I needed to pick up more 44 Mag. Brass

[Rick]

Predators, parasites, vultures?

Hhmmm . . . Rick thinks you are being much to kind.

I've had to explain to a few why I was chuckling, I have to tell them it's because they aren't looking for customers, all they want are the suckers and you haven't found him yet. Some of those people aren't any better than pick pockets and pedophiles.

 

[Dale53]

Why don't you guys tell us what you REALLY think! LOL!!!

Dale53

 

[Rick]

Why don't you guys tell us what you REALLY think! LOL!!! Dale53

I can't give an honest description of what I think of some of them on this forum. I would have to issue myself infractions and a temporary ban.

 

[KHornet]

IMO, you can never have to much in the way of brass, powder, primers, lead etc. It is easy however to have to little. Hope to never again run short of hornet brass!

 

[9.3X62AL]

It's not all darkness and despair, not by a dern sight. I have the shop build pretty much DONE, just a couple things left to knock together and production will re-start. So, the sun is risin' on the horizon.

With the hiatus of shooting activity came two moves in a year's time, a thing I wouldn't wish on an enemy if he had the casting metal stocks I have laid in. Lovely to have--until you relocate. Whatta PITA. Its only redeeming feature at such times is that for its onerous weight it takes up so little space.

My brass--primer--and powder levels are at comfy supply levels, all things considered. I am none too happy about SR-4756 going the way of 8-track tape decks, it was so good in the 32/20 revolver loads I have shot so much of over the years. It's like having an old friend move across the country. Nothing is as constant as change, I suppose. A wistfully humorous observation made elsewhere concerning IMR's PB going out of print--"I guess its 3 remaining users will really miss it." That might be the case with SR-4756, too--dunno. Maybe all bullet casters have some portion of Rip Van Winkle in our DNA. I'll find SOMETHING that will run in 32/20.......leaning toward Herco here, since 1) I have LOTS of it already and 2) it seems close to the niche occupied by SR-4756.

 

[Dale53]

Al;
If it's any consolation, a couple or three years ago, I decided to use up all of my partial cans of powder. I was shooting a lot of .45 ACP/.45 Auto Rim at the time, so I started emptying all of the partial cans. I had lots of bullets already cast so it just meant loading to the same approximated velocity. All I had to change was the powder charge. At any rate, I was just a bit pleasantly surprised to fine that my accuracy was maintained with all of the powders. It was almost uncanny.

I suspect that you will find that your next powder choice will give you the same good results. I certainly hope so.

As an aside, just about the time I had all of my partial cans of powder disposed of, I ran on to a deal in an estate sale of a BUNCH of powder in opened cans from an experienced reloader. The powder was all of types readily identifiable. Because they were opened cans (caddies) they were offered by a dealer at a VERY low price (I won't mention how low
But suffice to say, VERY low). I was pretty much right where I had started with partial cans. Oh well, I made out like a bandit and things are back to normal...

Dale53

 

[fiver]

I just went through that same thing, I kept looking at those partial cans of stuff and started finding uses for it.
now a couple of years later I have another batch of oddball where did I get 3oz's of 680 and 10oz's of 571? type cans again.
I still haven't shot those 8-168gr blue tip swift bullets I loaded in the 0-6 back then.

 

[9.3X62AL]

The 32/20 WCF in a revolver can be a screwy cartridge. Ken Waters went into some detail on this subject in a "Handloader" article 20+ years ago, and this same material appears in his compilation "Pet Loads" by Wolfe Publishing.

The 32/20 was one of the black powder cartridges that did not make the transition to smokeless fuel seamlessly. Light charges of fast powder can produce erratic velocities, and I have found that fairly full-density loads of medium-to-medium/slow pistol fuels produce better results. SR-4756 seemed to Ken Waters to be "best of breed" in this application.

 

[Ben]

Al,

I am having to make do with the modern version of the 32/20 ballistically, my 32 H&R Mag out of my T/C Contender.

It seems to be less " quirky " ( based on your comments and all I've read on the 32/20 ) and the brass isn't so fragile.

Ben

 

[freebullet]

Woohoo!

Just scored some x39 brass myself.
Now just need more 454,357,30/30, & others, and all the powder & primers - in the world. This isn't supposed to end is it?

 

[Dale53]

Ben & Al;
That's pretty much what I am doing, too (making do with the .32 H&R and lovin' it).
I can hardly wait to get home and start casting bullets, loading, and head for the range!

My .32's are lookin' forward to the new year...

Dale53

 

[Rally Hess]

I was getting tired of mixed lots of .32-20 brass and just bit the bullet and ordered 500 in nickel finish, to distinguish the old from the new. Ordered them from Midway a couple weeks ago. I'd looked there a couple months ago and they were out of stock. I have plenty of brass for what I'm shooting and a local GS that keeps me on the front burner when he buys out one time reloaders stock. I seem to always have small lots of opened powders, but thats not always a bad thing when I venture into a new bullet/load.
Some powders have been tough the last couple years, and I travel alot from May-Oct, but I've been lucky a couple times and found what I was looking for (mainly Reloder 7).
My wife is a crafter/hoarder and a couple of her fellow "junkies" had a shirt made for her that says; Your not a hoarder if your stuff is cool. First thing I thought of when I read her shirt was, if I had enough lead. LOL

 

[Steve in Micco]

"Get it while you can" has been my mantra since the election in November '08.

While the lion's share of my shooting can be happily accommodated with .32 S&W long, .38 Spl (wadcutter brass, thank you) and .45 Colt, I gladly sort and keep everything. And if what I find is .25-20, .32-20, .41 mag, .44 Spl, or .35 Rem, I am just estatic!

Like good red wine and tasty wild hog, one can never have too much.

 

[9.3X62AL]

The 32 Mag is downright compliant compared to the 32/20. Starline 32/20 brass removes about half of the caliber's headaches for me--its weak metallurgic character. Starline is to ammo making today what Toyota and Nissan were to Detroit in the 1970s--they built a better mousetrap, and have forced The Old Boys to either clean up their act or wither away. Our ammo and components makers are LONG OVERDUE for reformation and re-structuring, and the recent 7+ years of "starvation rations" is telling evidence of their comprehensive indolence and incompetence.

 

[Ben]

Well spoken Al ! !

Ben

 

[9.3X62AL]

Thanks, Ben. The subject peeves me more than a little.

But all dark clouds have silver linings, too. The shortages have prompted growth in the bullet casting hobby field that is unprecedented. We have really good semi-custom mould makers now active that likely would not have emerged had this rapid growth not occurred. If there has ever been a Golden Age for bullet casting, it would be NOW. I have never known a better time for this sector of the firearms hobby field, and I've been casting for almost 35 years and shooting/hunting for over 50.

 

[Steve in Micco]

Yes, I have agree. While I shoot many times more S&W long, the Starline mag brass is quite well made. The Federal .32 mag brass by comparison is poorly made. My favorite. 32 mag load of 3.0 BE pushing a 115 gr cast yields upwards of twelve loadings in the Starline. The Federal stuff is generally exhausted after 4. YMMV

 

[Cherokee]

I still get good performance from the old manufacturers brass...I've got about 1K of 45 Colt RP brass on its 23rd loading and it still looks great. Similar for some RP 32-20 brass (unplated), the plated brass only lasts about 4-5 loadings. I'm still using 38 Special and 357 Mag brass from the 60's - 80's. I've got Starline new brass for several cartridges waiting for when I need it but it looks like that may be a while. Years ago I switched to Starline's 38 Super Comp brass for most 38 Super use but I just can't seem to ware out the old mixed brass stuff either. I've got to say tho, if I buy new handgun brass, it's Starline. Just some random thoughts on brass...

 

[Brad]

I too prefer Starline. My 1911 and 9mm get fed various head stamps as I got thousands of cases cheap.
My new cases will pretty much all be Starline going forward. Great brass and a good price too.

 

[Steve in Micco]

Yes, Starline is a great product. I only have 200 or so of them in .32wcf, and will get more soon. Far better lifespan than RP and WW. Of late I have used my 115 gr cast in Starline over 5.8 of Unique in my M92src. Quite pleased with it.

But getting back to the topic at hand, it is prolly best to accumulate whatever you can, as our Criminal-in-Chief is supposedly readying some new catastrophe in an another upcoming illegal EO.