Which is better? 32-20 vs .357 for silhouette competition? Why?

I like the 0.4lb recoil of the .22wmr but am at the mercy of factory ammo variations.
32-20 & .357 are 3-4lbs recoil (maybe 1/2 that for a light load 6gr. Titegroup)I . like that I can control the load.

Are 32-20 bullets as easy to get as .357 (under normal supply conditions)?

Thoughts?

The answer to your question is "it depends". I have friends that shoot .22 mag and love it. Why? because they hate to reload. I shoot a .32-20. Why? Because I like the old cartridges( I also have a .44-40 and a .45-70). .32-20 is easy to load and I cast my bullets but good lead bullets are available. If I was recommending a caliber for pistol cartridge it would be and has been .38 special or .357. Components are common with a large selection and the cartridge works very well and is very popular.
It really does come down to personal preference. They sure are all fun.
Rick B.

.357 without a doubt. (IMHO LOL) Common, available and super easy to load. Hot rod it up to be a marginal Big Bore or down to be a very low recoil powderpuff. In a pinch you can use .38 Specials too.

You give up lot with the convenience of not reloading using a 22wmr, like winning a championship because you ring a pig or a ram with your 22wmr.
ppkny

What ever you have and like and can get to shoot accurately.

I have loaded for 38, 357, 25-20.... had a 45LC and couldn't get it to shoot good enough, playing with a 44spl now but lack of bullet selection is hampering me....

FWIW, I shot a 22mag at the '19 Nationals, didn't ring anything, shot it at the Texas '20 state match, shot a 56/60 and didn't ring anything I hit.

YMMV.

all good input and clearly shows my dilemma. BTW my son and I both shoot better scores with our SB & Rifle guns, that's why were seeking a better shooting pistol solution.

We shoot so many disciplines and reload for all, we like the idea of not having to reload for this Pistol division but will if accuracy is much improved.

I have 2 - Henry Frontiers .22 WMR's. Just got one last week and will be testing both with the Hornyday ammo I have 40's and 45's. See which rifle bullet combo it likes best. Would like to do more extensive testing but cannot find ammo.

We have a .357 W94 the kid likes but I think it needs a re-barrel.

The good news about pistol cartridge is: you can use whatever you want. That's mostly a good thing but doesn't help narrow choices much. I have a .32-20 and a .357. It is hard to guess what bullets/brass/primer availability will be like the next couple years. I say there will always be more options for .357 components, and I think the cases will last forever with mild cast loads. The carbide size die is nice with the straight wall cases. A 125 grainer at 1100 to 1300 fps is a pussycat. No experience with .22 wmr.

I've shot the .22 Mag at several different ranges around the country and have never had any problems with knockdown except at the lever gun range in Ridgway, Pa. A few years ago I used a .22 Mag at that range for their big match in August. I hit three rams in one relay that didn't move and they were all solid hits, using the Hornady critical defense 45g bullet. I will never use a .22 Mag on that range again. I don't know if they have some animals that are heavier or if the targets were set too far forward on the stand. There were others shooters who also experienced this problem.

This is not a condemnation of Ridgway. The people who run the matches are fine folks who go out of their way to accommodate the shooters.

With all that said, I have been using a 25-20 the past few months and really like it. It has more than sufficient knock down power and very little recoil--like shooting a .22 rimfire. The same applies to the 32-20. For years I shot a .357 Mag and, of course, there is no problem with losing hits with that round. But there is some recoil. With the state of this country at the present time, finding reloading components for the.357 will be much easier than the other rounds mentioned. Just my two cents.

Hasn't John Mullins won a couple of nationals with a 9422m legacy?

Yes, John Mullins shoots a Winchester Legacy in.22 Mag, and he has used it to win more than one National Competition.

yes he does. He gave me a chance to fire it once a few years back when I was a nube to lever action. Nailed 4 pigs in a row and was very impressed with how smooth a pistol grip and worked trigger could be.

I can't speak to the 22 Mag. But I have used 2 rifles in 32-20 and 2 rifles in 357 Mag. over the years. I had Marlins in both calibers, but traded them away. (Kick myself in the butt every time I think of getting rid of the 32-20 marlin)
Really accurate loads can be had in both. To save money and make the component search a bit easier, King Shooters Supply in King of Prussia PA has excellent cast and polymer coated bullets available. If you've never used polymer coated bullets, you should give them a try. You can drive them as fast as 2400 FPS with no leading or polymer deposits in the barrel. Makes cleaning your gun real easy and you don't have to deal with lead smoke. In 357, they have the usual suspects. 125, 158 etc. In 32-20 they have 78gr, 90 to 92gr and a 100 gr.

As far as loading for these 2 calibers, in 357, I use a 125 gr Polymer coated bullet with 5.3 gr of Titegroup for C&P. It's only running about 1000 FPS at the muzzle, but shoots 5 shot groups with all 5 touching at 50M. After 50M however, group size opens up a lot due to velocity fall off. For T&R, I shoot a 140 Hornady HPXTP with 7 grains of Winchester Auto Comp. Velocity at the Muzzle is 1400 FPS. I don't use this load at C&P to avoid target damage. This load will shoot 1" groups at 100M from my Henry. Another T&R load that I use is a 125 Hornady FPXTP with 7 grains of Titegroup. This load chronos at 1512 FPS. Not to be used on C&P to avoid target damage. I get 1.25" groups at 100M with this load.

For my 32-20 I use a 90 or 92 gr Polymer coated bullet from Kings, sized .313" for C&P with 3.6 gr of Trailboss. Velocity is 1138 FPS from my Cimmaron 1873 winchester and it shoots 5 shots in .9" at 50M. T&R load is a 90 gr Sierra JHC with 14.1 gr of AA2015BR at 1331 FPS. Group size is 2.2" at 100M, but, I am only using a marble's tang sight since I have no way of mounting a scope for testing. I think it's shoots better. My second choice load for T&R is a 100 gr Hornady XTP with 13 gr of Accurate 1680 powder. This will shoot the same 2.2" group at 100M.

Good information, thanks for sharing.

Dennis

Thanks Danz.

We will try the .357 loads. And if we get a 32-20 we will try those too.

Just spent time with a Master gunsmith in Barstow CA last week and learned to work the Lever Action triggers. What a difference!

KDanz, thanks for the info. Interesting how things vary with guns, conditions, chronographs, etc. I get well over 1100 fps with 4.5 gr of Titegroup (or Bullseye) and a 125 coated bullet in my 20" .357 rifle. 5.0 gr of Unique makes 1200+ fps. Jacketed 125s quite a bit slower.

There seem to be a number of us shooting slow burning powders in the 32-20 and 25-20. Not very 'efficient' in the .32 but accurate for some reason. The unburned kernels fertilize the grass I guess.