While I don't have one, I believe it is actually a 32 cal designed for .321 bores.

Jack

I suggest that you contact Gail Shuttleworth at CPA Rifles in Dingmans Ferry, PA. She and her dad, Paul were the innovators responsible for this cartridge. They are beyond reputable and will prove to be courteous and helpful. Careful research on this forum will disclose the answers to most questions you might have. Having competed for 10+ years in ASSRA bench rest matches with my CPA rifle chambered in .32-20CPA, I have found it to be my cartridge of choice. It is more than capable of winning matches and scoring "250's".

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scharfe wrote on Feb 25^th, 2023 at 5:00pm:


Thanks!

I don’t remember what the issue was with Franks custom made cases they probably lasted longer but there may have been extraction problems. One thing is for certain the cases won’t last long if you use only one. They are simply weak thin cases almost any other case would be stronger and just as accurate why ask for trouble. The CPA32-20 is basically a straight case when you expand it to a true .32 ,mine was still a bottleneck and possibly this had something to do with separation issues.The 32-30 REM was a quick changeover also a necked cartridge.
I already had the .30 barrel and the reamer was available to me.
The cases are formed in one shot from .357 max cases using a CH4D 32-30 rem die. I now had a new cartridge that lasted for several matches but I was still struggling for good scores. At that time I was shooting a offhand traditional schuetzen rifle from the bench and just couldn’t do it consistently I never really knew where my bullet would go. I was also using a 15X scope. I bought a CPA with a bench rest stock and heavy barrel chambered with the same 32-30 rem reamer as mine and a Weaver 36X scope , same case same bullet. My groups and scores immediately improved. Someday I will go back and try the Schuetzen rifle again but for now it will be used for offhand only.

I have a lot of experience with the CPA .32-20.  With the right barrel, the right load, and the right bullet it can be incredibly accurate.

The problem is that loading for accuracy is no fun at all - at least in my rifle.  I was an early adopter for the .32-20 CPA.  Paul built my rifle in March 2010 using an 8-groove .320/.312  Shilen Barrel. Shilen stopped making the 8-goove barrels about then.  I think that mine is the only .32-20 rifle with this barrel.

It took me seven months of constant tinkering to make it shoot and, when it did come around, the perfect load (13.0 grains of AA 4100 was so hot that breech seated cases would last between 5 and 10 firings before showing signs of incipient case head separation. This was shooting pre-loaded multiple cases.. I'd buy Starline cases in 500 piece lots.

The best bullet was a MOS "standard" bullet that cast approximately 212 grains using 20/1 alloy.

In my opinion, shooting a .32-20 CPA is like owning a Ferrari - very rewarding when it works but really high maintenance.

JackHughs

Best stated by JackHughs. We share many years of the love/hate relationship with our passions. I still love my .32-20CPA and should never have sold my '64 Ferrari Lusso Berlinetta.

There’s nothing wrong with the 32-20 round. It’s a great cartridge and fun to shoot in it’s original loading with fixed ammo and a 115 grain bullet. But when your using hot loads with 200 grain bullets like the CPA 32-20 it gets tricky.

Jack Hughes 10 shot 200 yard 32-20 CPA target group that he shot and it is still one that has not yet been bettered to date.
There is an article in the ASSRA Journal that talks about it and not only is he Jan a very close friend he is also a member and shoots with our group at the Modesto Rifle Club. 

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JLouis wrote on Feb 26^th, 2023 at 8:31pm:


I agree on your take on Rowlands group,shot in a cave over a few days. 

that group and score is amazing. what was the group size?
The 10 shot small group @ 200 in CBA is .720 I think also with breech seat rifle.
FYI- I accidentally deleted the prior post (trying to edit it)asking if it was a record target

I for one, would like to see the research someone has done that would indicate that Rowland's group was shot in a cave, or over a few days or somehow not legitimate. Regardless, it still stands as the record shot with black powder, albeit with a smokeless priming charge. There are also many other targets shot by Rowland that come very near the record target. This is not meant to take anything away from Jack Hugh's record target. Just tired of the doubters with no proof supporting their claims. This has all been hashed over, and over. Very explicit write-ups in the Boulder Daily Camera, outdoor life, in 1902 I believe, and I am sure others.

The target posted above by JLouis and the article in the Journal was my primary inspiration for choosing .32-20CPA as my cartridge of choice. I had my rifle built by CPA as a (near) clone of Jan's and used the loading information on the target as my starting point. Both Jan & JLouis have become my mentors and valued friends via this forum. I will be forever grateful to both of these fine gentlemen for their help and friendship over the years.

Anyone ever neck the 32-20 down to 30 to take advantage of the numerous bullet shapes and weights in that caliber?

Seems the C.W. Rowland target comes up on this forum from time-to-time. While there are varying opinions about under what circumstances it was fired, one thing in the historical records stands - there was a picture of that target published in the same year it was fired.  Below is the image that was published in Shooting and Fishing magazine in 1901. The hand written notes on the target were by Rowland (there are other Rowland targets still in existence and the handwriting matches with them).
The notes are a bit hard to read so here is what is written:

10 Consecutive shots 200yds -
Machine rest, Telescope sights -
No Wind
Sprinkling - 
Pope 32/40
Leopold Lubricant
Shot May 16 - 1901
by
C.W. Rowland, Boulder, Colo

There is no mention of a "cave" but it does state that it was "sprinkling" and that it was fired on "May 16 - 1901"

CW Rowland did what CW did with what he had at the time and no one is trying to take that away from.
The discussion was actually not about him and it is actually all about the 32-20.CPA and what has now been accomplished with it. 
This also has absolutely nothing to do with CW his name was only mentioned because someone had asked if Jack Hughes group was actually a record or not and the only comparison was to bring up CW's name.

For those who are interested, there is a comprehensive article on the history of the "Rowland Group" in the July/August 2012 ASSRA journal.

C. W. Rowland shot his famous .722" 10-shot, 200 yard group on May 16, 1901.  That small group stood for 103 years until Jim Borton turned-in a .711" group on October 11, 2014 while visiting John Louis at the Modesto Rifle Club. Jim shot a Miller rifle chambered in .32 Miller Short.

Dale Reynolds subsequently shot a .655" group at the 2008 Fall match at Etna Green with a custom rifle chambered in .32-30 Remington..

I subsequently shot a .577" group at Modesto on Feb12, 2012 with a CPA rifle chambered in .32-20 CPA. 

Attached is a copy of Jim and John at MRC the day Jim shot his small group.

JackHughs

S99VG wrote on Feb 27^th, 2023 at 10:00am:


I have a barrel for my CPA in 32-20 with a 1/12 twist and a groove diameter of .3083.

Load is 8 grains of #9 and the CCI 400 primer with bullets 165 to 200 grains,  MV 1250 to 1300 fps.  Standard deviation of MV around 7.   The G1 BC measures around .330.

I have a friend with the same set up and we enjoy shooting it long range, out to 1000 yards if the conditions are favorable for seeing the bullet impacts.  Mostly 500 yards plus.

This is just for fun and we like the lack of recoil.

A number of years ago at Quigley before the match the conditions were good, no wind and dry, so with a couple of friends I worked down the firing line.  Fired a few shots to get a sight setting then hit the target three times in a row.   Did this with all the targets including the 805 yard buffalo.  Bullet was 170 grains.

As I said, this was witih very good conditions and I was suprised at how well it shot.

Interesting that you did this. I was tempted to do this, I had a .30 caliber tapered 185 grain Barry Darr mold (from SAECO) when I was first looking at the .32-20 CPA chambering. But I went with the .32 caliber barrel due to tradition and the availability of plain-base molds.

Is your bullet tapered or flat point? 

Do you breech seat?


Hi

I already had a 30 caliber tapered 185 grain mold from Hock molds which I had them make for Scheutzen.

My barrel is chambered for breech seating.

The bullet I'm using for the plinking mentioned in my original post is a 170 grain 30 caliber sold by Bear Creek Bullets.  It is actually designed for the 30-30.

They are swaged rather than cast and are moly coated.  I do breech seat these with a .050 card wad in the mouth of the case that touches the base of the bullet.

I weight the bullets to eliminate any that are light but don't sort into batches of the same weight.

At long range like this minor variations in bullet weights don't make much difference.

I see you live in the northwest, where?   I live in northwestern Montana in the Flathead Valley.

I hope to get to a match or two in Montana this coming year, the new chemotherapy is working to reverse the cancer and I am feeling stronger.



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