I have never fired a .32/20, haven't even seen one. I do have an SP-101 in .327 Federal. Fixed sights, short barrel though. If Ruger would get off their duffs and chamber a 50th Anniversary Flattop (small frame) in .327 Federal with a 7 1/2 inch barrel this discussion might be moot. Of course you would still have the brass problem, but I can't imagine 32/20 brass is easy to find unless Starline makes it. Nothing that hasn't been said before, I am sure.
exile
"There is not a single instance in history in which civil liberty was lost, and religious liberty preserved entire. If therefore we yield up our temporal property, we at the same time deliver the conscience into bondage." --John Witherspoon, The Dominion of Providence Over the Passions of Men. 1776
"The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times." Psalm 12:6 (E.S.V.)
You are in luck. Starline make .32-20 brass. IMO, it is the best of all the manufacturers for this caliber.
Doc
I wanted what you're talking about, a really stout 32-20, and had a cylinder I got from Brownells, reamed for 32-20 and fitted to my 3 screw .30 Carbine. Here's a pic:
Prior to that, I got a New Model .30 carbine cylinder, as it doesn't have the recessed cylinder of the Old Model, and did the 32-20 brass thing in the .30 Carbine; worked good. I used .311" bullets, just as I'm still doing with the new cylinder, and with 14.5 grs of H110 and a 115 gr gas checked bullet it does (and did) the trick for me.
McLintock
Thats pretty cool McLintock.
Looks like Brownell's has the cylinders on clearance for $189.
People sometimes tell me they dont own guns because guns are too expensive. I tell them guns dont cost anything. They are essentially another form of currency.
Bought a shooter grade circa 1913 Colt Army Special 32-20 at the gunshow today. Anyone care to suggest a load that shoots to point of aim? Barrel is 6".
I know this isn't a super strong revolver, given the limitations of 1913 metallurgy, but its a nice size and should be a little more stout than the Colt PPS.
People sometimes tell me they dont own guns because guns are too expensive. I tell them guns dont cost anything. They are essentially another form of currency.
rickster, PM
Rickster--
The Army Special is significantly stronger than the PPS, and likely a bit stronger than my S&W M&P. The Army Specials and Single Action Armys were the stoutest of 32-20 rollers until Ruger started ginning up Blackhawks for the chambering.
This isn't a "strong" load, but it goes point-of-aim in my Bisley Colt x 4.75" and the M&P. 5.5 grains of SR-4756 with any 110-120 grain cast boolit, lit off by standard SP primers. This is derived from Ken Waters' "Pet Loads" article on the 32-20 in revolvers. Mr. Waters listed 6.0 grains of SR-4756 as the top-end load for the stronger models we're discussing here.
I don't paint bullets. I like Black Rifle Coffee. Sacred cows are always fair game. California is to the United States what Syria is to Russia and North Korea is to China/South Korea/Japan--a Hermit Kingdom detached from the real world and led by delusional maniacs, an economic and social basket case sustained by "foreign" aid so as to not lose military bases.
Whew! The old Army Special proved plenty strong. This weekend, I had an unexpected hot load. The case setback hard against the frame and the primer blew extruding a tit into the firing pin hole and locking up the cylinder. It took quite a bit of doing to get the cylinder open. But after it was all said and done, including a close examination, the revolver appears no worse for the experience. Even though I wont be shooting loads anywhere near that hot in the future (on purpose), my body parts appreciate the fact that there is good safety margin. Things might have ended much differently had that happened in the PPS.
People sometimes tell me they dont own guns because guns are too expensive. I tell them guns dont cost anything. They are essentially another form of currency.
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