TargetTalk

I am looking to see if anyone shooting 32 ACP for the center fire portion of bullseye matches, has any info to offer regarding ammo. With the match grade stuff hard to get, is there a factory load ammo that anyone is having good success with, that holds good groups? I have PMC, Prvi, and Fiocchi brands available in FMJ. I was told by the guys at Pardini (I plan on shooting a Pardini SP in 32 ACP) that the Hornady 32 ACP in the 60 gr hollow point is a really accurate round and what they suggest right now if available....which its not.....so I need some other alternatives.

Greetings,

You will find that purchasing factory ammo will not offer consistent results. The same ammo will shoot different with each lot number.

The only way to get true match ammo is to load it yourself.

Do not just rely on my opinion, talk to some of the top Military shooters. The ammunition companies offers various lots of ammo for them to test. They, the Military, buy the best ones after testing them. Guess who gets the ammo that does not shoot well?

In my testing of the Hornady 60 grain XTP commercially loaded ammo, it shot okay. At least ten ring at 50 yards.

Handloaded Hornady 60 grain XTP bullets shot X-ring at 50 yards.

Cheers,

Dave

Murph wrote:I am looking to see if anyone shooting 32 ACP for the center fire portion of bullseye matches, has any info to offer regarding ammo. With the match grade stuff hard to get, is there a factory load ammo that anyone is having good success with, that holds good groups? I have PMC, Prvi, and Fiocchi brands available in FMJ. I was told by the guys at Pardini (I plan on shooting a Pardini SP in 32 ACP) that the Hornady 32 ACP in the 60 gr hollow point is a really accurate round and what they suggest right now if available....which its not.....so I need some other alternatives.

Another issue is that factory loaded ammo is essentially unobtainable right now. Even if you can find it, most sellers limit to 100 rounds per order which is more or less useless for bullseye. It took me a couple of months, but I was able to get together everything I need to load 32 acp myself. Even with new brass and XTPs, it's still cheaper than buying factory loaded.

I'm currently experimenting with lead bullets to have a cheaper 25 yard line alternative. Hornady 90gr LSWC worked VERY badly. Trying Rimrock 75gr FPs next, which I've been told work well, at least for one other person.

I have been putting it off, but I guess to time to get the reloading equipment.

I have shot a fair amount of lead in my Pardini and the problem is that the ACP brass will only hold a bullet about .280 deep in the brass. After that deep, it tapers to a smaller inside diameter fast.

Initially I shot the gun with Lyman 313 round nose 85 grain bullets sized at .313 and the bullets didn't touch the die everywhere as it is smaller in some places than .313. The gun would shoot consistent 3 inch groups at 50 yards but I felt it was capable of more and bought an Accurate 85 grain mold that would cast at over .314. and the results were very good but now I had flyers that could be very bad.

At this point I am of the opinion that the base of the bullet is too long and wish I had custom designed the bullet instead of picking an existing bullet off the Accurate site. Soon I will get around to cutting .030 off the bottom of the mold and see whether it will straighten out the flyer problem. I am guessing that the area where the case gets smaller on the inside is upsetting the base of the bullet and causing the flyers. I might try loading some with the bullet farther out from the case front and loading them one at a time without the magazine to see if that corrects the problem but I think the bullet will engrave the rifling if I do that. The magazine is such that it won't allow a very long or wide nose on the bullet and I think the rifling begins immediately after the chamber.

As far as I can tell, there are no available commercial bullets nor an available bullet in a factory mold that would work with the barrel in my gun that is sized at .3137. At this time this means a custom mold or a different barrel with a smaller inside diameter where you could use the RCBS 77 grain mold.

If anyone knows of a commercial mold that will throw at least .314 bullets at a weight of around 75 grains, let me know. I am not sure why the factory went with a barrel that is .314 because the ACP case is really made for something smaller. When I shove my .314 expander in the case, it bulges it a bit and it has to be exactly the right length or else it would be necessary to expand the case in one step and flare in another.

What powder load works with the 60 gr Hornady XTP bullets? Also are you able to get the powder to meter consistently?

Thanks,
Louis

I haven't used any jacketed bullets and I think that once a case has been expanded for use with a lead bullet, it might not grip a jacketed bullet correctly any more. I might try some in the future just for kicks but I'll do that when I am finished with the lead. I have been using Accurate #2 and with a modified powder bar in my Dillon, it will go down to 1.2 grains and is quite accurate. My next choice would be Power Pistol which is just about as good. I tried 231, Clays, Trail Boss, and WST, and while they work well, they don't measure well. I think some of the Vhitavuori powders would measure well also. I use a load of 1.5 of #2 with an 85 grain lead bullet but 60 is lighter and it takes more powder to send a jacketed bullet also. I think 1.5 of #2 would be safe with a jacketed 60 grain bullet but I expect it would be way to light and my guess is that you will wind up somewhere around 2 or more grains. When you do something like this be careful a bullet doesn't stick in the barrel. Also keep in mind that the 32 ACP case being short changes a lot depending how deep the base of the bullet is seated.

Greetings,

I located scans of some test targets I fired at 50 yards back in 2009.

The velocity is near maximum; so, I would try to bring it down to 900-950 FPS.

Cheers,

Dave

Thanks Oldcaster. I was using Clays with my 650 and will be trying out either the Accurate #2 load or Alliant Power Pistol.

One other problem I had when I started with the 60 gr XTP was that the bullet was seating with a noticeable angle. I switched from the Redding die to a Hornady die and the bullet is now straight. It looked like the Redding die was intended for round nose bullets.

The local guys here are trying Zero jacketed bullets with good results. Experimentation is ongoing.

lpc, One of the problems that I think I have is that when expanding the cases for a lead bullet, the cases won't always expand center and get a larger bulge in one side of the case than the other and consequently the bullet would be crooked. I tried comparing the worse in the group with the best and also dividing the groups up by measuring the brass thickness and going with the best. I couldn't tell any difference and still had my problems with flyers. I am pretty sure that when I get the back of my mold cut off so the bullets are shorter, my problems will be solved. When we are working with a case that is this small both in length and width I think all the problems can be magnified but my results so far say that when I get all the parameters worked out, this cartridge will be a great performer.

Oldacster, this is somewhat OT, but I was having the same problem of eccentric neck expansion while loading for the .45 ACP. I bought a Lyman "M" neck expander die and I have not had a problem with off-center bulges since.

Roger

Rover wrote:The local guys here are trying Zero jacketed bullets with good results. Experimentation is ongoing.

They are? I didn't know Zero made 32 bullets. Don Plante and I are both using the Hornady XTPs. I just tried Rim Rock 75gr flat point cast lead bullets last night with good results. I will post more "scientific" results when I make ransom rest/chronograph measurements (with both bullets).

If Zero 32s are available, I want to know about it!

I use custom expanders for my 550 in all of my pistol calibers except 38 which doesn't seem to matter. I never had any problem with 45's but they don't have to be expanded much and even using multiple brands don't cause any issues. The biggest variable in them is length. I didn't have any problems in 32 long either even though I was using a large expander but I didn't mix brands of cases like the 38's and I think the long case negates this problem. Also I think the idea of having to shoot bullets sized .314 in a 32 ACP is foolish. The barrels ought to be around .311 or so. There are enough of us now experimenting and soon I expect excellent results from someone.

cgroppi is right.

As refreshingly unconcerned with the vulgar exigencies of veracity as I am, I was thinking of Zero's .45 bullets instead of the .32 Hornady's.

As a small reward for the Professor's assiduousness, I offer to him:

Mangia Bene e' Buono Fortuna


http://vimeo.com/70776419

fc60 wrote:Greetings,

You will find that purchasing factory ammo will not offer consistent results. The same ammo will shoot different with each lot number.

The only way to get true match ammo is to load it yourself.

Do not just rely on my opinion, talk to some of the top Military shooters. The ammunition companies offers various lots of ammo for them to test. They, the Military, buy the best ones after testing them. Guess who gets the ammo that does not shoot well?

In my testing of the Hornady 60 grain XTP commercially loaded ammo, it shot okay. At least ten ring at 50 yards.

Handloaded Hornady 60 grain XTP bullets shot X-ring at 50 yards.

Cheers,

Dave

I shot a match today for the first time with my new Pardini 32 ACP. I started out a bit off, but after settling in, i was easily shooting high 90's one after the other.....I would say with the same exact accuracy as my Pardini SP 22. I used Hornady factory XTP 60 grain for the 32 ACP. It performed flawlessly with no feed, fire, or ejection issues. I was able to say with each shot, in my head, exactly where it was hitting. That ammo is perfect. Just too bad how expensive it is and how hard it is to get. But it worked perfect.