Thread: sp101 32 H&R

Of course, the SP101 was designed about 90 years after the K-frame S&W. I think people learned a few things during that time. Not a slap against the SP101. I have one of the early ones (short cylinder, .38 Special) along with several J-and K-frame S&W's. It is just comparing the two is like comparing apples and oranges.

Your Bullseye load is not at all a problem. In fact, it is mild. Haven't used Green Dot, so I cannot comment on that. I have a bunch of info I have collected on the .32 Magnum and the .32 Long before that. What powders and bullet types are you looking for?

Of course, you are right, the guns were designed in two very different eras to be sure. Still, it is interesting.
Well, I only have the one mould right now. I hope to have an rcbs 32-98gr swc mould here shortly though. Also, I am having buckshot hollowpoint one cavity of my lyman 3118 so that will in effect, be another bullet to play with.

as far as powders on the shelf that might be suitable, I have: BE, GD, Unique, 2400, 296, IMR4227, 800X. I would like to work up a good, accurate load (sub 2-inch at 25yrds) that will run 900fps with the 115, out of magnum brass. The target load in the Long cases will be an easy one and will be worked up with the lighter rcbs bullet when I get the mould.

I use the same bullet (Saeco 98gr) at two different hardnesses for two different loads in a Ruger Single-Six. Yours should be equally strong. I also have a S&W 631 that I will NOT shoot anything heavier than factory loads in. The plinking load is 3.2gr of WW231 and a hardness of Bhn 9-10. The slightly heavier (but not much) load is 4.5gr of Unique with the same bullet. Both are accurate, but WW231 meters easier. These are not as strong as the factory load, but are heavier than .32 Long loads. Plenty good for small game. I have a Lyman 311316 GC, but have only used it in the 32-20.

When the bullet is cast with Bhn 18-19, you can use 2400. It will depend on the smoothness of the barrel, but 6.2gr works well for me. That is as powerful as the .32 Factory load, or maybe hair more.

Check what diameter you need. My Ruger works well sized to 0.312", but can take 0.313" if I am very careful when loading. Since my S&W will not take anything more than 0.312", I use that for both. Several of my older .32's (Colt and H&R) can take 0.314". I have best luck with the largest diameter that will chamber in that particular gun.

You can go higher than that in the Ruger (but NOT in my S&W J-frame), but I have to go to jacketed. I have tried the 85gr and 100gr Hornady XTP bullets with good results. After a little playing around, I decided to stay with the 85gr for the .32 Magnum and reserve the 100gr for my 32-20's. Anyway, I have gone up to 8.5gr of 2400 with the 85gr bullet. Ejection was a problem, but the load was accurate. That is always a problem with the Single-Six, but more so with this load. I ended up working down to 7.5gr before I got easy ejection. Also accurate.

I also did some playing around with Trail Boss. It worked well in my lightweight Colt PPS in 32-20, so I decided to try it in the .32 Magnum. It works, but no point in using it there. The case is small enough that the lightweight powder is not needed to keep from double-charging it. I also tried SR4756, which works well for heavy loads in a heavier-duty 32-20, but it was nothing special in the .32 Magnum.

I have no experience with the other powders.

I have a Ruger SP101 and use it quite a bit. My target load is 2.8/ 231 behind a Lee GB 100 Keith (casts .314" and I size to .313") using .32 S&W L cases. If you wish to use the .32 H&R Cases, I use 3.2 in the magnum case.

For a full load, I use a .314/120 RF GB mould bullet ahead of 10.0 H110 (this gives 1100 fps in my 6" barreled S&W 16-4).

I just LOVE the .32's (only have four of them...)

Dale53

Thanks to all for the comments. I plan to go out and shoot the gun today for the first time with the loads mentioned above. I hope all goes well. I will report back. Regards.

I missed the part about .32 Long cases. Dale53 is right on that. You should reduce the loads when used in Long cases -- at least for revolvers chambered for the .32 Long. Your gun would be strong enough to use the 3.2gr WW231 load in a Long case, but it would be at higher pressure and the soft lead bullet might not take it. I would think there would be no problem using the higher load with Long cases and the harder bullet, however.

I used to use .32 Long cases in the .32 Magnum when no one was making the Magnum case for reloaders and the ones that Federal made were brittle. Now that Starline is making the Magnum brass, I don't use anything other that Magnum in the Magnum chambers anymore.

Red Dot and Bullseye can be used interchangeably with what I have listed for WW231 above. Both are good for light and medium loads. Red Dot does not meter very well and Bullseye meters well enough, but not quite as good as WW231.

As a caution, I had no problem with accuracy using most bullets (any of them that have a rounded part to the front side of the bullet -- which definitely includes the RCBS 98gr) in the Magnum revolver with shorter Long cases. HOWEVER, I did not have good accuracy with Hornady swaged 90gr hollow-base wadcutters when used with the shorter cases. Accuracy was no problem with the same bullet and load in the longer case.

BTW, here are some published loads in the powders you asked about. I have no experience with any of them, so use standard cautions.

Green Dot and 115gr plain-base cast = 2.5gr at 855fps; 2.8gr (max) at 920fps
Green Dot and 98gr plain-base hard-cast = 3.5gr (max) at 1,010fps
Green Dot and 85gr jacketed = 3.5gr (max) at 1,035fps
WW296 and 100gr jacketed = 9.1gr at 311 meters/sec; 9.9gr (max) at 323 meters/sec
4227 and 85gr jacketed = 8.5gr to 9.5gr (max), no velocities given
4227 and 90gr JHP = 10.0gr (max), 1,079fps
800x and 85gr jacketed = 2.5 to 3.7gr (max), no velocities given

Hmmm, I wonder now how fast I'm pushing those pills now. You state 3.7gr max with 800x. I've been pushing a 100gr lee RN with 5.5gr of 800x. I need to break out the chrono and see how fast they're coming out of a 3" sp101.

Originally Posted by 9.3X62AL

I hope Big Slick chimes in here shortly. He is doing some VERY intrepid work with an SP-101 x 4", and has taken the caliber several notches above anything I have tried in my Ruger SSM or the S&W 16-4 x 6".

No kidding. I think this will call him out. Oh 'Slii-ick, where arrrrrrre youuuuu??

Every time I see mention of 800x and the .32 mag, I grin,because ken waters raved about it in his pet loads. I tried it as well, but luckily it didnt shoot no better than any other powder. I said luckily, because 800x has to be the worst powder ever designed! I have numerous powder measures, and never found a measure that would throw 800x accurate. Id rather watch wet paint dry,than weigh every charge! Speaking of Mr. Waters, is he still alive and with us?

Originally Posted by 9.3X62AL

Apparently, Slick is crazy-busy with work right now. He'll jump in when he gets clear, I imagine.

I seriously wonder what he does. I try not to pick into people's personal lives but he is just an interesting guy.

Well, I chronoed the loads yesterday.
The 2.0grs of bullseye in Long cases under the 115gr Lyman 3118 was good for 700fps. out of the 3-inch SP101.
The same bullet in Magnum cases over 4.0 of Green Dot went 1,000fps.
I am going to try 4.5grs Green Dot next.
Thanks to everyone for their help.

Incidently, this gun came with the hogue rubber finger groove grips. Does anyone make a larger grip for this gun? In need a little more reach to the trigger so my hand does not cramp up from pulling the trigger.

800X is HUGE!!!!!!

More so than most calibers, the .32 Magnum has to be matched to the strength of the gun it is shot in. That leads to a very wide range of what is actually "maximum".

The original H&R's (and I would also consider my S&W J-frame in the same category), should not be shot at anything more than factory load pressures. I believe that is about 22,000psi. Then there is the Ruger Single-Six and S&W K-frame. They can go considerably more than factory loads. I believe the loads I shoot in my Single-Six are around 28,000-30,000psi. Then there is the heavy frame Ruger 32-20/.32 Mag convertible (and some place the SP-101 in that category), that could take rifle pressures if you are so inclined.

Just make sure you don't shoot a load for a heavier gun in a lighter gun. Although I have not done this with a .32 Magnum, I have done it with a 32-20. It did damage the gun.

Just to get the pot perking, somewhere I have copies of Skeeter Skelton's articles on the then-new .32 Magnum Single-Six and his handloads. He was getting about 1,450fps from it (from memory) in his first article. In his second article, he said that a .32 Magnum manufacturer requested, received, and tested his loads in their pressure gun (not named, but only Federal was making them). They tested out at nearly double the SAAMI maximum pressure (again from memory, it was around 40,000psi). He withdrew the load publicly, but he said he would continue to use it himself. He said he had a lot of confidence in the little Ruger. He died shortly after that (not because of his handloads), so he did not shoot it for long, but when he died, I understand he still had all of his fingers, so he must have known something about handloading.

Back in November 1985, Skeeter Skelton wrote in Shooting Times: "Our first "keeper" load was comprised of a cast RCBS 32-98 grain flatpoint bullet, sized .312 and weighing 100 grains, over 8.7 grains of 2400 powder. This round made one-inch groups at 20 yards and registered 1,227fps on my Oehler Model 33. Another selected handload proved substantially more potent -- the Hornady 85 grain JHP over 9.4 grains of Accurate Arms No. 7 powder for 1,448fps and two inch groups from a sandbag rest."

A while later, he published that a "large ammunition maker" tested those loads and sent the following: "Your handload with the Hornady 85 grain bullet, fired in our pressure barrel, gave a velocity of 1,503 fps and a pressure of 38,940 psi. The 100 grain cast bullet gave a velocity of 1,263 fps and a pressure of 30,940 psi. For comparison, the Federal 95 grain lead bullet, fired in the same barrel, gave 1,038 fps and 21,500 psi."

Still later, in September 1986, Skeeter said about his Nov. 1985 article: "I believe, and still believe, that the Ruger Single-Six will stand up to this load with no problems, but I cannot -- and will not -- recommend it to others.......The little Ruger is an exceptionally strong revolver -- and the ONLY one in which I would fire such a load. My work with this gun/load combination was purely for my own edification, and anyone else who tries it does so entirely on his own responsibility."

Sounds to me like someone got spanked.