.32 ACP OAL.

[ZILOK]

I am confused on the OAL listed in the reloading manuals for .32 ACP as minimum length is .940". My factory Hornady 60gr. XTPs measure .902-.905". I see others posting their reloading data here in the .850-.880" range. If I'm using the XTP 60 gr. for reloading I would imagine it would be wise to use their OAL. My Pardini likes the Hornady 60 gr.

[Christopher Miceli]

Pretty much every bullseye target load is under the books recommendation. Reload and do some testing for your self.

[sparky]

I am confused on the OAL listed in the reloading manuals for .32 ACP as minimum length is .940". My factory Hornady 60gr. XTPs measure .902-.905". I see others posting their reloading data here in the .850-.880" range. If I'm using the XTP 60 gr. for reloading I would imagine it would be wise to use their OAL. My Pardini likes the Hornady 60 gr.

I'm betting the manual is listing the OAL for a FMJ bullet. Hornady XTPs are hollowpoints, which if you look at them in profile, you'll see they're like FMJs with the tips chopped off. Picture the top of mountain vs the top of a same size volcano. There's nothing unusual about factory XTPs having a shorter OAL.

[ZILOK]

Thank you. Makes sense.

[Zipp0]

There is a potential problem to be aware of: As 32acp cartridges get shorter, they can move laterally in the magazine and as they have a semi-rim they can become 'rim locked' when a lower cartidge jumps ahead of the upper cartridge's rim, locking it in place. This can be solved by making the mag internal dimensions smaller (internet articles of inserting a wire in the back of the mag to curtail lateral movement).

Am looking at the Pardini mags (the same one for both S&W Long and 32acp) to work out the most effective solution.

[ZILOK]

Thank-you.

[sparky]

There is a potential problem to be aware of: As 32acp cartridges get shorter, they can move laterally in the magazine and as they have a semi-rim they can become 'rim locked' when a lower cartidge jumps ahead of the upper cartridge's rim, locking it in place. This can be solved by making the mag internal dimensions smaller (internet articles of inserting a wire in the back of the mag to curtail lateral movement).

Am looking at the Pardini mags (the same one for both S&W Long and 32acp) to work out the most effective solution.

How about just seating the bullets out longer, to the extent possible while still chambering reliably?

[Zipp0]

Before you read this, I have a bit of a disclaimer... some or all of this may be wrong - I don't think it is too far from the truth but my journey is continuing.

Ah - I have been noodling that... Depending on your bullet - you may have some latitude for OAL with RN as the bullet sports an elegant progressive curve to the nose, but shooting a Pardini HP 32acp with the T&B swc .314 62gr with an OAL of .885 - quite a bit of shoulder (with.314 diameter) sticks out. The throat is .0064" ish long, measured from the case mouth to the lands and .885 stuffs the shoulder of the swc bullet into the rifling. This maybe OK unless you need to unload a chambered and unfired round. The throat angle is 15 degrees (according to Saami) so you can get away with a RN. (although I did have to shorten a commercial round as they did not fit in the Pardini mag which is designed for S&W Long (so I am told)).

As I review this - everything checked out on the case gauge - but I suspect that they don't machine a throat into the gauge and they headspace off the rim. (Please correct me if I am mistaken)

The .314 diameter is important for the Pardini because (as I understand it) the groove-groove diameter is .313ish (standard 32acp is .311ish) as it is a 32S&W Long barrel chambered for 32acp. So traditional 32acp bullets are a bit wobbly in a Pardini barrel. The T&Bs are .314 (the right size for the Pardini) but as a swc, have a shoulder that sticks out at .314 and will crush though the throat and into the rifling. So - reducing the OAL will work but the bullets are quite short and can move laterally in the mag, opening the door to 'rim lock' (when the round below jumps ahead of the rim above, locking it in place).

I have a test day tomorrow (load worked out with Quickload and a new doppler chrono) will update in day or so)

~Zip

[sparky]

Well, I'd say you definitely *shouldn't* seat the bullets out long enough to engage the rifling and leave you unable to eject a loaded round.

FWIW, because of some of the problems you describe regarding the case gauge, I don't use them, at least for guns where I can easily remove the barrel. Instead, I just remove the barrel of the gun I'm going to be shooting the ammo through (or the tightest chambered, if I use the same ammo in multiple guns), and use the barrel as the case gauge.

EDIT: Auto-correct problems.

[Zipp0]

Hmmmm... The problem with the bullet engaging the rifling would be that it is impossible to easily unload. So if you are on the line or at a range when a cease-fire is called (all unload, make safe, insert eci and stand back) - the only way to unload is to force the (loaded and primed) case back (leaving the bullet in the rifle and tap out the bullet. I will experiment with the shoulder of the bullet in the throat but not engaging the rifling and see how that goes. if I leave 4-5 thou protruding the case mouth, it should be OK

[Zipp0]

Chambers OK now (a gnats of the shoulder protruding) and backed off the crimp to .333(ish) 1.6gr vv310: accurate but does not reliably extract. I ran the combo through quickload and I have loads of headroom - will run a few series with hotter loads

[sparky]

Chambers OK now (a gnats of the shoulder protruding) and backed off the crimp to .333(ish) 1.6gr vv310: accurate but does not reliably extract. I ran the combo through quickload and I have loads of headroom - will run a few series with hotter loads

What sort of extraction problems? Extractor slipping off rim? Not pulling case all the way out of chamber?

[Zipp0]

The cases were sometimes not clearing the breech and jamming as the bolt slid forward. I swapped the ejector and spring (no change) but fired some commercial ammo and the cases ping out, so I will chrono the rounds and step up the charge until (hopefully) the cases eject reliably.

I was wary of the 1.6gr vv310 charge as 32 S&W Long maxes out at 1.9gr ish. Not so for 32acp (according to quickload). You have to go some to hit the red (well over 2gr so I will stuff some more powder in).

Edit: Oldcaster and Alex at Pardini pointed me to replacing the mag springs with 22 mag springs: Problem nearly solved: Last round in one mag now jamming (differently) should be an easy fix

[Emmett]

Hi Zip, any update on the T&B SWC rounds? I'm thinking about trying them out with the star line brass in my pardini. Thanks, Emmett

[Zipp0]

the loads hold the x at 25 and 10 at 50. The rounds are quite short so the next step will be to shorten the mag a bit by placing a wire in the back. I put the recipe on pg 20 32 acp ammo talk thread

[Emmett]

Ok, thanks for the info. I'll check out that thread. I was thinking for a while that I had made a mistake getting the .32 acp conversion. Sounds like it should work out now.

[Zipp0]

what made you think it was a mistake? Some of the recipes here are way way off and probably typos. For me the load development cycle is short - 1 minute from press to range... and I have a reasonable load going but still could do with a bit of tweaking

[Emmett]

Hi Zip, I went with the .32 ACP conversion after talking with Alex at Pardini USA. I went with the idea that if I get the right equipment now, I wouldn't have to upgrade later. However, after reading about the .32 in all the various threads on the target talk forum I began to think that I would either 1: go broke buying ammunition or 2: go insane trying to produce effective reloads. All the .32 forum material on .32 sizing peculiarities, loads, mechanical problems, spring issues, .... it's a little overwhelming. Not to mention that I wasn't crazy about having to modify a gun system that I just barely put together $3600 to purchase. I don't have the budget a lot of folks seem to have. Just because I have a Pardini doesn't mean that I can spend .80 a round to use it. I appreciate your research and reporting on producing .32 rounds that I can work on to produce. If I can produce effective .32 rounds at an affordable price, that I can shoot in gun as is, I might just be able to stay with the .32. For a while I was thinking that I might have to breakout my Springfield Range Officer in 9mm if I wanted to continue to afford to shoot. Thanks again for all your work and the reload info.

Regards,
Emmett

[Dipnet]

The load that works for me is the Travis 62-gr LSWC bullet over 1.2gr TiteWad, R-P brass, fed or win primers; OAL 0.885, crimp 0.332. Note: you only need the smaller crimp (0.325) if you are casting and coating your bullets. This load, with a Matchdot II zeroed at 25 yards with a 22 barrel, requires +13 clicks at 50 yards and +8 clicks at 25. Best, dipnet

[Zipp0]

I was rushing to a comp over the weekend and pressed up a few rounds with the 60gr Hornady XTP. I didn't have time to test them off a bag but they shot very nicely (1.7gr VVN310) and they have an OAL of .914 They don't slide laterally in the mag so it looks as if rimlock would not be a problem.

Will be doing some testing in the shadow of fc60 as he has tested a similar rounds with great success.