'94 Winchester .32 Win Spl mold help

[wired54]

I've had a 94 in .32 win spl for about 30 years, not shot much as factory ammo is scarce around here. Not allowed to mail order ammo in my state. Thought casting would give a new life to the rifle. Never casted for rifle before so... I saw NOE has some left over group buy 8mm molds.

326407-140GC
326407-185GC

I read all the posts here in the lever action forum going back a year for all info on .32 win spl. The most mentioned mold was RCBS 32-170GC. Price wise RCBS and NOE are about the same. I know the NOE bullet is so new I don't know if people have any experience with it yet.

I don't see myself hunting with this just range use for now, any benefit between weight 140 vs 180, I know factory ammo is 170gr any downside to using a lighter bullet.

The bullet designs seem different. The NOE has small multi lube bands and the RCBS has just a couple of larger ones.

And I did slug the barrel its .3205 I don't know the barrel twist.

And the mold material, one is steel and the other is aluminum, would it really make any difference?

How do you lube a bullet with so many bands on the NOE bullet, I though the sizing dies come with 3 holes or do you order a die with 8 lube holes. I don't own a sizer yet but... I'll get one.

Yea I know a lot of questions, I don't know anything about bullet design, just though I would get them all out at once.

[StarMetal]

I've had a 94 in .32 win spl for about 30 years, not shot much as factory ammo is scarce around here. Not allowed to mail order ammo in my state. Thought casting would give a new life to the rifle. Never casted for rifle before so... I saw NOE has some left over group buy 8mm molds.

326407-140GC
326407-185GC

I read all the posts here in the lever action forum going back a year for all info on .32 win spl. The most mentioned mold was RCBS 32-170GC. Price wise RCBS and NOE are about the same. I know the NOE bullet is so new I don't know if people have any experience with it yet.

I don't see myself hunting with this just range use for now, any benefit between weight 140 vs 180, I know factory ammo is 170gr any downside to using a lighter bullet.

The bullet designs seem different. The NOE has small multi lube bands and the RCBS has just a couple of larger ones.

And I did slug the barrel its .3205 I don't know the barrel twist.

And the mold material, one is steel and the other is aluminum, would it really make any difference?

How do you lube a bullet with so many bands on the NOE bullet, I though the sizing dies come with 3 holes or do you order a die with 8 lube holes. I don't own a sizer yet but... I'll get one.

Yea I know a lot of questions, I don't know anything about bullet design, just though I would get them all out at once.

They are a great cast caliber. The twist is 1 in 16. You groove diameter sounds excellent.

I don't see any disadvantage to shooting lighter bullet weights.

You can lube just about any bullet style with as few and many lube bands with all the luber/sizers on the market. You do want the sizer die with the rows of lube holes in them rather then the RCBS style with one row of holes as the other one will lube longer bullets with multiple lube groove. If you pan lube you will just have to increase the depth of the molten lube for the taller lube groove bullets.

[jtaylor1960]

I have three 32 Specials.One Winchester and two Marlins.I have seen the NOE molds you are talking about.I'm not sure how they would fit your lever gun.If you were to contact NOE they might be able to get you a few samples to try for fit and function through the action.The RCBS mold is made for lever actions.You can buy them online at Gardner's Cache.That might help you decide which mold to purchase.Your gun should have a 1 in 16" twist as all the older 32 Winchesters did.I'm sure you will get lots of other input from the many knowledgeable casters here.

[Newtire]

I have the NOE 140 grain and they function just fine thru the action of my '64 (94 in a tuxedo).

Due to this and that and the other, I haven't had a chance to actually fire any though.

The RCBS 170 grain (more like 180 grain) is real real acurate and I have driven that thing over 2000 fps with great accuracy also.

[excess650]

While the NOE molds are EXCELLENT, I wouldn't buy one of the 326xxx for use in a rifle with a .3205" groove diameter. Maybe its just me, but I don't think sizing a bullet more than a couple thousandths a good idea. The bands tend to distort, grooves collapse, and the nose can bump up.

I've not checked the availability of 32Spl brass, but 30-30 cases can be expanded, so no shortage of cases.

The slower twist of the 32 Spl(1-16) vs 30-30(1-12) should make it easier to develop loads, and shoot softer bullets. Likewise, it should be more forgiving with plainbase bullets.

I would look for some of the older Ideal or Lyman designs for the 32Sp and 32-40.

[Fugowii]

I just bought the RCBS 32-170GC mold from Midwayusa. You can get a $10 rebate from RCBS so it helps out with the price. I haven't cast anything with it yet. Bought the Hornady GC's from there as well as they were in stock the last time I looked.

[StarMetal]

I just bought the RCBS 32-170GC mold from Midwayusa. You can get a $10 rebate from RCBS so it helps out with the price. I haven't cast anything with it yet. Bought the Hornady GC's from there as well as they were in stock the last time I looked.

Not to discourage you, but I got a recent newer RCBS mold and it's undersized.

I'll probably just lap it out some as I only need .001 larger out of it.

I also shoot the Lee 175 bullet meant for the 8x57 and it shoots really really good.

What's nice about the 32 and 30-30 is you can just about use the jacketed loads with pretty much full charges of most the rifle powders used for jacketed. You can use a full case of 4350 with a 170-175 grain bullet. Currently I'm using 4895.

[dragonrider]

I have both of the molds mentioned and I can tell you that the 185 fitss easily in the Marlin 32 Win Spec that I have but I haven't shot it enough to give any real world evaluation. I have yet to try the 140.

[Newtire]

While the NOE molds are EXCELLENT, I wouldn't buy one of the 326xxx for use in a rifle with a .3205" groove diameter. Maybe its just me, but I don't think sizing a bullet more than a couple thousandths a good idea. The bands tend to distort, grooves collapse, and the nose can bump up.

I've not checked the availability of 32Spl brass, but 30-30 cases can be expanded, so no shortage of cases.

The slower twist of the 32 Spl(1-16) vs 30-30(1-12) should make it easier to develop loads, and shoot softer bullets. Likewise, it should be more forgiving with plainbase bullets.

I would look for some of the older Ideal or Lyman designs for the 32Sp and 32-40.

Now that I have a new-to-me RCBS pot, the NOE 326407 fills out great. It is going to be useful in an 8mm Mauser I have and as for the 32 special, if I try to size it down to .323" in one step, it smears the lands like you said. I first run it thru a .325" sizer and get some lube in those grooves. Then it can't collapse and smear when you go down to .323".

We've been down this road a few times now if I recall.

[corvette8n]

I've got the Ranch Dog mold in .32 special, have yet to cast with this mold (too many projects) When I do I'll post results.

[Marine Sgt 2111]

I have shot the RCBS "170gr FPGC" out of my win '85 in 32-40 at over 1800 fps and she shoots great in that rifle.