Odd Data?

R

roy reali

New member
I was looking up some loads on Hodgdon's website. I am going to reload some .32 S&W longs using Trail Boss. Here is what I found.

Using a Hornday 90 grain lead semi-wad cutter, the loads go from 1.5 to 2.9 grains with velocities from 599 to 730 feet per second. I decided to also look at the data for the same powder and bullet for the .32 H&R magnum.

The magnum loads go from 2.4 grains to 2.8 grains of Trail Boss for the same exact projectile. The velocities range from 785 to 830 feet per second.

Being that this data is from their website I will adhere to it. But it just seems funny to me.:confused:
 
R

roy reali

New member
re:peetzakilla

What is the case capacity difference between those two cartridges?
Click to expand...

The H&R cases is slightly longer then the "long" case. I assume that the magnum case has a slightly larger capacity. That is why the mentioned loads seem strange to me. Either that or there is a "typo" in their load data.
 
4

44 AMP

Staff
once again, test data varies with the components used, including the firearm!

Ok, so they got a top end load with a tiny bit more powder in the smaller round than when they hit top end in the larger case. Different guns, differnt components, different results. Consider it a statistical blip, and move on.
 
G

griz

New member
That does sound odd. Are they using a longer barrel in 32 mag? I don't have a 32 long handy, but 2.9 sounds like a lot of TB for that case. Just a guess, but could they have meant 1.9 instead of 2.9? Given how fluffy the TB cheerios are I don't think you could overload even the little 32, but it does sound strange.
 
U

Unclenick

Staff
You'll find the same thing for 231 under 148 grain wadcutters in .38 Special and .357 Magnum in the Hodgdon data. Made no sense to me since their other powder choices didn't list heavier loads in the .38 Special. Moreover, when I looked it up in the Winchester load data, the Hodgdon .38 Special loads started above Winchester data maximum, but matched what Hodgdon showed for .357. So my first thought was the data had been reversed.

So, I got in touch with Hodgdon about that. The first thing the tech said was the magnum primer in the .357 was responsible for the charge being smaller. I then sent him the Winchester data and he went and checked their data. He said he had a signed and dated test sheet, but then went on to say exactly what 44 AMP said: All that data proved is that in that gun on that day with that test technician using that particular lot of components, he got that result. Any other gun or component brands or lots may be different.

So, bottom line, they stood by their data, but I'm sure Winchester did, too, when they still ran the marketing of 231. Check your velocities and watch for pressure signs. You control the horizontal. You control the vertical…
 
F

FrankenMauser

New member
...Possible, but not recommended.

2.9 gr of Trail Boss is a 95-100% density load in the .32 S&W Long with light bullets. If you go with a heavier projectile, or seat any deeper, it'll be compressed.

However, I can't recommend using max loads of TB in the .32 S&W Long, .32 H&R, or .327 Federal. I ran a max load of 2.7 gr behind a 94 gr LFP, and had primers flowing with sticky ejection. A similar "hot" load of HP-38 gave a little more velocity, but no primer or ejection issues. (The same issue arose with 85-95% density loads in the other two cartridges, with 4.3 gr and 5.9 gr TB, respectively.)

Lighter loads of Trail Boss can be amazingly fun to shoot, and incredibly accurate. I have run into issues at near-max levels with it in those cartridges, though. Faster, 'standard' powders have worked better for me. Unique is my go-to pistol powder, but HP-38 is turning out to the the favorite for these .32s.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top