Home Forums Reloading Handgun Reloading 32H&R Powder

Here is a relevant ST article. https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/handloading-32-h-r-magnum/490774

100 gr cast swc with 4.2gr longshot in .32 s&w long.

I'd kind of like to try Longshot in some handgun cartridges, but I'm down to about a 1/4 pound left over from my goose load shotshell days and am afraid it'll make me smile and then I gotta try rounding up more. And all that when I have insane amounts of other "traditional" handgun powders.

I loaded up a box of the little Lee tumble lube 90gr SWCs a couple days ago. They’re a silly little bullet that are almost pointed, the nose looks like a Crayola crayon. But I run them through my .314 size die in my Star and squeeze a little lube in about the bottom three grooves and they’ve proven very accurate with any load I’ve tried. Not bad for a $20 POS mold.

I had been loading 38 Wadcutters and had my measure full of 231 and set at 3.5gr. A quick check of Hodgedon’s online manual showed that to be a usable load so I just went for it. No idea of velocity but they shot right to the sights and well enough for plinking. Clay pigeon no problem at 50 yards and I even rung the 10” gong at 200 a time or two, 12” plate at 75 was a sure bet every shot.

I hear you re: Lee POS molds. Sometimes you get a winner. A Lee 200gr. .35 mold I have drops bullets that shoot a bit better than the virtually identical design from an RCBS mold, same alloy, same diameter, same everything. Go figure.

H110/Win296. One of the major manuals .. Speer, maybe .. listed 10.5 grains as max for a 100 grain bullet. I used 10.0 under 85 - 100 grain bullets with very good accuracy and no pressure issues. Prior to finding that I used to use 7.0 grains of AA#7 with 85 grain Hornady JHP and 98 grain RCBS SWC bullets. That is a few tenths over max. Didn't bother me with a Ruger single six. I shoot a J frame .357 and .32 mag is a low pressure cartridge so I wouldn't be overly concerned about going that far in a J frame. H&R .. not so much. There might be better powders if managing muzzle flash is important to you .. no specific suggestions though.

For steel cylinder J frames, 800X. Lighter loads, Red Dot. Pet Loads by Ken Waters and Brian Pearce in Handloader could be a big help.

In my 6.5" single six 3.0 grs of WST will get me about 950 fps with a 100 gr cast & has taken many, many Ground Squirrels & dirt clods!