S&W .32 Long

[tman357]

Does anyone have experience loading the S&W .32 Long? With the .327 Federal Magnum making a statement as a formidable self defense round, it makes sense to revisit the .32 Long as a good practice and plinking round. Most modern pistols chambered in S&W .32 Long are under utilized because of the watered down factory loads which are available. If you have loaded the .32 Long, tell me about your favorite recipe and result. Rumor has it that the venerable old round was once frequently loaded to produce 225+ ft lbs at the muzzle, well before the H&R .32 Magnum gave us those levels from commercial ammo.

 

[EMC45]

I load for it. I have a Smith Mod 30 3in nickle. It is a neat gun/cartridge. Only takes a little powder, and it is accurate. I use a 93gr. Lee TL bullet I cast from WWs. Charge is 2.5gr. Bullseye lit with a CCI SP primer. It is accurate and has light recoil and I believe the brass will last a long time! I us a Lee Carbide dies BTW.

 

[tman357]

That is good info, thank you. Some other forums had useful recipes, too. Out of fear of copyrights or other issues, I have abstained from copying them and pasting here to share. An old timer on one site, for example, said that he loads practice rounds by using a size 0 buckshot pellet on top of a tiny amount of powder, which he measured with a designated and sized spent .22 shell that gave him the perfect measure each time. He said that his father taught him how to do it many decades ago. The brass lasts for dozens of rounds, according to him. You won't find safety data for such a round, though.

 

[Wheeler]

I don't have any load data, other than info out of my Winchester book. I have a S&W model 16 in .32 Mag that is a lot of fun to shoot. I've been thinking about buying a set of dies to reload.32 Mag, as I have a boatload of factory .32 Long. I hope to see some more interest in this thread, I'll be following it with interest.

Wheeler

 

[Old_School]

Totally depends on the revolver you're shooting it out of. I started with a 1920s vintage Colt New Police when I was 15 years old (and which I still have). I shot that gun for several years before I bought a .22, as I could cast & load for it cheaper than buying .22 ammo. My load was with a 95 gr cast SWC & a medium load of Red Dot. I forget the exact load, but it was a nice squirrel and small game load. In later years, I tried to hotrod the round a bit, but I got pressure signs before I got to max loads. In the early small-framed S&W and Colt revolvers, I decided it was not a wise idea to push the little round.

As far as the .327 Fed Mag, IMHO I just don't believe it's in the same class as the .38 Spl, no matter what the chronograph and ballistic gelatin indicate. Just my opinion, based on years of shooting various calibers and seeing their effect on small game and inanimate targets of opportunity.

 

[Wheeler]

I'd like to find a .327 with a 4" barrel for use as an "out in the woods" gun. Mainly for the versitility that 4 different calibers from one gun would offer. Actually I think I'm looking for an excuse to buy a new gun.

Wheeler