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Very Hot Topic (More than 25 Replies) Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases (Read 3585 times)
ndnchf
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Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Mar 27th, 2023 at 7:34pm
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Since I picked up a couple more rolling blocks in .32 long and .32XL rimfire, I needed to make some more reloadable cases for them. So over the last couple days I made about 40 more.  I took a few photos along they way. 

For the .32XL I started with .25-20SS brass that had split necks. For the .32 longs I had some new .32 Colt brass.

  
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ndnchf
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #1 - Mar 27th, 2023 at 7:38pm
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More photos.
  
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #2 - Mar 29th, 2023 at 4:23am
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Well done...
  
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Joe Do...
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #3 - Mar 29th, 2023 at 11:57am
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Great photos in your step-by-step process. 
Nicely done !
  
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uscra112
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #4 - Mar 29th, 2023 at 12:03pm
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Do your acorn blanks stay in place with the hole reamed .224"?  I reamed a couple of my .25 Stevens conversions to .224, and even the Umarex blanks fall out if I so much as look at them crosseyed.
  

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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #5 - Mar 29th, 2023 at 12:14pm
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To me it looks like you could put a .22 liner in your barrel, and the .32 rimfire breech block would fire the .22 cartridge just fine without doing anything to it.
  
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uscra112
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #6 - Mar 29th, 2023 at 1:56pm
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Sure shot wrote on Mar 29th, 2023 at 12:14pm:
To me it looks like you could put a .22 liner in your barrel, and the .32 rimfire breech block would fire the .22 cartridge just fine without doing anything to it.


Where's the fun in that?

Reminds me to report that I bored a .32 Colt case on center for a 6mm acorn blank a few days ago. My #4 fires it just fine.  No more need to make adaptors with the hole offset.  Mind you, the rim recess I cut left the blank's rim about .010 proud, but by the same token I did not notch the rim the way most folks do when making the offset-hole adaptors.  If this became an issue, beveling the firing pin tip would take care of it.  

By extrapolation, of course, the unmodified breechblock would handle a barrel linered to .22 LR.  Up to now I would have said it wouldn't.  The secret,if there is one, is the large diameter of the #4's firing pin tip.  

« Last Edit: Mar 29th, 2023 at 2:17pm by uscra112 »  

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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #7 - Mar 29th, 2023 at 3:39pm
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I guess my thought was that if the bore was poor a person could line it to .22 rimfire and not have to modify the breech block’s firing pin position. I certainly wouldn’t want anyone to line a .32 rimfire with a good bore to .22 rimfire.
  
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ndnchf
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #8 - Mar 29th, 2023 at 8:50pm
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uscra112 wrote on Mar 29th, 2023 at 12:03pm:
Do your acorn blanks stay in place with the hole reamed .224"?  I reamed a couple of my .25 Stevens conversions to .224, and even the Umarex blanks fall out if I so much as look at them crosseyed.


Yes, they are a tight press fit. I made a soecial flat anvil for seating them in a loading press.
  
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ndnchf
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #9 - Mar 29th, 2023 at 8:52pm
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Sure shot wrote on Mar 29th, 2023 at 12:14pm:
To me it looks like you could put a .22 liner in your barrel, and the .32 rimfire breech block would fire the .22 cartridge just fine without doing anything to it.


That would't be any fun. I have several .22s, and enjoy the challenge of getting the old rimfires shooting again.
  
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ndnchf
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #10 - Mar 29th, 2023 at 8:58pm
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Regarding the firing pin relief cut. The rim is about .050" thick. I cut the relief .025" down, about half the rim thickness. The acorn blanks seat flush.
  
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ndnchf
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #11 - Mar 29th, 2023 at 9:04pm
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I went to the range today to chrono identical .32 XL rimfire and centerfire loads. I was curious about the velocity difference between small pistol and acorn blank primers using the same load - 9.5gr of Roader 7 and the Accurate 31-090S bullet. Check it out:

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uscra112
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #12 - Mar 29th, 2023 at 9:31pm
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Less difference than I would have expected, and the consistency using RL-7 is another surprise to me.  Thanks!

Remind me - how much RL-7 are you loading in the regular Long Colt case?
  

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ndnchf
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #13 - Mar 30th, 2023 at 5:00am
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uscra112 wrote on Mar 29th, 2023 at 9:31pm:
Remind me - how much RL-7 are you loading in the regular Long Colt case?


In m .32 LC that are trimmed to .775", I put 7.0gr of RL7. 4.5gr of 2400 is also a good load. These are used in a centerfire converted #4 RB.   These same loads are used in the rimfire version. 

My .32XL cases are 1.085" to take the Accurate 31-090S bullet. If the Ideal 299153 bullet is to be used, then 1.150 long cases are used.
« Last Edit: Mar 30th, 2023 at 7:03am by ndnchf »  
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uscra112
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #14 - Mar 30th, 2023 at 7:25am
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Thanks.
  

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ndnchf
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #15 - Mar 30th, 2023 at 12:22pm
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Here is a close up of a fired acorn blank and the .025" deep x 3/16" wide firing pin relief cut.
  
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uscra112
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #16 - Mar 30th, 2023 at 12:52pm
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Photo of the experimental centered acorn blank.  Much of the pin strike did fall on the case rim, but by beveling the firing pin nose this can be reduced.  Increasing the pin diameter in combination  with beveling even better. 

The obvious advantage for the shooter is that the rounds need not be oriented when loading.   

One swallow does not make a summer.  In between doctors I will make up a few more of these and try them in my Favorite as well as the #4.   

  

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ndnchf
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #17 - Mar 30th, 2023 at 1:04pm
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uscra112 wrote on Mar 30th, 2023 at 12:52pm:
Photo of the experimental centered acorn blank.  Much of the pin strike did fall on the case rim, but by beveling the firing pin nose this can be reduced.  Increasing the pin diameter in combination  with beveling even better. 

The obvious advantage for the shooter is that the rounds need not be oriented when loading.  

One swallow does not make a summer.  In between doctors I will make up a few more of these and try them in my Favorite as well as the #4.  



That would be a great boon for repeating rifles like the M1892 Marlin.
  
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #18 - Mar 30th, 2023 at 10:39pm
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Well, my Favorite's pin hits too far from center, and wouldn't dent the 6mm blank at all, even if I relieved the rim.  To make this work I'd have to make a pin with an offset of ~.060.  Since I already have a spare breechblock converted to centerfire, I guess I won't.   

Now I'm wondering.....did Remington place their pin so that it would work for all three rimfires - .22, .25., and .32?  Would have been clever if they did.  Do parts list show different breechblocks depending on caliber?
  

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ndnchf
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #19 - Mar 31st, 2023 at 5:57am
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uscra112 wrote on Mar 30th, 2023 at 10:39pm:
Now I'm wondering.....did Remington place their pin so that it would work for all three rimfires - .22, .25., and .32?  Would have been clever if they did.  Do parts list show different breechblocks depending on caliber?


An interesting question...  I have #2 rolling blocks in all their rimfire chamberings. Using a steel rule I checked them. .22, .25 and .32 all have the same firing pin position. .38 and .44 are the same, but different from the smaller chamberings.

This reminded me about the time I made a single reloadable .38 rimfire case. Because of the deep extractor groove ahead of the rim on the parent .38 special case I used, I couldn't offset the .22 blank hole without breaking through the groove. So I centered the .22 blank hole, then swapped in a .32 rimfire block and it worked just fine.
  
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uscra112
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #20 - Mar 31st, 2023 at 6:20am
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Now, why didn't Stevens do that?   

One in the win column for Remington.
  

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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #21 - Mar 31st, 2023 at 7:35am
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That’s pretty much what I was wondering when I suggested that you could put a .22 liner in your .32 rimfire without changing the breech block. To my amazement it seems that the #2 breech block would work for .22, .25, and .32 rimfire.
  
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ndnchf
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #22 - Mar 31st, 2023 at 7:43am
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uscra112 wrote on Mar 29th, 2023 at 12:03pm:
Do your acorn blanks stay in place with the hole reamed .224"?  I reamed a couple of my .25 Stevens conversions to .224, and even the Umarex blanks fall out if I so much as look at them crosseyed.


These are the acorn blanks I use. They measure nearly .027", which makes them a nice tight fit in the .024" reamed hole. I order them online.
  
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ndnchf
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #23 - Mar 31st, 2023 at 7:48am
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Because the acorns are a tight press fit, I made a flat top seating anvil that goes in place of a shell holder. The case is run into a loose fitting die that stops it on the rim, seating the acorn.
  
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uscra112
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #24 - Mar 31st, 2023 at 11:01am
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The ones I'm now getting from Gun Dog Supply are either Walther or Umarex brand.  They both say Germany, but that may not mean much.  One of the Walther-branded ones mikes about .2255, and looks like brass.  One from an Umarex-branded package mikes .2275, about like yours. 

The Walther-branded ones I used to get are either copper or copper-washed, and they mike .2230".   It was based on those that I designed my pocket-reamer.  I'm saving those for the .25 adaptors which have such fragile rims. Once they're gone I'll have to do a second reaming operation to bring them up to an easy fit for the ones we get now.  
   
They obviously don't care much about the O.D., which I suppose makes sense since they are intended to fit into crude noisemaker pistols.
  

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uscra112
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #25 - Apr 2nd, 2023 at 12:11am
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Had occasion to clean up a pre-1896 .32 rimfire Favorite I have, and of course tried the central-acorn adaptor in it.  And it fires just fine.  Firing pin placement about like the #4 Remington.  Go figure.   Sadly the barrel of this early Favorite is badly pitted, so it won't get used unless I put a liner in it.
  

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ndnchf
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #26 - Apr 2nd, 2023 at 6:07am
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uscra112 wrote on Apr 2nd, 2023 at 12:11am:
Had occasion to clean up a pre-1896 .32 rimfire Favorite I have, and of course tried the central-acorn adaptor in it.  And it fires just fine.  Firing pin placement about like the #4 Remington.  Go figure.   Sadly the barrel of this early Favorite is badly pitted, so it won't get used unless I put a liner in it.   


That's good back pocket information. I don't own a favorite. But who knows, one might reach out and grab me at a gunshow  Grin
  
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #27 - Apr 2nd, 2023 at 6:29am
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I'm liking the Remington more and more as I handle it. Machining quality definitely better than the Stevens.  But the Favorite has the advantage of being able to press new blanks into place just by closing the action.  Handy when reloading in the field.   Wink
  

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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #28 - Apr 2nd, 2023 at 6:45am
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I've found Remington's quality, tolerances and consistency to be really good. In partocular when swapping breech blocks around, I've never had a problem with fitting or headspace.
  
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #29 - Apr 2nd, 2023 at 7:23am
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In collecting so many Stevenses, as I have, I've noticed some truth in Allyn Tedmon's opinion that Favorite quality fell off after Joshua retired, and the company fell into the hands of a $money-man$ - Irving Page.
  

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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #30 - Jul 24th, 2023 at 12:10pm
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It’s always interesting to see how people keep the old rifles shooting.
  
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #31 - Oct 22nd, 2023 at 4:19pm
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Is Irvine Page the same Page as in Page-lewis
  
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Re: Making more .32 long and extra long rimfire cases
Reply #32 - Oct 22nd, 2023 at 4:35pm
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Yes.   Irving Page was CEO of Stevens, New England Westinghouse forced him out when they took over the company to make military rifles in WW1.  After the war, according to one source I've read, he tried to regain control of the company but failed.  Then he and Lewis, who had been and engineer with Stevens, formed Page-Lewis, making a very well-made little swinging-block rifle.  Page died after a couple of years, and his heirs didn't want the new company, so it was sold back to Stevens, (by now owned by Savage).   

I've long believed that Page, who had been Stevens' money-man, was over-leveraged, so when Westinghouse wanted  to do a hostile takeover, all they had to do was talk to his bankers.
  

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