32 H & R Magnum

[dfletcher]

I'm going to buy a T/C Encore rifle barrel in a centerfire "plinker" round - 30 Carbine, 32 H & R Mag are my "leaning to" choices with the 256, 25.35 or 32.20. I already have a few 30 Carbines so that's my 1st. Am wondering if carbide dies for the 30 Carbine can be use for the 32 H & R Magnum - they each use a .308 diameter bullet and are straight walled. I'm using a single shot so no crimp doesn't matter. I'm not trying to be cheap & save $25.00 I just don't need an additional set of dies if the 30 Carbine one works.

[BSlacker]

I never heard of using 30 Carbine dies for 32 H&R Magnum get the Lee dies they are inexpensive and you will love the 32 H&R Magnum.
I know the TC barrel makers mostly use .308" bore size for 32 H&R but lead bullets of the proper weight for 32 Mag from most makers will be around .311" to .313" some wad cutters for 32 will go as high as .314". They shoot fine in the .308" bores. I don't know how this will affect your decision.
I have a Match Grade Machine 12" barrel for the TC Contender. It uses a .311" bore. This is to much bore for the common bullets out there.

[dfletcher]

I never heard of using 30 Carbine dies for 32 H&R Magnum get the Lee dies they are inexpensive and you will love the 32 H&R Magnum.
I know the TC barrel makers mostly use .308" bore size for 32 H&R but lead bullets of the proper weight for 32 Mag from most makers will be around .311" to .313" some wad cutters for 32 will go as high as .314". They shoot fine in the .308" bores. I don't know how this will affect your decision.
I have a Match Grade Machine 12" barrel for the TC Contender. It uses a .311" bore. This is to much bore for the common bullets out there.

If I get the 32 and buy a barrel with .308 bore and buy 32 H & R dies is the inside neck diameter going to size to .308 or .312? Or are .308 and .312 sizing dies offered and I've just got to ensure my sizing die matches my barrel diameter?

[BSlacker]

My TC barrel is .311" just for that reason. Resized with Lee dies I get .308" inside the neck. Using bullets at .311"/.312" it works fine in my Ruger and Marlin guns but they rattle down the bore of the Contender and are unstable. I use .314" in the Contender. So with a good crimp no neck tension issues.
The 30 Carbine dies will not work.
A couple of companies make bullets for the .308" bore Contenders. Sierra has their "Plinker" 100 gr bullet. And IIRC Hornady has one as well. You could be limited in bullet selection. Some shoot the .312" lead bullets in their .308" barrels with fine results.

[kurac]

I would get the .30 Carbine barrel, you can pick up unfired milsurp brass from gibrass.com and probably get 20 reloadings out of them. For 32 H&R you will have to buy comerical brass which will cost more plus its still a low pressure round

[sargenv]

While the round is low pressure, the contender could certainly handle more pressure than most other firearms.

30 carbine dies will not work for 32 Magnum since the 30 carbine is a rimless tapered case shell while the 32 magnum is a straight walled rimmed cartridge.

All the other things also apply.

[BillCA]

Find out if you can get the contender barrel chambered for .327 Federal Magnum instead of the .32 H&R. The .327 is a longer .32 H&R so you can shoot the shorter H&R round. The .327 Magnum will be a handloader's dream. 1800 fps from a 7" barrel with an 85-115 grain bullet. I think you can well outperform the .32-20 with this little honker.

.30 Carbine and .32 (pistol) are not compatable bullet diameters. .30-Carbine is .308. Bore diameter on the .32 Long/.32 H&R/.327 Mag should be .311 (.312 for lead).

The .256 Winchester pistol cartridge is a rifle round disguised as a pistol cartridge. A bunch o' performance in a small package.

[461]

I'm a .32 H&R nut, but in Contenders I'd go with the .30 Carbine due to the bore issue. T/C makes their .32 H&R barrels with a .308 bore due to the silhouette shooters liking to use rifle bullets. You can get a .32 (.311-.314)barrel from a few different makers but they'll cost you more. As has been stated, the .30 Carbine dies won't work for the .32 H&R.

The .327 is awesome and you'll get some great performance gains over the H&R round but as a handloader you can get more out of the .30 Carbine with a greater range of bullets and more powder space. The .32-20 is a tough round to reload due to neck thickness.

[sargenv]

If you want something a little more fun.. what about the 300 whisper? I think this one is based on a necked up 223/5.56. Scads of brass all over for this beastie.

[ar15barrels]

If you want something a little more fun.. what about the 300 whisper? I think this one is based on a necked up 223/5.56. Scads of brass all over for this beastie.

You beat me to it...