Author Topic: 32 cal most accurate load?  (Read 16172 times)

Southernstyle

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32 cal most accurate load?
« on: October 29, 2015, 06:50:56 AM »
Hi,

I'm building a 32 cal. and I was wondering what the most popular load is. I know guns vary and I am doing  a 44 inch Rice barrel.  What is your favorite accurate load? I assume everyone uses a .310 ball?  What thickness patch and how much powder? Thanks.

Offline Dewey

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #1 on: October 29, 2015, 07:11:43 AM »
0.310 ball, .015 patch, and 20 gr of 3F.

willyr

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #2 on: October 29, 2015, 01:11:18 PM »
.323 ball, .017 plain ticking patch, 35 grains ffg goex. This is in a green mountain barrel. Do not discount this load until you try it.
 Be well,
Bill

Offline Dennis Glazener

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #3 on: October 29, 2015, 04:12:24 PM »
Quote
I'm building a 32 cal. and I was wondering what the most popular load is. I know guns vary and I am doing  a 44 inch Rice barrel.  What is your favorite accurate load? I assume everyone uses a .310 ball?  What thickness patch and how much powder? Thanks.
I had a Rice 44 inch barrel with radius rifling and I used .018 pillow ticking and a .310 ball but it was too hard to load! It shot one hole groups at 25 yards but I later got a few .305 balls and they shot just as well with 25 grains of Goex FFF and were far easier to load. I used Lehigh Valley lube and had almost no fouling problems.
Dennis
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Offline Tony N

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #4 on: October 29, 2015, 05:11:07 PM »
I have a Rice 42" barrel and use .310 ball w/ .014 ticking and 35 gr's. of 3f Goex.  Mr. flintlock lube

Shoots better than I can hold it!

~Tony

Offline Daryl

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #5 on: October 29, 2015, 08:29:17 PM »
I use both .311 and .320" pure lead balls, as well as some .310's I bought in Hornady's red 100 ball box (not buckshot).  I use the same patches with all, whatever is handy, but it's either the 10ounce denim which I measure at .022" or the heavy mattress ticking that is red/white/light blue/dark blue at .0235".

 I use 35gr. 3F with water-based lubes and must use 40gr. 3f GOEX with LHV, Track's Mink Oil or Neetsfoot Oil. No wiping - ever - is needed wile shooting and with the greases and oils, the last load is easier than the first one loaded in a dry barrel.

I use a short starter and the rifle's 5/16" hickory rod for loading.

At 25 yards only, 20gr. of powder will make a .45 cal hole for 5 shots, but at 50yards, that powder charge opens the 5 shot group to 3".  35gr. is needed to shrink that to 1" using water based lubes and 40gr. for oils and greases - same patches.

This is the muzzle crown of that rifle. It does not cut the patch at all, being smoothly radiused to groove depth. The rifling is all wrong in this barrel, having narrow grooves and wide lands, yet it loads easily due to the crown allowing the ball and patch to flow nicely as they are introduced into the bore.

Daryl

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Southernstyle

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #6 on: October 30, 2015, 05:03:28 AM »
Thanks for the replies, I have them written down and will try them. Great information

Offline Gene Carrell

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #7 on: October 30, 2015, 12:30:50 PM »
My C. Brooks 32cal bbl. shoots best with .319 rb, .018 ticking lubed with mink oil propelled by 35gr of3Fg powder. It does not shoot .310's at all in my experience. It is a hand-cut, not production, barrel which may have something to do with it.
« Last Edit: October 31, 2015, 10:12:40 AM by Gene Carrell »
Gene

Offline hanshi

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #8 on: October 30, 2015, 07:49:05 PM »
Since I use the heavy mattress ticking like Daryl described (.024" when I measure it) and a .311" ball, the only variable is the powder charge.  My Crockett, sadly gone, shot sub 1" groups at 45 yards - and at 50 yds on a good day.  The load was 30 grains of 3F although 20 grains almost equaled that.  Almost any liquid (water based) lube worked.  That (30grns) load dropped some squirrels, too. 

With my flintlock Tn .32 (Rice round groove bbl) almost any charge does well.  However 15 grains of 3F appears to be the load that really shines.  More shooting is called for so another load might attain first place.
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Offline Gun_Nut_73

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #9 on: October 31, 2015, 11:02:57 PM »
.310 round ball and washed pillow ticking from local fabric store.  I use and empty .223 Remington case with a brass eyelet soldered in the primer pocket as a measure.  Holds right about 25 grains of 3F, and fits the bore better than the commercial cases.  Not historically correct, but I get good groups with it.

Offline Molly

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #10 on: November 01, 2015, 02:17:42 AM »
Today, 25 yards, .031 ball w/ .018 lubed patch.  25 gr Goex 3F. (Originally said for the ball .0395 in error)


OK OK  For the final time and hopefully the correct info.......  .310

See photo.  That's a 5 round group and the center is 1 inch.

« Last Edit: November 01, 2015, 08:24:58 PM by Molly »

Offline D. Taylor Sapergia

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #11 on: November 01, 2015, 07:34:28 PM »
Molly:  nice shooting!  With a .395" ball, you must be using a .40 cal.  this thread is about the .32 cal.
D. Taylor Sapergia
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Offline Molly

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #12 on: November 01, 2015, 08:12:08 PM »
My mistake!  Ball is .031.  Brains was telling fingers what to type but they were not listening!
« Last Edit: November 01, 2015, 08:14:11 PM by Molly »

Offline Dewey

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #13 on: November 01, 2015, 08:17:29 PM »
That's a small ball!
Even BBs are 0.180 "    :o

(Ok ... we know you meant 0.310, but I couldn't resist ! )   :D

Nice shooting !!!   8)
« Last Edit: November 01, 2015, 08:21:45 PM by Dewey »

Offline Molly

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #14 on: November 01, 2015, 08:23:13 PM »
GEEEEEZZZZZZ

I'm going back to bed and get up tomorrow!

YES, .310

I was pretty pleased with the results.  BUT it was only 25 yards.  I need to do that at 50 yards to be really happy.  How come one can be so consistent on one day and so bad on another?  I blame it in part of just shooting so many different rifles and so many different calibers and not really getting good with any.  I think I need to stick with one for a while but I just like the experience of a 32 cal one day and a 58 the next
« Last Edit: November 01, 2015, 08:29:39 PM by Molly »

Offline D. Taylor Sapergia

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #15 on: November 01, 2015, 09:13:13 PM »
I'm in the same boat Molly.  I have two .40's, three .50's, and a number of other single firearms in various calibres, and I love to shoot them all.  Here's the thing:  if you neglect a particular rifle for too long, it will pout and let you know it when you take it out next time.
D. Taylor Sapergia
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HAWKEN

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #16 on: November 01, 2015, 11:15:37 PM »
0.310 ball, .015 patch, and 20 gr of 3F.


That is my exact load.  My rifle is a factory assembled Traditions Crockett and is very accurate with this load........robin   ;)

Offline D. Taylor Sapergia

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #17 on: November 02, 2015, 01:28:50 AM »
....and Molly, you're not getting full use of that big target!
D. Taylor Sapergia
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Offline hanshi

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #18 on: November 02, 2015, 02:22:58 AM »
This 36 yard target, even with the obvious flier, is still only 1-1/16" for 5 shots.  The load was 30 grains of 3F and a .311" ball and a .018" patch lubed with Hoppes #9 BP lube.  It fired these tiny groups when I did my part...and despite my usual performance.  DANG FLIER!.

!Jozai Senjo! "always present on the battlefield"
Young guys should hang out with old guys; old guys know stuff.

Offline Molly

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #19 on: November 02, 2015, 03:25:48 AM »
Believe me DT, that's not the way most of them look when I get done.  On just about every rifle my early couple shots seem pretty good.  Then I put a few around the perimeter, but still not embarrassingly off.  Then I lob one on the outer ring or maybe even off the target.  I also tend to pull the firing trigger slightly before I'm ready on occasion.  And then there are always the eternal interruptions.  As was the case Friday, a guy wanted to jaw about shooting and tell me about his rifle.  But I endure even if I only get to fire a few times in 2 hours!

Offline D. Taylor Sapergia

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #20 on: November 02, 2015, 03:55:55 AM »
We are more fortunate here Molly.  We can set up targets on our BP range, and never see another soul all day.  Even when we use the Centre Fire area where there are benches and more folks using the ranges, we still are not overwhelmed by looky-loos.
D. Taylor Sapergia
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Art is not an object.  It is the excitement inspired by the object.

Offline Tony N

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #21 on: November 02, 2015, 04:28:01 AM »
This 36 yard target, even with the obvious flier, is still only 1-1/16" for 5 shots.  The load was 30 grains of 3F and a .311" ball and a .018" patch lubed with Hoppes #9 BP lube.  It fired these tiny groups when I did my part...and despite my usual performance.  DANG FLIER!.



Very nice group, minus the flyer!

~Tony

Offline WadePatton

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #22 on: November 04, 2015, 03:15:02 AM »
Thanks for the replies, I have them written down and will try them. Great information

This is not the most expeditious route to an accurate, non-fouling load for any rifle.  Every bore is different and someone else's pet perfect accurate loading may not be possible to load in your bbl.  Or their load may go down easy with two-fingers (the kind that fouls).  Also the length and mounting and fitment of the bbl play to the vibrations upon which accuracy is built.  Always different. 

Great luck with all the combinations you try but it's going to work better if you develop a load for your bbl and nevermind what exact combo someone else it running.

If you can give us actual bore and groove specs at the muzzle to the nearest .001" then it is possible, with a good smooth/radiused crown to get you pretty close on ball/patch thicknesses for a firm yet reasonable loading combo (which is yet going to vary some by exact avg ball size/lube/alloy/fabric)

which you have to build your charge values on, for accuracy and power.



It ain't as easy as Daryl makes it look...or is it?!   ;D ;)
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Offline Daryl

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #23 on: November 04, 2015, 07:07:32 PM »
Over the years we've developed loads for enough different guns, calibres and styles to achieve an understanding of what will most likely work in most any other rifle.  It actually works as to patch and ball size.
.020" to .023" patch - odd time a gun will need12 ounce denim which I measure at .025 in my mic and .030" with calipers.
Suffice to say, that with most any gun, a ball that is .005" smaller than the bore, with a 10 ounce denim patch, will shoot well, with a water based lube: GOEX powder used in these.
I do not like using 3F in the above .50's as I find 2f is more accurate and develops LESS pressure at any velocity. Meaning 1,700fps with 2f develops LESS pressure than 1,700fps with 3F.

35gr. 3F in a .32
45gr. 3F in a .36
60gr. 3F in a .40
65-70gr. 3F in a .45
85gr. 2F in a .50
85-100gr. 2F in a .54
100gr. 2f in a .58
115gr. 2F in a 62
125gr. of 2F in a .69

With oiled patches, these loads usually have to be increased to give the same accuracy and point of impact.

However, some people cannot stand to have this much fun with the larger bores and that's fine, too. The larger calibres (.54 and over) are usually not as finicky or picky as to load as-are the smaller calibres, and will usually shoot decently out to 10yards with lighter loads. The best accuracy in any particular rifle of course, is something you must find for yourself.

Daryl

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Offline D. Taylor Sapergia

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Re: 32 cal most accurate load?
« Reply #24 on: November 04, 2015, 09:13:29 PM »
will usually shoot decently out to 10yards with lighter loads.

Daryl:  do you want to edit that?
D. Taylor Sapergia
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Art is not an object.  It is the excitement inspired by the object.