.32 Winchester Special

Not to be confused with .32-20 Winchester, .32-40 Winchester, or .32 Winchester Self-Loading.

.32 Winchester Special in 165 Grain Hornady FTX (Left) and 170 Grain Remington SP (Right)

Type

Rifler

Place of origin

USA

Production history

Designer

Winchester

Designed

1901

Specifications

Parent case

.30-30 Winchester

Case type

Rimmed, bottleneck

Bullet diameter

.321 in (8.2 mm)

Neck diameter

.343 in (8.7 mm)

Shoulder diameter

.401 in (10.2 mm)

Base diameter

.422 in (10.7 mm)

Rim diameter

.506 in (12.9 mm)

Rim thickness

.063 in (1.6 mm)

Case length

2.040 in (51.8 mm)

Overall length

2.565 in (65.2 mm)

Case capacity

45 gr H₂O (2.9 cm³)

Rifling twist

1 in 16 in (410 mm)

Primer type

Large rifle

Maximum pressure

42,000 psi (290 MPa)

Ballistic performance

Bullet weight/type	Velocity	Energy
170 gr (11 g) JFP	2,283 ft/s (696 m/s)	1,968 ft·lbf (2,668 J)
165 gr (11 g) FTX	2,410 ft/s (730 m/s)	2,128 ft·lbf (2,885 J)

Source(s): Hodgdon^[1]

The .32 Winchester Special (or .32 WS) is a rimmed cartridge created in October 1901 for use in the Winchester Model 94 lever-action rifle.^[2] It is similar in name but unrelated to the .32-20 Winchester cartridge (which is also known as .32 WCF).

History

This cartridge is based on the .30-30 Winchester cartridge of 1895, but differs from the .30-30 in bullet diameter. More significantly, Winchester decreased the rate of rifling twist in their Model 94 rifle, from 1:12 when chambered for the .30-30 to 1:16 when chambered for the .32 Winchester Special. Winchester used the slower twist to reduce fouling retention when creating a new cartridge for sportsmen who wanted to reload their own ammunition using black powder and cast bullets.^[3] It was also marketed as something more powerful than the .30-30 and yet had less recoil than the .30 Army.^[2]^[4] This new cartridge enjoyed only moderate success, and remained hampered by the small selection of available bullets in the .321 diameter.^[2] There is a wide selection of bullet types and weights for the .30-30, while the only commonly available bullets in .321 diameter are 170 grain and 165 grain. Also, due to the slow twist of the barrel, accuracy suffered when the barrel exhibited wear.

Performance

Ballistics are similar to the .30-30 cartridge and its .308 caliber (7.62mm) bullet, but the larger diameter .321 (8.15 mm) bullet of the .32 WS will create a larger wound. However, given the same weight of bullet in both calibers, the .30 caliber would have a greater sectional density, and correspondingly greater penetration.^[5] According to Winchester's original claims, the .32 WS has about 5-10% more energy than the .30-30 at point-blank ranges, and less at longer ranges due to increased drag due to the .321's greater diameter and reduced sectional density.^[6]

References

↑ ".32 Winchester Special (rifle) data" from Hodgdon
1 2 3 Hornady (2003). Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading. vol I (6th ed.). Grand Island, NE, USA: Hornady Mfg Co. pp. 488, 489.
↑ Hornady (1967). Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading. vol I (1st ed.). Grand Island, NE, USA: Hornady Mfg Co. p. 218.
↑ Barnes, Frank C. (2006) [1965]. Skinner, Stan, ed. Cartridges of the World (11th ed.). Iola, WI, USA: Gun Digest Books. p. 72. ISBN 0-89689-297-2.
↑ "The .32 Winchester Special" by Chuck Hawks
↑ "What Makes It Special?" by M.L. McPherson at Levergun.com

Cartridges derived from the 30-30 Winchester or its derivatives (including wildcats)

First generation derivatives

Second generation derivatives

Based on .219 Zipper	.219 Donaldson Wasp .219 Zipper Improved .225 Winchester

Based on .25-35 Winchester	.22 Savage HP

Based on .30-30 Ackley Improved	.22/.30-30 Ackley Improved 6 mm/.30-30 Improved

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

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.32 Winchester Special

History

Performance

See also

References