Strange looking .32 S&W Long cartridges

[fecmech]

I was give about 30 loose 32 longs that I thought at first were somebodies reloading screwups. After pulling a couple bullets (100 gr.) I think these may be some weird factory loading. These are balloon head cases that have not been fired. Internal brass surface is shiny right up to where the base of the bullet was at the cannelure. Powder charge was 1.5 grs. of something that looks like Bullseye. The fact that the cannelure and bullet base coincide along with the unfired internal condition of the brass makes me wonder if these are RP factory shells. The 2 shells on the right are what they look like and the bullet and case are from a pulled round. Any of you fellows seen anything like these??

Correction--Headstamp is RP .32 Colt New Police

[MT Gianni]

I do not recall ever seeing a lubed factory round, just swedged and coated, though I have never pulled ammunition from the 50's. That looks like a standard wadcutter case. I have only see 32 new police with a rn bullet but never seated in do far. If it was factory did someone run the bullet down in the case because they were fools? Too many unanswered questions.

[Mk42gunner]

Maybe a gallery load? The 1.5 grains of a Bullseye-like powder go with this idea; but if it were a factory built gallery load, I would think it would have a lighter boolit.

My first thought was that it was an old .32-44 from the 1880's, but the head stamp doesn't agree with that.

Robert

[M-Tecs]

https://www.bing.com/images/search?q...0o0&ajaxhist=0

[Patrick56]

They are loaded in the same manner as the Nagant revolver cartridge.

[fecmech]

A thanks to all who responded. With M-tec's picture of cartridges loaded just like mine, the fact there is only 1.6 grs of powder in new cases I'm pretty confident what I have are factory loaded cartridges. Tomorrow I think I'll fire a couple in an old Hopkins and Allen solid frame revolver I have. I have already fired std .32 longs in the gun so I think things will be fine.

[M-Tecs]

I would recommend researching what if any collectors value they might have before shooting them. Might be worth what you paid for them or a lot more.

[Outpost75]

Personally, I would recommend PULLING them all. if primers are copper colored they are corrosive and pre WW2 and most probably dead, so decap and reprime with fresh primers. Then reload with known powder charge!

[gnoahhh]

Aw heck, just shoot them. If loose cartridges or a half-full box they have no meaningful collector's value. If they are corrosive (not likely- commercial ammo companies switched to non-corrosive primers looong before WWII), so what? Just clean the the gun after shooting. (You'll probably clean it anyway, right?) Trust me, you won't be the first guy to shoot a corrosive primer in this world. If you get a dud, again so what? Toss it along with the rest of your spent cases in the garbage. If they are balloon head cases you don't want to waste too much energy and resources on reloading them.

[fecmech]

Aw heck, just shoot them.

Kind of my thoughts. It has been very interesting learning about these old cartridges, I've never seen anything loaded like that.

[ironhead7544]

Look up the S&W 32-44 cartridge.

[GONRA]

GONRA's pretty sure these are commercial loads for foreign semiauto target pistols chambered just for this.

[rintinglen]

Those foreign semiauto's didn't exist when these cartridges were loaded. Those that came into being are chambered for 32 S&W Long flush seated wadcutters.

My guess is that these were loaded short so that they could be used either in old 32 Short Colt guns with bored through cylinders or more modern 32 Long Colts.

There were millions of 32 revolvers made back in the 40 years before world war one. There were 32 Rimfires, long and short, 32 S&W's as well as 32 S&W Long's, 32 Short Colt, 32 Long Colt, 32 Autos, even 32-20's for those who wanted a gun they could shoot with their rifle ammo. And in those days, you could order just about anything you wanted, as long as it was at least a case lot.

[smkummer]

I used the ballon cases for a full case full of 700X powder and a homemade card wad on top for a blank. Enough pressure so the primer doesn't back out. No need to even make the flash hole bigger. Very loud. I had a mix of 38 S&W ammo dating way back. I fired it in a solid frame Colt Police positive. Out of about 60 of them, maybe 15 were duds that I pulled the bullet and reloaded the cases, again, balloon cases get used as blank cases. About 3 were so old they were black powder! Those appeared to have the biggest bang!

[EOD3]

Any chance to powder was "black powder"?