32 S&W Long shot shells

[zacharoo]

I have just been given another H&R 32 S&W long revolver. I reload for that caliber. I have a lot of brass and had a thought, That with shot would make a nice close range snake repelent. Any body ever made a shot shell with this little bullet. I have some #6 #8 #9 and #12 shot, Any suggestions!!!

Zacharoo

[offhand35]

Some time in the past year or so, Mike Venturino did an article about loading  shot in 38, 44, and 45colt cartridges. In the 45 Colt, he placed a gas check over the powder, added shot, and then an updside down gas check over that, and  crimped the brass over that.  It seemed to work well for him as he had a rattler problem at his home on occaision.  I think you would be on your own with how much shot to add to how much powder in the 32 S&WL, though.

[Savage]

I'd use Bullseye powder with cardboard wads and #9 shot. Seal the over wad with canning or candle wax. Use an old case to cut your wads from thin cardboard stock, like a cereal box.  I'd start really low on the powder charge, (starting level load  for a bullet weight close to the weight of your shot and wads.)  I haven't loaded for the .32 but worked out a decent shot load for the .38 special 40 years ago using this approach. Good luck.
Savage

[Redhawk1]

Some time in the past year or so, Mike Venturino did an article about loading  shot in 38, 44, and 45colt cartridges. In the 45 Colt, he placed a gas check over the powder, added shot, and then an updside down gas check over that, and  crimped the brass over that.  It seemed to work well for him as he had a rattler problem at his home on occaision.  I think you would be on your own with how much shot to add to how much powder in the 32 S&WL, though.

I read that article, Mike Venturino has some good idea's. I have one on his books on black powder cartridges, which I used as a reference for many years.

I like the idea of the gas checks. I never used them myself.  I made a lot of 38 special, 45 Colt and 44 Mag shot capsules using the CCI shot caps.

[Farrier Matt]

I load for a 32 HR Mag, and wanted the same thing, a shot shell. After some thought, I cut a straw(like you get in your soft drink at the fast food resturaunt) to .75 inch, filled it full of wax and #6 shot, then seated and crimped same as with any bullet. With the straw I got twice as much shot, and it patterned about right for oh @#$! theirs a snake kinda shots. All I had on hand was #6, gonna try some #9 or #12 shot next. I used the same charge of Red Dot as I do for 90 gr lead wadcutters. I think a good over powder wad would help, as I did have one blow the shot out of the straw, and leave the straw in the case. Might have crimped too heavy too. Im still experimenting, but I think the idea has some worth. Go slow if you decide to try it, and let me know how it works for you.

[BAGTIC]

Shot fired from a rifled barrel gives TERRIBLE patterns. It helps to use as much shot as possible, something not possible in the little .32 Long case. It also helps to keep velocities low to reduce swirling of the shot charge and dispersion from muzzle gas pressures which can be relatively high in short barreled handguns.

I recall once fring three shots from a rifled (1:38) 12 gauge. At a measured 40 yards it left a TOTAL of zero holes in a double page spread of newspaper.

With the little .32 I suspect you would do as well against snakes by firing a solid bullet aimed to hit a little low to take it out with the ricochet/spray, or simply walk around it.

I have used both the plastic case/bullet rounds. They shot pretty well across the living room, sofa to fireplace abouty 25 feet. Penetration is more than expected, several layers of carpet in side a cardboard box. Carpet with the pile side forward holds up much batter than with the back forward. The little plastic bullets act like wadcutters then. Be carefull a stray shot can definitely chip any brickwork if it is hit.

The soft rubber style primer filed bullets used in brass cases are not so damaging but require using specially modified brass cases with enlarged flash holes. Keep them separated as they are not safe with powder loads.

[greenrivers]

As mentioned above, a rifled barrel does nasty things to shot at longer distance. But I have for a number of years been using a load of shot over a gas check with another crimped lightly over the top in my .44. Squirrels find them very disappointing at up to forty feet. I keep them on hand as it is much safer than a .22 slug and about a third the noise.

[S.B.]

Some time in the past year or so, Mike Venturino did an article about loading  shot in 38, 44, and 45colt cartridges. In the 45 Colt, he placed a gas check over the powder, added shot, and then an updside down gas check over that, and  crimped the brass over that.  It seemed to work well for him as he had a rattler problem at his home on occaision.  I think you would be on your own with how much shot to add to how much powder in the 32 S&WL, though.

I read that article, Mike Venturino has some good idea's. I have one on his books on black powder cartridges, which I used as a reference for many years.

I like the idea of the gas checks. I never used them myself.  I made a lot of 38 special, 45 Colt and 44 Mag shot capsules using the CCI shot caps.

IMHO, the gas checks would disperse the shot into irradical patterns? If your going to use these for snake, try several first to see what patterns you get with your gun. My best luck has been with CCI capsuls for any given caliber. Rifling in bore seems to strip the plastic capsuls and let's the shot fly free whereas the front gas checks seems to act like a dam in front of the shot?
My $.02 Steve

[reliquary]

In those days before I discovered shotcaps and "readymade" shot loads for handguns, I used takeout container styrofoam to make the over-powder and over-shot wads.

Take an empty case, sharpen the inside of the case mouth by beveling with an old knife blade, punch the case through the styrofoam to core out the wads.

Prime & charge the case, put one wad over the powder.  Add shot, put wad over shot, run a thin bead of Elmer's glue around the outside of the overshot wad, let dry.  Some modern glues won't adhere to some styrofoam today...experiment 'til you find a combo that works.

I've reloaded for .38-.357-.44-.44mag-.45LC with this method.  I have no idea what powder you'll use for the .32, but low velocity/lots of shot worked better for me than higher velocities.  #9 is the smallest shot I've used, a .32 might need #12.

[Blackhawk44]

While I've never tried shot in a .32, 40 years of playing with handgun shot loads has taught me that you always need an undershot wad and whether .32 or .45 stay with #12 shot.  Shot pattern degrades radically as shot size increases.  At the ranges and game involved, pattern density will always trump shot size.

Cereal box card wads should work fine, probably two over powder and one over shot.  Sealing with a white glue should be fine.  I think you'll find the cost of gas checks prohibitive for a project such as this.