Will 100gr Gold Dots Expand When Fired from .32 H&R?

[Dain Bramage]

I ordered 500 100gr Speer Gold Dot JHP from Graf & Son's. G&S only describes them as ".32". When they arrived, the boxes were marked for .327 mag. Trouble is, I don't own a .327, only .32 H&R mags.

I want to load them with Alliant 2400 powder, at or close to max load. Speer only shows loads for .327 with these bullets, with min. 2400 loads at over 1300 fps. Their slowest load for this bullet (non-2400) is higher than 1200 fps.

Strangely, Alliant only shows loads for this bullet in .32 H&R mag, not .327. Their 2400 recipe tops out close to 1100 fps.

So, my question is: should I load these bullets for .32 H&R mag? Do they have any chance of expanding at H&R mag velocities? I would be firing from a 4" barrel S&W Model 631.

I asked Speer this question from their website last week, and have not received a reply.

Also, is this 100 gr. Gold Dot the same bullet used by Georgia Arms for their hot .32 H&R mag load?

 

[Dain Bramage]

Heard back from Speer:

At issue is the load data for the 32 H&R Mag was done with a cup-and-core bullet # 3981, which is no longer made. The pressure MAX for the 32 H&R Mag is 21,000 CUP. The 327 Federal uses a plated bullet # 3990 and is driven to 1500 fps in the 327 Fed factory load, the pressure for the caliber is 45,000 psi. You could expect near the same performance from the 32 H&R Mag at the muzzle as you would have from the 327 Fed at 100 yds.

So, it sounds like the 100gr .312 bullet sold at Graf & Sons is not optimal for the .32 H&R Mag. I'll ask them to add some kind of a note.

 

[JLDickmon]

my bet is you'll get more reliable expansion out of the Gold Dot.

I'd rock it.