There were numerous attempts to make a .32 S&W Long round accurate at 50 yards. At 25 yards it delivers exceptional accuracy, which is why it is used in the International centerfire competitions. Which is why Pardini still makes their HP model. But can it shoot at 50 yards and still deliver good results?
The problem is that there are several different bore and bullet diameters out there. The factory Pardini bore, for example, measures about .312. The factory Fiocchi .32 S&W bullet is just .307. Obviously, it ruins the accuracy. So here’s the idea – why don’t we take a piece of .308 blank, which has a proper 1 in 10 twist rate and make barrel out of it?
I started with a big chunk of aluminum and made a shroud for the barrel, taking the measurements off of the original factory barrel. Aside from some tricky drilling and boring operations it was a pretty straightforward job. I ended up with a huge pile of aluminum chips, and cleaning my mill took even longer than actually making the part.
I used a large shell mill to cut the scallops and made a few passes until I hit my dimensions. Here’s the new shroud mounted on the gun.
The barrel itself was pretty straightforward too, just turning the blank on the lathe, then cutting the chamber, and then I used 1/8″ end mill to cut the slot for the extractor.
And here’s the final result. We haven’t done any accuracy tests, so there may be a follow up to this post.
