Snyders JerkyWidenersTitan ReloadingRotoMetals2
MidSouth Shooters SupplyInline FabricationLee PrecisionLoad Data
Repackbox Reloading Everything
Results 1 to 14 of 14

Thread: 32 Winchester special

  1. #1
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Jul 2020
    Location
    Loxahatchee Florida
    Posts
    516

    32 Winchester special

    What bullet do you use in a 32 special? Book says it needs a .321 bullet, and the Sierria manual says they don't make a .321 bullet. If Sierria doesn't I doubt many of the others do either, thye cover the market pretty well. With a cast bullet you could make 8MMs and size them to .321, but my friend wants Jacketed bullets, and some thing that will expand. Ive got a partial box of 150 grain .323 bullets 8MM will they work without too much pressure? Or is this a cast only rifle at this point

  2. #2
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Posts
    234
    Hornady makes 2 32Win Special bullets.

  3. #3
    USMC 77, USRA 79


    Markopolo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Remote island in SE Alaska
    Posts
    3,060
    Well, lots of great cast bullets, and 32 win is a cast bullet machine!!!
    Any technology not understood, can seem like Magic!!!

    I will love the Lord with all my heart, all my soul, and all my mind.

  4. #4
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Dec 2021
    Posts
    598
    I use the Accurate 32-180A and RCBS 32-170FN. Both shoot equally well. I tried an NOE 8mm bullet (SC325-180-RF) but the nose diameter is way oversize and jambs into the rifling before coming even close to chambering. Since I already had the 8mm mold on hand for my 8x57 it was no loss. I size to .323 for all the above in my Miroku Winchester 94.

    I'd say that cast is the only easily available bullet you are going to find for this oldie day in and day out. But at the moment MidwayUSA has two Hornady bullets in stock for the 32 Special. There is really nothing negative about cast though as cast will give full performance potential of the cartridge and once you have a mold in hand you have infinite bullets available.

  5. #5
    Boolit Buddy Kai's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2023
    Posts
    245
    I have a 4 boxes of hornady #3210 170gr flat point .321 diam. bullets. These are "the" jacketed bullet for 32spcl. They are for sale.

  6. #6
    Boolit Master
    Hick's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2015
    Location
    Winnemucca, NV
    Posts
    1,609
    When I shot jacketed in my 32 WS I bought the Hornady FTX bullets. They are a pointed bullet with a plastic tip so that they can be loaded in a tubular magazine. Very accurate.
    Hick: Iron sights!

  7. #7
    Boolit Grand Master Nobade's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2005
    Location
    SE WV
    Posts
    6,271
    I use the SAECO #305, which looks like a fat 311041, it casts out to .314". Paper patched up to .325". It's a slip fit in a fired case and shoots incredibly well in my old Marlin.

  8. #8
    Moderator Emeritus


    georgerkahn's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2013
    Location
    South of the (Canada) border
    Posts
    3,089
    Quote Originally Posted by ebb View Post
    What bullet do you use in a 32 special? Book says it needs a .321 bullet, and the Sierria manual says they don't make a .321 bullet. If Sierria doesn't I doubt many of the others do either, thye cover the market pretty well. With a cast bullet you could make 8MMs and size them to .321, but my friend wants Jacketed bullets, and some thing that will expand. Ive got a partial box of 150 grain .323 bullets 8MM will they work without too much pressure? Or is this a cast only rifle at this point
    I am most fortunate to have a few Winchester levers chambered in .32 Winchester Special. My favourite is one produced -- ser. no. 1,513,xxx --in 1948 -- the year of my birth! My two favourite bullets for this calibre are:
    Ideal 321-297 .32 WIN SP .327 130gr. Gas Check single cavity – #295 top punch
    Ideal 321-427 .32 WIN SP .327 145gr. Gas Check two cavity mould – #470 top punch
    At 75 yards, the 321-427 seems to always provide me smaller groups. Imho, they're both great moulds for this calibre. Note that I load these to the 2nd from lowest velocity printed in the Lyman Cast Bullet book.
    geo

  9. #9
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    Eastern WY
    Posts
    1,970
    I use .323 sized boolits, I have an RCBS 32-170 Flat Nose Gas Check mold. I am currently shooting a 185 grain .323 Flat Nose(FN) Gas Check(GC) from Matts's Bullets. I also have used 200 grain LBT FN GC and 200 grain NEI FN GC, both sized to .323. I have used both the Hornady and Speer 170 grain at .321 on game with little difference in performance. The Speer flies a tic flatter than the Hornady FN, about the same as the Hornady 165 Gummy Tip. I use 16-18gr 5744 under Matt's 185 for fun, Leverevolution under the Jacketed 170's can get over 2300+ fps in most rifles. My scoped Marlin 336's, 24" shoot under 1.5 MOA at 200 yards with the Matt's 185 sized .323. I have some 'cowboy' plain base bullets, 155 grain .322's and .323's that shoot over light load of Universal for under 100 yards, accurate and very pleasant. The RCBS 32-170 FN might be the best .32 Special mold, but Accurate Bullets has a bunch of good designs, most 150-200 grain flat nose bullets shoot well.

  10. #10
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Cntrl Fla.
    Posts
    167
    .323's work just fine. My .32 is a Remington m/14 in that caliber. Used the .321's and 3's and could tell no diff. Ordered Arsenal's .321 170, gc, shoots great either gas checked or paper patched.

  11. #11
    Boolit Buddy three50seven's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Location
    Indiana
    Posts
    319
    I load the Hornady 170gr FP for both my Marlin 36 and my Dad's Win 94. It works well in both rifles.

    Sent from my SM-G990U1 using Tapatalk

  12. #12
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Wisconsin
    Posts
    291
    Speer makes a dandy for the 32 also at 170grains. Because I knew I wouldn't need alot of cast for my rifle, a Marlin 336A, Instead of buying a mold I went to Montana bullet works and got a few hundred LBT LFNgc at 170 grains. Bought them as cast so I can size and lube them on my own. Both these bullets shoot very well to dead deer at anybody's 100yds. So yes, there is plenty of 32's out there jacketed and cast.
    Crash87
    "An art, to supply a truthful response to someones nagging, busy bodied question(s) such that the person feels as though their question has been answered, but yet, do not understand the answer and are unable to provide a follow up question to gain clarification for fear of appearing to be a dumb ***, when basically having to repeat the question

    "LIBERALS ARE ALOT LIKE SLINKIES - NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS."

  13. #13
    Boolit Grand Master Bazoo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Location
    Cecilia, Kentucky
    Posts
    6,805
    My buddy ended up using RCBS 32-170-FN.
    BulletMatch: Cataloging the World's Bullets

    Lead Alloy Calculator

  14. #14
    Vendor Sponsor

    Chill Wills's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Was-Colorado, Wyoming now
    Posts
    3,182
    Quote Originally Posted by Bazoo View Post
    My buddy ended up using RCBS 32-170-FN.
    That mold has been very good in my Carbine. I would like to find a rifle (length) replacement for shooting lever silhouette.
    Chill Wills

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Abbreviations used in Reloading

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
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check