Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters 32-40

Wow, I had no idea the 32-40 WCF was so liked here, I have a 1897 year model '94 Winchester with beautiful 26 inch octagon barrel, Lyman tang peep sight with dual apertures, with super cool folding front sight that has a hooded bead for target and a little ivory bead for hunting, I fire 178gr cast lead flat nosed bullets at an easy 1600 fps with H-335 powder in WW brass, it's an accurate little lever action rifle.

Need to shoot a deer with it this season.

I have an 8" twist barrel installed on my Stevens 44 1/2 that I used when I used to shoot BPCRS matches. I shot my best score on rams using that rifle shooting a 290 grain bullet and Swiss black powder. I hit 9 out of 10 rams and all 9 fell. The rams are at 500 meters. I also have a Hepburn with a 32-40 barrel installed on it and a 32-40 barrel for one of my CPA 44 1/2's and an original Winchester 1885 32-40. I like the cartridge especially now that I have had surgery twice on my right shoulder.

In a rough bore 1893 Marlin .32-40, I tried to duplicate some published very hi velocity loads with very little success. The only hi velocity load that showed any promise was the 170 grain Speer with 35.5 gr of Hodgdon LVR for 2225 fps. 5 shot group at 100 yds, original sights was 3.5". 2100 fps loads with the Speer using RL7 produced a dismal 8" group! If I keep the velocity down around 1500 fps it will shoot any bullet, including cast, with any suitable powder, 4198,RL7,H322,2400 into 2". I guess if I want .30-30 velocities, I ought'a buy a .30-30.
The Marlin requires a very short OAL cartridge, and I have to shave off the exposed lead tip of the Speer .321 170 gr, leaving a flat exposed lead meplat, which accidentally and fortunately seems to enhance expansion at the lower velocities, or so autopsy results on jackrabbits would suggest.

Need to shoot a deer with it this season.[/quote]


I have an Savage 1899 in .32-40 like Fireball’s and need to get a deer with it as well!!

An interesting fact about that front sight you have on your 1893 gunner500 is that little ivory bead is actually a plug that can be driven through the sight to get a “fresh” bead should the current one get broken off (you may already have know that so I apologize if I’m going over old ground but I found that fascinating - that they thought it through to that level, although they did tend to think a little more overall back then😄!).

PennDog

Coincidentally, a 32-40 Savage 1899 26" round barrel manufactured in 1908 with the rounded breech bolt has been my restoration project this month. The rifle had been slathered with marine spar varnish over the metal and the stock and begged for a redux. It's got about a dozen coats of tung oil followed by orange oil and wax. Turned out alright I think.



I found it to be a very gentle shooting rifle with Speer 170 grain Hot-Cors. New Winchester brass is available in Canada but a bit pricey. Looks like I will be reloading for a new toy.

Anybody crimp the necks of their 32-40s cartridges?

Nice job! I do crimp (lightly) but I’m using cast bullets.

PennDog

I have an Savage 1899 in .32-40 like Fireball’s and need to get a deer with it as well!!

An interesting fact about that front sight you have on your 1893 gunner500 is that little ivory bead is actually a plug that can be driven through the sight to get a “fresh” bead should the current one get broken off (you may already have know that so I apologize if I’m going over old ground but I found that fascinating - that they thought it through to that level, although they did tend to think a little more overall back then😄!).

PennDog
[/quote]

PennDog, that '99 Savage sounds like a nice one too, saw your post, went and had a look, indeed there is hole drilled all the way through the portion of the sight that holds the little ivory bead, had never looked that close, getting my old guns mixed up again, my serial number of 184xxx dates to a 1900 year model '94 in 32-40.

Not pristine but 100% original.

My .32-40 was obtained to duplicate my great grandfathers deer rifle.............an 1893 Marlin.

Love that rifle.

Damn nice rifle FB and tmitch, i'll take "HONEST" wear over re-finish and for god sakes over bubba'D any day and 5 times on Sunday, we ALL need to make meat with our 32-40's this season, I'm planning on just that, also believe a 178gr flat nosed bullet at 1600 fps ran through a deer lengthways will 'not' entail a long tracking job, if not drop to the shot.

Why don't we all make a point to start a 32-40 hunting thread for 2020? Brand, model, who cares, but it has to be 32-40. Or maybe any of the really old cartridges? I'd be down with that. That'd be a great thing to look forward to.

"The Official 32-40 Killing Thread"

That sounds great.

I have a friend who shoots tiny little groups with a Union Hill Ballard. He won't sell it, I've asked a hundred times.

Gonna get up on my soapbox here.

There was a reference up-thread to the ".32-40 WCF" No, no, no. The .32-40 was a Marlin& Ballard development. Yes I know, loading dies, etc. are marked ".32-40 Winchester". That doesn't make it correct, though.

For those 32-40 fans

I refer to my other post on Mule Deer's 1893 Marlin in 32-40. If you are a handloader I'd suggest finding a Accurate Arms No. One loading book. It provides both the black powder velocity Shutzen loads as well as HI-V loads for modern steel level guns. Ken Waters Pet Loads books are also a value.

If you don't want to be limited to the 170 gr flat nose you can try using the swaged method of different weight 8mm's and filing the nose if used in a Marlin or Winchester. For those 99 Savage folks, have at it with spitzers. Lee makes a good swaging die and I use Alox lube. Swaged 8mm's bring you into the shadow world of load experiment and you need to proceed with caution. As I note, I used the Ken Waters method of case web expansion and careful examination of fired cases.

As noted earlier, sometimes fast is not necessarily accurate and Waters notes that in his book. I also found that changing primers made a notable difference and suggest caution.

Still, the 32-40 is perfectly adequate for deer size game and 100 yard shooting.

I’m in.....it’ll give me even more motivation!

PennDog

Dang right Men, I'm in, great idea, how about starting the thread in the 'Hunting Rifles' forum? after all, then, the lever action, slide action, semi-auto and even single shot 32-40 shooters/hunters can join in the fun, open to all, a lot more traffic, and not limited to lever actions only, sound good?

I haven't hunted with mine in several years so I'll play.

Here we go men, go get em!

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