reforming 30-30 to 32-40?

jethunter

jethunter

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Has anyone here got experience using the RCBS case reforming die for converting 30-30 to 32-40 winchester? Is it worth using?
 
I'm pretty sure Dad uses his gun... Just trim n' fire form....Let me ask and I'll get right back to you.......
Well someone may beat me to the punch, but if not. Sooner or later you'll have an answer. LoL gotta wait for him to come home so I can ask.
 
When I did it years ago, new brass was good with one full-length sizing in the die. Some of the 30-30 brass had been fired, and I rotated those cases 180 degrees and sized them again before removing them from the shell holder, so it was actually two passes though for once fired 30-30 brass. They all fed like a fat boy at a buffet! :D

Ted
 
Going to be bumping/reviving this long dead thread as I have a good friend who recently inherited a rifle in 32-40. It came with 2 boxes of ammo (one of which was some sort of factory reloads or bought forever ago at a gun show?) that he has already fired off to check function and the other is a box of John Wayne commemorative ammo that he is going to just keep. I've been doing some reading and it looks like it isn't too difficult to turn easily available 30-30 brass into 32-40. Unless someone advises against it, I plan to buy the Missouri Bullet Co 170gr cast (https://budgetshootersupply.ca/product/missouri-bullet-company-cast-32-40-321-170gr-rnfp-1-100-bag/ ) to load with.

Looking at some scans of reloading manuals (particularly the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook) I hope to use 700x powder as I have a full sealed pound of it I was given 2 years ago and I don't use it for anything else
Lyman shows for 164gr bullet using 5.0-7.5gr and for the 184gr bullet using 4.8-7.3gr of 700x. So I'm thinking a nice mid-range load of 6.0gr for the 170gr bullet should suffice for hitting steel at 100 yards

I'm hoping to place my order for dies and bullets with Budget over the next few days, so if anyone has any suggestions or critiques I'd be happy to hear them
 
jethunter said:
Has anyone here got experience using the RCBS case reforming die for converting 30-30 to 32-40 winchester? Is it worth using?
Click to expand...

99 % of all my .32-40 ammo. uses .30-30 Brass. Done so for the last 15-20 years.
Just ram your .30-30 brass into regular .32-40 dies ,,,,,,,,, all works good.
When seating bullets to standard OAL you will find the .30-30 brass a little short , so
place the bullet , in the brass , to give the correct OAL . All works fine !!!!!! .
 
You could use it, but it will come up a bit short. A better choice is Starline 38-55. Just be carefully not to over-lube it and then run it through your 32-40 die. It'll need a little trimming afterward.

Chris.
 
https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=axR_b7sXzOo

Project Winchester 1894 32-40 part one - Forming 30-30 to 32-40

Interesting video, my best accuracy with my .32-40 is with Jet Hunters bullets and IMR 4227 pushing 1391.5 fps and giving me 2 1/4- 2 3/4" groups at 1oo yds.
 
Trying to think of a way to mark the cases after they've been reformed. Has anyone done this? I've never bothered before when reforming other calibers, but thought it might be fun to try something new. Made some small vinyl decals, then using those and Sharpie as a resist, did a quick 5 minute dip in 50/50 vinegar and hydrogen pyroxide. Anything not covered gets a light etching. My only concern is whether it will effect case integrity?

EDIT: Haven't received my new dies yet so this is a 30-30 case just as a proof of concept

20240227-095308.jpg
 
DiMP said:
Unless someone advises against it, I plan to buy the Missouri Bullet Co 170gr cast (https://budgetshootersupply.ca/product/missouri-bullet-company-cast-32-40-321-170gr-rnfp-1-100-bag/ ) to load with.

Looking at some scans of reloading manuals (particularly the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook) I hope to use 700x powder as I have a full sealed pound of it I was given 2 years ago and I don't use it for anything else
Lyman shows for 164gr bullet using 5.0-7.5gr and for the 184gr bullet using 4.8-7.3gr of 700x. So I'm thinking a nice mid-range load of 6.0gr for the 170gr bullet should suffice for hitting steel at 100 yards
Click to expand...

On the note of this load, would people on here suggest using Dacron or similar filler for such a small amount of powder in that case? I was hoping to just use Ginex primers as it's what I have lots of and don't currently use them in any other of my loadings
 
gunlaker said:
You could use it, but it will come up a bit short. A better choice is Starline 38-55. Just be carefully not to over-lube it and then run it through your 32-40 die. It'll need a little trimming afterward.

Chris.
Click to expand...

I've heard this done too but 38-55 is also expensive to buy when 30-30 brass is free and laying all over at the range. You never see 38-55 tossed away.
 
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I don't know about 700x but I use 6.5 gr. Vihtavouri n32c tinstar with 170 gr. Bullet no filler no attention to powder placement and quite accurate 1050 fps maintains accuracy pretty good to 200
 
Checked my Lyman manual last night and found a load for 165gr lead cast bullets (I bought 170gr cast, so very minor adjustment required) using (IIRC) 22-25ish grains of IMR3031 which I already keep stock of so I'll be using that instead of the 700x so I don't have to worry about case fill
 
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