Hey guys, I need a little adult supervision. Instead of going forward, I've taken a step back and in recognition of the old saw “ When you've dug yourself a hole, stop digging!” I thought I'd better seek wiser council here.
First, I'd better recap where I've been. Sorry if you've seen it before in previous posts. I've been seriously reloading for only about 4 months. I'm loading for both .32 long and .32 ACP. I have one H&R 732 revolver and several .32 semi-autos. Over the last weekend, I bought a Kel-tec P32 which I have long lusted after as a personal carry piece. Obviously, the auto loads are the ones giving me fits. Before I started to load, I tried to establish a baseline using off-the-shelf ammo. CCI Blazers were the only rounds I could find consistently so I used those. They cycled exceedingly well with no failures to feed, or failures to eject. I also tried some Winchester “white box” target ammo which also worked very well, but did have a couple of failures to feed. They are a much shorter round measuring about .940” in length compared to CCI's at .960” length.
After seeking the advice of others, I started out using a 76 gr. lead round nose, flat point “Cowboy” bullet with an advertised .313” diameter from a manufacturer who shall remain nameless, hereafter known as bullet #1. These were pressed to a OAL of about .960” (to mimic the CCI's) over 1.7 gr. Bullseye (per Lyman's 49th) using a very light crimp using a Lee's single stage press and standard crimp die – just enough to roll the case mouth slightly inward, but still allowing it to be felt when dragging my thumbnail over it. I started out with just 100 bullets to make sure they would work, then bought another 500 and loaded and shot all but a very few. Overall, these rounds shot pretty well, but I did have a few failure to feeds along the way. I also had to throw away 2-3 bullets out of every 100 because the diameter was too small and the bullets wouldn't seat properly. Others were a greasy mess because of too much lube. Because I had a FEW chambering issues, and because I thought a round nose bullet might help with that, when it came time to re-order, I decided to try another vendor.
I found a similar but slightly different “Cowboy” bullet (bullet #2) from another manufacturer. This one was a 78 gr. lead round nose bullet also with an advertised diameter of .313”. Unfortunately, these only came in lots of 500. In the FAQ on the manufacturer's website, they tell you they won't sell a small quantity of bullets to try, so don't even ask. I didn't. Fools rush in where wise men fear to tread, so I ordered 500.
Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, I haven't been able to get to the range for a couple of weeks, so I spent my spare time loading about 250 rounds of .32 ACP. These were also pressed to a length of
.960”. I took them to the range today along with my JA 32 and of course the Kel-tec which I have never shot. I started with the JA 32 because I knew, or thought I did, what to expect from it. I was gratified when the first four rounds went bang, but then had a failure to feed. The round got stuck in the chamber at a 45 degree angle just above the magazine which has been an occasional problem with this gun. I cleared it and cycled the slide, and the next round did the same thing. And the next, and the next...you get the picture. I then tried the Kel-tec and never got it to fire a single round! Each round would stick horizontally directly above the magazine, but wouldn't fully chamber forward. At that point, I think the full diameter of the bullet was engaging and interfering with the back end of the barrel. In fact, I could see that the slide was held back slightly from going all the way forward. I packed up and walked out of the range with my tail between my legs.
When I got home, I decided to closely compare the two bullets. I first got out my digital calipers and measured the diameter of the two bullets. While both being advertised at .313”, only bullet #2 actually measured that – bullet #1 measured .312”. Also, while the lube and crimp grooves were basically the same, bullet #1 measured .454” in height (length?), while bullet #2 measured .474”. Trying to make sense of this, I formulated a theory that the shorter length and more radical taper of bullet #1 allowed it to fully chamber without interfering with the back end of the gun barrel. The greater length and more ball shape of bullet #2, not so much. Am I on the right track, or is it something else entirely? If I am right, should I...
- Go back to the use of bullet #1
- Find a bullet with an advertised diameter of .312
- Could I drop the powder charge to 1.5 gr. (minimum shown in Lyman's) and try seating the
the bullet to an OAL of .940” like the Winchesters just to see if it would chamber?
4.) Do something else?
I can easily use the rest of these bullets in the .32 long loads. But the thought of individually pulling some 250 bullets makes me very sad...no, crazy! I could really use a little pep talk folks.