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Rook rifle loads
kbmoly
Member Posts: 4 ✭✭
Hi all,
I'm a newbie here, and would like to ask for some help with a really new project gun. I've just come into a single shot rifle (24" BBL) in .32 S&W Long, and would like to put up some whisper loads for it, to use squirrel hunting. I'm thinking something on the order of 311291 (~ 170g) over a case as full of IMR 4227 or IMR 3031 as the seating length will let me get into the case.
If I happen to miss a squirrel, I want him to wonder at the size of the flies this year, not to take alarm at the blast and skeddadle while I'm reloading. Any thoughts anyone?
I'm a newbie here, and would like to ask for some help with a really new project gun. I've just come into a single shot rifle (24" BBL) in .32 S&W Long, and would like to put up some whisper loads for it, to use squirrel hunting. I'm thinking something on the order of 311291 (~ 170g) over a case as full of IMR 4227 or IMR 3031 as the seating length will let me get into the case.
If I happen to miss a squirrel, I want him to wonder at the size of the flies this year, not to take alarm at the blast and skeddadle while I'm reloading. Any thoughts anyone?
Comments
but in caliber .300 Sherwood. Nearly identical ballistics to your 32.
I tried squirrel hunting at 900fps, not enough punch. You would think just the bullet weight and dia would crunch squirrel bones and put em down...nope. Knocked them off the limb but they get back up. I detest shooting a squirrel and have 'em drag away...I want to eat em! So I upped the load, then upped some more, it wasn't till I reached 1400fps that I could count on squirrel stew. Well that put me out of subsonic and making noise exceeding a 22mag. I found 4198 powder to give good burn and case filling. Now if you could guarantee a perfect head shot everytime go for it.
".32 S&W Long"..........I would tink that those powders are way to slow for that sized case, even in a rifle. I'd try one of the slower pistol powders (unique, a.a. #6)
We weren't trying to match the powder with the case volume. We are talking about going to a much slower powder than usual for the case because we were talking about using a bullet that is much heavier than usual.
I think if kbmoly finds an accurate load with that bullet, his rook rifle will perform about the same. Bullet stability might be a problem, but at squirrel ranges it might not be a huge issue. But there'll be what the boys in Mizzippi used to call "modanuff" for tree rats.
Pan fried squirrel with some greens, grits, pan gravy and hot biscuits. Man oh man ...
I am using the 115 gr SWC lead bullet. I think the 170 would be to heavy and not stabilize. At 1050 fps it works great. At 100yds or less it is deadly. Shooting out of a modified Rem 580 SS.
You may be right about stabilizing the 170g bullet. It was just a notion that I wanted to play with a bit. I ordered a 1-10 twist for my rifle, because I know from experience it can deliver fine accuracy with a wide range of bullet weights, even with very reduced loads. The normal twist for the .32 Long / Mag is a lot slower, and would be a lot less likely to work with the heavier bullet.
If it doesn't work out, I still have a LOT of ligher weight bullets that I KNOW will work. I just finished loading several boxes of .32 Long with 3118 (120g) and 313492 (85g) bullets, so either way it works, out, I suspect I'll be able to feed the rifle and annoy squirrels. (BG)
Dang rifle has been in transit to me for a full week now. I'm beginning to get a bit nervous.