My .32 S&W long rifle results

[Jim22]

The rifle is a remington #2 rolling block that John Taylor relined to .32 S&W long. Nice gun with 26" barrel and a nice crisp trigger. We put a Marbles tang sight on it and John made the front sight taller. The Marbles sight did not fit the tang well so he altered the sight.

Took it out to shoot some groups at 25 yards and to chronograph some loads. The factory 98 grain round nose cowboy loads from Aguila shot fairly good groups, one to one and a half inches, and produced an average of 833 fps. The handloads were made up using AA#5 abd #7 powders and 100 grain cast swc boolits from Badman that were lubed and sizzed to .313". 3.0 grains of AA#5 just about mimicked the Aguila load with 860 fps. Moving up in 0.2 grain increments I found the max #5 load, 3.8 grains produced 1001 fps - still subsonic.

Moving to AA#7 all loads, from 5.0 to 5.8 grains went supersonic. with the highest being 1327 fps. I want to stay subsonic with this rifle because of my tinnitis but if I want more power it is availaable. Surprisingly, the 5.6 grain load produced 1282 fps with an extreme spread of only 13 fps.

My next goal is to try my own boolits. I have a Lee mould that produces the same boolit as the Badman. I have loaded up some from straight COWW's. Lubed with Lee Liquid Alox unsized. Also with the recent talk around here about boolits cast from junk alloy like COWW's I have ordered some 40:1 alloy from Rotometals and will try that. But I have separated the COWW boolits so they are all within one grain of each other. Maybe the new alloy will help, mebbe not.

Just checking in,

Jim

[pworley1]

It sounds like you are well on your way.

[uscra112]

Thanks for that report! I think you could go to 1400 fps, given that your rifle is a #2 and not one of the weaker boy's rifles. I also think 40:1 may prove a bit too soft, but the proof will be on the paper.

[Alasgun]

32 long And subsonic go well together. I shoot them in my Ruger single 7 and love the combination. I don’t reload them as that would be quite a test for my aging eye’s and fumble fingered hands, however i did buy a case or so back when they were affordable. For me they make a great “boat gun round”, shooting Halibut between your legs, off the side of a boat don’t take much. Most people reach a point in they’re life where louder, faster bigger is not important; i’m glad i got there sooner rather than later in life!

[uscra112]

Certainly the low noise is an advantage to loading subsonic.

[Gtek]

Curious, what is groove dimension on liner and did Mr. Taylor cut the chamber? I have a Badger coming together and the mind is already drifting off into a 32 S&WL something 16-20 inch with threads out front.

[gnoahhh]

I would consult Ed Harris' writings re: Bunny Rifle loads with .32 S&W Long. Do a search on the CBA website and here. No point in reinventing the wheel if you don't have to!

[Outpost75]

I would consult Ed Harris' writings re: Bunny Rifle loads with .32 S&W Long. Do a search on the CBA website and here. No point in reinventing the wheel if you don't have to!

Anyone interested just PM me with an email address which can receive about 5MB of .pdf attachments and I can send the Fouling Shot issues on the .32 Bunny Gun.

[dverna]

It is a shame that primers look to be staying in the $100/k range. It reduces the attractiveness of these kinds of guns...at least for me.

A few years ago I came close to building a .30 Badger but even with $25/k primers it never happened. I think the .32 S&W is a better way to go in any case.

Hope you can get an accurate load worked up for you new gun and primers come down in price.

[Outpost75]

Curious, what is groove dimension on liner and did Mr. Taylor cut the chamber? I have a Badger coming together and the mind is already drifting off into a 32 S&WL something 16-20 inch with threads out front.

John has done several for me. Anything from .308 to .313 groove will work as will any twist from 10" to 20".

For heavy bullet subsonic a 4-groove government form .308 ten-imch twist barrel will stabilize a 180-grain bullet subsonic. The 16" and 20" twist liners for .32-20 work best with the lighter revolver bullets.

John's .32 rifle reamer let's you seat Accurate 31-155D to its crimp groove and lightly engrave the forepart in chambering. Like Eley Tenex in a smallbore match gun. Stable at 750 fps in ten-inch twist and in a 25-inch barrel is almost silent. No can needed.

Accurate 31-134D is the heaviest which is accurate when driven subsonic in a 16" twist. It needs 1200 fps in a 20-inch twist to group well.

[uscra112]

John generally uses TJ liners, and TJ lists a .32-20 liner as .312 groove and 16 twist.

[Dom]

How about these...Attachment 304718Attachment 304719Attachment 304720 #10 shot

[Deadeye Bly]

I've got two rifles in 32 S&W Long, a Ballard #2 and a Maynard, both with barrels lined with TJ's liners. They are a joy to shoot. My favorite load is the Accurate 31-100R bullet with 3.0 grains of Unique. I've not chronographed it but it is subsonic. I've shot the Small 32 S&W bullet and the 32-20 bullet also. I've got the Lyman 313226 mold and the Ideal 313493 mold. The latter is a flat nose with one big grease groove. I need to get out and shoot them some more. I would like to try some different powders but don't know all the ones suitable for the combination in a rifle. Thanks for posting this.

[Outpost75]

John generally uses TJ liners, and TJ lists a .32-20 liner as .312 groove and 16 twist.

John used one of those to reline my Army and Navy rook rifle and it shoots well.

[John Taylor]

I made my little #4 in 32 S&W. it's a solid frame and I know enough to not try and hot rod it. Have not had it to the range to see what it will do but it seemed to work for pop cans in the back yard at the old place.

[GARD72977]

I'm really wanting a 32 S&W Long in a Low Wall or CPA. I'm not trying to go cheap. I shoot a lot at 50yds. This would be a fun range gun with no purpose. I bought Dillon dies for my 550. Looking to have a reamer made to Starline brass Sized in my dies and throated for a light lead bullet.

I have been very busy lately. I did manage to buy the Dies and some brass. I need to get a mold made. I'm thinking about doing it as a .308 dia barrel to make loading the bullets easier. The idea of loading a .310 lead bullet in a 32 S&W Long case is very appealing.

[Green Frog]

Following along with interest… I rechambered an old Winchester low wall from 32 RF to 32 H&R and bushed the block for a CF firing pin. The bore was pretty sketchy, but I think I could have gotten the old standby Ideal 3118 or its modern Lyman 311008 equivalent to work pretty well in it. That bullet has been used in .308 bores for more than a century (unless 118 gr bullet weight is too heavy for you).
Froggie
PS Just in case you’ve missed it, the 3118/311008 in 32 S&W L has been mentioned here often. I should have mentioned I’ve used it in the S&W Long with satisfying results.

[Jim22]

I would consult Ed Harris' writings re: Bunny Rifle loads with .32 S&W Long. Do a search on the CBA website and here. No point in reinventing the wheel if you don't have to!

I have a copy of that column. Downloaded it. Very interesting.

Jim

[Jim22]

Yesterday I loaded up some Lee 98 grain RNFP boolits - 100 grains in COWW and Lee Liqid Alox. Weighed to withing one grain of each other. 3.8 grains of AA#5. The crimp groove on that boolit is in a different place that the commercial cast boolits I started with. As such OAL is a little longer. According to my tests that load produces right at 1,000 fps, below Mach 1. May be a bit less with this boolit. Will sght them in this afternoon. I expect a different point of impact from the Agula ammo at a bit more than 800 fps.

I like the Accurate powder because it is spherical and meters very well.

Jim

[Green Frog]

If I were starting from scratch today and had as my goal to build a dandy little rifle in 32 S&W Long, and the supply chain and (reasonable) finances weren’t at issue, here’s what I’d do; I’d locate a smooth side low wall action. If the block needed bushing, I would do so first. I would get one of the lightweight tapered octagon barrels made by Green Mtn, and a standard grade 90% inletted stock from someone like Crossno or Treebone with the fore arm just profiled and a small pilot groove to define the Barrel channel. I’d send this stuff to John Taylor or another of the skilled builders, then sit back and wait.

When it came back I’d mount both tang sights and a Lyman Targetspot Jr and would have the perfect woods loafing and casual target shooting rifle for my Golden Years.

I have this exact gun in progress with a barrel fitted by the late Charlie Dell, only the caliber is different; this one is a 25-20 SS. One of these days I’ll finish it!

Froggie

PS A couple of other points, Green Mtn makes (made?) a barrel designed for light Marlin and Winchester lever guns… the perfect profile for my project. Second, I’d probably go ahead and punch it out to 32 H&R just because. After all, that chamber will accept the S&W Long equally well.