most .32 Specials .Ben’s Red lube and a gas checked 170 gr. bullet and Leverovlution powder are very good for top end cast bullets .

[zarrinvz24]

If its Winchester. 760 or 748 was purposed for their deer rifle cartridge powders. I primarily use two powders for 32 spec & 30wcf reloadings. IMR 4198 and a surplus WC 860 & IMR 4227 (a duplex) charge.

OverMax,

Did you ever try to develop a WC860 non-duplex load in 30-30? I've got quite a bit of WC872 for use in 30-06, but it would be great if I can load it for 30-30 as well.

[Nobade]

OverMax,

Did you ever try to develop a WC860 non-duplex load in 30-30? I've got quite a bit of WC872 for use in 30-06, but it would be great if I can load it for 30-30 as well.

I burn a lot of that in my 30-30s and it works very well but you do need to duplex load it or it barely gets the bullet out of the barrel. Recently I've been duplexing with Blue Dot but really anything from that to 4198 burn rate will work in the proper amounts. 4227 seems about ideal.

[Markopolo]

I'd recommend you buy that "shot-out" 32 Win Spl and then load it with 8mm bullets sized at .324 or .325". You'd be surprised how accurate it is when the bore has a bullet that matches it. :) And you'd save 100 bucks!!! :)


this is the ticket!!! Like bruce says

[Red River Rick]

Picked up a M94 in 32 Special that had seen better days. The bore was a bit rough, so I slugged it and it measured out at 0.322".
I use 170 grain RN 8mm "J" bullets in mine and it shoots just fine.

[BRatigan]

Do the new ones still have 1:16 ROT and shallow rifling ? Nice rifle BRatagan, 10 grs. Of Unique and a 170 gr. bullet shoots very well in most .32 Specials .Ben’s Red lube and a gas checked 170 gr. bullet and Leverovlution powder are very good for top end cast bullets .

Yes Randy the ROT is 1:16 with shallow rifling. Thankyou for the kind words re the rifle. Ill give the Unique a try. I picked up some 748, RX7 and 2015 and will give lead load data a try. The gun does not like hot loads for epoxy coated bullets. I think 1600 is maybe max on speed but that is fine with me. I can arc them in with the best of them, many years of Silhouette competition.

[OverMax]

zarrinvz24
I did attempt to use Mag rifle primers with wc-860 in a 30wcf. It did work but not as good as 2-3 grains of a quick burn pistol powder laying on the very base of the cartridge brass. Instant ignition. I use 860 charging's in a 30wcf and 2-32 specials. Pre-94s & 64. Gas checked cast & paper patched cast is what I do. All three rifles shoot pretty darn accurate. (good enough to hunt with.) The member who knows more than most on this duplex'ing (subject) of 860 use. > (No Bade.) He's the man.