.32 caliber pistol & revolver cartridges

The .32 caliber pistol cartridges may not receive the attention that others do, but they are viable options for a wide variety of applications.  Let's look into them a little.
This diminutive little gem started the .32 centerfire game way back in the late 1800s.  It enjoyed vast popularity due to the numerous break top revolvers that were chambered for it.  It is still stocked at many finer gun stores today because there are so many of the old revolvers still around.  It is not a powerhouse, but its ballistics beat the .22 long rifle and the .25 ACP.

The .32 auto, aka .32 ACP, aka 7.65mm Browning is the original autoloader round designed by John M. Browning for use in small pistols.  It increased the shortcomings of the .25 ACP without increasing the size of the guns chambered for it by much.  It remains popular today.  Interesting fact:  this auto loading case has a small rim.



The .32 NAA is an odd ball.  It was designed primarily for the Seacamp auto pistol.  It uses the old trick of necking down a parent case to a smaller bullet size.  The resulting velocity increase makes for a good increase in energy as well.  The parent for this round is the .380.  There were some retrofit kits made for the Makarov PM, but they have long since dried up.  Wish I had one.

The .32 S&W long is simply a magnum version of the original .32 S&W.  In most cases it simply uses the same bullet, but with a longer case to accommodate more powder.

The .32 H&R mag did not come on the scene until the 1980s.  It is even longer than the S&W long and provides significant increases in power over the S&W long.  You may notice that the weight of the bullets used in these revolver loads are around the same as the old .32 S&W.


The 327 Federal mag is the ultimate in .32 caliber revolver cartridges in terms of length and power.  It roughly equates the energy of the .357 magnum.

Check out this site for all the numbers on your favorite cartridges.  http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/calibers.html

Shotgun Chokes explained

Shotguns barrels are, in their most basic form, a pipe.  Long ago, someone figured out that by constricting the end of the barrel slightly, they could cause the resulting pattern of shot to be tighter.  This constriction is known as choke.

The image at left represents the most common chokes.  At the bottom is cylinder bore.  Cylinder bore is essentially that pipe that we discussed earlier.  Sawed off shotguns are cylinder bore, since the choked section of the barrel has been removed. Cylinder choke is also used in tactical style guns where longer range shooting is not an issue.

"Skeet" choke is the least restrictive of the chokes, then improved, modified, and full.  There are also extra full chokes, primarily for turkey hunting.

Lead vs. Steel

When shooting lead shot, the more constriction a choke provides, the tighter the pattern will be at a given distance.  So, if you are shooting close targets like skeet, you go for a more open choke.  One that allows the shot to spread faster works great because skeet is a close in type of target.  On the other hand, trap is a game where the targets are relatively far away.  A full choke is considered the standard for that.

Another way to put it is that if you take a full choked gun and shoot a large piece of paper at say 20 yards, you may have a pattern that measures 8 inches, whereas the pattern with improved cylinder may open up to say 18 inches.  That is a bit of a simplification, but you get the point.

The visual below may be of further use.  Cylinder bore quickly becomes useless as range increases.  The tighter the choke, the more effective the shot is at longer ranges.



Today's shotguns primarily use interchangeable, screw-in chokes.  These choke tubes are a convenient way to have any choke you want while keeping the same barrel on the gun.  Every manufacturer uses it's own trademarked choke system.  Remington is Rem choke, Browning is invector or invector plus, etc.



Most of these tubes install flush to the muzzle with a wrench but some extend past the barrel.  Some even incorporate muzzle brakes, flash suppressors, door breachers, you name it.

Before the advent of the screw in tubes barrels had fixed chokes.  The choke was made into the barrel when it was manufactured.  If you wanted a different choke, you generally bought a different barrel.

The only way to get interchangable chokes back in the day was to have a poly choke installed.  Poly chokes were fairly popular because they allowed the shooter to literally dial in which choke they wanted.

 These chokes are professionally installed onto the barrel by the poly choke company or a gunsmith.  While popular once, they have basically been replaced by screw in chokes.

What is an assault weapon? Part two

The text I quoted in part one is just a small part of that huge crime bill that passed in 1994.
Our friend Bill Clinton had won a major victory.  But, no one seemed to be able to explain how the banning of these weapons, or more specifically some certain features, would make us all safer.

So, with the renewed calls for an "assault weapons ban", please tell me how effective the last one was.  Specifically, tell me how a pistol style grip, a flash suppressor, threads on the end of a barrel, a grenade launcher (with no possibility of obtaining grenades), or a heat sheild make a gun more dangerous.  Please, I'm listening.

This is an AK style rifle produced under the ban.
It fires the same ammunition.  It's really the same gun.  But it has a traditional stock, no flash hider, a lower capacity magazine, and a few other cosmetic details.

Below is a modern AK rifle that you can buy today.  As you can see it has a number of features that were banned under the 94 bill.  It has a folding stock, pistol grip, and a big bad magazine.  Only the magazine does anything to do with the fire power of the weapon.  We can debate that later.  The rest of the changes are really cosmetic.  And that is precisely the point.  People who know nothing of firearms are telling us what we can own based upon what characteristics they find scary.  They saw Rambo do some crazy stuff in a movie with a gun that looked scary to them, so they feel like if it looks like Rambo, it must be bad.

What is an assault weapon? Part one

We are deluged by this term constantly.  Democrats hate them.  Republicans don't want to talk about it.  And most people have no clue what they even are.  Are they machine guns?  Are all semi-autos assault weapons?  What about pistol grips?

The term assault rifle actually goes back to WW2 and a guy we are all too familiar with; Adolph Hitler.  Yes, that guy.  When he learned of the new STG44 rifle, he christened it the Sturmgewehr; literally assault rifle.
That rifle was a departure from the traditional battle rifles of the period.  It was selective fire, meaning it could fire semi or fully automatic.  It had a pistol style grip.  A detachable magazine.  And, most importantly, it was chambered for a new intermediate cartridge.  This new cartridge was significantly shorter and less powerful than the standard 8mm Mauser ammo the Germans were using in their other rifles.

STG 44 ammo

standard 8mm mauser ammo used in Mauser 98 rifle

  This allowed the STG44 to fire full auto in a controllable manner.  Essentially, what they were trying to accomplish was the blending of the battle rifle with the submachine gun.  Although Germany lost the war, the assault rifle was here to stay.  Today there are many assault rifles in use by the militaries of the world.

By definition, an assault rifle is capable of automatic fire.  That makes it a machine gun in the eyes of the law.  Therefore, assault rifles are highly regulated under the 1934 national firearms act and are specifically banned by some states.

In other words, your neighbor's AR 15 is not an assault rifle.



So we know what an assault rifle is.  But what is an assault weapon?  Well, that is up to interpretation.  The 1994 crime bill stated:

`(B) a semiautomatic rifle that has an ability to accept a detachable magazine and has at least 2 of--

`(i) a folding or telescoping stock;

`(ii) a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon;

`(iii) a bayonet mount;

`(iv) a flash suppressor or threaded barrel designed to accommodate a flash suppressor; and

`(v) a grenade launcher;

`(C) a semiautomatic pistol that has an ability to accept a detachable magazine and has at least 2 of--

`(i) an ammunition magazine that attaches to the pistol outside of the pistol grip;

`(ii) a threaded barrel capable of accepting a barrel extender, flash suppressor, forward handgrip, or silencer;

`(iii) a shroud that is attached to, or partially or completely encircles, the barrel and that permits the shooter to hold the firearm with the nontrigger hand without being burned;

`(iv) a manufactured weight of 50 ounces or more when the pistol is unloaded; and

`(v) a semiautomatic version of an automatic firearm; and

`(D) a semiautomatic shotgun that has at least 2 of--

`(i) a folding or telescoping stock;

`(ii) a pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon;

`(iii) a fixed magazine capacity in excess of 5 rounds; and

`(iv) an ability to accept a detachable magazine.'.

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c103:1:./temp/~c103bJveqQ:e644150:

Hard cast lead bullets

You know what a bullet is, but what is a hard cast bullet?

A hard cast bullet is simply a cast bullet that is made of a lead alloy that is harder than pure lead.  When metals like antimony are added to lead, the resulting alloy becomes harder.  Depending on the amount of antimony, tin, etc, it can be quite a bit harder than lead.

A pure lead bullet is really not suitable for most purposes.  It's just too soft. One solution is to cover the lead in a copper jacket.  Hence the jacketed bullets we all know.  The other solution is to harden the alloy by adding antimony and other metals.

If you take a hammer to a hard cast bullet, it will deform, but not much.  Take a hammer to a soft lead bullet, even a jacketed one, and it will deform quite a bit.  So, if you are looking for a bullet to mushroom, hard cast is not for you.  Hard cast bullets tend to shear off rather than mushroom when they hit a hard object or dry ground.

The bullet on the left was fired from my Makarov into moist dirt.  As you can see, it has not mushroomed, but instead has sheared off.


It did not hit a rock that I know of.  It simply stopped in he ground.









So, why use a hard cast bullet?  Usually, it's cost.  Hard cast bullets typically cost less than a jacketed bullet.  The bullet maker simply casts the bullet, sizes it, and lubricates it.  End of story.  In fact, many people cast their own bullets.  Jim Green does a good job demonstrating it on youtube

When bullets are cast, they are not the proper size to be shot. Most molds produce a bullet that is slightly larger than desired.  So cast bullets are passed thru a swaging die that brings them down to the desired size.

One example of a polymer coated bullet

Here is another

At that time, the bullets are also lubricated with a waxy lube.  This cuts down on or even eliminates leading of the barrel.  The blue lube you see in the grease grooves on the first picture was likely applied by a tool such as a Lyman 450 lubrisizer.  The other option is to tumble lube in a liquid alox lube.  It achieves the same purpose, but tumble lubing can be done quickly, in a pie plate. For those who don't want to invest in a sizing and lubing tool, Lee makes some nice kits with a sizing die and some alox lube that are reasonable.  Bullets are designed for a particular type of lube.  Those designed for tumble lube will have more grooves than one designed for traditional lube methods.

Lee liquid alox kit

There are also coated bullets.  This is a relatively new option.  The bullet is coated in a polymer that acts as a lubricant.  I have personally used some coated cci .22 lr.  The coating can be scraped off with your fingernail, but it must do its job.  We haven't noticed any odd fouling in the barrels.

Raw bullet on the left - liquid alox tumble lubed on the right

I do not cast my own bullets at this time because the state of Illinois has changed wheel weights from lead to zinc and I have been afraid to get into it, just to find myself without a steady source of metal.

I have been buying my hard cast bullets mostly from rim rock bullets. http://rimrockbullets.net/
 They are of good quality and consistent. They are almost always in stock too.  Some of the other manufacturers are out of stock on this or that and it gets frustrating.

For target shooting in pistols and slower speed rifle cartridges, hard cast is a great alternative to jacketed bullets.  Hunters also use hard cast bullets in situations where bullet expansion is not desired.

Semi-Automatic; what does that mean?

You hear gun control advocates rail against the evils of semi-automatic guns all the time.  They tell you we need to ban them and that they are inherently dangerous or that no one needs them.  To the average non-gun-owning citizen, these arguments sound pretty good.  Really, the way these anti-gun folks talk, you would think they are talking about a machine gun.

But, let's be clear, a semi-automatic firearm in NOT a machine gun.

"A semi-automatic, or self-loading, firearm is one that performs all steps necessary to prepare it to discharge again after firing—assuming cartridges remain in the firearm's feed device. Typically, this includes extracting and ejecting the spent cartridge case from the firing chamber, re-cocking the firing mechanism, and loading a new cartridge into the firing chamber. Although machine guns and selective-fire firearms do the same tasks, semi-automatic firearms do not automatically fire an additional round until the trigger is released and re-pressed by the person discharging it. That is, a semi-automatic firearm fires only one round (bullet) each time the trigger is pulled." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-automatic_firearm

So a semi-automatic gun does not "Spray" bullets.  They are not machine guns.  They do not fire a continuous stream of bullets as long as you pull the trigger.  They are also not inherently more powerful or more accurate that other firearm actions.

Do they offer an advantage to other firearm actions?  Yes.  They allow the shooter to make a follow up shot more quickly because he/she does not have to manually work any sort of lever or bolt.  That is an advantage in many situations.

The semi-automatic action is used in many different types of firearms.  Some have a military purpose and some don't.  Here are just a few examples.

The M1 Garand was the first semi-automatic rifle generally issued to any army.
 It allowed US troops to lay down more rounds of accurate fire than their Axis counterparts, who were mostly outfitted with slower to operate bolt action rifles.

Back in the year 1900, John M. Browning patented the operating system for his Auto-5 semi-automatic shotgun.   (Harold Murtz. Gun Digest Treasury (DBI Books, 1994), p.194)   


This Marlin Model 60 is a basic .22 caliber rifle used for target and small game shooting.  Hardly a hard-hitting, bullet-spraying menace to society.


And then there are handguns.  Many different calibers and purposes





All of the above guns share an operating principle. but have different uses. Millions of these guns are in American homes right now. Does anyone honestly think they can get people to give them up? Do they really think that a ban on these weapons will do anything to stop violence?



Even if you passed a confiscation law, which will not happen, you would have civil war trying to get millions upon millions of guns from their owners. And really, there are other gun action types that fire nearly as fast anyway.



A pump action gun is very quick. In the right hands they are basically as fast as a semi-auto. A lever action is nearly as fast as well. Double action revolvers are just as fast as their auto-loading counterparts, but are limited in capacity to 5-9 rounds of ammunition and are typically slower to reload than a magazine fed auto.



So, in my humble opinion, all this hate for the semi-auto is largely based in ignorance. When I hear this stuff, it's usually from people who have little or no experience with guns. We fear what we don't know, right?

GUN SHOW LOOPHOLE EXPLAINED

Some politicians say "Gun show loophole" about as often as they put their hands in your pocket.  They claim that people go to gun shows and buy guns without a background check.  The presumption is that people are buying firearms that they should not have because of this loophole.  Is that really true?  Is there a gun show loophole?

Well, not really.  Under federal law, all gun sales made through federally licensed dealers must go through a background check, weather that dealer is in his shop or at a gun show.  Federal law does not require background checks on private sales.  However, many states do.

So.........The gun show loophole is really a private sale loophole.  And that loophole exists only in states without a background check requirement on private sales.

So.........The idea is that non-dealer people get together at gun shows and sell guns to each other and that those sales don't get background checked.  That is true in states that don't require private sale checks.

It is also true that those same people can get together and sell guns to each other at their houses, in parking lots, or out in the woods somewhere if they want to.

So...........Really, gun shows have nothing to do with it.

Now, ask me if I have any objection to doing a simple, instant, background check on a private sale and I will tell you no.

So...........Let's pass a federal law requiring an instant background check on most, if not all, private sales.  Will it save lives?  Probably not.  Will it shut gun control advocates up?  Probably not.  But, why not do it anyway?  At least you can look people in the face and say, "There, now you have no gun show loophole to bitch about."

https://www.atf.gov/questions-and-answers/firearms-qas

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gun_show_loophole

Can we change gun laws and preserve the 2nd amendment?

In the wake the latest mass killing, the talking heads have begun to scream for more "common sense" gun control.  While that kind of talk makes me nervous, it is becoming increasingly hard to simply say "it's not my problem and I refuse to do anything."  Now, I'm not saying we should reduce our second amendment rights in any way.  I believe that there are REAL common sense things that can be done to at least say, "there, we did it".

1.  Make a background check on every single gun sale.  Yes every single sale.

Here's the catch:  Make these checks instant and make them work!  In Illinois we have an instant background check system that we use to check the validity of a person's foid card when conducting a private sale.  I don't know that we necessarily need to issue foid cards to every gun owner in the USA, but I'm sure a similar thing could be done with a driver's license or state ID?  There would be a database of people, similar to the "no fly" list.  If you are clean, the system kicks back an approval number that the seller keeps.  If the person is barred from obtaining a gun for whatever reason, the system advises the seller to refuse the transaction.  Pretty simple

Of course, transactions made through dealers have always been background checked.  But, the fact that Dylan Roof got a pistol because the background system was screwed up is crazy.  The system needs to work, period.  If the system is down, you need to wait.  The current system where you get your gun even if the system hasn't run the check is stupid.



This is not registration, which I oppose.  It does not put any undue burden on the seller or buyer.  It simply makes sure that the person buying the gun is supposed to have one.  Really not a big deal.

  This would close the so-called gun show loop hole, which anti-gunners have screamed about for years, while imposing no burden on gun owners. I mean really, this is 2015.  You swipe your credit card and get an instant decision.  Why not an approval for a gun purchase?

2.  Eliminate/rethink gun free zones.  I understand that there need to be places where firearms are restricted.  Courthouses, jails, prisons, airport terminals.  Fine.  But, you better have a metal detector and you better have armed cops there to respond when someone storms in with a weapon.  The test should be, if you can't protect me, I should be able to protect me.  Simple.

I know that these shootings are not my fault, they are the fault of the people who pull the trigger.  But, why not fix the damned system and make instant background checks available to private sellers.  At the very least, it would shut people up about gun show loopholes.

LEE PRECISION BEAM-STYLE POWDER SCALE

I had for many years used my trusty old Lyman beam style powder scale.  It was slow to use, but very accurate and easy to read and adjust.  I knocked it off the table one day and well, it's now a pile of useless parts.

Lyman 500 scale is a classic and very easy to use

So, my Brother gave me his Lee scale.  It too is a beam style scale, but it is constructed a little differently than the Lyman.  The gross adjustment on the lee is a metal ball that you move into different slots.  The fine adjustment is a somewhat strange affair.  There is a plastic slider with a lock button to keep it in place once you have it where you want it.  I have found it to be tricky to adjust when the beam is on the scale.  I have started taking it off the scale to set and then putting it back on.  I can see the .10 grain marks better that way.  I find the .10 grain marks a little hard to see when the beam is on the scale.  I much prefer the Lyman's weight to this slider.  The adjustment wheel is likewise hard to use on the fly.  The Lyman adjustment was on the base where I could adjust it without moving the beam all over the place.  Honestly, I would much prefer a nice digital scale, but that is not in the budget.  Overall, I think Lee could do a little better.  That is unusual for me to say because I generally love Lee products.  Usable yes, Ideal no.

Can you be a "Liberal" and a gun nut at the same time?

Well, yes, sort of.

Media likes to tell you what you are.  ie you are a liberal if you like socialized medicine.  You are a conservative if you like guns.  Well, the pigeon holes might work for the media and the pollsters, but they wear thin with me.

Personally, I am very pro-gun, very pro-life, and I hate government telling me what to do.  Sound like a Republican?  Hold on.  I'm also pro-union, pro-socialized medicine, and I can't stand the Bush family.  I think Reagan was a great actor who did tremendous damage to our economy while serving as the nation's cheerleader.  So I'm a bleeding heart right?

Well folks, it's just not that simple.  When you pigeon hole yourself, you give up your identity.  When you say"I'm a conservative Republican" or "I'm a liberal Democrat", you give your ability to reason and think for yourself away in favor of the party line.  I personally hate the idea that I have to be one thing or the other.

I'm more complicated than that.  I bet most people are.

So, yes, I can have liberal views about some things and still love my guns and the second amendment.  That doesn't mean I love Scott Walker, Dubya, or any other dumbasses.  Nor do I like Hillary and her deceptions.  I'm usually not "for" any politician.  I will listen to the proposals, run it through the BS filter, realize that most politicians are bought, then agree or disagree.

2 cents

DO NOT DRY FIRE RIMFIRE GUNS!

Dry firing a gun, (Pulling the trigger on an empty chamber), is an often performed and often misunderstood practice.  People do it for various reasons with many different types of firearms without thinking twice.  This practice can be completely harmless, as is the case with the AR platform.  It can also be damaging to some guns because of their design.

It is generally accepted that rimfire guns should never be dry fired.  This includes all of your .22 rifles and pistols.  .17 hmr /VMag etc.

If you think about how a rimfire works, it makes perfect sense.  In a rimfire, the rim of the cartridge is actually pinched between the firing pin and the surface of the barrel or receiver.  This causes no damage to the pin or barrel/receiver because the cartridge takes the brunt of all this pinching.

However, when you dry fire one of these, the pin moves forward and smacks the receiver/barrel causing damage to the pin and whatever it hits.  Over time this can lead to serious damage,  The pins can become bent and whatever the pin hits can erode away.  All of this damage causes misfires and poor extraction.

So, DON'T do it.

Problem is that many rimfire rifles do not have a last shot hold open.  This makes it very difficult to not dry fire.  The only way that I can think of is to count your shots.  Good luck getting the kids to do it.

A typical flat style firing pin on a rim fire rifle.

The new price of .22 ammo?

Hmm, so I continue to see .22 ammo on the shelves just about everywhere. Supply is definitely up from where it was just a few months ago around here.  Problem is that the price is up too.  The best price I have seen was Wal-Mart.  $18.99 for a 333 pack of Federal auto match.  17 cents per round.  I didn't think that was horrible for this day and age.  Then I saw a local store advertising 500 round bricks of Remington thunderbolts for $40.  That's around 13 cents per round.  A little better, but really $40 for cheap .22 bulk ammo bricks?  I used to buy those things for $10-$15 back in 2002.  I know that was a while ago but still.  .22 ammo has been the go to for cheap fun for well over 100 years.  I don't think it has ever been as relatively expensive as it is now.  When I find 50 round packs, and I find them quite a bit, they are marked at $8-$10 for bulk stuff.  I'm also finding match grade stuff for much more.  That's fine, I understand that, but these prices on bulk ammo are hard to stomach.  Personally, I just don't buy it.



But, all this has got me thinking.  Is this the new normal?  Are we destined to pay $40 for the same 500 round brick of thunderbolts and golden bullets that we used to pay $10 for just 15 years ago?  That inflation is worse than college.


We have heard for quite some time now about the shortages of .22 ammo.  Shortages always lead to price gougers, particularly among private people.  In my experience, big box stores like Wally World have been the best at keeping the prices reasonable.  The local gun shops have been hit and miss on price.  And then there are the people asking $75 for 500 round bricks of cheap ammo.  Asshole is the only term I have for them.

I understand shortage and its effect on prices, However, I am now finding small amounts of ammo at nearly every store I walk into.  That tells me there is less of a shortage.  So why the ultra high prices?  Is this temporary?  Or is it the new price of .22?

Chinese Type 53 carbine Mosin Nagant

The Mosin Nagant is without a doubt the most popular surplus rifle on the market today.  While prices have gone up over the years, they are still an awesome value.  Most of the Mosins out there are standard 91/30 full length rifles.  These were built in the Former Soviet Union by the millions and stockpiled just about everywhere they had influence.  Among the 91/30s, you will also find the occasional M44 Carbine.  These short rifles are essentially a 91/30 with a shorter barrel and a permanently fixed, folding bayonet.

In 1953 the People's republic of China went looking for a carbine and found one in the Soviet Union.  According to some sources, the Soviets packed up the machine tools and shipped them to China as a gift to their fellow communists.  In any event, the Type 53 was born.  Type 53 = Chinese M44.

I acquired mine in a trade for some guns that I was no longer in love with.  I had sold my Mauser and felt naked without a surplus bolt gun in my arsenal.  Therefore the Mosin.  Everything about it is straight Mosin.  Other than the Chinese script and the import marks, the untrained eye can't tell it's not Soviet.  I am no expert on the Mosin and really don't want to be.  I find the old bolt guns fun and historic.  I like shooting it, so that is good enough for me.  

Speaking of shooting, these things do have a kick.  I find the Mosin to have less of a sharp kick than the Mauser 98, but it is still an arm bruiser.  Steel butt plates are great for cracking your opponent in the head with, but they are murder on the shoulder.  A slip on pad from Pachmeyer works wonders for me.  There are other pads out there that screw on, but I have read mixed reviews.

If you like owning a flamethrower, get a Mosin carbine.  They throw flames from the muzzle every time.  I have also found that it is more accurate with the bayonet out.  Actually Mosins were usually meant to fire with bayonets attached.  That is how the Soviets carried them and that is how they were sighted in.  Of course that can be adjusted, but I just deploy the pig sticker and fire away.

I have to admit, I was a little disappointed when the guy pulled a Chinese Mosin out to trade me, but I'm glad I have it.  It is everything a Mosin is supposed to be, but didn't get drug through WWII.  I have a decent looking, good shooting, surplus rifle that didn't break the bank.  I would think that the value of these things will go up more.  Who knows how much.  I doubt they will ever be big bucks, but you never know.

7.62x54r .32 caliber shell adapter

Being a strange and cheap fellow, I'm always looking for wacky ways to use guns I already have in new ways.  When I came across this cartridge adapter, I just had to have one.



So basically what was done here was that some enterprising person duplicated the exterior dimensions of a 7.62x54r cartridge, minus the bullet.  Then they chambered the inside of said item just like a .32 H&R Magnum.  This allows the use of .32 caliber pistol ammo in the calibers of .32 S&W, .32 S&W long, .32 ACP, and .32 H&R magnum.  That's quite a selection to choose from!  Sadly I don't see the .32 federal mag listed, but hey, how much can we ask for?

I bought mine from the Sportsman's Guide, but they are on Ebay too.  They are mainly for use in Mosin Nagant rifles, as using one in a SVT 40 would be comical.  Cost is around $25.

They are also offered for a few other rifles as well.  Just Google chamber adapter for whatever rifle you have.

I have used one of these in my Chinese Type 53 using my handloaded .32 S&W loads.  They have zero recoil,  Accuracy is actually not bad at pistol ranges.  I wasn't expecting to hit anything, but it does.  Turning a hard hitting battle rifle into a soft shooting plinker is worth $25, even if it turns it into a single shot.

And that is the only trouble with the adapter.  It's a one at a time operation.  Stuff whatever .32 ammo you want into it, push the loaded adapter up into the Mosin's chamber and close the bolt.  After firing, the adapter comes out just like a 7.62 shell.  However, you are best advised to pull the bolt back slowly and catch the adapter, lest the adapter fall on a hard surface.  If you allow it to fling out and smack the cement it will dent the tip of the adapter.  Shooting it has always straightened it out again, but I'm sure that isn't good for it.

Conclusion:  Fun yes.  Rapid fire no, It's great tool for teaching people who are new to the old battle rifle how to shoot without burning up their shoulder or your full size ammo.  It's also a lot of fun for anyone.

Shotshells 101

If you've never taken a shotshell apart, or your are just curious, here's a little education for you.

This is a cutaway of a common target shell, specifically a Winchester AA.

The hull is made of plastic and includes a plastic "base wad".  The "base wad" is the lower structure of the shell.  Federal still uses a wound paper base wad, but most other manufacturers use plastic.  That's why Federal shells smell different when they are shot.

Anyway, the "brass" portion of the shell is actually not brass anymore.  It is steel that is plated with brass or zinc or some other metal to keep it from rusting.  Target loads usually have short brass, while shells made for hunting have high brass.  According to Lee Precision, the length of the brass no longer has anything to do with the hull's ability to withstand whatever load you wish to load into it.  Indeed, there are shells out there that have no brass at all.

All shells use the same #209 primer.  There are magnum 209A primers that are supposed to add a little more fire to the load.  I have used them and see no practical difference in the loads I made.  I'm sure they may have added a slight increase in pressure, but for the loads that I make, they are not necessary.

Shotshell powders are made for a wide variety of gauges.  Most of the powders out there are suitable for anything from 28-10 gauge.  The .410 is an odd ball.  There are just a few powders produced for the diminutive cartridge.  Most shotgun powders are also suitable for pistol loads.  Some of the cheap promo loads have powders that burn dirty.

The Wad is where things get different.  In the old days wads were simple fiber discs that separated the shot from the powder and offered some cushion to keep the shot from deforming.  Today, things have changed dramatically.  The one piece plastic wad you see above is the most common design in target shells.  This design does a few things.  It separates the shot from the powder and provides a seal as it moves down the barrel.  It also acts as a shock absorber to cushion the shot during firing.  This keeps shot from being deformed.  Round shot flies true, deformed shot does not.  It also offers a cup to contain the shot.  Once out of the barrel this cup opens up and the shot begins to spread.  This not only keeps shot from contacting the barrel, but also can extend range.  There are so many different types of wads out there that it would be hard to discuss them here.  Just look at the wide variety manufactured by claybuster alone.

Not all wads have the shock absorber.  

Finally there is the shot itself.  Most shot is made of lead, with a small amount of antimony mixed in to harden it.  Lead shot is coated in graphite to keep it rolling around free.  If you dissect a high end hunting shell marketed for pheasants, turkeys, etc. you may find that the shot is plated in copper.  This is done to stop the shot from deforming as it accelerates down the barrel.  Noticing a trend here?  The faster you want the shot to go, the more the shot tends to deform.  Plating the shot in a hard material gives it a hard egg like shell.  Some loads even have buffer material to further protect the shot from damage. 

 

Lead is not the only choice in shot.  Far from it.  Non toxic shot was mandated by federal waterfowl regulations many years ago.  Steel has been the go to material as it is cheap and plentiful.  It is however not very dense and must be pushed to high velocities to make clean kills.  This lack of density also gives steel the tendency to bounce.  That effects the way that steel shot goes through a gun's choke.  Whereas a duck hunter using lead probably would have used a full choke, a hunter using steel would have no luck at all with that full choke.



Steel's inherent disadvantages were quickly realized by hunters, who demanded something that worked like lead, but didn't poison the waterways.  Enter tungsten, hevishot, bismuth, and other heavy materials that approximate the weight and density of lead, but are non toxic.  Some of these are actually heavier than lead.  I personally have never spent the money on any of that ammo.  I'm a target shotgunner primarily, so lead does just fine by me.

Automatic Shotguns - Recoil vs Gas Operation

If you've looked into automatic shotguns at all, you may or may not have noticed that there are 2 different operating types.

The first and oldest type is the long recoil principle of operation.  When the shot is fired, the barrel and bolt recoil into the receiver.  The barrel then moves back forward into its normal position.  The spent shell is ejected as the bolt continues its rearward movement.  At this point the barrel has returned to its normal position.  The bolt now moves forward, picks up a new shell from the magazine, pushes it into the breach, and locks to the barrel.  All this happens in the blink of an eye.

Our old friend John Browning made it all look so simple, but there is a lot going on.  In the following diagram you will see arrows pointing to 2 springs.  The fat spring on top is the barrel's recoil spring.  This is what the barrel acts against under recoil.  Just ahead of that spring you will notice a bronze friction ring.  This ring acts like a brake to take some of the shock out of heavy loads.  The skinny spring handles the recoil for the bolt.

I am unaware of any recoil operated shotguns currently in production, however there are millions of them on the used market.  You can spend as little as $150 or several thousand.  Some people say that these recoil shotguns kick like mules.  Indeed they will if heavy loads are used without adjusting the friction ring.  It's important to understand your gun and follow the instructions so that it will cycle the shells you plan to use in it.  There is nothing wrong with the recoil guns.  Some, like my 11-48 actually cycle all shells without adjustment.  Most, like the Browning Auto 5, require adjustment of the rings to operate reliably yet not tear your shoulder off.  

The second, and most recent, operating system is gas.  Gas operated rifles had been around for many years before shotguns began to use the system.  Basically, drill a hole in the barrel (gas port) and vent some of the gas from the burning gunpowder to push the bolt backwards.  Gas guns have the advantage of cycling all loads well, while not having a recoil spring on the barrel.  The barrel doesn't move either.  One example is the Remington 1100.

My arrow is pointing to the gas piston of a Remington 1100.  This piston is pushed backwards by the gas siphoned off of the barrel.  The 2 action bars look very similar to the ones on a pump shotgun.  Indeed they both cycle the action, but the autoloader does it automatically and the pump uses your muscle power.  You may be wondering about the spring labeled #3.  It is not a recoil spring, it just returns the piston to its position after the shot is fired.

Gas guns are the current standard of automatics and generally work very well.  They must be kept clean, as powder fouling will clog up the works.  Also, you must keep an eye on your o rings.  These rubber seals are essential to the operation of the gun.  If they are damaged or hardened, you will have issues.  

Personally, I have shot gas guns and I think they are just great.  It all depends on the manufacturer and how good their design handles different loads.  I've shot the Remington 1100, 11-87, and the Mossberg autos.  I like all of them, but I do not own any gas operated shotguns.  Instead I have gone to the recoil gun.  Honestly, the Remington 11-48 that I have has served me well.  I didn't buy it because I prefered a recoil gun, I bought it cause it was cheap.  But, it has been a great gun.  My Dad has enjoyed his Browning Auto 5 magnum for years now.  Call us old fashioned if you will, but these old recoil guns treat us well.  Set them up properly and recoil is not an issue.    

http://www.randywakeman.com/GasOperatedVsRecoilOperatedAutoloadersPartIII.htm