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.32 Cal Idea

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Pete44ru

45 Cal.
Joined
May 8, 2008
Messages
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Whaddya think, about the idea of recycling an unused or rusty/ringed .50/.54 octagon barrel, into a .32 squirrel or target gun via using a GOOD 29" milsurp 8mm Mauser barrel, of any kind, as long as its 8mm and clean.

That very same barrel would be turned down into a LINER, to fit inside the octagon barrel that's up for recycling.
A good bore lap and polish, and obtain Speer 98 grain .32 caliber wadcutters (aka conicals) relubed with a good blackpowder lube, over 14-20 grains of FFFg (Or Pyro).

The thought is that it ought to be good for one hole all day at 50yds until you get bored, or have cleaned everyone out at the range.

It should still shoot great at 75yds, maybe a bit wider at 100 - but playing with a different bullet and/or powder charge might get better results.

.
 
I think the Rate of Twist for the rifling in the 8mm Mauser barrel would be too fast for shooting either a .32 ball, or a lead conical. It would be far cheaper to simply order a .32 cal. barrel.
 
In addition the rifling is so shallow. However, the 32 Win Special was allegedly designed to be shot with black powder reloads. There's an idea that never took off.

A friend of mine uses a 375 cartidge barrel for muzzleloader and shoots quite well. However, he only shoots to 50 yds and with about 15 grains of powder. Shoots a .360 patched round ball
 
I have an early Winchester 94 in .32 Win. Spl., and the rifling is no deeper than on a .30-30. These are bullet guns. The only difference between the .30-30, and the .32 Win. Spl. is the diameter of the bullet, and the faster Rate of Twist for the Spl.

I just don't see this kind of project being worthy. He should also understand that most 8mm barrels are 318-.323 in diameter, while a .32 barrel mikes in at .312-.316. To turn down an 8mm barrel to make it into a liner, and then line a rusted out MLer barrel, just seems to be the wrong way to go, both financially, and from the point of view of coming up with a gun that will fire cast bullets, or balls in his chosen caliber. I had a heck of a time, years ago, finding a mold the proper diameter to produce the right size bullets for an old .32-20 rifle.
 
I know a guy who used an 8mm barrel and the only thing he could get to shoot out of it for a fair group was with the .32 maxi ball cast from a TC mold.
 
I have a friend who was shooting a Lyman cast bullet that weighed about 130 grains, and had a pointed nose( spire point) in a .32 caliber gun. If I look hard, I can probably find the Mold number for his bullet. He was actually shooting a .30-20 cartridge-a .32-20 necked down to .30 caliber so he could shoot .30 caliber bullets out of Contender pistol. There were similar bullet sizes and shape in .32 caliber, however.
 
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