.32-20 Winchester

colspan="3" style="background: lightsteelblue; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"

| .32-20 Winchester Type Rifle / Handgun Place of origin United States

colspan="3" style="background: lightsteelblue; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"

| Production history Designer Winchester Repeating Arms Company Designed 1882 colspan="3" style="background: lightsteelblue; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"

| Specifications Case type Rimmed, bottleneck Bullet diameter .3125 in (

 mm

)

Neck diameter .327 in (

 mm

)

Shoulder diameter .342 in (

 mm

)

Base diameter .354 in (

 mm

)

Rim diameter .408 in (

 mm

)

Rim thickness .065 in (

 mm

)

Case length 1.315 in (

 mm

)

Overall length 1.592 in (

 mm

)

Rifling twist 20" Primer type Small rifle Maximum CUP 9000 CUP colspan="3" style="background: lightsteelblue; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"

| Ballistic performance Bullet weight/type Velocity Energy style="vertical-align:middle; border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;

" | 85 gr (

 g)

SP||style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;

"|2,300 ft/s (

 m/s)

||style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;

"|999 ft·lbf (

 J)

style="vertical-align:middle; border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;

" | 110 gr (

 g)

SP||style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;

"|2,100 ft/s (

 m/s)

||style="border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;

"|1,077 ft·lbf (

 J)

Source: "Cartridges of the World"

The .32-20 Winchester also known as the .32 WCF was the first small-game lever-action cartridge that Winchester Repeating Arms Company produced. It was initially introduced as a blackpowder cartridge in 1882 for small-game, varmint hunting, and deer. Colt produced a single-action pistol chambered for this cartridge a few years later.

Performance

The .32-20 works well for a variety of small game. It also performs well, having a reputation for good accuracy, when used for handguns. Although it is sometimes used for deer, it is really underpowered for such usage. Because of its low power it destroys very little meat, making it a good hunting round for appropriate sized game out to about 100 yards (90 m).

It is an easy and inexpensive cartridge to reload. Energy and pressure levels for handloading are determined based on the strength of the firearm action to be used. Due to the fact that most firearms chambered for this cartridge are of older age, i.e. early model Winchester model 92 and 94 rifles as well as older Colt and Smith & Wesson revolvers, factory ammunition usually posses weaker ballastics than what can be achieved through handloading. Most factory ammunition exhibits ballistics of about 1,200 fps and 325ft.lb of energy at the muzzle with a 100 grain bullet from an eighteen to twenty inch rifle barrel.

Child cartridges

The later .25-20 Winchester cartridge is simply a necked-down version of the .32-20. In addition the .218 Bee was created using the .32-20 as it's parent cartridge.

Categories

Cartridge:rifles