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Thread: Is there any reason to go 32 Special if you already load for 30-30?

  1. #21
    Boolit Master
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    There's always need for another rifle but, the .30 WCF is a mighty fine cast shooter. Even better in my opinion is the .303 Savage and it has almost become my favorite cast shooter.

  2. #22
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stopsign32v View Post
    Finally got a 30-30 pre 64 Winchester 94 but found a nice looking one in 32 Special. Only thing holding me back is having to reload for yet another different chambering.

    Does it make sense or just stick with 30-30s?

    My two rules of thumb are: If the rifle shouts "Buy me!!!" I rarely can say, "no!". And, rifles are made for two and only two purposes: To buy and to shoot. That being said, volumes have been written on how useless a calibre the .32 Winchester Special calibre is -- but I have one that is alllmost a "benchrest lever action" (is there such a thing: ) provided I shoot CAST bullets in it.
    I also have it's rimless cousin -- the .32 Remington (practically the same as .32 WCF) -- which behaves similarly.
    IF the rifle is in great mechanical shape... go with it. I have not, but a friend (Steve) has both .32 and .30 model 94's, and he uses .32 WCF BRASS in both -- just neck sizing down for the .30 WCF.
    Good luck... Just as God is making no more real estate -- the old Winchester levers are not being made, either...
    geo

  3. #23
    Boolit Master .45Cole's Avatar
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    buy the 32 and bore it to 38-55, then you will have two different rounds and the 38-55 chamber can be to your spec (I wouldn't buy a factory 38/55 rifle). OR if in you like to take a beatin you can line the 32 to 219 Zipper. Too bad they weren't takedowns, then you could toss the 32 receiver in the back closet and have a 30-30 / 219 zipper rifle with the swap of a barrel.

    Or just leave it a 32 and leave it on the shelf as you already have the 30-30 and the 32 would be like 2 left hands.

  4. #24
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    In normal times, I'd say just go with the one that floats your boat, but in these days of Biden Buying, where nothing is on the shelf, and components are few and far between, I'd stick with the 30-30. Unless you stumble onto a package deal, with a couple hundred rounds and/or pieces of brass, the 32 Winchester Special has little to recommend it. Molds are scarce, dies are scarce, guns are scarce, ammo is scarce. Persons with more experience than I applaud the 32 as a cast boolit gun, but in my limited usage, they're ain't a dimes bit of difference between them.
    As far as buying one and having it bored out to some other caliber? Puhlease don't. Aside from the cost of conversion and difficulty of conjuring up components, there were relatively few 32 Specials made, and they aren't making any today. Do your custom barrel stuff on a shot-out Marlin or a boat-anchor 94 30-30, not on a collectible piece of history.
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  5. #25
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    Quote Originally Posted by .45Cole View Post
    buy the 32 and bore it to 38-55, then you will have two different rounds and the 38-55 chamber can be to your spec (I wouldn't buy a factory 38/55 rifle). OR if in you like to take a beatin you can line the 32 to 219 Zipper. Too bad they weren't takedowns, then you could toss the 32 receiver in the back closet and have a 30-30 / 219 zipper rifle with the swap of a barrel.

    Or just leave it a 32 and leave it on the shelf as you already have the 30-30 and the 32 would be like 2 left hands.
    Far better to to take the 30-30 to 38-55 than the 32 as they are much more often found.
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  6. #26
    Boolit Master 444ttd's Avatar
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    i'd leave as is. its a great cartridge and history(well, mine anyway!!!). my dad's friend let me borrow a win m94 in 32 spl years ago. i shot two doe with that and it hooked me on deer hunting. i was 15 yo when my grandfather gave me a m94(1972) in 30-30 and i would slay untold number of deer. i put the 30-30 in the safe for about 20+ years and then 3 years ago, i sent it to JES Reboring to make a 35/30-30. i then put a williams fp aperture sight on it and now has 2 doe to its name.


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  7. #27
    Boolit Grand Master Nobade's Avatar
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    A nice thing about the 32 is if you already have a fat 30 mould, around .314", you can paper patch them to use in the 32. I shot my 32 for years without having a die set for it, just hand seat a boolit over a charge of powder the right height to set the length correctly and it worked great. When the base got too big I'd run them through a 38-55 FL die and be good to go. Cases last forever that way also.

  8. #28
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nobade View Post
    A nice thing about the 32 is if you already have a fat 30 mould, around .314", you can paper patch them to use in the 32. I shot my 32 for years without having a die set for it, just hand seat a boolit over a charge of powder the right height to set the length correctly and it worked great. When the base got too big I'd run them through a 38-55 FL die and be good to go. Cases last forever that way also.
    Now that's an interesting technique!
    How did you get your bullet to stay put? I'm just thinking saddle bags or jacket pocket or spring tension in the magazine tube.

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  9. #29
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    I reload for dozens and dozens of calibers.. cast for most of them too. once you load and cast for a bunch of stuff.... what's one more...

  10. #30
    Boolit Grand Master Char-Gar's Avatar
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    Reading this thread, I find that many folks think the 30-30 and 32 Win. Spl. rounds are peas in a pod. That would be true, if you want to keep your cast bullet going 1,800 fps more or less. That is not true, if you want your cast bullet to go 2,300+ fps.

    The current Japchester line, still makes rifles in 32 Win. Special. Bullet molds are readily available from several makers and dies are not that hard to fine. Within the past two months, I bought 500 32 Win. Special cases from Starline. I don't buy factory ammo for any caliber, so I have no idea what that situation is like.
    Disclaimer: The above is not holy writ. It is just my opinion based on my experience and knowledge. Your mileage may vary.

  11. #31
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    I got both . I like the .32 better .
    Grumpy Old Man With A Gun....... Do Not Touch !!

  12. #32
    Boolit Grand Master Nobade's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by cwtebay View Post
    Now that's an interesting technique!
    How did you get your bullet to stay put? I'm just thinking saddle bags or jacket pocket or spring tension in the magazine tube.

    Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk
    Mostly I single load them at the range but they'll work fine in the magazine as the spring holds them together.

  13. #33
    Boolit Grand Master Outpost75's Avatar
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    A matter of personal preference. Here in WV a used .32WS will sell for about $100 less than a similar pre-1964 .30-30 in similar condition. When the .32 barrel gets worn accuracy will fail before a faster 12-inch twist .30-30, but a shot-out .32 WS can usually be bought really cheap and can be affordably relined to any caliber you want, or rebored to .35-30 or .38-55. No bad choices.
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  14. #34
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    I have a 1959 32 Win Special that is as accurate as it can get. Use an RCBS mold that it likes.

    When I bought it they took off a few $'s because the action was stiff. It still had the hardened factory grease in it.

    Don

  15. #35
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    Have both. I like the 32 spec better. Although performance between is about the same.
    If ever intending to shoot cast or patched. Special_ is better suited for the purpose in my opinion.
    Good bragging point: "everyone has a 30 wcf. Not many can claim they own a >Special<"

  16. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by Char-Gar View Post
    Reading this thread, I find that many folks think the 30-30 and 32 Win. Spl. rounds are peas in a pod. That would be true, if you want to keep your cast bullet going 1,800 fps more or less. That is not true, if you want your cast bullet to go 2,300+ fps.

    The current Japchester line, still makes rifles in 32 Win. Special. Bullet molds are readily available from several makers and dies are not that hard to fine. Within the past two months, I bought 500 32 Win. Special cases from Starline. I don't buy factory ammo for any caliber, so I have no idea what that situation is like.
    I see lots of guys using 30 or more grains of powder to shoot a reduced load around 1700-1800 fps before accuracy poops out in their 30-30s. My 1:30" twist 357 rifle shoots a 30-30 weight bullet (160 gr) accurately over 2000 fps with 18 grains of powder. That is 200 fps faster than a 1:10" twist 30-30 can shoot with the same alloy, and it is using half the powder. If you wanna shoot 30-40 grains of powder with a cast bullet and get some serious power the 32 special has all kinds of accuracy near max loads. Like Char-Gar said, the 32 special can get 400-500 fps more than the 30-30 with any given alloy. Plain base WW? Add 400 fps to what your 30-30 can do. 50-50 WW Pure with a gas check? Add 400-500 fps to what your 30-30 can do. Hundreds of fps faster than a 30-30 can shoot a similar weight bullet.

    My opinion is if you wanna shoot 30-40 grains of powder, you gotta be getting some energy out of it. If all you want is a 180 grain bullet at 1800 fps a 357 lever can do it with half the powder and a shorter, faster lever throw.

  17. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by Outpost75 View Post
    A matter of personal preference. Here in WV a used .32WS will sell for about $100 less than a similar pre-1964 .30-30 in similar condition. When the .32 barrel gets worn accuracy will fail before a faster 12-inch twist .30-30, but a shot-out .32 WS can usually be bought really cheap and can be affordably relined to any caliber you want, or rebored to .35-30 or .38-55. No bad choices.
    I'd recommend you buy that "shot-out" 32 Win Spl and then load it with 8mm bullets sized at .324 or .325". You'd be surprised how accurate it is when the bore has a bullet that matches it. And you'd save 100 bucks!!!
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  18. #38
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    Worn barrel on a .32 Special, really? Old rumor from even before the internet. Some early lots of .32 Special ammunition were loaded with .318 jacketed bullets starting all the nonsense about worn-out barrels and lousy accuracy. Accuracy is really bad when you shoot 30-30's through the .32 Specials, might kill a deer now and then. It takes 4000-5000 rounds to wear out a .308 or .30-06, probably more than 10,000-12,000 to wear out a .32 Special. Do you really think those 1 box a year(20 rounds) or less shooters wore out those .32 Specials. Might be cheaper because the .32 is DIFFERENT (better?) and ammo is harder to find.

  19. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stopsign32v View Post
    Finally got a 30-30 pre 64 Winchester 94 but found a nice looking one in 32 Special. Only thing holding me back is having to reload for yet another different chambering.

    Does it make sense or just stick with 30-30s?
    If you have the money and the price isn't in the Rolls Royce price range, I would get one. Like said there are not many out there. I loved the one my grandfather gave me back in the 70's. I shot it a lot with cast. Then gave it to one of my grandsons in 2010.

  20. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by stubshaft View Post
    +1 - Everyone knows that Chevy is the better choice though...
    Well...notice that the tow hooks are on the front of a chevy....that's the place to attach the tow strap that is pulled by the FORD!

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BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
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LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check