.32-20 Winchester

.32-20 Winchester
Left 32-20, Right 32ACP
Type	Rifle / Handgun
Place of origin	USA
Production history
Designer	Winchester Repeating Arms Company
Designed	1882
Specifications
Case type	Rimmed, bottleneck
Bullet diameter	.3125 in (7.94 mm)
Neck diameter	.327 in (8.3 mm)
Shoulder diameter	.342 in (8.7 mm)
Base diameter	.354 in (9.0 mm)
Rim diameter	.408 in (10.4 mm)
Rim thickness	.065 in (1.7 mm)
Case length	1.315 in (33.4 mm)
Overall length	1.592 in (40.4 mm)
Rifling twist	20"
Primer type	Small pistol
Maximum CUP	16000 CUP
Ballistic performance
Bullet weight/type Velocity Energy 85 gr (6 g) JHP 1,100 ft/s (340 m/s) 228 ft·lbf (309 J) 115 gr (7 g) CL 900 ft/s (270 m/s) 207 ft·lbf (281 J)
Source(s): "Cartridges of the World"[1]

disassembled .32-20 Winchester cartridge with 100 grain lead bullet

The .32-20 Winchester, also known as the .32 WCF (Winchester center fire), was the first small-game lever-action cartridge that Winchester produced.^[2] It was initially introduced as a black-powder cartridge in 1882 for small-game, varmint hunting, and deer.^[3][4] Colt produced a single-action revolver chambered for this cartridge a few years later.^[5]

The name .32-20 refers to the .32-inch-diameter (8.1 mm) bullet and standard black-powder charge of 20 grains (1.3 g).

Performance

Although the .32-20 cartridge was occasionally used for deer hunting in the past, many now consider it too light and low-powered for deer; it is much better suited to small game. It has a good reputation for accuracy in rifles as well as the few handguns that have been chambered for it.^[3][4][6] Because of its low power, it destroys very little meat, making it a good hunting round for appropriately sized game, up to about 100 yards (91 m).^[6] The cartridge is now approaching obsolescence, as shooters turn to other similar but more powerful and flexible loads. The power level of more modern .32s, such as the .32 H&R Magnum and the .327 Federal, equal or surpass the .32-20 in modern firearms.

Although it is an inexpensive cartridge to reload,^[1] care must be taken by the reloader because of the extremely thin walls of the cartridge case.^[7] Energy and pressure levels for handloading are determined based on the strength and condition of the firearm action to be used. Because most firearms chambered for this cartridge are older (e.g. early model Winchester Model 73 and 92 rifles as well as older Colt and Smith & Wesson revolvers) factory ammunition usually has reduced pressures from what can be achieved through handloading. Most factory ammunition exhibits ballistics of about 1,200 ft/s (370 m/s) and 325 ft·lbf (441 J) of energy at the muzzle with a 100-grain (6.5 g) bullet from an 18 to 20 inch rifle barrel. The performance characteristics of the cartridge listed in the sidebar should be considered maximum performance parameters obtainable, and even then only with a modern weapon designed for higher pressure loads. Factory-type loads - and reloads mimicking factory type loads - are the safe maximum loads for use in older weapons chambered for this cartridge, as most of the weapons the cartridge is chambered. Few if any companies still manufacture hunting weapons in this caliber.

Daughter cartridges

The .25-20 Winchester cartridge is simply a necked-down version of the .32-20.^[2] In addition, the .218 Bee was created using the .32-20 as its parent cartridge.

The .32-20 has been used to create usable ammunition for the Nagant M1895. this is accomplished by removing .01" from the rim thickness and sizing the case in a specific reloading die (lee nagant 3 die set). the ammunition produced is functional and easy to reload, however the gas seal that made the Nagant famous does not fully function because the .32-20 brass is not long enough to protrude past the Nagant cylinder to form the seal.^[8]

See also

• 32-20 Blues, a song by Delta Blues musician Robert Johnson and many other cover versions.
• 8 mm caliber
• List of rifle cartridges
• Table of handgun and rifle cartridges

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to .32-20 WCF.

Winchester firearms and cartridges Rifles Lever-action Henry rifle Model 1866 Model 1873 Model 1876 Model 1886 Model 1892 Model 1894 Model 1895 Model 53 Model 55 Model 64 Model 65 Model 71 Model 88 Model 150 Model 250 Model 255 Model 9422 Bolt action Model 1878 Hotchkiss Model 1895 Lee Navy Model 1900 Model 1902 Model 1904 Model 43 Model 47 Model 51 Imperial Model 52 Model 54 Model 56 Model 57 Model 58 Model 59 Model 60 Model 60A Model 67 Model 68 Model 69 Model 70 Model 72 Model 75 Model 121 Model 131 Model 141 Model 320 Model 325 Model 670 Model 770 Pump-action Model 1890 Model 1906 Model 61 Model 62 Model 62A Model 270 Semi-automatic Model 1903 Model 1905 Model 1907 Model 1910 Model 30 Model 63 Model 74 Model 77 Model 100 Model 190 Model 490 Full-automatic Olin/Winchester FAL Model 1917 Falling-block action Model 1885 Shotguns Pump-action Model 1893 Model 1897 Model 1912 Model 25 Model 42 Model 1200 Model 1300 Lever-action Model 1887 Model 1901 Model 9410 single-shot Model 20 Model 36 Model 37 Model 37A Model 41 double-barrel Model 21 Model 24 Model 96 Model 101 Semi-automatic Model 1911 SL Model 40 Model 50 Model 59 Model 1400 Model 1500 SX-1 Cartridges .17 Winchester Super Magnum .22 Magnum (WMR) .218 Bee .219 Zipper .22 Hornet .220 Swift .223 Winchester Super Short Magnum .225 Winchester .243 Winchester .243 Winchester Super Short Magnum .25-20 WCF .25-20 Winchester .256 Winchester Magnum .25-35 Winchester .25 Winchester Super Short Magnum .264 Winchester Magnum .270 Winchester .270 Winchester Short Magnum 7mm Winchester Short Magnum .284 Winchester .30-30 Winchester .307 Winchester .308 Winchester .300 Winchester Short Magnum .300 Winchester Magnum .32 Winchester Special .32-20 Winchester .325 Winchester Short Magnum .33 Winchester .338 Winchester Magnum .345 Winchester Self-Loading .348 Winchester .35 Winchester .35 Winchester Self-Loading .351 Winchester Self-Loading .356 Winchester .358 Winchester .375 Winchester .38-40 Winchester .38-55 Winchester .38-56 WCF .38-72 Winchester .40-60 Winchester .40-72 Winchester .401 Winchester Self-Loading .405 Winchester .44 Henry .44-40 Winchester .45-60 Winchester .45-75 Winchester .458 Winchester Magnum .50-110 Winchester