Mystery .32 ACP round

O

Otis311

New member
My brother was loading his Tomcat with Magtech 71 gr. .32 ACP. When he couldn't fit one of them in the magazine he noticed a strange looking casing. The head stamp is a Remington and I don't know what the deal is with the extra wide flange and lack of extractor grove. I have a regular Remington .32 in the pics for reference. Anyone have some insight on this.

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revolver round headstamped wrong.
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It's hard to tell from the pictures. Are the cartridges the same length? What do these measure out to?

Lyman's Pistol and Revolver Handbook is showing the .32 auto case at .680 and the .32 S&W case at .605.
 
the dimensions of the bullets are the same except the flange, which is about .015" larger in diameter than the regular .32 acp. That was the reason it wouldn't fit in the clip.
 
35 S&W auto ?? S&W made this pistol first in 35S&W then 32 S&W IIRC. But a 32S&W would function in the 35. Perhaps this had the 35 dimensions after the 35 was discontinued ??? Just Google 35 S&W Pistol
 
My money is on manufacturer error. I've seen quite a few like this in different calibers, and I have a Blazer aluminum case that has 2 extractor grooves.
 
"35 S&W auto ?? S&W made this pistol first in 35S&W then 32 S&W IIRC. But a 32S&W would function in the 35. Perhaps this had the 35 dimensions after the 35 was discontinued ??? Just Google 35 S&W Pistol"

Huh?

The .35 S&W was a semi-automatic round that was dimensionally VERY similar to the .32 ACP. The rimmed, and MUCH older, .32 Smith & Wesson revolver round would not function in the .35 S&W semi-auto.

This is a .35 Smith & Wesson: http://www.auctionarms.com/closed/displayitem.cfm?itemnum=7552400.0

The cartridge was largely a flop, so in 1921 Smith & Wesson simply dropped it and chambered the gun in .32 ACP starting in 1924.

The .35 Smith & Wesson Auto round has been obsolete since before World War II.
 
so it just missed the machining process then. They must turn down the rim at the same time they cut the extractor groove.
 
Looks like current typical Remington QC. As of late I've noticed more posts on various websites where people are having problems with Remington UMC rounds in the yellow boxes for the majority and quite a few green and white boxes. Until their QC goes back up I've been stocking up locally on Federal ammo from Walmart that seems to come in every week.
 
mystery

That looks like a case from another run on the same machinery. Dimensionally it could be a .32 Short Colt (but Remington doesn't make .32 SC, IIRC). It could also be a .32 S&W - the shorter one. Case lengths are close.
Pete
 
I may be wrong, but IIRC, the case is partly drawn and the head formed with a rim to help handling through the forming and head stamping process. Then the case goes to the cannelure machine where the rim is turned off and the groove cut. I have no idea how that round skipped part of the process, passed inspection and was actrually loaded, but it goes to show that one should ALWAYS inspect each round before loading if the gun will be used for a serious purpose.

FWIW, the .32 ACP and .35 S&W cartridges are not interchangable; the .35 won't fit a .32 chamber and while the .32 will chamber and fire in the .35 chamber, it is not the correct cartridge. The later 1924 model was made in .32 ACP - there was no .32 S&W Auto cartridge.

Jim
 
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It may have some collector's value. Take it with you to the next gun show and maybe there will be a dealer in collector's cartridges. Odd cartridges like this are always desirable. I saw a Winchester .45 Colt (LC) that was headstamped .45 CLOT and I think it was made for export to Turkey. It definitely has nothing to do with the old .35 S&W. The .35, by the way, had "windows" cut in the bullet jacket to avoid separation of the jacket and core. That cartridge hasn't been around in a great many years so is unlikely that it could be produced by accident. The .35 is also a rimless cartridge.
 
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