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32 Colt reloading dies

area51guy
Does anyone make reloading dies for the .32 Colt (short and long) rounds? Not the .32 Colt New Police which is the same as the .32 S&W long round. I've been looking, but no luck so far!

Area51guy
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Comments

4 comments

Date Votes
  • yonson
    Try fsreloading.com, they are a master distributor for Lee Precision. Great prices (cheaper than the factory) and altho this does not seem to be a catalog item, perhaps a die set can be made up at reasonable cost. Worth a try.
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  • 62fuelie
    Have you tried Huntington? They often have some of the odd calibers available.
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  • navc130
    The only thing I found was a Lyman Hand Reloading tool #1 for the .32 Colt, and good luck finding that. That was in a catalog reprint probably 1900 - 1920 vintage.
    If you just want a plinking load, you can reload the case with a .30 or .31 cal. buckshot and light load of Bullseye powder or Black Powder. You do not need any special tools as long as they will chamber OK. However, finding cases is another issue, as they are smaller diameter than regular .32 cases.
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  • Gatofeo
    I reload for .32 Long Colt (Not .32 Colt New Police, as you noted).
    CH4D makes reloading dies. So does Redding, but CH4D is far less expensive.
    Go to http://www.ch4d.com/ and search for .32 Long Colt dies.
    Bullets are a problem because the inside of the .32 Long Colt case, when resized, is about .294 inch. Obviously, regular .32 caliber pistol bullets (which typically measure .310 to .314) won't work.
    This cartridge requires a hollow-based bullet of .299 inch, or a heeled bullet of about .310 diameter with a heel of .299 inch.
    At one time, NEI made a bullet mould, based on my design with a long heel so you don't have to trim cases.

    Heeled bullets, proper for the .32 Long Colt, are sold by Gad Custom Cartridges. They're $12 per 100. The hollowbased bullets are $15 per 100.

    Winchester still makes an occasional run of .32 Short Colt ammo. I've asked Winchester whether I can bulk-buy the heeled bullets it uses in this ammo. No reply, despite repeated requests. These would be wonderful bullets to have, as they're swaged and very consistent in diameter and contain no voids or partially filled areas that cast bullets might have.

    Search the internet for ".32 Long Colt Gatofeo" and you'll find a very long essay I wrote some years ago about reloading for the .32 Long Colt. Far more info in that than I can offer here.

    I reload for a Marlin Model 1892 lever-action rifle, but the ammo you can produce from my notes will work fine in revolvers.
    One word of caution: When assembling rounds, ensure they are short enough to fit in a rifle's chamber or revolver's cylinder. Merely seating a bullet into a current .32 Long Colt case will create a cartridge far too long to chamber.
    If you use a heeled bullet, you MUST trim the case back to where the bullet and case meet a certain maximum length.

    You'll almost certainly find best accuracy with heeled bullets. The hollowbased .299" bullets must upset a full caliber OR MORE to seal in the bore. This is hardly conducive to accuracy.

    Search my essay for more info: "Gatofeo .32 Long Colt"
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