Gun show deal plus a 31-1 S&W

Glaciers

Glaciers

Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun
Well my thoughts are that every once in awhile even a blind Squirrel will find a nut. I think I fit that description from time to time. Well I found my nut.
Get your mind out of the gutter, you know what I mean.

Well the cylinder pass a .314 lead ball but not a .315, at least without just a slight bit of encouragement. The bore is.308 - .309.

This Lee 6 cavity I got from Ben which drops a bullet at .3155, so size it down to .314 to just make it roundish and coat it in BLL just because it’s Ben’s old mold. Keep it soft 30-1 or even 40-1 weighing right at 91 grains.

Any thoughts on .005 cylinder to bore?IMG_3413.jpeg
 
Outpost75

Outpost75

Active Member
Unless you have a V-anvil micrometer to measure the bore slug, a 5-groove barrel will read small with a standard micrometer. Wrap your slug with paper, measure over that, then subtract twice the thickness of the paper. You will probably find the barrel is .312".
 
Ben

Ben

Moderator
Staff member
Glaciers said:
This Lee 6 cavity I got from Ben which drops a bullet at .3155, so size it down to .314 to just make it roundish and coat it in BLL just because it’s Ben’s old mold.
Click to expand...
Now that is an honor..........................

Ben
 
Glaciers

Glaciers

Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun
Ed nice pieces! As half dozen pieces displayed on this thread.
I’ve been wanting a decent 32 long for a fair length of time. I’ve never been around anything smaller than 38 spl most of my life. I got interested by reading articles by you and your bunny guns. I believe Ric wrote a couple as well. I finally picked up a Stevens Tip-up with a replacement .308 barrel chamber in 32 S&W long and it shoots lights out. Fun little gun. This Smith 31-1 will be a good companion to the Stevens, which has a .308 bore so the two might require different bullet diameters. I’ll have to work that out.
Anyway different way of thinking for me, in the past it’s 22LR and bear or moose guns. But discovering small calibers like the Hornets, Bee, 25-20 and now the 32 S&W long, is beginning to be more fun. Not to mention the savings in powder and lead.
 
P

Petrol & Powder

Well-Known Member
In my younger days, I really didn’t appreciate the value of the 32’s. I played with the 32 S&W Long and 32 H&R Mag a little but abandoned those in pursuit of more “worthy” cartridges. In my youth I saw those cartridges as things “old” people shot for unknown reasons. Around the same time if I picked up a pistol and found that it was chambered in 32 ACP, I would put it back down immediately. Such are youthful attitudes.

Like Glaciers, I had .22 rimfires and serious guns. I saw the little 32’s as peculiar, odd balls left over from an earlier time. Too big to be in the class with the .22 rimfires and too small to be useful for anything else.

With age comes some perspective. Now I see the 32’s in an entirely different light. They fill that gap between the .22’s and the .357”/9mm calibers. I don’t think I “discovered” something new. The fact that the 32’s survived so long is probably proof that prior generations recognized the value of those platforms. Maybe it’s just something that needs to be re-learned from time to time.

The writings of Outpost75 helped my journey. The load data he has provided was incredibly valuable and greatly appreciated.
 
Missionary

Missionary

Well-Known Member
On top of my list is another S&W 13-3. Wonderful guberment down south forced us to sell our's as soon as covid incarceration at home was finally stopped.
 
Glaciers

Glaciers

Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun
Now I remember, well pretty sure anyway, Ric was converting Remington 581’s or 580’s to 32 long or maybe 32 ACP. Anyway it’s been bugging me this morning.
 
Outpost75

Outpost75

Active Member
Glaciers said:
Ed nice pieces! As half dozen pieces displayed on this thread.
I’ve been wanting a decent 32 long for a fair length of time. I’ve never been around anything smaller than 38 spl most of my life. I got interested by reading articles by you and your bunny guns. I believe Ric wrote a couple as well. I finally picked up a Stevens Tip-up with a replacement .308 barrel chamber in 32 S&W long and it shoots lights out. Fun little gun. This Smith 31-1 will be a good companion to the Stevens, which has a .308 bore so the two might require different bullet diameters. I’ll have to work that out.
Anyway different way of thinking for me, in the past it’s 22LR and bear or moose guns. But discovering small calibers like the Hornets, Bee, 25-20 and now the 32 S&W long, is beginning to be more fun. Not to mention the savings in powder and lead.
Click to expand...

If throat and origin of rifling permit the larger .313-.314 bullets to chamber easily and extract unfired rounds without de-bulleting, there is no harm using the fatter bullets in all of them. That's what I do.
 
Glaciers

Glaciers

Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun
Well this morning I cast up a bunch of the LEE 315 095 and some Lyman 311 316 which will need to be powder coated to bring the diameter up.
But next I’m priming a couple hundred 32 longs Starline and 500 38 SPL Remington cases. Obviously will need to make a couple dummies for the Stevens 32 S&W long. Good suggestion Outpost.
I looked a the RCBS mold which is available but I’m not paying $125 for a 2 cavity, besides I don’t have more milk money at this time anyway so I will make what I have work.
 
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RicinYakima

RicinYakima

High Steppes of Eastern Washington
Glaciers said:
Now I remember, well pretty sure anyway, Ric was converting Remington 581’s or 580’s to 32 long or maybe 32 ACP. Anyway it’s been bugging me this morning.
Click to expand...
I have made one is 32 Long, one in 32 H&R and one in 45 ACP. The 45 is not as practical, as it is loud and requires eye plugs and recoils enough it is hard to keep a scope mount from slipping.
 
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