reloading handgun bullets in rifle cartridges

[4TheResistance]

OK so I have a 91/30 and it slugs at .314 and surprize theres no rifle bullets that size:banghead:. Ther is however some 32 caliber handgun bullets that are .314, and I've seen chamber inserts that fit the 91/30 but you put 32 caliber ammo in it. So I figured maybe just maybe I could use them to load(the bullets not the inserts of course). I've been using .308 hrn110gr. with terrible accuracy (6 thou difference). I neck size and factory crimp and was going to get a lee universal expander die if this was doable. Thanks in advance all...

PS: My thoughts were to go with cast bullets(like always) but this sucker has some pretty DEEP rifleing, will this make a difference?

 

[acoop101]

It should work, it may not stabilize the boolit but it makes cheep effective blasting ammo also you will have to develop your own loads since not many full power cartridge have pistol boolit loads. you might want to look up the article on the universal 30 caliber load and use the load described under gallery loads. good luck and happy reloading.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Most .32acp bullets are ,311 or .312". This is why some cheaper or European (or South American) .32acps give such poor accuracy as their bores will run to .314 or who knows what.

Your best bet is to use the .311 diameter bullets for the .303 Enfield and 7.7 Jap. Hornady lists their .303 bullets a .312",so these should be just what you need.

I've had several SKS's and they all shot ok with .308" bullets, but their bores ran to .310-.311".

Of course you can get excellent results from cast bullets. The Lee .312-185-1R will cast to .314-.316" and cast hard with a GasCheck will be capable of upwards of 2,200fps and give excellent accuracy. I'd recommend sizing them to .315" for your rifle. Of course you could try to find some other moulds but for the ~$20 of the Lee mould, you can't go wrong.

 

[Remo-99]

My thoughts were to go with cast bullets(like always) but this sucker has some pretty DEEP rifleing, will this make a difference?

All the better for a lead bullet to bite into and make it spin. Unless the bore is particularly rough, shouldn't matter to lead slugs.
And size 'em bigger than the barrel groove diameter.

 

[JimKirk]

I may be wrong, probably am, but I think that they make bump up dies that you can buy or have made. These basically swage the bullet up in size by compressing it. Go over to the CastBoolet site and dig around in the swaging sub section, I think you may come up with what you need to do what you want.

Jimmy K

 

[EMC45]

Shot plenty of 32 ACP slugs out of my Mosins. work just fine! They were Magtech bullets BTW. I think I used a light load of unique. Accurate and fairly quiet.

 

[4TheResistance]

Would I need a different press for swageing, because I would like to get a 303 or AK mold and a (hopefully cheap) die for what jimkirk mentioned to make some really accurate ammo for this sucker. I figured I would whip out some handloads and they'd be way more accurate than surplus on consistency alone. But nooo! (6 thou. diff.) I have to through some more money at it so I can save more later.

 

[4TheResistance]

Shot plenty of 32 ACP slugs out of my Mosins. work just fine! They were Magtech bullets BTW. I think I used a light load of unique. Accurate and fairly quiet.

So you used pistol powder in these rifle cases or did you have one of those inserts? If it was rifle cases, do you have some load data, for bullseye perhaps?

 

[armarsh]

I did this too, for a Norinco SKS that had a .314 bore. I just used the same powder (AA1680) as I was using for the rifle bullets.

 

[4TheResistance]

So I should just use my normal rifle powder then, gotcha. I was really just worried about the COAL with them being so much shorter, but it is bolt action so would that matter.

 

[Kernel]

Perhaps you could try some cast bullets for the .32-20 WCF. It’s a rifle cartridge, not handgun, so you may find the bullets more appropriate than .32 ACP. Typically they will have a 0.313-0314” diameter. The 32-20 was a pretty low power affair, even by 19th century standards, so the heaviest bullets you can normally find will be 115 grain, though I have seen some as heavy as 135 gr.

I buy cast 32-20 bullets in bulk, then use a Lee sizing die to resize them as needed to make plinking loads for .30-30 (sized to .311“ - it‘s a Marlin with Microgrove), .30-06 & .308 (sized to .309“), and .303 Brit (left unsized).

Get on the phone with some of the better casting houses and you may be able to find one that will case one “semi custom” a little larger for your needs.

In any event, they’re not very expensive, something like $30-$40 per 500, and they can make for some inexpensive plinking. Here’s one from Penn:

http://www.pennbullets.com/32/3220115rnfpbb.html

 

[MissouriBullet]

We have a .32-20 rifle bullet (18 BHN) that weighs 120 grains and is sized to .313, if that helps at all. I'd be happy to point you to the URL of that bullet if you want to see a photo or whatever.

Brad

 

[4TheResistance]

those 32-20 bullets are the same length as the 32's though right, so it wouldnt make a difference, but what about the COAL, will it have any effect being a bolt action?

 

[Kernel]

Forgot to mention in my earlier post: .32-20 bullets, resized to 0.309", work great in the M1 Carbine, also. Even the crimp groove is in the perfect spot.

 

[4TheResistance]

ok then its settled, I'll be pickin some up next week and Im thinkin there going to work out way better than these .308's at 30$ for 100 jacketed, those 32's are 30$ for 300 lead localy

 

[EMC45]

Loaded the pistol bullets on the 7.62X54R brass with a light loading of Unique I believe. They were quiet(er) and they were accurate.

 

[Kernel]

those .32-30 bullets... what about the COAL, will it have any effect being a bolt action?

COAL will not be an issue with .32-20 bullets in a 7.62x54R. They're so short (relative to a typical miliarty FMJ bullet), that even if you loaded them so far out that they were nearly falling out of the mouth, the COAL still wouldn't be long enough to be a problem. Just load them to the crimp groove and you'll be good.

 

[Maj Dad]

If you're a caster, Lyman has a 200 gr RNGC mould designed for the 303 Brit that casts at .314 and is perfect for the Mosins, Enfields and anything else with a larger bore. As a gas check bullet, you will not have to deal with leading like you may with a flat base slug. One thing you have to remember when loading greater diameter bullets, you may need a larger neck expander to avoid crushing when seating bullets (I use a 303 for my 30-40 & .310 cast). I use Lyman M dies that expand the neck a bit more about half way to ease lead bullet seating. Midway has the mould for $62...

http://http://www.midwayusa.com/viewProduct/?productNumber=530266

 

[4TheResistance]

$62 man thats steep, I was going to pick up a lee universal expanding die, and I really want one of those freechecks

 

[Maj Dad]

I think I also also have a Lee mould for the 303 that drops 180 gr bullets at about 314 - don't recall the number, but all of Lee's moulds are about $20 from Midway. If you do cast, you can make the bullet with the diameter you need. I tend to like heavy bullets (=/> 190 gr) for the 30's; more KE and go as fast as the slightly lighter ones considering the upper practical limits of lead bullet velocity.

 

[Fatelvis]

An excellent reason to start casting your own bullets! Start with the Lyman 314299, I guarantee you'll like it!