.32 Spl. light loads

[Hawkeye2]

Since the .32-40 and the .32 Special share the same bore diameter and twist I have always wondered if using the lighter .32-40 bullet and corresponding load data wouldn't produce an accurate and gentle load for my vintage Model 94. Anyone tried it? I would like to shoot the gun for fun and not batter it. It's tight and I want to keep it that way and save the heavier loads for hunting.

[w30wcf]

The standard bullet weight for the .32-40 is 165 grs, so it is not much lighter than the standard 170 gr .32 Special.
7 grs of Unique under a 165-170 gr cast bullet would be a nice mild load,

Graf & Sons and others offer a 100 gr 8mm Nambu bullet that could also be used.

w30wcf

[earlmck]

By far the greatest advantage of "loading your own", Hawkeye, is the ability to load nice mild fun loads so we can enjoy shooting our favorite rifles without putting up with the roar and kick of full-power loads. And I didn't even think of that 8mm Nambu bullet: thanks for the tip John. Might try that myself.

I think it was within the last couple of weeks I noted on another thread all the ways we turn our big guns into a 32/20 for fun shooting. This would be a way to do the very same thing for the 32 Special. The heck with turning it into a 32/40 Hawkeye, take her on down to 32/20 (100 to 120 grain bullet at 1000 to 1700 fps) for some real fun shooting.

[hondo1892]

I have a 94 from the 1920's in 32 spl. I had Accurate make a mold with two bullet weights for me. One throws a bullet at about 180 grs with WW lead and probably around 170 in linotype. Looks just like the RCBS bullet and I had a lighter bullet in one of Lyman's old designs that is about 150 grs with WW. The best that I can get my carbine to shoot the heavier lead bullets is about 3" at sixty five yards the lighter one about 4" at the same distance. I haven't really tried too many loads with the lighter bullet so it may do much better with the right powder and charge. It may even shoot both better now that I cleaned the copper fowling out of the barrel. It shoots the best with jacketed bullets but I'm going to try some linotype and see if they shoot better than the WW bullets. The loads I tried with the 150 gr bullets were not true light weight loads but they were not hot either. I need to cast some more up and do more testing if I can ever get over this bug. If you find a good light load please share it with us. I would love to have one for my carbine. I love the carbine but don't get it out nearly as much as I should and a light, accurate load would probably change that.

[EdinCT]

I have paper patched the 32-20 bullets and loaded them in the 32 special with good results but after using several NOE molds I think the below would be the berries and if I ever had to sell my 32-20 I would buy one myself.
http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_in ... qr38eutt64

[w30wcf]

Here's a nice 110 gr mold.
http://accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail. ... 110L-D.png

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