Thread: 32-40

@grandpamac Love reading your posts about old cartridges!

Originally Posted by bumblefoot

@grandpamac Love reading your posts about old cartridges!

Greetings and thanks Bumblefoot and all,
Clearly I have spent far too much time reading about interesting old stuff. The 32-20 and other target cartridges were often not loaded as we do now with the projectile seated in the case. The projectile was seated into the rifle throat, partly into the rifling. Some even loaded it from the muzzle. The case with powder charge was then loaded behind the projectile. Clearly this was target shooting in the slow lane. One of the shooting disciplines was shot standing at a range of 40 rods. A rod is an arcane land measurement that works out to ever so slightly over 5 metres so the range was about 200 metres (201.168 precisely), 10 chains or 220 yards. These days we have difficulty getting people to shoot any discipline other than prone with a bipod.
Old fashioned stuff can be really fascinating. Terry Wieland writes interesting articles for Rifle and Handloader mag about these neat old rifles.
Regards Grandpamac.

A friend of mine bought a single shot target rifle at a Ted Rogers Auction a few years back in 32-40. It is a handmade rifle by Earl Wyatt. A beautiful piece and very accurate as is usual for anything made by Earl.