marlin 1892

[Deputy Dog]

I have a 1892 Marlin in 32 rimfire / 32 colt I have it ready to go but cant find any ammo or heeled bullits to reload for it thought about re chambering it to 32 s&w can anyone help me get going in the right direction.

[MakeMineA10mm]

Can't help you directly, but you've got some great questions and a great gun there! Is this the one set up to shoot either center-fire or rimfire? (Sounds like it by the wording of your question...)

Although I can't give you direct advice, my one thought the pops to mind is that if it's in good enough shape to shoot, I'm not sure I'd go to re-cutting the chamber... I'm of the school of thought that its better to make custom-loaded ammo than modifying the gun... I've got several cartridge-conversion handbooks that I can check to see the instructions for how to form the brass, etc.

[missionary5155]

Greetings Deputy
Brass is easy.. 32 Colt, 32 S&W Long, 32 H&R Mag... should give you the diameter and length.
Boolits Someone here must have one. You need to slug that chamber throat to get the right diameter.. Probably gonna need a .315+ .
Tho heel boolits can be made IF your are willing to put in some time.
I made 41 Colt heel boolits starting with 41 mag. I first sized then down to .404 . Then chucked them into my trusty half inch drill to spin them and reduce a base potiin down to . 385 After a few I could run about 1 per 2 minutes as you get a feel for the actual reduction. They shoot as good as any mold cast boolit I shot in that revolver with Balck Powder of course.

[BCB]

I have a 1892 Marlin in 32 rimfire / 32 colt I have it ready to go but cant find any ammo or heeled bullits to reload for it thought about re chambering it to 32 s&w can anyone help me get going in the right direction.

Is it a 32 S&W, 32 S&W Long, 32 Short Colt or a 32 Long Colt?...

The 32 Short and Long Colt are almost impossible to get brass for unless you find some old factory ammo…

You can make brass from one of the ones that might be available (mentioned in a previous post), but you need a lathe and I suppose it is time consuming…

Reloading dies are another problem. I made my sizing die from a truck wheel stud for large trucks—1000x20 tires—maybe different sizes today?...

Heel boolits are another deal. I have the .313-95-Heel (#78B) mold made by NEI. I don’t even know if they make that mold anymore—maybe by custom order. Winchester made a mold many years ago and they are difficult if not impossible to find...

I am assuming your Marlin is a 32 Long Colt…

There is another guy, maybe a couple, who post on here that deals with the 32LC and other cartridges that have heel boolits. Maybe they will read and post…

Good-luck—they are major obsolete to get brass for…

BCB

[MakeMineA10mm]

Went and looked in one of my conversion books. Looks like the best option is getting 32S&W brass of the right length, and getting a die to swage down the case walls to the correct diameter.

Looks like the only differences between the Colt and S&W versions of the 32s was the Colt used the heel boolits (which in turn lead to the case diameter being around .070" narrower). Case lengths are same (S&W Long is same length as Colt's Long and same relationship between the "Shorts"), primer pockets same, rim diameter and thickness is same... Only thing you need to convert S&W brass to Colt is the swage die and a case trimmer. (When swaging diameter of brass down it generally stretches in length and often unevenly, so you'd want to trim it after swaging it down.)

If you make your own swage die, remember to make it a few thousandths narrower than the final diameter you want, because brass springs back a little. Also, I'd probably make 2 dies, 1 with a flared mouth to do most of the work, and the second with a small chamfer on the mouth, so you can swage the brass just above the rim down to size. The first die would work like any sizing die in the press, but the second one would need no shell holder and the cases would need to be driven out of the die. An arbor press would be ideal, but I've done it in a regular reloading press with a flat piece of steel on top of the ram.

Be sure to lube the brass real good. I used 30-weight motor oil, but this is a great application for Imperial sizing die wax.

[MakeMineA10mm]

Oh, forgot the boolits!!!

My reference I checked didn't have good info on bullets, but it appears a standard 32 bullet could be modified to provide a heel-style base. This could be done by chucking the nose in a lathe and turnig off a little lead.

You definitely are restricted to lead bullets, both due to the design (no jacketed heel bullets were made to my knowledge) and the age of the rifle (it was designed for lead boolits and jacketed will most-likely wear the rifling quickly), and finally because the low powder charges used might cause a jacketed bullet to stick in a long carbine/rifle barrel.

The load data I could find showed the Colt 32s being loaded with similar loads as the S&W 32s of the same length. So, I'd start with a load about half-way between start and max (thinking about making sure there's enough "umph" to get the boolits to clear the barrel - start loads are only 1.5grs of Bullseye, too little for a rifle barrel in my estimation).

[Wayne Smith]

Deputy, do a search for Old West Molds. He has a variety of heeled boolit molds, brass, and will modify a Lee Factory Crimp die into a crimp die. In short, he's got it all for heeled boolits, at least for the .41 and the .38. I would assume he has the stuff for the .32 or can.

[BCB]

Are 32 S&W cases readily available?

Deputy Dog,

I would certainly try to keep it the 32 Long Colt cartridge. I would think the rifle would maintain a better value--don't know.

Any way you look at it, it will be a bit of an effort to get it to the range and do shooting. I did check some of my data and I see I shoot some Lyman 309244's and 310245's. I must have acquired them from another caster. They shot well, so you can get away with non-heel boolits. Also, I have some hollow base pure lead slugs that shot so-so...

Good-luck...BCB

[BCB]

Deputy, do a search for Old West Molds. He has a variety of heeled boolit molds, brass, and will modify a Lee Factory Crimp die into a crimp die. In short, he's got it all for heeled boolits, at least for the .41 and the .38. I would assume he has the stuff for the .32 or can.


I don't understand how one can crimp a heel boolit in a case when the boolit diameter is greater than the case mouth diameter. How do you get the crimp past the boolit without swaging it down. I suppose a collet type crimping tool might work?

[Mk42gunner]

The last catalog I got from Buffalo Arms had .32 Short Colt brass in it for something like 250/$50.00. I don't know if the Short Colt would cycle through the action or not.


Robert

[skeet1]

I don't remember when it was but an old Handloader Magazine has an article loading this cartridge / rifle. I will try and find it and let you know.

Skeet1

[Guesser]

I picked up two boxes of late production 32 Long Colt at a gun show last spring, it was Remington in the green and yellow box that they discontinued about 5 years ago; 25$ a box. Call Gads Custom Cartridge for 90 grain heeled bullets. 715-748-0919, I got 500 bullets from him, C-H makes 32 Colt dies, 78$+/-.
Good shooting!!!!!!

[skeet1]

Deputy Dog,
The article I was referring to is in Handloader July / August 1986 #122 Page 30. "Loads for the Marlin Model 1892 in.32 Long Colt." by J.F. Childs.

Mr. Childs found some heeled bullet moulds that he used in this article, maybe you will also. This article does have some load information and is quite informative and may be of help to you. Please let me know if you want a copy.

Skeet1

[w30wcf]

Uncle Jack offers brass and bullets.....
http://www.uncle-jack.com/shooters.htm

w30wcf

[Deputy Dog]

Thanks for the info looks like old west moulds might have the mould i need Ill call them tomarrow that would be a start . will go from there

[Bret4207]

Don't recut the chamber, not if the rifle and barrel are in good shape. I'd get a different barrel before doing that, You have a valuable rifle if in good shape.

[Newtire]

Thanks for the info looks like old west moulds might have the mould i need Ill call them tomarrow that would be a start . will go from there

Hi DD,

I have one of those moulds made by Winchester. I PM'ed you with the details.

[w30wcf]

Here's a pic of some 32 cal bullets. The Ideal / Lyman 299153 for the 32 Long Colt is 2nd from the left. Cases must be trimmed to .78" (original length of the .32 Long Colt prior to the introduction of the hollow based bullets) to use that bullet. The NEI bullet at 3rd from the left was designed to be used with the current .91" long case.
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o25/w30wcf/32LCbulletsjpg.jpg

See this thread http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=90532 which is running on the Rimfire forum for more info and pics on the 32 Long.

w30wcf

[Newtire]

Here's a pic of some 32 cal bullets. The Ideal / Lyman 299153 for the 32 Long Colt is 2nd from the left. Cases must be trimmed to .78" (original length of the .32 Long Colt prior to the introduction of the hollow based bullets) to use that bullet. The NEI bullet at 3rd from the left was designed to be used with the current .91" long case.
http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o25/w30wcf/32LCbulletsjpg.jpg

See this thread http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=90532 which is running on the Rimfire forum for more info and pics on the 32 Long.

That is exactly the mold I have (2nd from left).
w30wcf
That is exactly the mold I have (2nd from left).