Compare 32-20 cases

Thanks to a fellow member and a mutually useful swap today, I now have 100 brand new WW cases in 32-20 to go with an equal number of new Starline cases I’ve been able to acquire. I believe I’ve been told that the case walls are thinner on the WW brand, therefore giving slightly higher volume. Is this correct, and are there any other differences of which I should be aware?

I plan to keep them separate, but wonder what other adjustments I need to make between the brands? I also have about fifty or so miscellaneous once fired cases. These will be used for load development (to get close) before I get into the new stuff. I’ll probably concentrate on Ideal 3118s (115 gr) and Lyman 313631s (105 gr) to start with.

Since this is the Wheelguns forum, and since I insist on folks posting in the proper forum, these loads will be first for the Buckeye Blackhawk (32 combo) and perhaps some for the Navy/Uberti SAA, then maybe a few will be left over for the old S&W M&P.

Froggie

The Starline brass is typically a bit thicker than Remington or Winchester, and you should also check length as that tends to vary between batches.

With my new Starline 32 H&R Mag brass I've been running them through the sizing die first, then trimming. Out of the factory bag they are not all the same length.

The harder learned lesson was first trimming 200 cases, then running them through the sizing die, only to discover I had to trim them all again. After that first trip through the sizing die they've pretty much been stable in size.

Be sure to put a slight bell on the case mouth before trying to seat a cast bullet to keep from crumpling at case. Even with the bell it is still best to seat them slowly.

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Originally Posted by pworley1

Be sure to put a slight bell on the case mouth before trying to seat a cast bullet to keep from crumpling at case. Even with the bell it is still best to seat them slowly.

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Agreed. I am a careful reloader and still wind up crushing more 32-20 than any other case size. They are very easy to damage - but that also works in your favor with black powder since the case seals so well in the chamber.

You might also check the shell lengths.

I’ve only found the occasional Starline shell at the range. Never ordered any in .32-20, since I spent my salad days glomming onto anything reloadable in the caliber, from US Cartridge Co x-fired to W-W unprimed/unfired in the box.

What I did notice back then, with the newer cases from the larger manufacturers, was that the lengths seemed to be slightly but annoyingly variable, the only constant being that they were all shorter than those of the old cases.

I notice this a lot with then-semi-obsolete shells “of a certain age;” they’d be run off at long intervals for those few mossbacks with the old guns. As long as they looked more or less OK, onto the market they’d go. Depending on the state of obsolescence, there might be other things. I’ve seen off-center flash holes in last-ditch .25-20 SS production. Nobody was going to complain, and if they did, the factory would be busily producing enough .225 Winchester (or whatever other exciting Next Big Thing was going) so that they could ignore them. This, of course, was before the SASS revival, that brought a lot of the old stuff back into prominence.

So I found I often had to do some case trimming to get the .32-20s to the same length for uniform crimping in the seat/crimp, Factory Crimp or Taper Crimp die. Of course, they wouldn’t crimp much or at all if I tried to use the old Ideal/Winchester/Yankee reloading tools.

Starline’s high regard for quality would hopefully have them back at the original length, “chust for nice,” if for no other reason.

Set your dies up for one brand of brass. I wouldn't mix .32-20 brass as length can vary a good bit among brands.

When I load 32-20, I seat and crimp by feel, I don't just pull the lever to the stop. I don't check case length or trim. Cases seem never be too long. Roll crimping into a crimp groove on cast bullets there is a distinctive feel for when they are crimped right. Of course, this does not work on a progressive press.

Tim

Starline .32-20 cases are generally 1.280-1.285 whereas other brands often run 1.30-1.305".

I trim all cases to 1.28".

I was hoping you would chime in, Outpost75. In fact, I was up your way last weekend and almost bothered you with a PM or e-mail to get your input on the subject. While I've got you, what about the neck thickness variation, brand to brand? Significant or no? Thanks for your input!

Your Phriend the 'Phibian

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Originally Posted by Green Frog

I was hoping you would chime in, Outpost75. In fact, I was up your way last weekend and almost bothered you with a PM or e-mail to get your input on the subject. While I've got you, what about the neck thickness variation, brand to brand? Significant or no? Thanks for your input!

Your Phriend the 'Phibian

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I use the Redding Profile Crimp die in .32-20 so thick necks or oversized bullets are not a problem.

I use Starline brass for full snort jacketed loads with .312" diameter Hornady XTP for use in rifles, Ruger revolver or 1943 Colt OP, which is strong.

I use W-W or R-P for milder soft cast lead revolver loads assembled with .314" bullets to fit cylinder throats of 1922 Colt Police Positive or 1918 S&W Hand Ejector. Also good as nondestructive small game load for general use in all of the .32 -20s.

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Originally Posted by Outpost75

Starline .32-20 cases are generally 1.280-1.285 whereas other brands often run 1.30-1.305".

I trim all cases to 1.28".

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I just got 100 Starline 32 WCF cases, brand new. My dies were last used on Western 32 WCF brass. I did not need to adjust anything. It worked perfectly fine. I will have to measure one of the new cases and one of the Western cases after going to the range.

Froggie,
As everyone has stated, the WW cases will be thinner than the Starline. And you will definitely neet to trim to get consistent lengths. Wrinkled a few necks during crimping on the first few shells back when I was loading for a Winchester 42. Learned quickly to sort all my brass by headstamp. I don't remember which one was the worst, but consistently had more trouble crimping either the WW vs RP. I also had the Ruger Buckeye Special, but stupidly traded it off after letting it sit unfired in the safe for 10 years.

Thanks for all the responses everyone. OP75, I was really hoping to hear from you. I found a box of Ideal 313316 bullets already sized and gas checked, so they, along with the Starline brass , will probably get the nod for my first batch of loads for the Ruger. :Fire:

Keep those responses coming… I hate to admit how many decades it’s been since I did any serious loading for 32-20. I need all the help I can get! :coffeecom

Froggie

PS If anyone has a Lyman 313631 mould laying around that they aren’t using, please PM me. :castmine: Although it was supposedly designed for the 32 H&R, it’s a good all around design for all the 32 revolvers. My friend beagle gave a box of these bullets from his mould, and boy howdy are they sweet! :bigsmyl2:

I use both WW and R-P brass. R-P runs consistently about .010" longer, or a bit more.

So I had time today. I measured several Western and Winchester and R-P and Starline cases. With my Brown & Sharpe dial calipers:

RP 1.275"
Remington 1.275"
Winchester 1.275"
Starline 1.282"

It's not enough of a difference to cause any problems for me. All my Western cases are loaded so no way to measure those.

My Lyman 3rd edition lists trim length as 1.305" for 32 WCF.

One weird looking R-P case. It is the same length but has a weird looking cannelure. Only one I have:

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Originally Posted by HWooldridge

Agreed. I am a careful reloader and still wind up crushing more 32-20 than any other case size. They are very easy to damage - but that also works in your favor with black powder since the case seals so well in the chamber.

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This is exactly why I purchased the Lyman dies that came with the M die, perfectly expands cases and I haven't crumpled one in a long time. I use a Lee factory crimp die, and the setup works well with the Arsenal 115gr bullet in my 1894CL.

Dave