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October 29, 2011
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Any suggestions on Powder for 32WS, 32-40 AND 38-55 FOR LEAD BULLETS–Thanks Bill
April 15, 2005
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Bill,
I would use IMR 4198 (or H4198). For the 32-40 & 32 WS I would start with 18 grains and work up slowly (to keep the velocity under 1650 fps). For the 38-55 a good starting load is 20 grains.
Bert
WACA Historian & Board of Director Member #6571L
February 3, 2022
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I second Bert’s advice on IMR 4198. In my .32-40 Sharps I use 18 grains of 4198. With both cast and JSP bullets groups at 100 yards are usually around an inch. I’ve tried Unique and 2400 and they do fine, but not as well as 4198. In my .38-55s, I use up to 24 grains of 4198, but also get good groups with 9.0 grains of Unique. Some of my very best groups with my .38-56 Highwall are with 22 grains of IMR 4227. More recently I’ve been using AA 5744 and it’s great with cast bullets. It’s been hard to find recently, but I just landed an 8 lb. can yesterday.
I’ve attached a few photos of the rifles and groups for your review:
February 3, 2022
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Brian Sindelar said
I second Bert’s advice on IMR 4198. In my .32-40 Sharps I use 18 grains of 4198. With both cast and JSP bullets groups at 100 yards are usually around an inch. I’ve tried Unique and 2400 and they do fine, but not as well as 4198. In my .38-55s, I use up to 24 grains of 4198, but also get good groups with 9.0 grains of Unique. Some of my very best groups with my .38-56 Highwall are with 22 grains of IMR 4227. More recently I’ve been using AA 5744 and it’s great with cast bullets. It’s been hard to find recently, but I just landed an 8 lb. can yesterday.I’ve attached a few photos of the rifles and groups for your review:
Guess I need to press 
upload!
