1894 Winchester early 1900 loading
- Thread starter muckle
- Start date
I guess you have a 32 special?
Yes, use cast bullets that are .322" or .323".
The 32 special is one of those cartridges (like 45-70 and 30-30) where you can safely use jacketed bullet data for cast bullets. Everything else being equal, cast bullets have less friction and will shoot at lower pressure than jacketed bullets of the same weight. The velocity limit for cast bullets is not a "safety" issue, but that too much speed could cause the cast bullet to start leaving lead in the bore. I find that it usually works very well in these cartridges to use the starting load for jacketed bullets of the same weight and keep velocity under 2000 fps.
Shooting cast also works much better if you give the barrel a good scrub before starting with cast. Removing the traces of old copper jacket material helps cast bullets shoot much cleaner.
Yes, use cast bullets that are .322" or .323".
The 32 special is one of those cartridges (like 45-70 and 30-30) where you can safely use jacketed bullet data for cast bullets. Everything else being equal, cast bullets have less friction and will shoot at lower pressure than jacketed bullets of the same weight. The velocity limit for cast bullets is not a "safety" issue, but that too much speed could cause the cast bullet to start leaving lead in the bore. I find that it usually works very well in these cartridges to use the starting load for jacketed bullets of the same weight and keep velocity under 2000 fps.
Shooting cast also works much better if you give the barrel a good scrub before starting with cast. Removing the traces of old copper jacket material helps cast bullets shoot much cleaner.
Just re-read your post, if you use 8mm bullets the diameter should be Ok but some 8x57 bullets are quite long compared to 32 special bullets. It's possible an 8x57 bullet might be too long to work in the lever action. If you can get the bullet nose length dimension, check how long they will make your OAL and how that compares to factory ammo OAL.
The .002 in is nothing to worry about unless you are trying to hot rod your loads.
Stick in the mid range listed in the manuals and all will be well. I have some commercial rounds made in the sixties with .323 diameter bullets. They shot very well in the old 32 Special I had. They were 150 grain weight.
Stick in the mid range listed in the manuals and all will be well. I have some commercial rounds made in the sixties with .323 diameter bullets. They shot very well in the old 32 Special I had. They were 150 grain weight.
Unless you use it as a two shot.One in the pipe ...one in the mag.If the bore is rough use jacketed otherwise slug the bore as suggested and get a pail of cast bullets.It's a little dicking around but the tips could be removed from 8mm SP .323 jacketed to make them safe for the mag tube.More than one way to skin a cat.
