.323 bullets in a W94 .32special.

[thor32382]

I got "Cartridges of the world" for christmas this year and I was just reading about the .32 special. The author claimed that if a barrel was worn out on a .32 special you could use Hornady's 170gr RN that measure in .323(8mm). My Grandfather left behind a .32 and the barrel has been worn out. I was wondering if anyone had heard of this and if you have tried it what were the results. I'd hate to see an old Winnie put out to pasture when it could still be a whitetail killer.

[sundog]

I think I would be more inclined to shoot cast in it regardless of wear. In fact, because of the wear, I would go to cast first. You do not need jacketed to kill a deer with a 32 Win Spl. Shooting cast would stop the bore erosion, or at least slow it down enough it would be for a couple more lifetimes.

You can duplicate or even make better the ballistics using cast over jacketed. Accuracy can be superb. Short of slugging the bore, I'd start with a .323 sized boolit and see what happens. Increase size if needed. Use 30-30 load data (there's plenty recorded) at start levels and work up.

The Ranch Dog 323-170-FN might be a good one to start with.

[thor32382]

I was wondering about cast too. From what I've read cast are a bit oversized anyway. I haven't gotten into casting yet. I really want to ever since I got my .45-70. Right now most of my money is going into my house. Darn grown up responsibilities.

[felix]

Using factory level heat will wear out the barrel at the same rate without regard to the projectile. That is, if we are talking about the throat area only. And, unfortunately, that is where it counts with the slower twist the Winnie barrels have. It is no simple matter of setting the barrel back in a lever gun with all kinds of attachments they have. ... felix

[sundog]

yep, that's right on the wear, but there are also liners and new barrels available. Liners, if done properly, can restore the gun to it's original (or better) bore condition while preserving the appearance. I've done it to one, and it was worthwhile!

[Bret4207]

Thor, define "worn out". If it's truly worn out, as in won't even shoot jacketed with minute of deer accuracy I'd reline or rebarrel or rebore. Do a real thorough cleaning first, but if it's truly worn out, as in no hint of rifling visible, then don;t waste time on cast. Been there, done that.

[thor32382]

I currently don't have the rifle in my possesion. Everyone that shot if has said that the bullet "tumbles". Like I said it was left behind by my Grandfather after he passed away last may. My uncle currently has both of the 94's he had and plans to just hang them over his fireplace. I'm hoping I can talk him out of one of them. He doesn't hunt and really has no idea about rifles other than they go "bang". I don't want to toot my own horn but, I know I would be able to take better care of them. Plus, I would use them for what they were made for. I've done a bit of research as far as lining the barrel and it seems like a viable option. I'll have to check out the condition of the rifling the next time I see it.

[thor32382]

Oh and thank you guys for all the advice I really appreciate it.

[w30wcf]

thor32382,
Assuming they are speaking of the bullets tumbling using good .32 Special ammo and not .30-30 (that's been done before:roll:) it could be that the muzzle might be worn from cleaning rod wear.

A friend had an old 336 Marlin in .32 Special with the "tumbling bullet" problem. I slugged the gun and found that from the muzzle back for about 1" the diameter was larger than the rest of the barrel. Long story short, the barrel was cut back 1" to remove the damaged section and the gun shot fine after that.

Another potential cure for 'tumbling bullets" from a less than perfect barrel is to use PSB (polyethylene shot buffer). Another friend bought a circa 1900 .32-40 and it printed nice sideway bullet profiles...much to the dismay of my friend. I pulled some of the cartridges apart, adjusted the powder charge to allow for the reduced case capacity, filled the case to 1/2 way up the neck with PSB and reseated the bullets.

Viola! The first group was just over 1" @ 50 yards with the bullets going point forward.:drinks:

w30wcf

[Bret4207]

Thor- The first thing you'll need to do is really get the barrel clean and I mean surgically clean. Go at it with solvents, 4/0 steel wool or Chore Boy scrubbing pad and use an electronic cleaner if you can. Then you'll be free of fouling any way. Then, like John said, check the muzzle. You can counterbore the muzzle is wear is an issue and you don't have a shortened barrel that way. Only after doing all this can you determine the barrels condition. More than one "worn out" barrel has been saved with a real cleaning.

[corvette8n]

My Ranch Dog mold for .32.WS came yesterday, so I will let you know how it works, I have a pre 64 Win94.

[badgeredd]

Thor32382,

I tried the .323 Round Nose j-words in my dad's 32 Special when he complained that it was horribly inaccurate. They worked like the gun was a new gun.

What everyone has mentioned about cleaning, do that first.

Second, after you've cleaned the barrel completely, slug the bore for a check on the diameter. Also note when you slug it if you have loose and tight spots in the barrel. If you find the barrel is oversize (like Dad's was) you'll find a much improved gun with 8mm j-words. I flat pointed mine in a reloading press so I was comfortable with them being in a tubular magazine. Also I downloaded them a bit. I have recently loaded up some cast boolits (8mm) for his gun and it shoots better than it ever has before. His barrel was .323 so I now know why the 32s didn't work well. One can carefully firelap an old barrel to improve accuracy too. Dad's barrel had 2 tight spots in it before I firelappped it.

Good luck with getting it to shoot, if you can get it from your uncle.

Edd

[StarMetal]

Since my hiatus for a few years I picked up a 1947 Model 94 in 32 Special and it is special because the previous owner put a Paul Jaeger quick detach side mount on it with an old 2.5 Weaver. You can still use the iron sights with the scope mounted. The rifle is in pretty good condition. I happen to have the Lee 175 grain 8mm mould and decided trying that first after sizing them correctly. It shoots them so well I never bothered to buy the RCBS bullet recommended to me by Felix. He said if the Lee shoots good to stick with it. I can get a better idea of how this rifle shoots because of the scope. My best friend that I grew up with had a pre 64 when we were in high school in 32 Special and I have always wanted to get one since that time. When you get that rifle clean it up as mentioned and try some cast in it, you may be pleasantly surprised. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you as those are really fine rifles in that caliber. Numrich at times has/had factory new barrels for them, but I think they are gone now.

Joe

[Gerry N.]

To hijack your thread, I've been on the prowl for a "worn out" M94 to reline to .25-35 WCF for about two years, now. I thought I had one a few weeks ago, not too horrible on the outside, missing the rear sight, covered in greasy dirt and having a bore that looked like it had suffered the wrath of God. Got it cheap.

A decent whole rifle cleanup and I found my donor rifle to be a .30-30 made in 1963, the blue not too bad and having a very nice bore. So I put a Williams 5D sight on it and put it in the rack. The search continues.

Gerry N.

[sundog]

Corvette, I have one of the two prototype moulds, and one production mould. I've had a bit of a go of it with gas check seating. Let know how this works out for you.

Michael and I have agreed to turn the [my copy] prototype mould into a plain base, i.e., remove the gas check step. Anyone know someone who can do this properly, at no cost, for purpose of the experiment? If it works, it could possible lead to a PB boolit mould for 32 Win Spl.

[thor32382]

Thanks gentlemen for all the help and advice. Hopefully, I'll be able to find out if I can do anything about it.

[FromTheWoods]

I second the Buffer method, if you find it doesn't shoot well with a good cleaning.