In .32 ACP either 94-gr. Meister LFN, RCBS 32-98SWC or Saeco #325 SWC, use lightest load which will function, In my Beretta thats 1.5 grs. Bullseye, like .30 cal. CB caps, drops the cases right at your feet. Slow load smacks, tears and bounces the tin cans much better than faster loads which zip easily through and perforate the dirt on the far side. No slouch as small game load either.
In the .32 S&W Long the same powder puff 1.5 grain load with any of the above bullets is a good low-noise plinker either in my Rook rifle or the S&W .32 Hand Ejector. Use these in the basement in an ordinary Outers .22 rimfire bullet trap, bullet smnacking the steel makes more noise than the gun going off.
It's fun to compare the reloading cost of the .32s with larger calibers such as the .38 Special, or with .22 LR ammunition.
Current (9/7/2007) retail price at Midway for Alliant Bullseye is $14.99 per pound. At 7000 grains per pound the powder cost per thousand rounds of .38 Special at 3.5 grains per pop is $7.50, for .32 Longs at 2.0 grains $4.30 per pop and .32 ACP at 1.5 grains $3.22 per pop.
If you buy your primers by the case of 5000, average cost if $105 per case plus $20 hazmat fee and typically $10 shipping which brings primer cost per thousand to $29
If you buy the cheapest lead bullets out there, Hornady 90-gr. SWCs for the .32s are $44 per thousand. They are good bullets for light loads and so cheap that it hardly pays to cast unless you have a free source of lead and just enjoy doing it.
In the .38 Special the Remington .358” diameter 158-gr. SWCs shoot really well and at $47 per thousand are also cheap enough that it hardly pays to cast.
Assuming you enjoy reloading for its own sake and you don't put a value on your time, component cost per thousand rounds of .32 S&W Longs at 2 grains of Bullseye works out to:
Powder $4.30
Primers $29.00
Bullets $44.00
Total $77.30
Doing the same exercise on .38 Specials using Remington 158-gr. SWCs with 3.5 grs. of Bullseye you get:
Powder $ 7.50
Primers $29.00
Bullets $47.00
Total $83.50
Compare to the current cost per thousand of typical .22 rimfire ammunition:
CCI Blazer(the cheapest) $31
CCI Mini-Mag HighVelocity $50
CCI Standard Velocity $53
CCI Green Tag Match $101
Eley Standard $91
Eley Tenex $330
So getting the cheapest plinking grade .22 ammo is cheaper than reloading, but if you are concerned about accuracy, my .32 S&W Long and .38 Special target revolvers are less expensive to shoot with good reloads indoors at 25 yards than it is to buy quality .22 rimfire ammo which groups an inch or under at 25 yards from a target revolver.
Your mileage may vary, but this is a good benchmark.
73 de KE4SKY In Home Mix We Trust From the Home of Ed's Red in "Almost Heaven" West Virginia