.32 rimfire

[bensonwe]

About a month ago I purchased a Stevens Favorite in .32 long rimfire. It's in decent shape and the price was right. I tried finding ammo for it but as I found out this stuff is hard to find and when I did its expensive. So, I tried to find brass that would except .22 blanks. Again, expensive. I then decided to make some brass that would except .22 blanks. After trying to reform .223 rem, 9mm, .380 brass I settled on .22 hornet brass. I shortened the hornet case and center drilled a hole large enough for .22 blank. I also had to turn a new firing pin and reposion it in the block just slightly so it would strike the edge of the .22 blanks new position. I didn't reposition enough as to make it a centerline but just enough to contact the rim of the .22 blanks new position. It works. Ill load up a few for this weekend. Maybe 10 or 15 rounds. Really looking forward to shooting this.

[cwtebay]

Sounds like you figured out a new way to do this! (At least for me).
Using 32 Smith and Wesson or Colt with a drilled out place to accept an acorn blank has worked for me!
Also reloading the rimfire cases has been fun and rewarding as well.

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[AntiqueSledMan]

Hello bensonwe,

Did you expand the brass to base before loading?
Most people form 32 S&W for this cartridge.
I've experimented with this, steps of .005" and no need to turn base.

AntiqueSledMan.

[Jedman]

299771I recently started converting 32-20 brass to rimfire for a rifle chambered in 35 Allen. The way I machine the hole for the blanks is, first I used a wood block that is the same length as my drill vice is wide and drilled a 11/32 hole in the center. Then with a thin saw cut from one edge of the block thru the center of the 11/32 hole all the way to within 3/8” of the other edge so when clamped in the vice it holds the brass nicely.
I use a 3/16” end mill to plunge cut the first hole thru the bottom of the brass in the correct offset position with the vice clamped down so all pieces of brass will be the same as long as I line the edge of my wood block up with the edge of the vice jaws. Then I follow with a D bit cutter I made from drill rod that cuts the center diameter to .224 and the rim to .277 if I remember correct.

Before I cut the pocket for the blanks I cut the brass down in length to 1.085” OAL first so this removes the slight bottle neck of the 32-20 and is then a true strait walled case.

I am shooting pure lead boolits that are cut down from the Lee mold for the 8 x 56 and are .330 dia. and weigh approx. 115 grs. This works well but is a lot of work to make the ammo . I load them with Pyrodex P as that’s what I have and seems to shoot as good as I can for a iron sighted rifle that probably hasn’t seen any action in 150 years as the rifle was only made between 1860 - 1863 and the oddball proprietary ammo hasn’t been available for more than 150 years.

Jedman

[Jedman]

299779299780

[John Boy]

You could have spent substantial less time just buying the rf cases for $4.25 each….
I started out reforming 25 Stevens out of 22 Hornets and said never again

[BadgerShooter]

299779299780

Thats an interesting rifle!!

[cwtebay]

I guess I don't understand, how do you make a 22 Hornet fit a 32 RF chamber? Or use an extractor? I've been thinking on this from the first post. I happen to have a Remington #6 with the business taken out of it sitting here, and tried the OP's cartridge in the chamber with these results.
Are you adding brass to the rim of the Hornet cases prior to adding the primer shell hole?
(Apologies - I had the Canuck 32 Short box handy)299830299831299832299833299834

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[uscra112]

@Jedman - how do you control the depth of the rim recess in your process?

I too don't understand how .22 Hornet can be made into .32 RF. You'd have to expand the base diameter by about .025 to fit the .32 chamber. Even then the rim would be too small and too thick.

[Ajohns]

Love the old Allen n Wheelock
Get some heeled boolits and make it sing

[Jedman]

USCRA 112, I would get a picture of the D bit but I seemed to have temporarily lost it. I moved some things yesterday and must have dropped it at some point ?
The cutting portion of the cutter looks like a upside down top hat shape, the main diameter is 5/16” but where half of the diameter is removed only is where the .224 and .277 dia. is so it stops cutting when it reaches where it is the full 5/16” diameter is. I hope you can picture what I am talking about.
When I use the D bit there is a 3/16” through hole and I plunge the bit in a little and lift it to brake the chip, then plunge it a few more times after touching the cutter with a small acid brush with ATF used as cutting oil and the brass chips fall thru the case. At first I cut the full pocket for the blank in one pass without any lube and it got smoking hot !
I do take a blank held in my fingers upside down and check the depth of the rim cut as best I can eyeball it as a few I cut were a hair to shallow when I pressed the blank in so I had to re-do them.
It’s a slow process but worth the time it takes as I have more time then money and probably couldn’t buy them pre made anyhow.

Jedman

[Jedman]

Love the old Allen n Wheelock
Get some heeled boolits and make it sing

You are correct sir ! It is a Allen & Wheelock and it is serial number 68 so I believe it’s a early rifle. I also have a Ethan Allen & Co. rifle that looks very similar but it is a 44 cal. and it is a bit heftier has a circular line where the hammer side panel fits where the A&W rifle has a strait line where the panel fits the receiver.
Your comment about heeled bullets is also correct but I don’t quite know why they would use a bullet the same diameter as the case OD because the groove diameter is about .013 smaller ?
The specs I found for the 35 Allen claim they call it a 35 caliber because the case is approx. .343 OD and the bullet would be the same but I did a chamber cast plus I slugged the bore and the groove dia. is .330 or close to it because the rifling is 3 groove and is hard to measure accurately.
The 35 Allen cartridge uses a copper case about .120 shorter than what I am using but with the wad cutter type bullet I am using I can get away with the longer case as the bullet is loaded backwards and the gas check shank is the bullets nose and doesn’t engage the lands when it’s chambered.

Thanks , Jedman

[Ajohns]

Odd duck. But hey, you have it working.
Maybe with a three groove it could take a bigger bullet, if the throat would take it.
Be neat to see the original drawing

[uscra112]

@Jedman - that makes complete sense. I had Dave Manson make me a modified .22LR reamer, but it has no stop diameter like yours does. Maybe if I press on a sleeve . . . . ?

[uscra112]

BTW some genius on another thread came up with the idea of putting the 6mm blank recess on center, and slightly modifying the breechblock to offset the firing pin only .050" toward the center-line. Drilling the case on center is a lot easier than offsetting it the way we've been doing.

This falls into the category of WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT! :killingpc

You can make a new pin with an offset tip easily enough, and you only have to file the pin hole in the breechblock oval, although welding up the old hole before drilling a new one would be nicer. Most importantly there is no need to plug up the entire firing pin channel and drill a new one, which is fairly irreversible.

Or you could just swap a .22 or .25 breechblock into a .32 Favorite.

[dtknowles]

I have been forming a variety of cases to use in my Stevens Bicycle Rifle and my S&W 1 1/2. They are ugly right now as they are experimental and made without special tools. I have formed 30 carbine, 32 S&W and Long and 32 Colt Long. I have been using green ramset cartridges for power and round balls and home swaged wadcutters for projectiles. The 32 colts don't need forming just trimming for the bicycle rifle since it is chambered for shorts but the 1 1/2 is good with longs. I don't have many colt cases so I really don't want to use them. The 30 carbine is the most available but needs to be cut down considerably. I swage them to the right diameter in my bullet sizing press but then have to turn the heads because the heads are too solid to swage that way.

[pietro]

.

FWIW, when I likewise couldn't find .32RF for my solid-frame Remington #4 RB, I decided to use the EASY button & converted the #3's firing pin & breechblock from RF to CF.

About 30mins of drill & file work did the trick (the breechblock now has two FP holes (1 RF/1 CF)

Once that was done, I just bought the much more readily available Winchester .32 Short Colt ammo to feed the little beast.

[John Taylor]

my #4 Remy had a shot out 32 bore so it got a liner and chambered in 32 S&W, once the firing pin was moved I never had trouble finding ammo or reloads. It was so much fun I did and octagon barrel in a cadet the same chamber.

[uscra112]

.

FWIW, when I likewise couldn't find .32RF for my solid-frame Remington #4 RB, I decided to use the EASY button & converted the #3's firing pin & breechblock from RF to CF.

About 30mins of drill & file work did the trick (the breechblock now has two FP holes (1 RF/1 CF)


Like to see photos. By my CAD study, converting a #4 is major surgery.

[pietro]

Like to see photos. By my CAD study, converting a #4 is major surgery.

No pics (sorry) but the work wasn't a big deal - using skills that just about any homeowner could do, with simple tools (power hand drill, file, Sharpie & a sacrificial 1/16" drill bit..

If you'd like a description for the few simple steps, please feel free to PM me.

Frank DeHaas (Mr. Single Shot) & I both don't, however, recommend converting the weaker take-down version of the #4 RB to CF

[uscra112]

Did you somehow manage to change the angle of the firing pin channel without first plugging it?

[pietro]

Did you somehow manage to change the angle of the firing pin channel without first plugging it?

I didn't do anything like that - I simply marked the breechblock face for the CF firing pin hole via a sharpie dropped down bore against the closed breechblock & drilled the new FP hole in the breechblock with a 1/16" sacrificial drill bit, then ground the face of the original RF firing pin face flat and reinstalled it in the breechblock to drill a 1/16" dimple/hole through the new hole into the flat FP face to mark it for the new FP.

I again removed the FP & finish drilling the FP face to about 1/4" deep for the new FP - which I made from the shank of the 1/16" drill bit (why I referred to it as sacrificial), ground to length (for proper protrusion from the breech face.

The new FP tip was then epoxied in place ( I didn't want to bother with soldering it in)

The .32 Short Colt chambered readily in the .32RF chamber & fired w/o any issues.

E-Z-Peazy........


.

[uscra112]

Does not compute. From .32 RF to centerfire, the tip axis has to move about .170 inches. This places it well outside the circumference of a #4 firing pin body. The firing pin would have to be over .400" diameter to do it that way. Might work for the full size rolling blocks, but not a #4. The drawing below shows the layout for a Favorite, which has a pin body diameter of .200". The #4 pin body appears to be even smaller.

[pietro]

.

Theory is one thing, reality another...........What can I say - I didn't have any "technical" drawings, so didn't know it couldn't be done.

So I just noodled it out & did it, and it worked.

[uscra112]

To a #4.