I have a good load for IHMSA Field Pistol competition (out to 100 meters) for my T/C, and I'm beginning to think of the Big Bore category. While 3.0 gr. of Titegroup pushing a 100 gr. bullet is fine for the Field Pistol category, I'm not sure it will be real effective against a 55 pound ram at 200 meters.

I'm fairly enamored with Titegroup and would like to stay with this for all my .32 H&R mag loads as it is very repeatable.

What are you .32H&R magnum guys using out there for this application in the way of bullet weight, style, type and powder?

My thinking is I'll need to go to a rifle bullet with a little more stones than the 100 gr., no?

Looking for some real-life experience here. THANKS !

Dino

Well, I'm afraid I don't have any real life experience with the .32 H&R but do have a fair amount of experience at trying to knock over the steel animals with handguns.

I�m not sure that you will find anything which can reliably knock over the rams at 200 meters and that can safely be fired from the .32 H&R, even in a Contender. There just isn�t the powder capacity. For fun I tried the 200 meter rams with stout loaded 180 grain bullets from a .357 Magnum in a 10� Contender. If you can hit pretty close to the top line it will knock them over, but low body hits are real iffy. Sometimes it would work, it depended on how damaged the feet of the target are, maybe if the target rail is angled slightly backwards and how lightly set the targets are.

For comparison I used that .357 with a 125 grain bullet and a �moderate� load for 100 yard NRA Hunter Pistol shooting, which is the same as your IHMSA Field Pistol. It would decisively knock over the rams with any decent hit.

So I don�t know, maybe a 200 grain bullet would work but what velocity would you get? And the trajectory would be such a rainbow that even with a known sight in range... well, if you do like me and change the sights for each range your sights would need to be really spot on repeatable.

I believe the .357 Maximum was widely adopted as it would reliably throw a 180 grain bullet fast enough to be reliable without the recoil of the heavier .44 caliber loadings.

Hope this is helpful to your thinking. Realize that I have been out of Hunter Pistol shooting for about 5 years and haven�t followed all of the latest developments. Seems I read something recently about the .300 Whisper doing a good job with 180 or 200 grain Matchkings in this game, could be mis-remembering that though.

Jim,

Thank you for your reply and experiences. I've seen listings in the IHMSA News of people using the .32H&R mag for big bore competition, and placing quite high in the standings! So, somehow people are doing it, I just need to learn how.

Funny you should mention the .357 mag. I am considering that to be my next barrel, figuring I could go in the .38 special mode or .357 mag mode. Could very well be.

Thanks again,
Dino

A guy I shoot with uses a 200 grain GC cast for big bore. Any hit will take them off. It's fun to look throuh a spotting scope and watch that big heavy bullet drop out of the sky and hit rams. I used a eight inch DW with 180 FPJs with good success. It would reliably take down rams unless hard set or if I hit real low and centered. I don't know of anyone using .32 for BB, but a friend tried .30 Carbine. he got frustrated pretty quick. Accurate, but not enough omph.

Eddie