Searching for 32WCF ammunition

1423 Views 50 Replies 20 Participants Last post by Reamer, 7 d ago

blauder

Discussion Starter · 10 d ago

Hi all, I've got my Grandfather's Colt Bisley he bought in 1913 at Tufts-Lyon Arms Company in Los Angeles, according to my Colt letter. The problem is I can't find any 32-20 to shoot. I've looked everywhere.
Does anybody have any suggestions? They would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

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Outpost75

· #21 · 10 d ago

Major II said:
I was not aware, thanks for the heads up.... I believe I ordered direct from Starline

Starline has no .32-20 in stock and is not taking back orders.

Reactions: 1

azshot

· #22 · 10 d ago

Their comment, while heartening, is pretty weak. "backlog from the most popular calibers to the less popular ones....when we get caught up...."
That reads like "we may, one day, get to .32 WCF...." AFTER they make such popular rounds as below (all available on their site):

45 Raptor Brass - Large Rifle - Brass Cases

300 Blackout Brass - Small Rifle - Brass Cases

50 AE Brass - Large Pistol - Brass Cases

So there are more buyers for .50 Action Express than .25-20 and .32-20 and .38-40, which had rifles AND pistols by MANY makers made for almost 100 YEARS?! Millions of guns in these still out there. I'd say there are 200,000 active shooters in the calibers they are NOT making, and about 87 in some of their wildcats they ARE producing.

I didn't know they did this on their website, but it shows all the rounds, green-yellow-red for avail-backorder-fat chance. Pistol Brass | Rifle, Handgun, and Pistol Brass

It is worse with the other, traditional brass manufacturers. "you can buy any caliber, as long as it's .223 and 9mm." You have guys going through 10 boxes of .223 every WEEK....compared to a guy that wants to shoot his grandpa's .32-20 ONCE. They're not going to serve him.

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paracord

· #23 · 10 d ago

If you don't reload or cast bullets, this may be the excuse to start!

The only problem nowadays is finding brass, or loaded rounds. Once you get some brass, you're off and running if you reload. I've purchased brass on Gunbroker several times and I just lucked into another 100 cases at a local store very cheap. But if you want to have any semblance of a way to have a consistent supply of ammo you'd be ahead of the game to get a cheap reloading setup and look for some cases, rather than trying to find loaded rounds each time you need them.

Just looking now and there are a few listings of brass now on Gunbroker. It's expensive, but you should only need 100 or so.

Also: for me this caliber shoots best with black powder, and the brass will last longer too. You DEFINITELY won't find loaded black powder rounds anywhere!

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jbmi

· #24 · 10 d ago

I have a box of but have no SAA in that caliber. I have no idea where these came from, don't look llike they're reloads, but someone can tell you how old they are.
Live in MI, if you're near, don't want the bother of mailing them.

JB

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azshot

· #25 · 10 d ago

Yes, I've been reloading .32-20 for going on 40 years. Other things longer.

The idea that the only way to shoot these cowboy rounds is "scoring" a hidden box, or "paying up" for a scalper, or having friends and family provide is not great. The better method is to have companies supply what is in demand. When I started shooting this in the early 1990s it was "obsolete" but you could still buy boxes of it anywhere. Then Bertram and Starline started supplementing the brass - you could buy unfired brass anywhere. Today there are MORE shooters wanting these rounds - but Starline says "not back orderable....we'll maybe get to it one day..."

Mikebiker

· #26 · 10 d ago

There are literately hundreds of thousands if not millions of guns out there for this caliber. It was originally chambered by companies both foreign and domestic. Many Winchesters are chambered for it. S&W built a fair number of revolvers for it. The trouble is that it is not being used for anything other then occasional plinking there the demand is not great. Manufacturers both big and small are looking at the numbers and profit margins and the 32-20 may not rank very well in this arena. While the guns may remain viable for hundreds of years the brass does not. It takes expensive machinery to form the cases. With money being the reason for manufacturers to make it they want those machines returning a good profit on their investment. If it is manufactured again it may be in a limited run so it should be bought in large quantities which is unfair to other but allows you to keep shooting. There will not be enough to meet long term demands.

paracord

· #27 · 10 d ago

azshot said:
Yes, I've been reloading .32-20 for going on 40 years. Other things longer.

The idea that the only way to shoot these cowboy rounds is "scoring" a hidden box, or "paying up" for a scalper, or having friends and family provide is not great. The better method is to have companies supply what is in demand. When I started shooting this in the early 1990s it was "obsolete" but you could still buy boxes of it anywhere. Then Bertram and Starline started supplementing the brass - you could buy unfired brass anywhere. Today there are MORE shooters wanting these rounds - but Starline says "not back orderable....we'll maybe get to it one day..."

heh. that's the problem. I don't think it's in much demand at all, except for a few of us purists. I'll bet 95% of starline's time is in cranking out 9mm Luger, 5.56 Nato and 6.5 Creedmoor!

If one can score 2 or 3 hundred pieces of brass from the "scalpers," then he should be set for a long, long time if he reloads and casts.

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paracord

· #28 · 10 d ago

Mikebiker said:
There are literately hundreds of thousands if not millions of guns out there for this caliber. It was originally chambered by companies both foreign and domestic. Many Winchesters are chambered for it. S&W built a fair number of revolvers for it. The trouble is that it is not being used for anything other then occasional plinking there the demand is not great. Manufacturers both big and small are looking at the numbers and profit margins and the 32-20 may not rank very well in this arena. While the guns may remain viable for hundreds of years the brass does not. It takes expensive machinery to form the cases. With money being the reason for manufacturers to make it they want those machines returning a good profit on their investment. If it is manufactured again it may be in a limited run so it should be bought in large quantities which is unfair to other but allows you to keep shooting. There will not be enough to meet long term demands.

Yep, but also remember: those guns are old. 32-20 hasn't been chambered in anything new (save for a few replicas), for a long, long time. It was already going out of favor well before World War II.

The WCF calibers are all great, but they are all basically obsolete too. There would need to be big surpluses of probably 100 other calibers before Starline would make a run of 32-20 to fill a little niche.

Bibbyman

· #29 · 10 d ago

Who'd a thought. Make 32WCF from 32 Nagant.

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paracord

· #30 · 10 d ago

Bibbyman said:
Who'd a thought. Make 32WCF from 32 Nagant.

The only problem here is that the source caliber is even more obscure than the target!

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bigwagon

· #31 · 10 d ago

You'd have to be really desperate to make 32-32 out of 7.62 Nagant brass, considering the latter makes 32-20 look about as common as 9mm Nato.

Bibbyman

· #32 · 10 d ago

Apparently people are desperate enough to do it. If you're settling on Nagant brass and want 32WCF bad enough.

Grafs has 32 Nagant brass in stock.

Prvi Partizan Brass 7.62 Nagant Unprimed Bag of 50 - Graf & Sons

This is not loaded ammunition.

www.grafs.com

Bibbyman

· #33 · 9 d ago

paracord said:
The only problem here is that the source caliber is even more obscure than the target!

Grafs has it in-stock.

7.62mm Russian Nagant - Handgun Brass - Metallic Reloading - Graf & Sons

www.grafs.com

blauder

Discussion Starter · #34 · 9 d ago

jbmi said:
I have a box of but have no SAA in that caliber. I have no idea where these came from, don't look llike they're reloads, but someone can tell you how old they are.
Live in MI, if you're near, don't want the bother of mailing them.

JB

Alas, I live in rural Nevada.

blauder

Discussion Starter · #35 · 9 d ago

azshot said:
Yes, I've been reloading .32-20 for going on 40 years. Other things longer.

The idea that the only way to shoot these cowboy rounds is "scoring" a hidden box, or "paying up" for a scalper, or having friends and family provide is not great. The better method is to have companies supply what is in demand. When I started shooting this in the early 1990s it was "obsolete" but you could still buy boxes of it anywhere. Then Bertram and Starline started supplementing the brass - you could buy unfired brass anywhere. Today there are MORE shooters wanting these rounds - but Starline says "not back orderable....we'll maybe get to it one day..."

It looks like I'll need to start reloading. Do you mind if I pick your brain about getting started? I'm a total newb at reloading. LOL It'll also be useful in the other calibers I shoot that have gone up in price recently.

Tall

· #36 · 9 d ago

Bibbyman said:
Who'd a thought. Make 32WCF from 32 Nagant.

Great video thank you!

azshot

· #37 · 9 d ago

blauder said:
It looks like I'll need to start reloading. Do you mind if I pick your brain about getting started? I'm a total newb at reloading. LOL It'll also be useful in the other calibers I shoot that have gone up in price recently.

I recommend you get a good reloading manual for the type of shooting you'll do. Read it cover to cover a few times, then come back to internet forums with any questions. Reloading is like any complicated endeavor, say developing film or learning to rock climb, you need to learn from published experts, not random opinions (which will vary a lot).

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Bibbyman

· #38 · 9 d ago

blauder said:
It looks like I'll need to start reloading. Do you mind if I pick your brain about getting started? I'm a total newb at reloading. LOL It'll also be useful in the other calibers I shoot that have gone up in price recently.

Most if not all the reloading brands offer a kit of all the basic tools you'll need. I'm going to be the odd one and suggest a simple single station C press. Not one of the big automated machines. Lee makes the most affordable products.

Major II

· #39 · 9 d ago

Tall said:
Some fairly good news - not sure what it actually means. Starline says it may start making 32 WCF brass again

Thats good news

STARVATION

· #40 · 9 d ago

A quick google search turned up loaded ammo in stock on several sites from $50.00 for 50 to $380.00 for 500. Happy hunting.

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