In 30-30 it's a squeeze to get a long round chambered.  Grinding the clearance groove in the top of the block helped.

Hello:

I have a cadet in 32.40, in fact, I got the barrel from DD.  It is a sweet shooter.  I have others in 30-30, etc.  NO PROBLEM>  However, consider trading your original 310 for an altered one.  That way, you would make two people happy.

Ed

Great question Fred.  You are correct about the 310 being a smokeless round.  That is one reason why I am bored with it.  The 32 Win Spec is also a smokeless round. It was never offered in black powder from the factory.  It replaced the 32-40 which was a BP round.  Too many weaker actions were chambered for the 32-40 and when Winchester wanted a more powerful and smokeless 32 caliber they invented a totally new chambering so that the more potent smokeless cartridge would not go into old guns.  The new chambering also drove new rifle sales.  A smokeless 32-40 round, would not get anyone to buy new guns since it would fit into the current models.  A new 32 SPECIAL round drove more new model rifle sales. The word SPECIAL was part of their marketing hype. Today, 100 years later, low powered smokeless 32-40 factory rounds can be purchased.

A cadet in 32-40 may turn out to be a great lightweight platform for either black or smokeless powder cartridges.  I am not sure, and thus I asked this forum for opinions. I think it depends on the twist since the bore size can always be compensated for.

So don't be confused by my black powder passion.  I am bored with the 310 cartridge.  My Cadet's bore is somewhere around .321.  The cheapest way to make this gun more fun for me is to rechamber it, not rebarrel it.  32-20? 32 Win Spec? 32-40?  Since I am a BP shooter, 32-40 seems to be the best choice.

Thanks for the reply, Bronco

I had a cadet that had been ruined by rechambering to 32-20- wrong bore dia. So, rechambered to 32-40. No trouble chambering the longer cartridge, just lower the lever and it will slide right in. This is likely the best rechamber for these cadets, works like a charm, bullets will stabilize due to higher velocity, in general just a hoot!! Highly recommended!
            Doug

Bronco:

When I first assembled my 32-40 cadet, I was given an old box of Jacketed soft point factory loads.  The box was so old, it had a sporting goods price tag for $2.99!

We only plinked with those rounds, but hit a 4"gong at about 15 yards with every shot, off hand.

Recoil was mild, not much more than a cadet in 357 magnum.

Last year, another shooter recommended 12.5 grains of 4227 behing 180 grain Bear Creek Moly coated Flat point bullets.  He was claining astounding accuracy with his cadet.  I have assembled the load, but have not tried it.

Except for the chambering, finish, and the sights, my 32-40 is an as-issued cadet.  I put some Remington sights on it.

Ed

EdBu, Great picture, thx.  You said you bought the barrel.  Was it pre-chambered?  I want to know if you chambered the barrel while it was on the action or did you unscrew it first.  When I rechambered my High Wall, I did it with the barrel threaded to the action, but that was a straight line job since the block just falls out of the way.  I am thinking that the Cadet will require the barrel to come off for the reamer to go in straight.  Also how did you handle the extractor?  Did you fab a new one or did it get cut by the reamer?

Thanks for the load data and shooting story.
Bronco

Creedmorematch;

No Typo, just fooling around.  As I said, we were just plinking.

Bronco,

The barrel was chambered for 32-40 when I got it.  I don't think a cadet barrel could be chambered while still on the action.. 'cept maybe for a 22 RF round, via a cleaning hole, which most cadets don't have.

The extractor was made from a rimfire extractor, and I think it was silver soldered to the barrel and then cut with a chamber reamer...can't remember what I was told.

I will try to get pix of a round about to be chambered.

Ed