I was at my local hang last week and saw somethin I haven't seen before. It was an octagon barreled Marlin Model 39. I then looked at the rifle closer and it turned out that it was a 32 cal. The owner said that it was made for a 32 rimfire, but the firing pin could be switched and shoot a 32 centerfire colt cartridge. Any one heard of one of these? I'm skeptical, the owner is a .

Bill

Bill

They made them, and they look like a Mod. 39, but the only ones I've seen are the 1891 model (kind of a pre-Mod. 39 made in the 1890's). Not sure if the 1992 model was reversable...know it came in .32RF, but don't know if it was convertable to centerfire aas I've never handled one.

The cneterfire would be the .32Short Colt...not the .32SW. Short Colt uses the same heeled bullet type as the RF round, and the case dimentions are a bit smaller than the .32SW.

Yeah I have found the models 1891 and 1892. I did see a description of the ability of the switchable firing pin.

http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=23190887

I believe the price tag on it is $875 at the local hang. Seems like a good deal.

Bill

Yeah I have found the models 1891 and 1892. I did see a description of the ability of the switchable firing pin.

http://www.gunbroker.com/auction/ViewItem.asp?Item=23190887

I believe the price tag on it is $875 at the local hang. Seems like a good deal.

Bill

If you do...it is not one I'd subject to increased pressure. Have to load those .32SC's pretty close to BP ballistics to keep that gun healthy.

Loading .32SC is fustrating...really does need those heeled bullets, and those are never fun to load. Outside of the bullet is the same size as the outside of the case (as in .22LR) and only a rebatred "heel" sits inside the case. Getting good crimps is a problem, expoosed lube can be a problem...but with bullets soft enough for the low pressure used, it can be done.

The inside tip of the lever is what holds the bolt forward , not a locking lug like on the 94's ! I think 32s&w Longs will work ! Some had the revirsable firing pin but the early ones didn't ! Light loads only ! JAGG

A few years ago Navy Arms imported some newly manufactured .32 Short RF ammunition. I picked up a few boxes for my great grandfather's .32 RF Steven's Crackshot rifle. They were a bit pricey, $25/box of 50 if I remember correctly. Every now and then I still see a few boxes around.

I own a Marlin Model 1892 in .32 caliber.
It takes the .32 Long Colt or the .32 Short Colt cartridges.
The .32 Long Colt cartridge has not been made in 20 years or thereabouts. I recently found a box of Remington .32 Long Colt ammo in a Nevada gun store, made in the late 1970s or early 1980s, I'd guess.
It cost me $35 for a box of 50 and it was a bargain. At gun shows, a box of late-made .32 Long Colt cartridges will run you $50 or so.
No, you cannot use the .32 S&W Long or the .32 Colt New Police (identical cases, just a slightly different bullet) in the Marlin. The case diameter of the .32 S&W Long or .32 Colt NP is too large to even enter the chamber.
Winchester still makes .32 Short Colt ammo but it's not always easy to find. Price is $20 to $25 for a box of 50 cartridges.
Factory ammunition for the .32 Short Colt uses a heeled bullet. Factory ammo for the .32 Long Colt uses an undersized bullet with a deep hollow in the base. This is so the hollow based bullet will swell up, under pressure of firing, and engage the rifling.
In theory and other calibers it works. In the .32 Long Colt, it usually doesn't.
The Marlin typically has a bore diamter of .308 to .309. The factory, hollowbased bullet for the .32 Long Colt is typically .299 inch diamter. Therefore, it has to expand a full caliber to not only engage the rifling well, but to seal off the gases behind it.
Good luck!
I've found that heeled bullets are a whole lot more accurate in my Marlin. They're also more bothersome to reload.
Reloading dies for the .32 Short or Long Colt are available but are not mainstream. They usually cost $50 a set or so, because they're rather a special-order item anymore.
Yes, you can change the firing pin to shoot .32 Rimfire ammo. Finding .32 Rimfire ammo is another matter. Most of the time, it has to be ordered and it's expensive.
Discouraged you yet? Keep reading.
It seems to me that $875 for a Marlin Model 1891 or 1892 is a sucker price. They are not especially rare, yet ammo for them is expensive and difficult to find.
Oh, one more thing:
You MUST cast your own bullets for the .32 Long Colt or Short Colt cases. No one makes a suitable bullet for these calibers.
No, they will NOT accept a standard .32-caliber bullet. Such bullets are usually .311 to .314 inch in diameter. The inside diameter of a sized and primed .32 Short or Long Colt case is about .294 inch.
Simply put, you can't get that regular .32 bullet to go into the case.
NEI Bullet Molds used to make a mould for the .32 Long Colt --- which I designed in the early 1990s. It wasn't a success, however. The bullet I designed is not terribly accurate in my own Marlin 92. Groups of 3 or 4 inches at 25 yards from a benchrest are about the norm.
Recently, I was told that someone is now making a mould for the .32 Long Colt, that casts a heeled bullet. His phone number is 802-254-5296. Another Model 92 owner called to tell me. He ordered a mould from this man and said it was well made.
I haven't called this man yet to order one of his moulds. My understanding is that the cost is about $75, plus shipping.
The Marlin models 1891, 1892 and 1897 rifles are the predecessor of the current Marlin Model 39. Their frame size is, I believe, identical.
The older 1891, 1892 and 1897 Marlins are of interest to collectors but as a shooting gun they're a poor choice. Just too much trouble to keep them shooting.
Some people have had their .32 caliber older Marlins converted to .32 S&W Long, since the case rim is about the same size. This requires reaming out the chamber for the larger diameter case of the .32 S&W Long / .32 Colt New Police.
However, I'm not so sure I like this idea. As has been mentioned, these actions are rather weak. The accidental introduction of a stout .32 S&W Long load could wreck the rifle.
I think $875 for that rifle is outrageous unless it's in exceptionally good shape with 80 percent or more of its original finish and the wood not split or abused.
The few Model 92s I've seen at gun shows were pretty much beat up. These rifles were used to hunt small game such as rabbits and didn't get the pampering that a more expensive rifle might get. They were work guns, plain and simple.
Rather than buy one of these old Marlins, consider purchasing a new Marlin. The company recently announced that its Model 1894 will be offered in .32 H&R Magnum, which is simply the .32 S&W Long lengthened. Either cartridge will work in this new rifle. Ammo will be much cheaper and undoubtedly more accurate. Reloading components will be far more easier to obtain, too.

Interesting discussion about the old Marlin .32. I recently had the opportunity to fire a fellow shooters rifle in this chambering. We were at a rifle match where the closest targets were at 200 meters. None the less, by holding the front sight up all the way so that the base was even with the top of the rear sight, those bullets got to 200 meters just fine.

He had ordered the $75 mold from the fellow in New England that Gatefeo had mentioned and had loaded the .32 Colt Long Cartridge cases with 3 grs. of Unique.

In looking at my Marlin catalog reprints dated 1897 and 1906, they also mention the use of a .32 LONG RIFLE Cartridge in this rifle. It differed slightly from the .32 Long Colt cartridge in that it was inside lubricated in the ring in the the heal of the bullet.

If anyone would want copies of the section of these catalogs that cover this rifle and its cartridges, send me a pm with your address.

History is interesting!
John

Last week I won an Ebay bid on an old Ideal reloading tool with bullet mould, for the .32 Long (Colt or Rifle). It was marked 32 L, no reference to Colt, Marlin or anything else.
I've sent the money order and am awaiting receipt of the tool.
With this, I'll be able to make my own heeled bullets designed for the Marlin.
This reloading tool cost me $50 (shipping and handling included). I decided to go with it, over the new mould, since it will also allow me to reload at the range for quick load development.
These are not easily found. I searched for over a year for one with the magical, "32 L" designation.
Actually, I have an identical tool I bought off Ebay two years ago. It was $25, and for good reason. Long ago, some Dunderhead has filed a narrow, channel where the mould blocks meet, apparently to vent the bullet cavity. This results in a bullet with a slight fin on both sides.
I've cast perhaps 50 bullets with this tool but most of the bullets were unuseable because of the fins. Trimming the fins off, without affecting the heel, was meticulous work.
I mould on the old tool I ordered is apparently untouched. The Ebay photos showed a cavity apparently free of rust, pitting or Dunderhead intervention.
Boy, one thing I discovered using this old loading tool to cast bullets: they get HOT!. Even with gloves it was a uncomfortable to use the ol' beast. I can't imagine casting bullets from a campfire; that must have been an exercise in frustration.

Yep, I have a reprint of that old Marlin catalog too. I also noticed the 32 LONG RIFLE designation on a centerfire cartridge but that catalog is the only reference I've found to it.
That same page shows the .32 LONG COLT as having a heeled bullet with outside lubrication, while the 32 LONG RIFLE cartridge has an inside lubricated bullet of reduced diameter.
I suspect this was a very early designation to differentiate between the two bullet styles. It didn't last because later references (American Rifleman magazines, chiefly) refer to the 32 LONG COLT with heeled or inside lubricated bullet.
Incidentally, somewhere I read that .32 Long Colt factory ammunition with an outside-lubricated bullet was discontinued in the late 1890s or early 1900s, in favor of the inside-lubricated bullet with a hollow base.
Once I cast some heeled bullets, I'll experiment with loads for the .32 Marlin. It's a nice, little rifle: light, well-balanced and more powerful than the .22 Long Rifle.

Gatofeo,

Thank you for sharing your experience with your .32 Marlin.
Glad to hear that you found an Ideal tool in .32L. It will make a nice companion to your rifle. Soory to learn of your experience with someones modified mold.

In looking at Ideal Handbook No. 30 (Dated 1931 and the last catalog to show the .32 heeled bullets) the N0. 4 Ideal Tong Tool in .32 Long carries the 299153 bullet. They also show the same tool for the .32 Long Rifle I.L. which has the 299155 hollow based Inside Lubricated bullet.

With regards to the .32 Long outside lubricated, yes, as you said, it was discontinued in the early 1900's. According to Dan Shuey's book, "WRA Headstamped Cartridges And Their Variations" The .32 Long Colt Outside Lubricated cartridge was discontinued in 1923.

Interestingly, the .32 Long Colt Inside Lub. cartridge appeared in 1900, so both versions were available at the same time until 1923 and from there it was just the inside lubricated cartridge that was available.

With regards to the .32 Long Rifle, it is shown as available up until at least 1916, but as you indicated, it is virtually identical to the .32 Long Colt I.L. so, no doubt it was discontinued and replaced by the .32 L.C.I.L.

Please correct me if I'm wrong, but it looks as if the original .32 Long Colt case that used the outside lubricated
299153 bullet was .79" long. The .32 Long Colt case that used the I.L. bullet 299155 is .92" long. Therefore, it appears that one would have to trim the .92" long case back to .79" to use the 299153 bullet.

How is the accuracy with the .32 Long Colt Inside Lubricated cartridges in your rifle?

Thanks again,
John