New to Forum ... Anyone have .32 S&W long experience?

[pinbuster]

Hey guys,

I'm new to the forum. I've been shooting for about 2 years steady and really enjoy it. I was wondering if there are some guys on this forum that could help me with some info on starting to shoot and reload the .32 S&W long wadcutter.

I've had a high master invest some time and effort into my bullseye shooting and he helped me get into a Walther GSP Expert .22 that came with a .32 conversion. I've only been shooting it for the .22 portion of matches and have been using a Les Baer 1911 for the CF/.45 portions. Now that spring is coming and I've got some finances to invest in playing with the .32 conversion, I have some entry level questions:

- What is a good source for .32 S&W long wadcutter ammo? I purchased 500 rounds of Fiocchi to get started for about $16 per box of 50. I've got a brass catcher and have planned on keeping all my brass for future re-loading.

- Is it better to buy loaded ammo and save the brass? or go ahead and buy bullets, brass, and primer components to start with? Where are good sources of bullets and brass for .32 S&W long?

-How many times can you re-load .32 S&W long brass? I stumbled across a forum thread that said the Fiocchi brass was weak and should only be re-loaded 3 times.

-What is a good starting load for the .32 S&W, and is anyone strongly opposed to shooting it at 50 yards?

That enough for now....I'm not even sure how much I'll do with the .32 conversion. I would atleast like to get as much info as I could from some experienced bullseye shooters, and give it a try, even if just to change things up from time to time during a 2700 for CF.

Thanks,

Jeff Jordan

[GOVTMODEL]

My contribution to this thread is that most folks who are serious about the .32 S&W Long get an aftermarket ten inch twist barrel. The factory barrels rarely shoot well at 50 yards.

I never shot my Walther .32 better than the .45, so I sold it.

[Ernie Rodriguez]

I have a 1:10 twist bbl made by Dave Wilson-it shoots less that 1.75" at 50 yards. I tried Lapau,Speer and cast DEBBWC.All weigh in between 98grs and 100grs. My brass is Rem. I tried BE and N310 powder.Powder charge is critical. I settled on 1.35 grs of N310-there are others.Fast powder seems to work pretty well. With the fast powders-low charges,1.2 to 1.7grs,seem to be the key.Start low and test out at 50 yards.I settled on Speer,HBWC, bullets.Regards

[PFribley]

Search the olympic section. Lots of info .32 and different load formulas. Factory ammo is a little hot. Most reload with VV N310. 1.1 to 1.6gr. Most use Hornady or Speer swagged bullets 90 gr. Slug your barrel. The swagged bullets come in diameters from .312 to .314.There are cast bullets out there(98gr.) but the swagged ones work better. My Pardini likes .314. Most of the european .32 are 25m. guns. Don't shoot well at 50m. I shot mine at 50m last week for the first time and I thought it shot ok for me. Dave Wilson is the 32 guru. He hangs out on the olympic section and is a wealth of info. He also makes the best 50m barrels. Good luck with your 32.

[fc60]

Greetings,

The Walther is a fine pistol. Very reliable and parts, when needed, are easy to come by.

The factory barrels "generally" have a groove diameter of 0.3135" to 0.3140" so for reloading, I suggest that you buy the 100 grain H&N HBWC available from ROCO or LarrysGuns.

Use Lapua brass for best results.

Also, use a 0.314" expander button when loading 0.314" bullets.

Crimp only as needed to provide reliable functioning. A taper crimp is suggested.

Powder choices would include VV N310, Bullseye, WST, and 231. Load for a velocity of 720-750 FPS.

Bon Tir,

Dave Wilson

[pinbuster]

Wow...looks like I've found the right forum! Thanks for the quick responses. I've already started to dig through the archives and I'll be able to get a lot of info from past discussions.

I guess I need to "slug" the barrel, although I don't know exactly what that means or how to do it yet...but will search the archives after posting this. I don't know the history of my GSP .32 conversion, but I would assume the pistol has been to Camp Perry as it still has the Camp Perry tape on the trigger guard (passed trigger inspection?). I measured the trigger weight and it is still set a little higher than 2 1/2 lbs, which I think would be consistent with the minimum trigger pull rules for bullseye CF when using the .32 conversion.

I ordered a dot mount rail from Champions Choice, mounted a match dot, and sighted it in this weekend. Previously, I had only fired it to test for functionality with the open sights, which I couldn't get enough adjustment as-is to shoot a sub-6 hold (same issue I had with the .22 GSP upper). At 25 yards, I didn't notice any tendency to tip or keyhole, but won't get a chance to test at 50 yards until my first outdoor match in April. I probably won't shoot the CF match of the 2700 with the .32 but will use the opportunity at the range to shoot a few test targets.

Oh yeah...I already was alerted by BE shooters at my range that I will have to wear a dress if I choose to shoot it for our indoor 25-yard .22/CF bullseye eague. I have no idea what size dress I will need, either.

Thanks for your quick welcome and responses,

Jeff

[GOVTMODEL]

Oh yeah...I already was alerted by BE shooters at my range that I will have to wear a dress if I choose to shoot it for our indoor 25-yard .22/CF bullseye eague. I have no idea what size dress I will need, either.

Thanks for your quick welcome and responses,

Jeff

At my club a note from your sister is sufficient:-)

[fc60]

Greetings,

I wear a blue dress. Please chose a different color so we do not clash.

Cheers,

Dave

[Rover]

Don't let the guys on here kid you. They don't care what kind of dress you wear as long as they can look UP it.

[Freepistol]

Don't let the guys on here kid you. They don't care what kind of dress you wear as long as they can look UP it.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWW

[Isabel1130]

All right, new proposed rule:

From now on, all men shooting 32's in the Center Fire match and Beretta's in the LEG matches, have to wear Kilts. And ladies, let's hope it is a windy day. :-)

[fc60]

Greetings,

Excellent posts; however, NO IMAGES, please.

Cheers,

Bashful Dave

[JPNZ]

Just a note on adjusting your sights and not having enough adjustment. Walther GSP's generally come with 2 front sights which are different height specifically for this reason. You may need to get a different front sight! I am an ISSF shooter and find the GSP to be a precision instrument which can be fine tuned to suit the individual. Excuse my ignorance but what are the Bullseye events? We generally shoot 50m with free pistols.

[Isabel1130]

Bullseye is also known as conventional pistol. the international event it is most similar to is the standard pistol event with a few differences. First the match is usually a 2700 point match that is shot with 2 or three guns. The first match is a 900 point rimfire match and there are only a few restrictions on the guns. Many people use red dot sights but some still use irons. The course of fire consists of 2 slow fire targets, ten rounds in each, a national match course consisting of one slow fire, one timed fire and one rapid fire, then a timed fire match (2 targets) and a rapid fire match (two targets) Slow fire is 10 minutes for ten rounds. Outdoor is usually shot at 50 yards. Then for timed and rapid fire we shoot at 25 yards. Same time intervals as standard pistol but you do not have to start at the ready position, you can raise the gun before the targets turn. The next match is the Center fire match. This is a match that you can use a 32 in if you have one. Most people just use their 45's, the third match is the 45 match and you must shoot a 45 for this one. Same course of fire for all three. It makes for a long fun day.

[pinbuster]

I really enjoy shooting bullseye matches, especially outdoors. My wife and 2 boys (8 and 5) travel with me to many of the matches further away (usually when we stay overnight) and they find something fun to do in the city/town while I'm shooting the match.

Last year, we went up to Maryland for the Ironman 5400 (a 2700 shot at AAPG on Saturday, and a 2700 shot at 12th precint on Sunday). We stayed in Largo, MD and they took the metro into DC, wandered around the Smithsonians, went through a corn maze and just had a great time while I was shooting the matches. So far, it has worked out very well for us...

While many BE shooters don't understand why my wife and kids go to matches with me, one thing has really helped. We've picked up a hobby called geo-caching, where people have hidden things all over the world, posting their GPS coordinates for you to find and log. Many of the hidden things are large ammo cans that contain trinkets inside. The kids trade something they own for something in the "treasure box" as my kids call them. It is a cross between hiking and treasure hunting and takes us to some very neat parks, hiking trails, and scenery that we never would have enjoyed had we not searched the items out. (www.geocaching.com is the global web site for the activity and has lots of start-up info about it. Best thing is that you only need some time and a GPS that you can enter coordinates into...we use our vehicle's Garmin unit and it works fine). Every trip we take, we'll break it up with several stops to find a few geo-caches along the way.

[Freepistol]

Bullseye is also known as conventional pistol. the international event it is most similar to is the standard pistol event with a few differences. First the match is usually a 2700 point match that is shot with 2 or three guns. The first match is a 900 point rimfire match and there are only a few restrictions on the guns. Many people use red dot sights but some still use irons. The course of fire consists of 2 slow fire targets, ten rounds in each, a national match course consisting of one slow fire, one timed fire and one rapid fire, then a timed fire match (2 targets) and a rapid fire match (two targets) Slow fire is 10 minutes for ten rounds. Outdoor is usually shot at 50 yards. Then for timed and rapid fire we shoot at 25 yards. Same time intervals as standard pistol but you do not have to start at the ready position, you can raise the gun before the targets turn. The next match is the Center fire match. This is a match that you can use a 32 in if you have one. Most people just use their 45's, the third match is the 45 match and you must shoot a 45 for this one. Same course of fire for all three. It makes for a long fun day.

I think we need a sticky in the Bullseye forum defining what a Bullseye match is for our international friends.

[ghillieman]

Hey Pinbuster, how are those .32's working for ya?

Been looking into getting a Pardini .32 for a while. I've been shooting great scores with my Pardini .22.

I've been hearing a lot that .32's just wont perform at 50yards, that they dont have enough "oomph". If a 40gr. 22 bullet will shoot at 50 why not a .32? I think much of the problem is that the longer bullets of the 90-100gr varities are not being stabilized by the barrels twist rate. A lighter/shorter bullet should be used.

Let us know how your doing with the .32.

[oldcaster]

I think a lot of problems arise because the brass can or will swage your bullet down to a different size than you start with. The barrels on most of these guns are .313 to .314 and after sizing, the inside of the brass will be smaller than that by a bit. Some brands are worse than others also. Lapua, Remington, and CBC seem fairly loose and FC seems tight especially when I am pulling the powder expander back out of the case. My expander is homemade and is .312. I don't know how many loadings you can expect from which case but I have fired them a lot and a split case seems rare. You can buy cast bullets in .312, .313, and .314. from Dardas and HBWC are available from Lapua, Speer, and perhaps some others. I have used Power Pistol, 231, Clays, WST, Trail Boss, and some pull down powders. I like PP and one of my pull down's the best because they meter very well at these small amounts. Trail boss was fairly accurate also but it doesn't meter well at the small amount of powder used and the velocity variations are large. I was quite surprised though how accurate it was considering these statistics. It is possible to get a 100 grain bullet down to 500 fps and still be accurate at 25 yards. For some of these pistols you can get a barrel that is longer and smaller inside diameter and install it in the hopes of getting better accuracy. There are a lot of claims of improvement from reliable sources. It will stick out in front of the pistol but for Bullseye it won't matter. Some have had good enough results with stock length. If you are shooting European rapid fire it needs to be of stock length. These pistols in this caliber will have you doing a lot of experimenting for sure.

[pinbuster]

Hey guys,

I was hoping to get the .32 to the 50 yard line by now, but it didn't happen. I had something come up and had to withdraw from the April 2700 I was planning to shoot outdoors. I should be on the line outdoors in 2 weeks, so I'll definitely let you know how it goes. I'm going to shoot the CF portion with the .32....whether it shoots tumbling knuckleballs or not at the 50 yard line, I'm going to try it out.

I have been shooting the .32 indoors at 25 yards for our bullseye league and I'm shooting as good or better than my .22 scores. It is a Walther GSP Expert for .22 and GSP-C conversion for CF. The trigger group is exactly the same and it is working really well for me. The last 5 weeks, I've posted 281, 282, 280, 285, and 290 for my center fire national match course with the gun. This past week I shot 93 slow, 98 timed, and 99 rapid for a 290-12x. I'm gaining several points during slow fire (because of the bigger holes, maybe), and not seeing a drop in my timed or rapid scores. It really is perfect for this 22/CF league I'm in. If it does at well at 50 yards, I'll be grinning ear to ear.

Even if I have to invest in a barrel to get its accuracy in line at the 50 yard line, it will be worth it to me....it is just that fun to shoot.

[oldcaster]

I am now trying loading with a .314 expander. When I size the brass it is hard to pull the large expander out so I am loading some without sizing and the loading seemed to go OK as long as I didn't have a case that was out of round. If this works at 50 yards as far as accuracy goes I will see if I can get Lee to make me a larger inside diameter carbide sizing die so my cases will be round but not so small. When I tried some Dardas .314 bullets they didn't swage down but I mold those short 80 grain bullets from fairly soft lead and they get squished. I can use harder lead but at the slow velocities I use I would rather if they were softer. I'll post what my results are so the next person will have an idea if this works or if it is a waste of time. I did this with a .38 before with swaged bullets and it was a waste of time as far as accuracy was concerned.