single six .32 H&R

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Ethang

Blackhawk
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Jun 1, 2009
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Michigan
M'BOGO said:
A comment, nothing more. Have a stainless Birdshead .32, and a standard 6.5" blued from the mid '80's. Working with some of Brian Pierce's loads with AA9 (from memory around 10 grains, which is the 10% lower charge), and a 115 g cast slug in starline .32 H&R brass. A very accurate load, but the blued one was peening the base pin (a soft one?). When funds allow, plan to get the Belt Mountain replacement for the blued one, and also the cross pin.

As 2Dogs is fond of saying, they are the most fun you can have with you clothes on, or at least up there on the list...


Not to Hijack but if your talking about the 115's you gave me to sample and the base pin peening I had the same issue. I was not running them hot, just my normal 4 grains of Unique but after 12 of them my basepin was difficult to remove where it was not before. Is this what yours did?

And back to the 32 thread, clothes on or off these 32's are really fun...
 

M'BOGO

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Ethang said:
Not to Hijack but if your talking about the 115's you gave me to sample and the base pin peening I had the same issue. I was not running them hot, just my normal 4 grains of Unique but after 12 of them my basepin was difficult to remove where it was not before. Is this what yours did?

And back to the 32 thread, clothes on or off these 32's are really fun...


Yes, but the load was much hotter than 4 grains of Unique, my Unique load in that range was fine. Recall about 7 grains of 2400 shot nice, without any peening. Just wondering if the base pins weren't hardened?

Yes they are.

I've been thinking, it would be great if Lee made their 311-100-2R mold as a .314 flat point (I know, buy the RCBS 98 SWC, BROKE and cheap). Considering buying one, lapping it out. Then drilling the nose out and fitting flat point pins. Maybe a bunch of people petitioning them would get them to do this?
 

Hondo44

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Street,
Thanks kindly. If I just had some real talent and machinery, I have lots of ideas, but most are way over my head. Since retried, I have lots of time to fondle my guns and think. Maybe Ruger needs a Marketing Consultant.....
 

Hondo44

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gak said:
Just something special about the .32 and the guns that shoot them. Except for a family .22 and .38, my first gun was a brand new .32 H&R Ruger - a 5.5" adj sight as one of the first out of the chute in 1984. The first (and second and...) time I shot it I had grin from ear to ear...and this was with factory loads at the time. I had not owned but shot revolvers everything from .22 to .38/.357 and .44 Mag - a lot - but nothing as viscerally pleasing as the .32 combo. Still.

You are so right! The first .32 Ruger I ever saw in 1984 went home with me. My 1st gun was given to me by my grandfather, a little S&W .32 S&W Long Hand Ejector on the small 'I' frame, that he bought new in 1914.

I shoot a lot of .32s and have a 1/2 dozen more Smiths. Up until fairly recently when Smith made a few stainless target models in 327, they made very few with target sights. Mostley before the war and only 296 in 1957. So I needed a target model to match my S&W .22/32 Kit Gun. Had to make this one from a 1966 Model 30-1 J frame fixed sight model. Target sights and trigger from a Kit Gun, center fire target hammer from a 38 Chiefs Special. It's my favorite Smith:
orig.jpg


But I really like SAs the most and the ruger 32s are at the top of the list.
 

bogus bill

Hunter
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utah
I have one of those in almost new shape. I havent shot it in ages, bought the dies, loaded up some various loads. I didnt shoot it all that much but you guys refired my intrest. I will be shooting it later this spring. I ride quad a lot here in utah and I think it should make a good trail gun. I see in my notes I figure it was made in 1985. I bought it used/new in 1989. What is one worth now in at least 95% ?

Ruger65004687.jpg
 

Joe S.

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Feb 4, 2011
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Bought one a couple months ago and it has easily become one of my favorite totin irons.

dougader said:
I like a cast 94 grain rnfp with 3.5 - 4.2 grains of WW231 for plinking and informal target shooting.
I clearly need to spice mine up a little. 100 grain cast with 3.2 is what ive been running...
 

Joe S.

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bogus bill said:
What is one worth...
I paid $350 for mine and feel like i got a steal!

Im seein yall are using 2400 and win 296... I really need to spice mine up a little...
 

dougader

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Joe S. said:
Bought one a couple months ago and it has easily become one of my favorite totin irons.

dougader said:
I like a cast 94 grain rnfp with 3.5 - 4.2 grains of WW231 for plinking and informal target shooting.
I clearly need to spice mine up a little. 100 grain cast with 3.2 is what ive been running...


Speer 14 lists 3.4 - 3.9 grains W231 with their 100 grain jhp. Using 4.2 grains with the 94 grain cast is zippy, but nice and accurate with no high pressure sign; 1008 fps as I recall. I started using 3.5 grains for just a touch less recoil and blast (relatively speaking) for my young daughter. She likes the 22/45 in .22LR best, so I was trying to get the Single Six to shoot more like a .22 for her.

No real reason to push the cast lead bullets for punching paper. Using 3.2 grains of W231 sounds like it would also be a very nice load. If I was looking for jack rabbits in the sage brush south of Burns, Oregon, (or American Fork, UT) I'd like the 4.2 grain load. I have fired the 115 grain bullets from Hunters Supply with 4.2 grains W231 as well, I really like that load.
 

Joe S.

Hunter
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Thats cool. I was going for a rabbit/ possum/ armadillo/ easy shooting for daughter load.

Will bump it up a little bit and try...

Heck those 296/ 2400 loads sound like they'd bring a deer down from close in.
 

sheep.dog

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Vermont
bogus bill said:
I have one of those in almost new shape. I havent shot it in ages, bought the dies, loaded up some various loads. I didnt shoot it all that much but you guys refired my intrest. I will be shooting it later this spring. I ride quad a lot here in utah and I think it should make a good trail gun. I see in my notes I figure it was made in 1985. I bought it used/new in 1989. What is one worth now in at least 95% ?

Ruger65004687.jpg

Just payed 425 for similar. Going to convert to .327 and I'm seriously considering shorting the barrel to 3.75 and switching to a birds head grip frame. I think that would be a hell of a little carry gun!
 

bogus bill

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utah
I also own a 1st generation colt saa in 32 win (32-20). 4 3/4". They seem fairly similar as far as standard balistics go without souping up reloads. The colt is overbuilt and feels "cluby" in that caliber. My colt is has a bad refinish and a mixture of parts, not a gem to look at but it does shoot well.

coltsaaLAP8015-1.jpg
 

dougader

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sheep.dog said:
Going to convert to .327 and I'm seriously considering shorting the barrel to 3.75 and switching to a birds head grip frame. I think that would be a hell of a little carry gun!

I love mine. The 32 H&R mag in the foreground here was cut back to 3.75" and slicked up very nicely with sights my old eyes can see, Bisley hammer, (came with the birdshead gripframe), colt style ejector rod button, and black powder chamfer. I love it.

I have considered having it converted to 327 Federal, but I like the 32 HRM in it so well I will probably pass. I have a DA revolver in 327 FM for concealed carry, a S&W 632.

i-szHBBkx-L.jpg
 

gak

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M'BOGO said:
It's funny how these .32 SS threads keep going, and how once folks try one, they fall in love...

Too bad the "love" wasn't there with more buyers initially and over the past thirty years--in terms of mass appeal.A lot of folks blame the mild factory loads "necessary" because of weaker H&R guns still on the market...But I think it was much more than that. I fell "in love" with the cartridge/gun (SS) "even" with the factory loads. "Twern"t no .22" that's for darn sure! Instead, or at least additionally, I think the "ONLY bigger is better" rags played a major role in an apathetic buying public, effectively killing it from the start, both from benign neglect, but so-so reporting when they did. Back when the paper rags represented virtually the only media for folks to go by, a lot of folks drank the "anti" kool aid, and lackluster sales resulted. More reloading resources (and hind sight perspective) now may also play a role in the apparent new and re-interest. But it's a shame that it's most likely not enough to resurrect the cartridge in any new guns in the future, which is what really keeps things spinning.

The development, availability and role of the .327 (but also the slow and rough path its taken) in the market is another part of the story--for good and bad. I saw the .327 as "oh, goodie, another platform for the .32 H&R!" that'll help my favorite cartridge keep going and still alive in folks' minds. And so it has -- to a certain degree. If the .327 can stay alive, that'll sure be a boon to H&R fans as well.

Long live all the .32s - but the H&R has a special place in my mind!

Dougader and ranger1 - nice!!
 
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