it's really a 32-20/.30 groove diameter is .308"  1/10 twist. I would love for it to shoot good but so far nothing but problems. Have tried all brands of cases. I have tried cases formed from .357mag. I even had Rocky Mountain Cartridge make me 20 cases that were much thicker than standard these proved to be worthless as they did not expand right if at all. Been working mainly with AA 4100 and AA #9 around 9 grains.

Before leaving this subject, I should mention the West Texas sheriff who, when confronted by a belligerent bad guy at Barnhart, Texas, put five holes in him with his single action Colt 32-20, whereupon said bad guy took the then empty hogleg away from the lawman, and beat him over the head with it until he wilted from excessive ventilation.  Understand the lawman opted for a bigger caliber subsequently.

James

I like the round a lot - so much that I'm having a dedicated BPTR rifle built for it:  It can be extremely accurate.  But I'll qualify my statements in that my 'mule' has a 1 in 15 twist .308 barrel, and the new rifle will have a 1 in 12  twist barrel (also .308).
I'm also using heavy bullets - between 150 and 190 grains, and BP only (about 18grs of swiss no. 4 seems to be the max in my remington brass).  I've had spectacular results at 100, very promising at 200 (meters, not yards) - and haven't tried yet at 300.  Still, the barrel of the test rifle is pretty much toast, so further testing will require the new (lothar walther) barrel.
I'll qualify that this is for prone shooting with sling and open sights, no rest - and BP only.
However, I'm not trying to make it into a very heavy-bullet (200+grain) cartridge with nitro powders which might be a bit trickier:  after all, a thin-walled small case at pretty high pressures...
With BP and the bullets I'm using, I'm pretty much at the speed of sound or a bit less, which is also the intention.

boho wrote on Nov 20^th, 2016 at 7:30pm:


You're right.  The original .32-20 is not really ideal for 200 yard schuetzen shooting.  The .32-20 CPA (which is a .32 caliber design) can be made to shoot but is very fussy.

Happiness is a well chambered and well stocked .32-40.  Easy to load, easy to shoot, easy on the wallet, and largely frustration-free.

JackHughs
   

I'll jump in here and try to help.

Part of BoHo's problem is the LW that he is using. It's to springy and that is causing the seperated cases. I'm the one that supplied his reworked 357 caes.

I built two 32/20's with .308 barrels for my wife. The first was a 44 and it did the same thing that is happening to BoHo. I was using a 11 twist barrel and two bullets of 184 and 190 gr. The charge was 8 gr of Enforcer @ 1250 fps.

Remington cases worked MUCH better but, I could only get about 5 shots out of them.

I had a small thread HW with a Hornet barrel on it so, I put a 12 twist Douglas barrel on it in 32/20. Since that time, about 3 years ago, she has only lost one case and I have yet to even try the modified 357 cases in it.

Her loads have ranged from 10.0 to 10.2 gr of #9, close to 1500 fps.

The accuracy may be a different matter but, it's the pressure in the LW that's causing the case problems. Even though my modified 357 cases, lasted longer, they still failed in his LW.

The caliber of the barrel won't keep the cases from failing when they reach the same pressure but, a larger capacity case will reduce pressure and a stronger case may last longer.

I would suggest first, going to Dale Reynolds cartridge, 32/30 Remington (.308 bbl) second suggestion would be to try the 32/35 Stevens/Maynard and also try a lighter bullet of about 160 gr.

But, the LW limits you for pressure, no matter what caliber/case that you use.

One other option is 16 twist, 32/40 with a 180 gr bullet @ about 1300+ fps. People will say it's dangerous but, there are many out there. I have a cast Ballard that I shoot with that combo, using 13.0/13.5 gr 4227.

A more trouble free solution is get a Hoch, HW or 44 1/2 to base your rifle on.

Frank

Common presumption in my experience is that Original Winchester Low Walls with excellent, tight lockup, are totally suitable for the original "Win 1892" HV 32-20 loads. I used a few boxes of these loads in my boyhood LW 32-20 in 1950s, no issues.

Like my fellow hunters using 32-20s in original Low Walls in excellent condition, I have used higher velocity loading extensively for a lifetime of hunting and, of course load testing. Chamber pressures likely in mid 20.000 psi, based on loads listed in loading manuals. No personal information about use of such load pressures for extensive target shooting.

Like all my hunting rifles, my 32-20 LW gives excellent groups with some such loads, commonly below or near 1,0 MOA for 3 shots at 100M, starting from cold barrel. NONE of these rifles will hold that group size for 10 shots with these loads.

Grisen

RayH wrote on Nov 22^nd, 2016 at 8:28pm:


Hi Ray,

No. My .32-20 CPA outperformed anything I've used, before and after.  However, it was like driving a Ferrari - when everything was perfect, it would perform like no other.  If one little thing was off, it was no better than my .32-40 FBW rifle.

I recommend the .32-40 because it is capable of very good performance with very little effort.  The .32-20 CPA sits in the safe because I no longer have the "fire in the belly" necessary to do it justice.

I hope you didn't take my comment as a knock on the .32-20 CPA.  I hope you find the perfect combination for yours and take pleasure in its capabilities. 

JackHughs