Yea, I finally done it now!  For a while now I have been thinking about trying reloading for my little 32 acp.  So, I recently purchased a Lyman's manual and went to work.

I looked all over trying to find a bullet mold, had even got one from MP Molds but it was defective so I sent it back.  Finally I settled on the Lyman mold from MidwayUSA.  This one!

My particular mold dropped at 81 grains with my soft range scrap and measured at 314.  I sized the bullets down to 311 and rolled with it.  The driving bands are very small and they sized easily.  A bigger bullet may have had issues sizing as much but these did not.  My gun slugged at 309 so I was a bit concerned with chamber size but I tried a dummy round and everything seemed just fine...maybe a little snug, but it didnt lock up when the round was chambered.  I may try sizing to 310 later on if I can get a die but right now everyone is out.

The Lyman manual stated that most guns would shoot ok at 312 but that chambers varied a lot.  This is the case with my gun as it is a CZ70 and they are known to have tight chambers and bores where American 32 autos are more loose.

Still I was concerned, but loaded up according to the Lyman manual.  I used 2.3 grains W 231 and for one batch winchester small pistol primers and one batch was Rem 1 1/2 small pistol primers  I bought the Rem 1.5s by mistake and now I actually have found a suitable usage for them...a safe suitable usage I might add...

I went to the range today and I was pleasantly surprised.  The little gun has always been ammo finicky preferring foreign fodder but ran all of my reloads without the first hickup!  Recoil felt just like it was supposed to and ejection was snappy and accuracy was what it has always been...actually I never shot it for accuracy before.



Accuracy from 7 yards, certainly not my best but to be honest I have no idea what I should expect from this gun...which can only mean one thing...more shooting and testing....and that is always good!



One recovered slug...the range lead looks just right for this bullet.

My thoughts so far on reloading the 32 acp with cast bullets:

     I scrounged my lead from the range backstop...essentially the expense was mainly in prepping the lead for casting.  Maybe a few cents a round.

     Primers, roughly a nickel a pop for the Rem primers.  Less than 4 cents each for my others.

     Powder?  at 2.3 grains?  gonna guess a nickel maybe less.

     Finished round?  maybe a dime.  maybe a tad more...if I say 12 bucks for a hundred that is still a savings over 18-20 bucks for 50 rounds here...and that is only IF I can find any.

So I think the price is right.

The functionaily exceeds most storebought ammo.

Accuracy seems ok.

Those were the positives but they seem to outweigh the negatives.  The cases are small, the bullets are small, the powder charges need to be weighed out individually because they are small...you see where this is going.  Small bullets are not without their own hassles...not to mention they are harder to find when they are on the ground.

But all in all this was a fun project and I really enjoyed it.  And it will continue!  Just need some more brass now

I will add to this as needed.

I have to get set up to do 32acp now, just picked up my Unique tonight

I think it's plenty smart....maybe a pain in the butt...but reloaders like challenges.  The 32 ACP is just one of those rounds that you can really easily justify reloading for.

I just checked the price on Hornady loaded 60 grain XTP bullets.  They were going 20 bucks for 25 rounds loaded.  Out of stock of course.  Lets guess you paid 16-17 bucks for 100 bullets.

You get 4 bucks worth of primers in it and say 4 bucks worth of powder.  Now without regard to time of course, you have roughly 25 bucks into your ammo(likely an overly high estimate).  You could easily end up with better quality ammo at a third of the price...or in my terms, you end up with 3 times the ammo at the same price  Not to mention the pride it brings with it.  And bragging rights of course!

My numbers are total estimates of course...I normally estimate a bit high...

Pictures are in order of course....from all of the above....I would love to know how those hollowpoints perform as well.

Where's my camera...brb...

hang on...stupid browser

Thanks for the compliment!  You guys have earned a few more pics

MTM provides us reloaders with these great little boxes!



The Lyman molds I have used so far make great bullets if the caster does his part!  They arent as pretty as the bullets from my expensive molds but the price is right and the bullets are consistant.  Consistant is important...

The 32 acp headspaces on the case rim so I put just the lightest roll crimp into the top lube groove of the bullet.  You can see a slight bit of lube in it but it doesnt hurt a thing.  The seating stem on my hornady die seems a bit harsh as it leaves a slight ring on the bullet ogive but it is cosmetic mainly, you cant really even feel it but it kinda sticks out.  If I get a chance I am gonna get to a lathe and see about making a better seating stem.



I just wanted to say I have enjoyed my casting and reloading for this bullet and the fun I had shooting it today...this is what a hobby is all about.

Cheers!

they are so fun to shoot....

but I get hammerbite sometimes...does yours ever do that?  maybe my big hands?

I need to get one of these molds and see hw they feed in a skorpion.  My daughter drains all the 32 with her sbr.

Any problems with barrel leading using straight range scrap?

not a bit of leading.  leading is more of a product of bullet to bore size and how the bullet is driven through the bore.  In my particular application in this 32 acp I highly doubt I could overdrive the bullet enough to cause leading without the load becoming dangerous and unstable anyway.  There's just no nead.  If you see the recovered round on the cardboard in the OP you'll notice how the bullet has slightly mushroomed and is still in tact.  It looks perfect to me.  My bullet is also .002 over bore size as well.  The round still chambers and unchambers fine with no signs of overpressure when fired so I think I am right where I need to be.  My rounds are flying at 45 acp speeds and I have been using wheel weights for it.(the 45acp)  The next time I fire up the Lee LeakMaster I am gonna cast some bullets for it with the range scrap and see how it performs.  I think the wheel weights are just too hard for it.  I fired a test round at 4 gallon jugs of water and the 45acp round when clean through with no signs of expansion or slowing down.  It was a 200 gr cast hollopoint.  In my opinion it shouldnt flew through 24 inches of water without changing shape or something.  I think harder lead has its uses but for plinking loads and hollopoint rounds softer is better, at least for normal shooting from standard loads.  The 357 on the other hand is a different animal.  I am still testing it.  Wheel weights seem to work better at the higher velocities.  No leading with it either.

Been reloading the little 32 ACP for several years for my Bayard and Mauser pistols. Used the RCBS mold and range scrap too.  It is a little tedious but rewarding to reload these rounds.  Joe