Federal 32 SW WC

Hi All

Am interested if anyone has background info on the 32 target ammo that comes from federal in a small light blue box. I've been trialling factory ammo for the benelli MP90 and these are the most reliably feeding I've found, in terms of factory loads. And empty brass if it comes to that. S&B and PPU all have intermittent FTF (S&B>PPU) but the few boxes of federal I managed to find worked flawlessly. I suspect my gun has a relatively tight headspace, exacerbated after a couple of dozen rounds of dirty 32 ammo ...

Unfortunately, I only picked up a hundred rounds or so that were sitting at the back of the shelf in a local store, and haven't seen any since. 

Do they still make it? Can't see it on their website. Does anyone else, perhaps a niche manufacturer, make factory 32 wadcutter ammo for target shooters? I appreciate most people load their own, and that will obviously be the longterm plan, but you still have to get working brass from somewhere in the first place no?

Dan

Lapua makes 2 weights of 32 S&W Long  98gr and 83gr. There are a few places on line you can get it last time I checked. I “heard” Federal doesn’t make 32 anymore. Too bad. Was the best factory ammo I found for my Pardini.
Also you can get Lapua brass. Star line also makes brass. I heard Lapua is much better. Disclaimer I have not reloaded 32 yet but plan to do it.

Greetings,

Federal may have discontinued the 98 wadcutter line.

What I have found from testing it...

• The bullet is about 0.311" diameter.
  
• Velocity is 750 FPS +
  
• Very accurate, X-ring, at 50 yards in a 0.311" or smaller barrel.
  

Your Benelli most likely has a 0.314" barrel. I doubt you will get good accuracy with the Federal.

Cheers,

Dave

Thanks all. 

Tod - I was offered some Lapua by my go-to store and I may try it if federal is no longer around. I remain hopeful I will find something. I have about 30 federal brass but that won't keep me going v long

Dave - thanks for the detailed info. I'm mainly struggling with chambering the catridge at the moment, although accuracy down the line is obviously going to be vital too! I got decent groups when I bench tested the federal, at least enough for me to work with, at my relative beginner level. We shoot at 20 yards indoors however, so some of the issues with flight characteristics that 32 WC suffers from I guess I don't have to worry about. 

FWIW I gently measured my barrel at 0.307 about a quarter of an inch from the mouth, and the chamber at 0.330. Skeptical how accurate I am at it with a hand micrometer though! I agree these measurements seem a bit tight.

Greetings,

Recent Pardini barrels guage at 0.314" groove diameter. The new ones have choke applied to the muzzle reducing the groove exit diameter to about 0.312".

On occasion, I will encounter a Pardini barrel that measures 0.313" groove diameter.

I have not tested the new Pardini barrel with choke using 0.312" bullets.

Personally? I would load 0.314" bullets. Either case or swaged.

Cheers,

Dave