What's Up With 32-20 And 25-20 Prices?

[Lance Boyle]

not to get side tracked on this but hodgdon does now have 4 big brands but the increase in price is much less then alliant, my jaw about hit the floor looking at the current cost for a jug of 2400. Ive been in this reloading hobby all my adult life and stocked up on supplies when I could, you can never have enough 2400, so now the powder bunker is well stocked, and it is a powder bunker, legal and legit to powder storage standards. just one thing you need to keep in mind is where you gonna store the stuff.

You can buy VihtaVouri N110 cheaper or Enforcer even cheaper still.


Back on topic I tried to work a deal on a Browning 53 in 32-20 last year but the consignor apparently snubbed my offer. Probably did me a favor. In all honesty my ideal would be a nonexistent model 92 in a .32 H&R . A guy can dream right?

[FergusonTO35]

Remington bankruptcy didn't help any. for about the past 20 years ive seen only one box of winchester 25-20 but a dozen years ago or so when Remington made a "seasonal"run i was able to get case of the 86 grain soft point ammo and brass was impossible to find anywhere and even then it was quite expensive. about $1.50/round.
I remember when I first got the 25-20 went to all the local shops looking for ammo and only one place even knew what it was.
both the 32-20 and the 25-20 ammo are things that you have to keep searching till you find it. a few years ago I stumbled upon a place called duck creek and he had new 25-20 and 35 rem brass at very reasonable cost.
got to stock up when you find it and keep your eyes open.

When Dad had a .32_20 1894 over 30 years ago Remington was all that was available and it still cost at least twice as much per round as .30-30. He quickly figured out that a marginal at best cartridge with pricey ammo made no sense just for deer and whistle pigs so he moved on to a Browning BLR .308 which he still has.

[FergusonTO35]

not to get side tracked on this but hodgdon does now have 4 big brands but the increase in price is much less then alliant, my jaw about hit the floor looking at the current cost for a jug of 2400. Ive been in this reloading hobby all my adult life and stocked up on supplies when I could, you can never have enough 2400, so now the powder bunker is well stocked, and it is a powder bunker, legal and legit to powder storage standards. just one thing you need to keep in mind is where you gonna store the stuff.

I don't bother with anything Alliant other than Bullseye and Unique any more. Availability is too erratic and I think Hodgdon and IMR are actually better for most applications.

[Kai]

not to get side tracked on this but hodgdon does now have 4 big brands but the increase in price is much less then alliant, my jaw about hit the floor looking at the current cost for a jug of 2400. Ive been in this reloading hobby all my adult life and stocked up on supplies when I could, you can never have enough 2400, so now the powder bunker is well stocked, and it is a powder bunker, legal and legit to powder storage standards. just one thing you need to keep in mind is where you gonna store the stuff.

I agree. 2400 is a very versitile powder especially with cast bullets. My go to for 25-20.

[TheAbe]

I was at my preferred local shop for brass the other day, picking up some once fired .357’s. Somehow, at least 4x 32-20 cases ended up in the mix, which I pulled out. Shop owner said I could just have them...nobody ever asks for them anymore. Not sure if he had any additional in stock, but there are drawers labeled 32-20, 25-20, .218 Bee and others in his bulk brass area. Most of these are empty, sitting there from years past, but he has some odd stuff. Saw bags of both empty .43 Spanish and what I believe loaded 11mm Gras ammo. Anyone have serious needs for a few dozen of anything oddball? I can check... PM me and I can take a look this week.

[Eddie Southgate]

That is the wrong 32 caliber winchester cartridge!

I was responding to 35Rem's post. You did not read the quote , fortunately he did before he responded.

[Milky Duck]

$1 per round for brass......hmmmmm over here Ive seen that paid for PRIMERS in last year..... if I wanted brass in obscure calibre and could actually find it...happy to pay $1 per case
to put into perspective loaded centrfire rounds sell for $30-130 per 20 rounds depending on cartridge and load.
the cheapest Ive bought was $50 for 50 rounds of triple two just because it was labeled fmjhp which is contridition in terms so bought it to see what it was.

[cwtebay]

$1 per round for brass......hmmmmm over here Ive seen that paid for PRIMERS in last year..... if I wanted brass in obscure calibre and could actually find it...happy to pay $1 per case
to put into perspective loaded centrfire rounds sell for $30-130 per 20 rounds depending on cartridge and load.
the cheapest Ive bought was $50 for 50 rounds of triple two just because it was labeled fmjhp which is contridition in terms so bought it to see what it was.

You know what? This post puts it into perspective, doesn't it? Yes I have bought a whole lot of brass in my time - accumulator? Definitely. Hoarder? Possibly.
But this gentleman is paying what this thread would be screaming about as far as prices go for run of the mill 222 ammunition (congrats on your find BTW!). I have paid stupid amounts for 280 Ross brass, 577 tyrannosaur...etc, ad nauseum. But how fortunate are we to be complaining about $80/1000 primers and brass we have to wait 5 months for? I am still an ant, and will never understand the way of the grasshopper - but my stores are in for winter and I for one am grateful for my situation!

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[freakonaleash]

I was at a gunshow yesterday and found a bag of 100 fired old 25 20 brass for $180. I passed. I have been lucky to find them much cheaper at the same gunshow in the past year.

[.45Cole]

All the gunshow robbers are currently milking all they can out of 25-20, and it's spilling over to 32-20. "super rare' "collector item" "low/last production" are used waaay too much at the gunshows to justify their gouging of john q public.

[indian joe]

New reality.......

maybe some fellers end up wildcatting these onto 357 mag cases (32/357) then the 256 mag could rise from the ashes too

[Eddie Southgate]

Figure that both a .32-20 and a .38 Special/.357 Magnum case use about the same amount of raw material, and the demand and rate of sale for the latter will outweigh the former by about 300 billion to one. Which would YOU rather tool up to produce?

I've got my weird cartridges: went through an Ackley Improved phase, get a great deal of joy out of the .32-20 blown out in a modified Martini Cadet, and have a strange weakness for Webley revolvers. But the realization I keep coming to is that the history of cartridge development gave us AT LEAST ten different cartridges that for all practical purposes are identical to each other in performance. In that light, the guys with the "boring" .38, 9mm, 5.56, .308, and .30-06 will be awash in a sea of brass - a lot of it free. The dinosaurs are fun, but you can't take their continued availability for granted, and had better strike hard during those times of plenty.

It would be nice if the Big Boys and Starline could come to some kind of agreement where the large factories could make component brass for the Wal Mart calibers and Starline would exclusively handle the old "dash" rounds, but it ain't the way to make a steady buck.

Truth is, the logistically superior rounds are just as fun when the primer pops.

Bigslug , while I agree with your last statement I do have to also say that those readily available rounds wont fit nor function through my guns that need the cases being discussed and I do not want to have to quit using a gun that is every bit as useful now as it was 100 years ago. These non mainstream cartridge cases are what made Starline the big successful company that they now are but they seem to have an issue remembering that. A lot of the brass that they now make in profusion is brass that is readily obtainable from sources that were around before Starline and are still in good supply from those same sources. 6 to 12 months of their production diverted to the brass that is in demand but has no supply (brass not loaded ammo) would be enough to keep us shooting without seriously denting their profits. Personally , rather than make 32-20 brass I think they would get better milage out of 25-20 brass. It's easier to go from .25 to .32 or .22 than it is to go from .32 to .25 or .22 . Word is that the do already make the 25-20 on contract for another company so will not release it under their name due to the contract and the fact that the contractor paid for the tooling. Don't know that for a fact but read it in a thread on this forum . One of the posters in that thread talked to someone from the contracting company so I assume the info is correct.

[cwtebay]

Bigslug , while I agree with your last statement I do have to also say that those readily available rounds wont fit nor function through my guns that need the cases being discussed and I do not want to have to quit using a gun that is every bit as useful now as it was 100 years ago. These non mainstream cartridge cases are what made Starline the big successful company that they now are but they seem to have an issue remembering that. A lot of the brass that they now make in profusion is brass that is readily obtainable from sources that were around before Starline and are still in good supply from those same sources. 6 to 12 months of their production diverted to the brass that is in demand but has no supply (brass not loaded ammo) would be enough to keep us shooting without seriously denting their profits. Personally , rather than make 32-20 brass I think they would get better milage out of 25-20 brass. It's easier to go from .25 to .32 or .22 than it is to go from .32 to .25 or .22 . Word is that the do already make the 25-20 on contract for another company so will not release it under their name due to the contract and the fact that the contractor paid for the tooling. Don't know that for a fact but read it in a thread on this forum . One of the posters in that thread talked to someone from the contracting company so I assume the info is correct.

I don't know about the exclusivity of the contract, but there is a contractor that has had several hundred thousand cases made by Starline and markets it as loaded ammunition only now. When he first got the shipment he sold me quite a few cases but has since discontinued that practice.

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[mobilemail]

I think a 25-20 would be hilarious fun, but I stay away both from the "collectible" rifle cost and scarce ammo/brass. I have .327 and that's hard enough!

Speaking of which, I was able to buy the first .327 brass since before COVID. Midway sent an email that it was available and I grabbed a couple hundred rounds before they changed their mind.

[DK'dUranium]

Midway offered Starline 32-20 for one hour a couple days ago. Look at this splashy email they sent me. I attempted to order the moment I checked email, but they were sold out already. Midway's alert had only been out briefly that morning. The whole thing kinda cheesed me off.

[indian joe]

With allies in two wars and China itching for a third, ammo components will be dear for years. There are hoarders out there sitting on thousands of cases and wanting to order more. Starline won't be able to meet demand, and I can't see them shutting down a line to change tooling to an obsolete cartridge and then back. They can service the greatest number of people by cranking out the popular cases. We lose.

I was thinking of chambering a single shot in 32-20 but will have to settle for 38/357 instead. Starline has a "green light" on those, and I have empties of each on my shelves.

You are lookin in the wrong direction Mate ! - Q -- when is the last time China started a war outside its own borders???? A --never in my lifetime - nor the last several hundred years
The hawks on the hill in DC are where the impetus for wars comes from !!!!!!

[Kai]

You are lookin in the wrong direction Mate ! - Q -- when is the last time China started a war outside its own borders???? A --never in my lifetime - nor the last several hundred years
The hawks on the hill in DC are where the impetus for wars comes from !!!!!!

What you say about China is true, at least it was. New leaders bring new ideas. I will agree that the idiots in DC aren't helping matters.