I have a .32rf revolver that I would like to convert to something more useful. I'm wondering if anyone can recommend a gunsmith for this kind of project. Edmonton area would be nice but for great workmanship I'll ship. Anyone else had similar projects done? If so, dare I ask what it cost?
Revolver Caliber Conversion
- Thread starter CPitre
- Start date
if you are currently shooting the gun with factory ammo or not shooting the gun at all, I think you would find it cheaper to buy or make some shells that accept 22 rimfire shells with the bullet pulled plus a mould so you can cast a healed 32 bullet. I am not suggesting to use 22 blanks because I priced them a couple of days ago and they were $20 per box of 50. Have a look at my bicycle rifle thread in the black powder forum. For your gun you may need to use the 32 short rim fire rather than the 32 long version depending on make and model of gun.
there are some qualification to my suggestion; one is hopefully your gun has a blade type firing pin which reaches far enough down to strike the improvised primer. On the bicycle rifle I had a round pin which I had to convert the pin and gun to an oval pin. If you convert your gun to 22 rimfire, depending on barrel length you will end up with either a restricted or prohibited handgun. About the only other possibility I can think of would be a modified 22 morris (230 - 297 cartridge) which you can make using shortened 22 hornet shells. There are significant drawbacks to that choice; one is that the shell is center fire and you would have to convert your rim fire to center fire. the other is the shell itself; you would be making a modified morris shell in that the slug would be inside lubed instead of heeled and the neck diameter would be larger than the original. You would have to make spade bit type reamers to create the chamber and the loading dies and make your own dies; I think you can see that such a project is only practical if you have the ability and do the work yourself.
Bottom line to me is that your best bet is to buy some reloadable shells and a mould and/or swage. The reason that I swaged both the nose and base of my bullets is that in single shot guns the nose of the bullet needs to be slightly under bore diameter to fit into the bore ahead of the chamber. On a revolver that probably is not a problem
cheers mooncoon
there are some qualification to my suggestion; one is hopefully your gun has a blade type firing pin which reaches far enough down to strike the improvised primer. On the bicycle rifle I had a round pin which I had to convert the pin and gun to an oval pin. If you convert your gun to 22 rimfire, depending on barrel length you will end up with either a restricted or prohibited handgun. About the only other possibility I can think of would be a modified 22 morris (230 - 297 cartridge) which you can make using shortened 22 hornet shells. There are significant drawbacks to that choice; one is that the shell is center fire and you would have to convert your rim fire to center fire. the other is the shell itself; you would be making a modified morris shell in that the slug would be inside lubed instead of heeled and the neck diameter would be larger than the original. You would have to make spade bit type reamers to create the chamber and the loading dies and make your own dies; I think you can see that such a project is only practical if you have the ability and do the work yourself.
Bottom line to me is that your best bet is to buy some reloadable shells and a mould and/or swage. The reason that I swaged both the nose and base of my bullets is that in single shot guns the nose of the bullet needs to be slightly under bore diameter to fit into the bore ahead of the chamber. On a revolver that probably is not a problem
cheers mooncoon
I have seen the reloadable cases and similar options and that may wind up being the route I go with. I did once come across a .32rf revolver though that had been converted to .17hm2 which is very appealing. It had a hefty price tag attached and was more than I could spend at the time but now I'm considering having this same thing done to mine as my revolver is short barreled but .17 is not one of the listed calibers that would negate it's antique status. Quite a job though.
Is there a source for load data for these reloadable cartridges? Admittedly, I have done very little reloading but I do have some basic tools on hand and I'm nearly set up for casting. Cheap lead is getting harder to find and I sort of lost interest but this might rekindle that idea.
Is there a source for load data for these reloadable cartridges? Admittedly, I have done very little reloading but I do have some basic tools on hand and I'm nearly set up for casting. Cheap lead is getting harder to find and I sort of lost interest but this might rekindle that idea.
I think 17 rimfire and similar conversions are stupid choices for a couple of reasons. One is that I would question the strength of many of the 32 rimfires available, when converted to that caliber and the second and perhaps more important reason is that while the 17 rimfire is not on the no go list, I think you would get far more hassle with a conspicuously modern and readily available cartridge, should a police officer or game warden find you with the gun. They are far less likely to worry if the cartridge is obsolete and presumed more or less unobtainable
cheers mooncoon
cheers mooncoon
I agree on the strength issue and have accounted for this. The idea would be to overbore the cylinder and barrel and sleeve them with modern high strength steel so that the new components would bear the brunt when shooting. As for the other issue, even if it were an antique cap and ball I still would not carry it around. While the firearms act doesn't apply to antiques there are other sections of the CC that officers could apply. "Possession of a weapon dangerous to the public peace" or "possession of a concealed weapon" come immediately to mind. I'd be content having a no hassle, no paperwork revolver, that I shoot at the range and pick off gophers on private property. Bonus that ammo is easily obtained. Should be no chance of having issues that way. Still, it is a big job and I may not have much luck finding someone to do it and the cost may be more than this project is worth to me. Nonetheless I figured I'd ask around. Seems I'll probably be buying some reloadable cartridges in the near future though. Thanks for the info mooncoon!
I'm actually working on figuring out exactly what this pistol is. It's stamped continental 26, but it very strongly resembles an H&A dictator. It's a recent purchase and I haven't had much time to dig into it yet. More google work needed.
Yotarunner
CGN Regular
- Location
- Eastern Alberta
i friend of mine has a 32 rf converted to 17hm2 i cant tell you much except from my small bit of experience with it. the pistol was professionally sleeved like you mentioned and i dont know if its the sleeve or the faster 17 but it shoots extremely high. if you can get it sleeved professionally i dont see why it wouldnt make a fun little plinker
The best reloads are .32 Short Colt, drilled to accept .27 Hilti / Ramset rounds. Most guns have a long enough firing pin blade to touch these off reliably, and a .311/.312 ball pressed into the other end makes your ammo complete. Cheap to shoot, and fun to buy ammo at Home Depot.
There are lots of pointers about this in the Antique forum, and online in general. I'm a coward so I stick with white Hilti rounds, I haven't been able to find the weaker (brown?) ones. In my "shooter" .32 RF revolver, this combination makes holes in paper every time. I have never taken the revolver outside and shot anything else, such as stacked sheets of plywood, to find out what this kitchen round is capable of. I can't shoot black powder at my indoor range, so this does the trick.
There are lots of pointers about this in the Antique forum, and online in general. I'm a coward so I stick with white Hilti rounds, I haven't been able to find the weaker (brown?) ones. In my "shooter" .32 RF revolver, this combination makes holes in paper every time. I have never taken the revolver outside and shot anything else, such as stacked sheets of plywood, to find out what this kitchen round is capable of. I can't shoot black powder at my indoor range, so this does the trick.
