.32acp reloading problems

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Adamlxlx

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Hey guys,

I am having some issues reloading .32acp. I just started reloading with 9mm and had no problems with that. The .32 seems to be a different story.

My setup consists of a lee classic iron 4 hole turret press with a lee .32acp 3 die carbide set.
Now here is the issue(pictured). I cannot get the bullets to seat straight to save my life. Maybe one or two out of 30 seat straight lol. I dont want to waste anymore.

So i realize there are two different specs between european .32acp and north american .32acp. The euro is a .308-.309 bullet diameter. The north american is .311-.312 bullet diameter.

I am using euro spec 60gr hollowpoint and euro spec brass. The lee bullet seating crimp die says .311 on it. Is this the problem? The bullet doesnt seat straight due to the loose tolerance?
Any help would be great.

 
A stab in the dark perhaps, but are you possibly over flaring the case mouth? It should be flared just enough to accept the bullet - over flaring could allow the bullet to start seating quite out of alignment. Also, some seating dies have interchangeable plugs for different bullet shapes - several of my RBCS handgun calibre dies do, not sure about the Lee.

Hopefully this helps...
 
I have tried messing around with the flare with zero success. It is always crooked. Definitly not over flared by any means.
Also when i reload 9mm it doesnt seem to matter if the bullet is sitting crooked. It always comes out straight. It is confusing. Thanks though
 
Ya i am using the .32acp shell holder the dies came with so i dont think that is the problem.
It does seem to lean to the same side every time. Dont know if i can get a flat plug for the lee dies. Could something be wrong with the die? Can i modify the seat plug flatter?
 
Adamlxlx said:
I have tried messing around with the flare with zero success. It is always crooked. Definitly not over flared by any means.
Also when i reload 9mm it doesnt seem to matter if the bullet is sitting crooked. It always comes out straight. It is confusing. Thanks though
Click to expand...

Adamlxlx said:
Ya i am using the .32acp shell holder the dies came with so i dont think that is the problem.
It does seem to lean to the same side every time. Dont know if i can get a flat plug for the lee dies. Could something be wrong with the die? Can i modify the seat plug flatter?
Click to expand...

The nose shape of the bullets in your photo are pretty flat for .32 ACP. Perhaps try to pick up some FMJ round nose bullets to see if they sent differently...that may be a cheap way to diagnose whether the seating plug shape is part of the problem...
 
Ok so i ended up modifying the seat plug and it appears to have corrected the issue. I actually used a drill press to make the plug a bit deeper actually to better accept the bullet. I think it worked check it out. Oh and as far as the bullets i am using, i would prefer fmj but i cannot find any in country.

 
Glad it's working out...yep finding appropriate .32 FMJ projectiles is a challenge and one of the reasons that I don't handload for this calibre. Besides I only have one 12(6) handgun in this calibre, not a Scorpion or anything.

I have seen projectiles in a few places - maybe try Budget Shooter Supply when they reopen in just over a week...
 
Ya i am gonna give Henry a try when he re opens. Thank you so much for helping me out guys. All the input is really helpful.
.32acp does seem more trouble than it is worth haha.
Thanks again.
 
Unless you feel a real need for jacketed hollow points, I would suggest Bullet Barn's .32 RN BB 78 grain .312" lead bullet.
I've shot lots of these out of various .32 pistols, currently a 1907 Savage and a 1922 Browning. These two chamber them as cast and delivered, but one pistol, I think a 1935 Beretta I had, had a tight chamber and I had to re-size the bullets to .310" for it.
They are $39/500, so along with a pinch of Bullseye or Unique, make for really cheap plinking.
 
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