I had never had a rifle in this caliber until a couple of days ago. Spotted a nice 1950 Marlin 336-A in very good shape with perfect bore and figured what the heck. I'm a sucker for lever guns with 24-inch barrels and half magazines anyway. The rifle sports a Lyman 56 receiver sight and the interesting Dockendorff gold bead front. This sight is a globe style with a hood that slides forward to admit more light on the bead, if needed. This is the first I have seen and I am impressed.
Will assemble some Speer 170s, some Hornady 165-grain Flex Tips and a can of LeveRevolution powder and see what she'll do.

Congrats! I have the A in .35 Remington and .30-30 and love them. I would love an A in .32.

My .32 Special is a 1949 336 RC. Great little rifle!

Henry: An A in .35 Remington eh? I am hearing some fabulous things about the possibilities of handloading the .35 with modern bullets and powders.

Bill/Oregon- advise us concerning how your reloads shoot, especially the Hor. Flex tips & LeverRevolution powder.

Ditto I want to put my 336 back in service one of these days.

Nice Marlin with some colletor value..The 32 Spec. is a 30-30 for all practicle purposes, and that's pretty high praise in my books..Enjoy.

Well, fellas, found this old thread while doing a search for .32 Special. That Marlin found a new home in Arizona with one of our own here at AR. However, I just lucked into another .32 Special on one of the auction sites, and will have it in a few days.
This time, it's a Winchester model I have long coveted: a Model 64 built in the year of my nativity, 1953. The thing I like about the 64 is that it is a trimmer rifle than the Marlin. If it checks out at the range with handload workups, it just may accompany me to South Africa as my backup for plains game next year. I'll post a photo when I have the Winchester in hand.

Neat, get the Hornady pointy plastic tipped bullets. They are just as accurate in my 94 carbine as anything else and shoot 2" flatter @100 yds than factory 170s.

.45-70: Yep, first thing I want to try is some fast-stepping gummy tips from Hornady. Just e-mailed Hodgdon to see if they have data for this bullet and LeveRevolution powder in .32 Special.

Of all things I used 4320 (data from the little book you can get from IMR/Hodgdon for free) as it gave the best performance with the 170 and I had a still sealed METAL can of it that I picked up in a trade. With 7 decades eyes, a tang sight and a Sourdough post that covers 12" @ 100 yards, I was able to drop 5 into 3". That's all I expect from a 60 year old 94 carbine. Shot one Yote with it at 75 paces, broke both shoulders and left about a 2" exit hole. There was no tracking required. IMHO it would be just fine on a heart/lung shot on any deer sized game.

I just picked up this 32 Special 1950 Model 94 about two weeks ago. I already have a nice 30/30 Model 64 and 94AE along with a Marlin 336 in 35 Rem.
I have not had a chance to shoot the 32 Special, but look forward to doing it soon.

That's a pristine 94, considering its age! My rifle should finally be here late this week. I'm loading Hornady 170s for now.

The other bullet that works very well is the Oregon Trail 32 Spec 170g RNFP .322 with a modest load of Trail Boss. A few cents a round and no barrel wear at all. No problem holding 5 inside an inch at 50 yards (off a rest).

Just curious, does anyone know this "pegleg" fellow ? He seems to only show up with his silly little troll banner while contributing nothing to the thread.

That 94 is really a beauty, mine is of the same vintage (purchased here) but has a bit more wear (but a perfect bore).

4570: That cast bullet with Trailboss sounds like it would make a good low-velocity rabbit load.

By the way, just received the Model 64 and could not be more pleased by the condition, onsidering it was made the year I was born -- 1953. Wish I were in as good a shape ...

Bill, that is a beautiful rifle. I think the Model 64 was the best looking lever Winchester ever made.

I have one that's a few years older (1956) but in 30/30, it compliments my 1950 94 in 32 Spec.

Besides looking so classic, they are fun to shoot. Enjoy yours, great gun.

Thanks Bill like I said I shot mine as much as I could for 8 years befor I went into the navy and a lot more after I got out so I just used it up. I wish I had it back as my father bought it for me but being a kid sold it because it didnt shoot any longer. Tom

JB, that is a sweet pair.

Not to start a riot, but Bill Goodman, the Sharps guy, has a pretty clean 64 in 38-55 iirc) for sale for about $1200 on his website.

I once owned a 64 TD in 30-30 with a mint bore. Foolishly traded it off for a 700 BDL in 300 WM.

we learn so late about value...

IS
That is sad

I just got myself a 1950 Marlin 336 A DL in 32 Spec yesterday on a trade. It is pretty nice original condition with a little blue worn off the top of the barrel between the rear sight and receiver, presumably from carrying. The bore is bright and minty.

I haven't decided if I like it or not. It does not swing or carry like a 20" 336 C or RC, but it does yield a clearer sight picture than the carbines. I may swap it for a RC in 32 Spec or may even cut this one down to like 18 or 18-1/2. I know it is a bit collectible and will think long and hard on that. It carries and swings a lot like a bolt action rifle with a 24 inch barrel; I may as well carry a 30-06 so that I can reach out a lot further.

What kind of on game performance will a 18-1/2" 32 Special yield?

The same as an 18 1/2 30-30. The only difference between a 30-30 and a 32 Special is the size of the hole in the barrel.

quote:

Originally posted by craigster:
The same as an 18 1/2 30-30. The only difference between a 30-30 and a 32 Special is the size of the hole in the barrel.

Well that and you get more velocity from the 32.