Winchester 32-165 Mold Age?

[akennyd]

Hello,

I am trying to find out about how old my recently acquired Winchester 32-165 might be. They make awesome boolits by the way... can't wait to load some up and see how they shoot!!

I searched some on the forum and didn't find much info on production dates. I am thinking they haven't been made in quite a long while?

Thanks,

Kenny

[Bent Ramrod]

Winchester stopped listing loading tools in their 1914 catalog.

When smokeless powder started taking over, people were using the old black powder measures for the newfangled propellants. There were a few that were designed to be loaded “bulk-for-bulk” with black powder (in certain cartridges only), but trying that with some of the “dense” smokeless powders would result in a damaged gun, and maybe even an injured shooter.

Winchester, liking tort lawsuits no better than anybody else, took their loading tools off the market and printed warnings against reloading on their cartridge boxes.

John H. Barlow was (I believe) the foreman of Winchester’s loading tool department for a time, and started his own company in the mid-1890s, the Ideal Manufacturing Co. He produced a Handbook along with the loading tools that gave instructions and recommended quantities for the smokeless powders on the market. Juries back then recognized that a certain responsibility lay with the end user, so the Company’s offering of the proper recipes and warnings was enough to eliminate, or at least reduce the lawsuits to a manageable level.

Winchester moulds are of very high quality (as are the loading tools themselves). They were designed to cast the correct diameters for the guns they were used in, no sizing needed. The only downside to them for me is that the handles are rather wide apart for my hands, so they are less comfortable to cast with than the more conventional handles of other companies.

[akennyd]

BR,

Thank you very much for the detailed info!! I have "cleaned" them up some as they had minor rust in areas including light (thankfully) rust in the cavity that cleaned up very well. I have already cast some boolits with it and found it very easy to use and would agree that the quality of the tool (and the boolits) is very good. Especially for a tool over 100 years old! Looking forward to loading them up and see how they shoot in the 94.

Thanks again and take care,

Kenny

[Good Cheer]

Found one of these in darn near pristine condition at an antiques, tools and art place.
Maybe I could paper patch them for the 1888.