32WCF inquiry

[Preskit]

I own a model 94 Winchester, 1930’s era. I am trying to find cowboy ammo for it. I don’t want to load it myself, does anyone know where I might find it? Any help is appreciated!

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

.32 WCF, aka .32-20, was never chambered in the model 94.   The model 92 and 73, but not the 94.   The .30 WCF, aka the .30-30, was chambered in the model 94.

So...   Are you talking about a 92 in .32-20 you need ammo for, or a 94 in .30-30?

That being said, "cowboy ammo" can be found at most of your better gun shops, but a word of advice.   Winchester "cowboy" ammo is no different from their "regular" ammo loaded with lead bullets.  It's just in different packaging and costs a little more.   On the other hand, there are brands of cowboy ammo out there that are "downloaded" to be more like the way most people load their own.  If you find the ammo at a local shop, be sure to research it a little before you buy.

All of that said, .32-20 ammo seems to be very scarce lately.   I'd say if you can find ANY ammo in that caliber, loaded with lead bullets, grab it, without regard to if it's labeled cowboy ammo or not.  If nothing else you'll have good brass to reload after you use it.  

Heck, if you can find .32-20 with jacketed or half jacketed bullets, buy that too.   Just pull out the bullets and replace them with lead ones, or use them for plinking away from the cowboy range and then reload 'em.

[Widder, SASS #59054]

deleted.   Never mind.

 

..........Widder

 

 

[Abilene, SASS # 27489]

Your '94 may be chambered in 32 Special rather than 32wcf.  This is not a pistol cartridge and not legal for CAS main match.

[Tex Jones, SASS 2263]

Perhaps it's 32-40 caliber?  No cowboy ammo for that caliber that I know of.  Also, not a main match caliber.

[Rip Snorter]

5 minutes ago, Tex Jones, SASS 2263 said:

Perhaps it's 32-40 caliber?  No cowboy ammo for that caliber that I know of.  Also, not a main match caliber.

That's what I was thinking.  Had a 32-40. 

[G W Wade]

323 Win Special was added to the line in 1901 in the 1894       GW

[H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619]

16 hours ago, Abilene, SASS # 27489 said:

Your '94 may be chambered in 32 Special rather than 32wcf.  This is not a pistol cartridge and not legal for CAS main match.

 

Oh yeah, .32 Winchester Special.   I forgot about that one, even though I have a 94 chambered for it.   It never had a WCF type name, that's probably why I didn't think of it.

I can't remember the last time I saw .32WS ammo anywhere, or brass for that matter.   You can, supposedly, safely fire .30-30 ammo in it, and then you can reload the brass with proper sized bullets and have perfectly correct ammo.  I've never done this, but I've read it in enough places to believe it is a safe thing to do.  Don't know how this would effect accuracy, especially of the longer range type.

Re-reading the original post, I see that you don't want to load the ammo yourself.  You might not have an alternative, other than running .30-30's in it.

[PowderRiverCowboy]

On 7/28/2022 at 11:22 AM, H. K. Uriah, SASS #74619 said:

.32 WCF, aka .32-20, was never chambered in the model 94.   The model 92 and 73, but not the 94.   The .30 WCF, aka the .30-30, was chambered in the model 94.

So...   Are you talking about a 92 in .32-20 you need ammo for, or a 94 in .30-30?

That being said, "cowboy ammo" can be found at most of your better gun shops, but a word of advice.   Winchester "cowboy" ammo is no different from their "regular" ammo loaded with lead bullets.  It's just in different packaging and costs a little more.   On the other hand, there are brands of cowboy ammo out there that are "downloaded" to be more like the way most people load their own.  If you find the ammo at a local shop, be sure to research it a little before you buy.

All of that said, .32-20 ammo seems to be very scarce lately.   I'd say if you can find ANY ammo in that caliber, loaded with lead bullets, grab it, without regard to if it's labeled cowboy ammo or not.  If nothing else you'll have good brass to reload after you use it.  

Heck, if you can find .32-20 with jacketed or half jacketed bullets, buy that too.   Just pull out the bullets and replace them with lead ones, or use them for plinking away from the cowboy range and then reload 'em.

32-20 Thats a fact Lucky for me I have Black Hills ammo here , so see it regularly even then it goes fast (although I do see more of the not so Popular calibers out from them 38-40, .38 Long Colt and 38-55 all on shelf today . Brass yep save but did find a clearance of 32-20 at local farm supply store , In which i Bought 20 of the 40 bags(left some on purpose for someone else)  of quantity 50 they had price I couldnt pass up 14 bucks per 50 . 
I actually see that one going obsolete in the future .