32 rifle load ??

[clint campbell]

I was out shooting my 32 this afternoon useing 35 gr of FFF. what is the max powder charge for the 32. thanks c

 

[Shifty]

most likely depends on the rifle you have probly about 45grns, but mine shoots best with 20 grns fffg.

 

[flintlockmdj]

Depending on the qualiuty of the rifle (how well it was assembled) any reasonable load should work. I'd say up to 100 grains. A 13/16 barrel is .813 inches flat to flat minus the bore diameter .360 divided by two for the wall thickness on each side of the bore .231 so you have almost a 1/4" of wall thickness which is thicker than the breach thickness of the 12 guage shotgun.

However what is needed is an accurate load. Small game and paper punching don't require maximum loads.

 

[410-er]

20 grs of FFFg is great in mine also.

 

[oldwolf]

I'd say up to 100 grains.

HaHa ...you are a funny guy!! :haha:

 

[Zonie]

Of course no one is silly enough to actually try 100 grains in their .32's but interestingly enough the Lyman Black Powder Handbook 2nd Ed. shows loads up to 70 grains of both 2Fg and 3Fg Black powder and Pyrodex.

Small bored guns tend to develop rather high pressures with black powder and Pyrodex P goes far higher.
Says the Lyman book, 70 grains of Pyrodex P under a .310 roundball had a breech pressure of 25,600 PSI. That's higher than some modern pistol cartridges.

According to Barlow's Formula for calculating the burst strength of pipes and tubing, that amount of pressure for "Vehement" Pressure pulsations, such as is found when a gun is fired, in a 13/16 inch .32 caliber barrel with a 25,600 PSI breech pressure is unsafe.
Maybe that's why Lymans didn't go higher with their data. (Actually, Lymans book doesn't say the loads they tested are safe. They only give the data that they found in their test barrel.)

 

[john12865]

100 grains of Black Powder is only approved for Armor piercing round balls in a combat situation that requires hyper sonic ammunition.
Squirrels will typically surrender before such a load is needed. :surrender: I must warn that the use of this load is in Violation of the Geneva Convention and you could be subjected to trial as a war criminal.
PETA will burn you at the stake and squirrels will dance on your grave.

We all saw what happened to Saddam.
Keep it safe and go at about 20 to 30 grains.

 

[clint campbell]

I wondered if 35gr might be a little much. I was also wondering if the more powder you use would make you shoot lower at closer ranges like 30 yds because of the ball leaveing the barrel faster. thanks c

 

[jb shiner]

30 -35gr of pry.p powder is the best load in my 32cal GM that is 36in long.I have shot a lot of small game with this load. Also very accurate to 50yds and a bit further.

 

[J.D.]

Find the most accurate load. That's all you need.

 

[clint campbell]

My rifle is shooting very good at 35gr but was shooting 8" low at 30yds. I filed the front sight and now it may be 1" low and I was wondering what would happen to POA if I reduced to 25gr? thanks c

 

[MikeChapin]

I use 30 grains 3F in mine for 25 and 50 yards. Of the people I know that shoot a 32 use a range from 20 to 35 grains. The rifle knows what it likes so go with that.

BTW: I use 45 grains to shoot at 100 yards it gives me the same POA/POI that I get with the lighter load.

Dropping the load 10 grains should drop the POI a little but not much. The main concern is how tight the group is when you drop the load. If it spreads out you may want to go back up. If it tightens up then get the file out again.

 

[RetiredMedic]

My CVA Squirrel .32 cal. kit gun, shoots best with 35 grs Goex 3F.
I use a .311 RB,a .020 patch with my own mix of patch lube.

At 30 yards it shoots 3/4" grouping off handed.

Here is my toy::

 

[BrownBear]

Out to 50 yards I don't see any change in POI with loads between 20 and 35 grains. Don't know about further cuzz that's been my shooting limit with the 32.