32ACP reloading

Though much trial and error I learned something new today.   Have always been extremely unhappy with the fact the the case mouth expander is a powder through die activated by the powder drop on the Dillon presses.   I find this extremely difficult to both set up, and adjust.   It just isn’t easy to get to, or to adjust when you do. 
 This became particularly annoying when learning to reload 32ACP There seem to be all sorts of work arounds.   Most of them involving a hundred or so dollars and various time consuming change outs every time you switch from jacketed to lead on the 32ACP press.   
   A few days ago I ordered some Hornady 32ACP dies specifically to get the dedicated expander die.   This only works if you are loading on a Dillon 1050, but I put it in the empty slot between the powder drop, and the seating station.  
  Bullets are finally seating the way they are supposed to.   Straight.   No lead shaving.   I’m ordering dedicated expanders for 45ACP and 9mm both.

I have a whole elaborate system I won't get into for the 32, but for 45 and 9mm I find the Double Alpha/mr bullet feeder ptx die does a much better job. It's essentially an m die design.

Jwhelan939 wrote:I have a whole elaborate system I won't get into for the 32, but for 45 and 9mm I find the Double Alpha/mr bullet feeder ptx die does a much better job. It's essentially an m die design.

I first ordered the 32 Hornady M die, and it didn’t work.   Not exactly sure why except I think maybe the way the die is set up does not allow it to be screwed down deep enough to expand the neck case on a 32ACP.   At least on a Dillon 1050 Super.  
As it was,  with the Hornady 32ACP expander die,  I had to remove the original lock ring, and replace it with the Dillon ring, in order to get it positioned correctly.   

I think, in general, the M dies are the way to go for most calibers.

The Hornady dies are great for .32 acp...but that expander they provide is for jacketed only.  I don’t see it working well for lead, won’t expand enough.  That has been my experience.  The seating die is the cats a$$!  That sleeve to help center the bullet is great

Look forward to your lead testing

lablover wrote:The Hornady dies are great for .32 acp...but that expander they provide is for jacketed only.  I don’t see it working well for lead, won’t expand enough.  That has been my experience.  The seating die is the cats a$$!  That sleeve to help center the bullet is great

Look forward to your lead testing

Seems to work on my press. But as I said, I had to swap out the locking ring.   The .314 T&B bullets look perfect.   Dave has sent me some lead bullets to test in the Pardini.   I will let you know how it goes.  
What do you think about the Hornady resizing die for 32ACP?   Do you think it is better than the Redding?

One thing to check re' the M die. Lyman make/sell two different 32 M dies. The rifle die expander punch is too short for 32ACP. I had to return the first one I bought, then ordered the correct one (7342100). But, in any case, I gave up on that approach and went back to using my Dillon XL650 with Photoescape PTU's for the specific bullet I load. IMHO they are way superior to any of the other Dillon compatible expanders on the market.

Schaumannk wrote:

lablover wrote:The Hornady dies are great for .32 acp...but that expander they provide is for jacketed only.  I don’t see it working well for lead, won’t expand enough.  That has been my experience.  The seating die is the cats a$$!  That sleeve to help center the bullet is great

Look forward to your lead testing

Seems to work on my press. But as I said, I had to swap out the locking ring.   The .314 T&B bullets look perfect.   Dave has sent me some lead bullets to test in the Pardini.   I will let you know how it goes.  
What do you think about the Hornady resizing die for 32ACP?   Do you think it is better than the Redding?

Never tried the Redding. Just using the HORNADY for JHP and a Lee oversized for lead

Greetings,

Carbide Sizing dies for either the 32 ACP or 32 S&W Long are machined "one size fits all"

I modified a set of dies for "Tim in Joisey", now of Florida.

The die set increased in diameter by 0.001". I 'think' I modified seven dies for him.

He used the sizing die to match the bullet/brass combination being used.

32 ACP brass from the various vendors measures "all over the rainbow". Then the issue of the case walls not being of uniform thickness... A good reason to use quality brass all of the same head stamp.

I do not use an expander plug in my press. I size the brass case to allow just a friction fit with the bullet. My expander plug is only used to flare the case mouth.

I get fairly good results with this process.

Cheers,

Dave

“I do not use an expander plug in my press. I size the brass case to allow just a friction fit with the bullet. My expander plug is only used to flare the case mouth.

I get fairly good results with this process.“


My Redding die seems to be doing this for the 85g .312 Hornady bullets.  


I didn’t need any flare on the case mouth except for the .314T&B powder coated lead bullets.  That is all the Hornady expander die is doing for me.  Maybe a custom resizing die is in my future.   


If it is of any help, For diagnostic purposes my brass is all Starline.

Schaumannk wrote:

Jwhelan939 wrote:I have a whole elaborate system I won't get into for the 32, but for 45 and 9mm I find the Double Alpha/mr bullet feeder ptx die does a much better job. It's essentially an m die design.

I first ordered the 32 Hornady M die, and it didn’t work.   Not exactly sure why except I think maybe the way the die is set up does not allow it to be screwed down deep enough to expand the neck case on a 32ACP.   At least on a Dillon 1050 Super.  
As it was,  with the Hornady 32ACP expander die,  I had to remove the original lock ring, and replace it with the Dillon ring, in order to get it positioned correctly.   

I think, in general, the M dies are the way to go for most calibers.

They make more than one M Die stem! Bet the farm you ordered the wrong one like someone else did! The M die for 32 ACP works perfect

James Hensler wrote:

Schaumannk wrote:

Jwhelan939 wrote:I have a whole elaborate system I won't get into for the 32, but for 45 and 9mm I find the Double Alpha/mr bullet feeder ptx die does a much better job. It's essentially an m die design.

I first ordered the 32 Hornady M die, and it didn’t work.   Not exactly sure why except I think maybe the way the die is set up does not allow it to be screwed down deep enough to expand the neck case on a 32ACP.   At least on a Dillon 1050 Super.  
As it was,  with the Hornady 32ACP expander die,  I had to remove the original lock ring, and replace it with the Dillon ring, in order to get it positioned correctly.   

I think, in general, the M dies are the way to go for most calibers.

They make more than one M Die stem! Bet the farm you ordered the wrong one like someone else did! The M die for 32 ACP works perfect

Entirely possible.  Finding individual dies these days in stock without exorbitant shipping is like pulling teeth.

James Hensler wrote:

Schaumannk wrote:

Jwhelan939 wrote:I have a whole elaborate system I won't get into for the 32, but for 45 and 9mm I find the Double Alpha/mr bullet feeder ptx die does a much better job. It's essentially an m die design.

I first ordered the 32 Hornady M die, and it didn’t work.   Not exactly sure why except I think maybe the way the die is set up does not allow it to be screwed down deep enough to expand the neck case on a 32ACP.   At least on a Dillon 1050 Super.  
As it was,  with the Hornady 32ACP expander die,  I had to remove the original lock ring, and replace it with the Dillon ring, in order to get it positioned correctly.   

I think, in general, the M dies are the way to go for most calibers.

They make more than one M Die stem! Bet the farm you ordered the wrong one like someone else did! The M die for 32 ACP works perfect

I did a google search for Hornady M die and did not find anything. What is the M die?

An M die is a dedicated case mouth expander die.   It does not work with most Dillon presses because there aren’t enough stations for it.   You can use it on a single stage press of you can use it on a Dillon 1050 or an 1100.  The Dillon presses rely on a powder through expander die which is very difficult to make small adjustments to because the powder hopper has to be on it for it to work, and it is hard to adjust without removing the powder hopper and resetting it to check every adjustment.   I’m sure the M die would work on a Mark 7 press as well, except you can’t get those in 32.

Looks like I am going to start loading for 32 acp. Are there any JHP substitutes for Hornady XTP?

I see Privi makes a 32 cal JHP that is cheaper, maybe that is a good option?

hengehold wrote:Looks like I am going to start loading for 32 acp. Are there any JHP substitutes for Hornady XTP?

I see Privi makes a 32 cal JHP that is cheaper, maybe that is a good option?

Your best bet is to use the Hornady 85g JHPs only for the 50 yard line, and use something like the T&B 64g powder coated lead Bullets for the short line.   

I have been taking those T&B bullets and putting them through a Corbin swaging press, to change the flat base into a hollow base.  Those bullets tend to perform better in my gun, and can at least theoretically be shot at the 50 yard line as well.  Just haven’t had time or the weather to do much outdoor long line testing.  

One of the tricks of the trade, is go to the web sites that sell these Hornady Bullets and also have the option to notify you when and if they are back in stock.   Then watch your emails.    I was able to buy a second thousand of them from Brownells, this way, right after Thanksgiving.

I am new to BE pistol so pardon my ignorance.

Why would you want to shoot a hollow base bullet?

If a hollow base bullet is more accurate, why not just buy hollow base Bullets from the manufacturer?

hengehold wrote:I am new to BE pistol so pardon my ignorance.

Why would you want to shoot a hollow base bullet?

If a hollow base bullet is more accurate, why not just buy hollow base Bullets from the manufacturer?

Because hollow based Bullets,  for small calibers do tend to be more accurate.    Also Swaged bullets are more accurate than cast bullets.   
Which manufacturer?    If you can find someone who makes a Swaged 64g hollow based bullet, for less than a dime a piece, please point them out.   

I have a sunk cost in the Corbin press and the dies, granted,  but this equipment doesn’t really depreciate, and I can make as many as I want.   The Corbin press can be used for many other calibers and also reloading.   I’m quite happy with my set up.  

Once you get your reloading set up, I can send you some to try if you like.

Schaumannk wrote:

hengehold wrote:I am new to BE pistol so pardon my ignorance.

Why would you want to shoot a hollow base bullet?

If a hollow base bullet is more accurate, why not just buy hollow base Bullets from the manufacturer?

Because hollow based Bullets,  for small calibers do tend to be more accurate.    Also Swaged bullets are more accurate than cast bullets.   
Which manufacturer?    If you can find someone who makes a Swaged 64g hollow based bullet, for less than a dime a piece, please point them out.   

I have a sunk cost in the Corbin press and the dies, granted,  but this equipment doesn’t really depreciate, and I can make as many as I want.   The Corbin press can be used for many other calibers and also reloading.   I’m quite happy with my set up.  

Once you get your reloading set up, I can send you some to try if you like.

That will be great, thank you. 

By the way, after a short search online I did not find ANY 32 cal swaged Bullets with a nose for auto feeding and a hollow base. If hollow base Bullets are generally more accurate and that can be applied as a universal rule then I just don’t understand why it has not become standard practice for bullet makers. 

Are you swaging your own Bullets from a coil of lead wire? 

If you don’t mind my asking, what does it cost to get the minimum tools needed to swage a hollow base bullet? 

I looked on the Corbin site but have no idea what I am looking at. 

-TH

TH,   I am swaging the T&B  powder coated 64g Bullets.   
I would be happy to send you some to try, but it will be Bullets only.   Let me know when you have the dies, and the brass and the primers all set up, and are ready to experiment.   

It is quite possible to swage out of lead wire but that is more commonly used for cores of jacketed Bullets, because soft pure lead is not always suitable for many barrels, especially if you push it too fast.   Leading can be a problem.   They also suffer from extreme softness so need to be handled carefully so they don't deform, and it can be expensive when dealing with heavier bullets.   

The T&B Bullets are quite reasonable price wise.   Swaging from lead wire can get expensive.  

I am running the Corbin CSP-2 Mega-Mite press.  I feel it is the best press for swaging cast Bullets because the dies are beefier, and it will handle just about any bullet you want to swage.