32 H&R magnum with 311316 boolit

[curiousgeorge]

Hello all,
I have 2 of the older Ruger Single Six in 32 H&R magnum, a 5.5" and 6.5". Have shot a lot of wadcutters and 85gr XTPs through them (all my reloads), but want something a little heavier for woods packing.

I've picked up a 311316gc mold and run a few boolits that came out at 122 grs gas checked and lubed. Loaded a few with 9.5 grs of H110 and standard small pistol primers. Shot ok, but well over 1000fps and a bit more than I want to run through those guns. Not a big fan of continuing to reduce the charge in H110 / W296. Any other powder / load suggestions with that boolit that will run around 900 - 950 fps?

Thanks,
Steve

[Nobade]

Blue Dot and Herco both work pretty well for that. 800X is right in there too. What do you have on hand?

[curiousgeorge]

Been reloading and casting for around 45 years. I'm lucky that I have a wide and varied selection of powders on the shelf. Thought about trying 3.0 to 4.0 grs of Unique/ W231/ AA#5, or maybe 4.0 to 4.5 of Herco/ HS6/ AA#7. I think the H110, 2400, & AA#9 powder ranges are going to be heavier than I really need. Will pack a .38 Special or .357 instead.

Was hoping that someone else had already tried the heavy boolit but not at max velocities. Was using BE, Red Dot, AA#2, and 700X with the wadcutters and 85 gr XTPs - all worked well (Not the same exact charge, of course).

[Thumbcocker]

100-105 grain boolit with 2400 works for me.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[Green Frog]

I like a lighter bullet for 32 H&R, say 105 gr or so. For powder in mid velocity (“Goldilocks”) loads I like Accurate 7, but I can also work with 231.
I’ve used A7 and A9 in 327 with heavy bullets, and you could back off those loads and do OK. Check the Hodgdon published charts.. BTW, I don’t think H110 does well if it’s loaded down, but no personal experience.
Froggie

[Larry Gibson]

"Thought about trying 3.0 to 4.0 grs of Unique"

You should find happiness in that range with the 311316, I did in my own 1st run Single Six w/6 1/2" barrel. 3.5 gr Unique works for me but it might be more than you want(?) as it runs 950 fps out of my Ruger.

I prefer to use the GC'd 311316 and the GC'd 313631 (105 gr SWC designed for the H&R) with H110 with a full magnum level load. I load the 311316 over 10 gr Lil'Gun which runs 1100 fps out of my Ruger and pushes 23,900 psi measured in my Contender barrel via Oehler M43.

[curiousgeorge]

Thanks Larry.
I've used 9.5, 9.8, 10.0, 10.3, & 10.5 grs of H110 with the 311316 GC and had settled on the 9.5 grs load for ease of loading and to go a little easier on the guns. Was thinking the big boolit with a slightly lower velocity would work ok, kind of the same as a 265 gr boolit and 8.0 grs of Unique in a 44 magnum.


I will give the 3.5 grs of Unique load a try.

Thank you,
Steve

[minus1gun]

You might look at Handloader Magazine Oct-Nov, 2018 article by Brian Pearce called ".32 H&R Magnum (Pet Loads)." He uses 6 1/2 inch Single Six for his data. He shows 125 gr cast with gas check with 3.6 gr Power Pistol at 951 fps, or 4.6 gr True Blue at 966 fps. These are the starting loads in his charts.

[mainiac]

Hp38 is superb accurate, for under 1000fps,,,wide open,a case solid full of 4227,,,very accurate

[Green Frog]

You might try to track down the post beagle did when he experimented with his Single Six in 32 H&R. He got some gratifying results. Like Larry Gibson, he got good results out of the 313631. It’s been discontinued by Lyman, but is still produced by Arsenal(?) or NOE(?) at last report. I especially like that bullet design with gas check removed.
Froggie

PS Try this link;
http://www.castpics.net/subsite2/ByCaliber/Cast%20in%20the%20.32%20H%20&%20R%20Magnum.pdf

[gnoahhh]

I've messed with 3.5gr. Unique and that bullet. Loads were snappy and accuracy was ok but not what I was looking for.

I've since standardized on the Accurate #311-105T with a modest charge of 2.4gr. Bullseye. Coincidentally that same bullet works a charm in .32 S&W Long in a couple Smiths and Colts too with a tiny bit less Bullseye, and in a Colt Army Special .32-20 with a skinch more Bullseye. My .32 SWC, RN, and WC molds, and traditional .32-20 molds are getting pretty dusty since I started with the 311-105T. Life is good here in .32 Heaven! (The bullet pops out of my mold at .314", 1:20 alloy, which is good because serendipitously all my .32 caliber revolvers have .314" throats.)

[rockshooter]

My normal load for .32 mag is 3.6gr of 231 with the 311008 weighing 120gr. Chonographed at 943fps from a 3" SP101. 3.0gr of Bullseye, same bullet, gives 845 fps from a 4 5/8 bbl and 896 fps from a 7.5" bbl. In all cases the bullet is crimped over the front band of the bullet, LOA 1.360
Loren