Just picked it up for $325 at the gun show.  

How old is it?  How much (if anything) am I going to loose by drilling and tapping the bbl for a scope?

I think I've got ONE case (and a bunch of .32 H&R mags).  One should be enough for a year or so of breech seating - eh?

Isn't it a rim-fire?

If it IS a centerfire converted rifle, It'd be a COOL little rifle for VERY VERY light loads.

Quote:


I'm considering converting it.  'cat-sneeze' loads come to mind.  Maybe .32 S&W not-so-long.

It IS easy to change barrels, so there are other options....

Yup.  

More points IF the bullet penetrates the paper.

Either that or CB caps in the .22



Hmmm.  .22 Squirrel conversion?

Quite.

I'm looking to do something equivalent, not in excess of, the .32 Long; but in CF.

Any fool can blow up a gun.

Green_Frog wrote on Jan 2^nd, 2011 at 4:11pm:


Wow.  If that doesn't put the pressure on for precise load development and loading!

There are sources for special cases that use .22 blanks as primers for the .32 RF. I believe Dixiie Gun Works is one and there is another that I can't recall at the moment. I have 6 boxes of the last batch Navy Arms ran a few years back. I shoot it spareingly. Hope they run some mroe. They usualy run a batch every few years and it has been a while.

Phil,

That is an interesting tid bit of info! Do you have a user name or contact info for the person?

Merwin

32 ballard xl -  It's definately going to be rechambered to center fire, tough choice on rebarreling, relining or just rechambering.  It would be nice to have a commonly obtainable caliber for brass.

slumlord44  -  I've seen pictures of cases made for .22 blank ignition.  

Thanks for that update.  I had read somewhere, eons ago, that pure lead and black powder worked best as the base had to be bumped up to groove diameter for best accuracy.  I appreciate the correction.

Cat Whisperer - The mold number notwithstanding, the bullets are .314 diameter.  The HEEL portion is about .299, which may explain the number.

32Ballard - You weren't wrong, as far as the later incarnation of the .32 Colt is concerned.   It was changed from the externally lubed heeled bullet to an internally lubed straight bullet, and that bullet was necessarily about .015" undersize for the bore.  It was soft and hollow-based, so it would flare up on firing to fit the barrel.   Didn't do anything good for accuracy, but as the round was mainly used in pocket revolvers for close-in defense, that probably wasn't considered important.

Cat_Whisperer, a lot of your questions can be answered by looking at a copy of the SSE article I wrote about shooting the various little .32 cartridges. I think it may have been August or September of 2010. Give Brett Boyd a holler and see if he'll send you a copy. It might be more information than you need, but it will get you on the road to shooting your little rifle. I've measured bores from .3065" to .315" for the .32 short/long/extra long family, so your Stevens might "seem" small but work just fine. Good luck with the little gun.

B. Isaacson