I have an 1897 Winchester Model 1892 Rifle in .32-20 (aka .32 WCF). I’ve read that .32-20 is suitable for ‘small- to medium-sized game’. I don’t hunt (nor have a desire to), so I’m not sure what that means. What would people hunt with .32-20?
Bonus question: Where can I get ammo for my rifle? A search of online sources shows everyone is out of stock. (One place had an expected in-stock date of July.)
Small to medium sized game would be squirrels, rabbits, ground hogs, foxes, coyotes, birds, maybe a small deer but that’s kinda pushing it. It’s a bit under-sized to reliably take down a deer.
If I’m reading their web page correctly, track of the wolf has .32-20s in stock. I order minie balls from them and so far I’ve been happy with what I’ve received. That’s my only experience with them, though.
I googled Track of the Wolf and found .32-20 black powder loads. Historically correct, but my rifle is 113 years old. I’d rather not to the hot-water-and-dish-soap thing, and stick to smokeless powder loads.
If someone 100 years ago could only have one rifle, I suppose it makes sense to have an ‘all-rounder’ like the .32-20. (I did read that people hunted deer with it.) It seems like it would make a bit of a mess on something as small as a squirrel or a rabbit, though. I though a .22 would be best for those. (But again, IANAHunter; so I wouldn’t know.)
Robert Johnson had an opinion.
http://mog.com/music/Robert_Johnson/King_of_the_Delta_Blues_Singers/32-20_Blues
For those ocassions when a .38 special is most too light.
Try here: www.ammotogo.com
the .22 cartridge didn’t reach it’s current state of perfection until much later. Early smokeless types eroded the bore pretty quickly and many people continued to use semi-smokeless or black powder types.
Tried there last night. ‘There is no product that matches the search criteria.’ I’m starting to think that if I want to shoot this thing, I might have to look into getting reloading gear. (I have 50 or 100 cases from shooting years ago.)
Was the erosion because of the powder; or from corrosive primers?
When did the .32-20 switch from black powder to smokeless powder? ISTM that ammunition makers would want to use smokeless powder in the 20th Century for commonality with their other ammunition. I know that people/companies that make ‘vintage’ ammo load them light, in case people use them in antique guns (as opposed to modern reproductions that are made to smokeless standards).
Just a point of interest, but when I was in Alaska 100 or so years ago, I bought a Winchester .38-55, of the same vintage. Had a 255 grain, soft nose slug, and was one of the rifles you would want if a Brown Bear started to come after you. It did not have much range, but would bring down just about anything, no matter where you hit it.
I kept if for many years, great for deer hunting, but when I got sick of killing things and quit, sold it. I doubt if you could find ammo for it now.
So, I wonder how many different sizes those old Winchesters came in?
I have a Model 1892 Winchester in .25-20 caliber. Same charge as yours, but you have a .32 caliber bullet on the end of yours.
I wouldn’t recommend deer hunting because unless you deliver an excellent shot, the chances are you will wound the thing and have it run off to suffer a painful death.
But for squirrels, rabbits, groundhogs, foxes and the like? Great gun. Wasn’t too much at all, and I don’t think that the .32 caliber round would make it too big.
What is wrong with the .32-20 round? Nothing at all. It works great. But a .22 works just as great and it is far cheaper to shoot. It has become the standard that replaced all of these old small Winchester calibers.
My grandfather carried that same rifle and caliber for years and years. I heard he pretty much shot the barrel smooth in it. He killed numerous white-tailed deer in East Texas.
I used to have an old pliers-type handloader for it, but I just looked in the closet and couldn’t find it. I think I gave it to my aunt that has the rifle now. I did find eight rounds of ammo for it.