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I like shooting the old Winchester calibers in the 99's and regularly load those pointy projectiles into the .25-35. However, the only jacketed projectiles for the .32-40 available is the flat-nosed 170 grain. I would like a lighter one--say 150 grain--and a more aerodynamic one in the 170-180 grain range. Has anyone used the .323 (8mm) bullets in this caliber? I have seen other calibers shoot jacketed bullets as much as 3 thousands over bore size. Alternatively, has anyone tried swaging down jacketed bullets?

Steve
I discussed this with a boolit manf,and was told NOT to use jacketed bollits. oversized lead molded are ok.. grin
Not to use jacketed bullets at all or just oversized ones?
I know on a lot of old lever rifles, groove diameters can vary greatly. The .44/40 - seems the range is about from .426 to .436. If one is considering an 8mm bullet in a .32/40, knowing the groove diameter would be a helpful thing. For all you know, an 8mm bullet might be a better choice for that bore than the standard .321 bullet. I believe it is my older Lyman loading manual that specifies the individual firearm they used for load development along with the measured groove diameter of that particular firearm. For example, I seem to recall they used a Remington M14 for the .32 Remington and the groove diameter of that particular rifle was .319. So, if that were my rifle, knowing that would certainly help me decide that I probably didn't want to use an 8mm jacketed bullet.
Very true. I have slugged 2 of my Savage .32-40's and one is a heavy .319 and the other .320. However I have measured the dia of some of my jacketed bullets and they also vary--for instance, the Horn. 3210 ranges from a light .320 to .322. The Rem corelokt 8mm 185 gr. I have rarely drops below .322 and mostly measures .3238 to .324 (rarely makes it to .324). I have some pulled .303 Brit bullets from old Dominion (Imperial) ammo and it ranges from .309 to .313. I think I am going to experiment with making a swage using grade 8 bolts that will fit one of my loading presses and try swaging the 150g 8mm jacketed bullets down enough to fit the .32-40's.
just oversized ones.
Thanks, Hubert. I'll let you all know how the experiment goes with swaging down jacketed bullets.
FYI...

In one of my old (Circa 1970) nationally-known and respected reloading books, they used a Winchester Model 94 in .32/40 caliber for testing. The bore measurement was .3205".

The Cartridge specifications were:
Bullet Diameter Jacketed and Cast = .320" and .321"
Maximum Case length = 2.130"
Trim-to-Length = 2.120"
Maximum Overall Length (with Bullet) = 2.500"


In my opinion, you should NOT use jacketed bullets of any greater diameter than .320" in the rifle with a slugged .320" bore or .319" in the rifle with its bore measuring .319".

Obviously, if the bullet is oversized, shooting it will increase the chamber pressure due to the bullet being a tad too big for the bore unless you can shave down or swag down the bullet to no large in diameter than the bore-size you're planning to shoot it in.

I dunno how much it would raise the chamber pressure, but it will surely raise it. Since I'm SURE you don't wish to create a dangerous situation or possibly blow up a good rifle, I'd stay away from maximum loads with bullets that are larger than the diameter of the rifle in which they're shot.

Have you considered #2 alloy lead bullets with a copper cup on the back of the bullet to reduce leading?

Perhaps a better question is, "Are copper cups available for that sized bullet diameter (.323")?"

If you're gonna error, I'd error on the side of SAFETY.

BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY, my friend... smile


Strength & Honor...

Ron T.
It will be swaged down to bore size as soon as it enters the bore. from there on it will be ok. the problem happens when the load is hi and it will peak too high to fast it is just too risky to use over sized, when you swag them down you will be ok. I did some experiments with over size bullets with factory powder loads and the first sign was the bolt got hard to open. at .004 oversize and I had to use a wooden mallet to open the bolt. I made a rifle holder and fired from a safe place. I did destroy the rifle in case there was any stress damage to the metal I diden't want someone to get hurt.
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