Winchester .32 special loads.

[big rifle man]

Finally got a chance to go to the range this morning and have a report on my model 94 and what I ended up with in regards to loads and the results. I tried the .32 special factory loads with 170 grain Remington corelokts and ended up with a 2 1/4 inch group at 100 yards using the Lyman Peep sight. I figured at this point if handloads weren't satisfactory I would at least have a hunting load. I then shot four rounds with the 165 grain Hornady FTX and 36 grains of Leverevolution. Groups were 4 inches. I then tried four rounds with the same bullet and 36.5 grains of Leverevolution. Groups shrunk to 3 inches. The last four shot group with the same bullet and 36.8 grains of Leverevolution gave me 2 1/4 inch groups. Max loads for this powder and bullet are 38 grains but being the rifle is 58 years old I'm not going any further. My 70 year old eyes surprised me and I think I've got a perfect white tail load, and possible bear.

 

[super-7]

2-3" with a peep sounds darn fine to me!! Not sure if your planning to update this thread as you go or if others will chime in on loads and powder/ bullet combos but I am going to keep an eye on this thread.

 

[Oldtrader3]

I use 36.0 grains of IMR 4064 with CCI 200 primer in the .32 Special Model 94 and get under 2 inch groups with iron sights at 100 yards. That is also as tight as I can shoot with irons.

 

[big rifle man]

Charlie, what bullet are you using and did you run the load thru a chrony? A chrony is my next trip to the range.

 

[FOTIS]

32 WIN 170 HORNADY SP 37 grain /LEV-EL 2250 fps accuracy .5"/50 yds Peep sights

 

[SJB358]

That sounds like a WT killer to me!

Man, that 32 WS is a cool round.

Any chance we can talk you into running one of those Hornady FTX's into the water jugs for us BRM? Love to see one of them recovered...

 

[FOTIS]

http://www.hornady.com/store/32-Win-Spe ... evolution/

 

[FOTIS]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_dCIfz-37w

 

[Oldtrader3]

I am loading the 170 grain Speer Hot Core and my velocity is about 2200 fps. My groups are 2 inches, versus about 3 inches for factory Winchester ammo.

 

[big rifle man]

Fotis, thanks for the video, that's an eye opener. Scotty, I'll see what I can do on a water jug test. All in all I'm very impressed so far with the Hornady FTX. Next project is shooting them in my .35 Marlin.

 

[big rifle man]

Another thought came to mind that I would appreciate some input on. I've read from three different sources that 30-30 cases can be used successfully to make .32 special cases. I've found that .32 cases are not easily found and as a result I purchased loaded ammo to shoot and then reload the cases. Also, the cases that I've shot and gotten ready to reload I've neck sized only using the full Length die but only coming down far enough to size the neck. (saves 60.00 plus shipping on a Redding neck Die). They fit perfectly in the chamber and I've since learned from sources that chambers on the old levers were cut somewhat generous to allow for feeding/chambering etc. Any thoughts?

 

[FOTIS]

30-30 cases one pass through the die. Once fired and not resized work great!

 

[big rifle man]

Thanks Fotis, I've got quite a few 30-30 cases that will fill the bill. I just returned from the range and used my chrono to see how well the Leverevolution worked with 36.8 grains and I also tried your load of 37 grains. The 165 grain Hornady FTX bullet was used. Very pleasant surprise. The 36.8 load was between 2240 and 2248FPS. Nice small spread and the group hung right at 2 inches. The 37 grain load got me between 2260 and 2269FPS, again a nice small spread and groups staying at 2 inches. I think the 5 grains less weight of the FTX bullet made the difference. I think I'll stick with your load, thanks for the information.