.32 Winchester Special

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

.32 Winchester Special
.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

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. 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. It was also marketed as something more powerful than the .30-30 and yet had less recoil than the .30 Army. This new cartridge enjoyed only moderate success, and remained hampered by the small selection of available bullets in the .321 diameter. 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. 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.

See also

• List of rifle cartridges
• Table of handgun and rifle cartridges
• 8 mm caliber