Model 94 in .32 Win Special

[Griff]

...If you look with equal bullet weights the 32 special is 100 FPS or so faster than the 30/30...

That got me wondering... so I just looked at my reloading tables... with 170 grain bullets... I see a max loads of 2332 for .30-30 and 2283 for the .32WS... that's not a difference in favor of the .32WS. Admittedly, that's Hodgdon's LVR powder, and no loads are listed for LVR in the .32WS. That's not the norm... using like powders the .32WS is generally around TWENTY FIVE fps higher. Ballistically speaking... nada. Since the two cartridges are based on the same .32-40 or .38-55 case, are shot in rifles of the same make and model... that slight difference can be attributed to slightly reduce pressure as the larger bore diameter allows pressure to build less, that and the theoretical difference in area the pressure has to push against.

All three major ammo manufacturers list their difference with 170 grain bullets at 50fps in favor of the .32WS. And, of course, we all know that those numbers are right-on-the-money! NOT! Variances from one rifle to the next being what they are... I doubt even those numbers hold much water.

Sorry, since few of us are pushin' our loads at the max... (I hope), I don't see that as any great reason to get worked up over. Let me say it this way... I really don't want to be punishing any of my mdl 94s with 36,800psi loads. But, since my favorite weight is the 150, I can see I'm going to have get me some LVR powder... upwards of 2500fps with the .30-30 and 150s... that's pushing what I get now using RL-7 with Sierra 125HPs.

Stan, yep, .323 would be a better size for your .32WS, and pushing 'em that fast, they need to be hard and gas-checked.

[RIHMFIRE]

Winchester did make some very nice rifles chambered in 32 Special.

WoW...nice!

[madman4570]

That was the very gun at the age of about 10 I used to sit on the pot salivating at those in the gun catalog.
(Kinda like the boy on The Christmas Story with the Red Ryder!
What a classic gun! Yep Win 94 in .32 W.S.

[Mossyoak1957]

History
This cartridge is based on the .30-30 Winchester cartridge of 1895, but differs from the .30-30 in bullet diameter. More significantly, Winchester decreased the rate of rifling twist in their Model 94 rifle, from 1:12 when chambered for the .30-30 to 1:16 when chambered for the .32 Winchester Special. Winchester used the slower twist to reduce fouling retention when creating a new cartridge for sportsmen who wanted to reload their own ammunition using black powder and cast bullets.[3] It was also marketed as something more powerful than the .30-30 and yet had less recoil than the .30 Army.[2][4] This new cartridge enjoyed only moderate success, and remained hampered by the small selection of available bullets in the .321 diameter.[2] There is a wide selection of bullet types and weights for the .30-30, while the only commonly-available bullets in .321 diameter are 170 grain and 165 grain. Also, due to slow twist of barrel, accuracy suffered when barrel exhibited some wear.


Performance
Ballistics are similar to the .30-30 cartridge and its .308 caliber (7.62mm) bullet, but the larger diameter .321 (8.15 mm) bullet of the .32 WS will create a larger wound. However, given the same weight of bullet in both calibers, the .30 caliber would have a greater sectional density, and correspondingly greater penetration. According to Winchester's original claims, the .32 WS has about 5-10% more energy than the .30-30 at point-blank ranges, and less at longer ranges due to increased drag due to the .321's greater diameter and reduced sectional density.

Killed my first deer w/ a Model 94 32spl. back in 1971 at age 12