Decided to buy a Pardini

First topic message reminder :

So I called them today to place my order and we settled on a 6 inch SP for my 22. We also chose a 6 inch HP 32 conversion but they talked me into the 32 ACP instead of the SW Long! They said it just works better at 50 yards and is more accurate! I hope I didn’t screw up here!!!

I hope I get lucky too! I am getting the matchdot and their rings

I only have the 22 and could not get the Pardini scope rings to not slip in the dovetail. I tried everything they suggested. I finally went with the Warne rings. They are heavier, but have not moved in over 5,000 rounds.

Ok thanks for telling me

Good luck! I love mine, I think you will be happy. Lots of good advice given above for 32 ACP reloading etc.
I got it in August 2018 and it's been a dream to shoot. It leads the pack in my stable for reliability-maybe 4 to 5 alibis in 7K rounds of 22 (all CCI SV) and 1 Alibi in about 2500 rounds of 32 ACP. My only complaint is that I'm often  able to shoot master level scores with it in both calibers but I can't do that yet with my 45!  It kind of lulls me into a false sense of accomplishment! I want to make master but I get lulled into shooting the Pardini more because it's easier to climb up the score ladder with it because of it's kind ergonomics.

I started shooting Bullseye at the end of the summer of 2017. I started with two Benelli MP 90s, one in  in 22 and one in 32 SWL and my 1911 45. I shoot the SP with a MatchDot II attached on the five inch barrel shroud of each caliber. The Pardini rings stay put there and I don't have to worry about cross caliber come-ups I'm sure I would make  mistake if I used one  red dot for both calibers-too much distraction during a match for that!

mpolans wrote:

robert84010 wrote:Well, their 32 long would work just fine if they would just use faster twist barrels. It's proven to work at 50 yards.
Even the 32 acp has challenges because they use the same slow twist.
Congratulations on your purchase,  I'm sure you will like it.

.32acp works in the slow twist barrels because it's going faster.  It's still not an ideal solution though, as the bores are still a bit oversized for .32acp since they just took a .32 long blank and ran a .32acp chamber reamer through it.

I like mine, after I got a scope mount so my scope wouldn't move under recoil.

You see my point, it's still not right after changing caliber. They only had to change twist rate. When Doc Young wanted to shoot his Unique at 50 yards he didn't change calibers, he changed the twist rate to make the 32 long work. Bore diameter and twist rate were the issue, not the caliber.  Doc fixed this over twenty years ago.

I agree with this and if I were making a Pardini replacement barrel or relining one I would be strongly tempted to use a .311 barrel with a 10" twist.  That said, it is my impression that the 32 SWL suffers from a lack of suitable bullets in this country at the present time.  Unless you want to buy a swaging rig and start bumping Speer plinkers.
So I would still opt for the 32acp.

I'll sell you some re-swaged Plinkers for a .32 S&W. Will shoot 2" at 50 yards.

Dr. Don, the test target that came with my pistol from Dave used Speer bullets. I recently moved and much of my stuff is still in disarray so I cannot find the target. There is no lack of accuracy with the proper barrel. You only have to mess with them if using them in a .314" barrel.
I will find the test target before Pardini changes to the proper barrel dimensions, and that is the problem.

The test target could have been shot using re-swaged plinkers, Dave has his own swaging setup that bumps the Speer bullets into more accurate bullets. I also have a Dave Wilson barrel I bought used, the test target also says "Speer" for the bullets, I'm not sure if they were stock or bumped, my guess would be bumped but I'm not sure.

Greetings,

For the curious, I mark my test targets as follows...

Speer Plinkers = Speer Plinkers hand sorted from the box

Speer.314 = Speer Plinker swaged to 0.3143"

Speer = Without seeing the target, probably the old Beeswax lubricated Speer out of the box, hand sorted.

I try to keep scanned targets of past efforts. Just send me an email with the number of the barrel noted on the target.

Cheers,

Dave

By the way, Doc Young inspired me to continue testing the 32. He was a local shooter and we got to discuss reloading during the breaks. He has since moved away and I have not seen him. I do email Doc occasionally to clear up questions on the 32.

I am coming to the conclusion that, for 32 long, there are two issues with many of the Olympic pistols, .314 size (this can be an issue due to availability of bullets) and twist. For ACP, just twist.

Jon is making me a couple of new barrels for my Pardin,  .311 with 10 twist, both long and ACP.  I’ll RR both when I get them. My hope is the standard Speer bullet will shoot well for 32 long, and the ACP will shoot even better due to the twist. 

With similar barrels it will be interesting to see how they compare.

Is Jon making new barrel shrouds, or fitting your new barrels to existing shrouds.  The old barrels are glue-ins I'm pretty sure.

Greetings,

Best of luck with the ten twist barrels in 32 ACP.

Never got them to shoot better than the factory Pardini barrel.

Cheers,

Dave

fc60 wrote:Greetings,

Best of luck with the ten twist barrels in 32 ACP.

Never got them to shoot better than the factory Pardini barrel.

Cheers,

Dave

Thx Dave, helps me manage expectations. I will probably only test with the T&B coated bullets, the Hornady’s are too expensive.

I stopped by the Pardini booth at the SHOT Show.  The SP22 I picked up had a Rink grip on it rather than the factory grip.  It felt like a different pistol, and I mean that in a good way.  The Rink grip was not as squared off in hand web area.  For me, this was much more comfortable.  If you get a chance to try both, I suggest doing so.

gregbenner wrote:I am coming to the conclusion that, for 32 long, there are two issues with many of the Olympic pistols, .314 size (this can be an issue due to availability of bullets) and twist. For ACP, just twist.

Jon is making me a couple of new barrels for my Pardin,  .311 with 10 twist, both long and ACP.  I’ll RR both when I get them. My hope is the standard Speer bullet will shoot well for 32 long, and the ACP will shoot even better due to the twist. 

With similar barrels it will be interesting to see how they compare.

I'm guessing the .311 with 1-10 twist will shoot a variety of bullets more accurately with less work.  It'll be interesting to see how it turns out.  Please let us know.