327 Fed - need help from the 32 caliber crowd

Glaciers

Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun
I have a SP101 4" with sights in 327 mag. Fun gun with 32 S&W, 32 Long, and the 32 H&R mag. Not so much with the factory 327 ammo. 100 grain SP at 1500 fps is a miserable ear splitting louden boomer. Can't stand it.
I have one box of factory 32 shorts, 2 boxes of 32 Long, 7 boxes of 20 each 32 H&R mag. That's good, but I have 7 boxes of 50 327 fed mag. All of the ammo and gun for $500 buck in a trade. Good deal.
So I want to reload the 327's in a much more sedate fashion. But I'm not going to unload them the normal way, one at a time. I decided to pull the bullets and reduce the charge reusing the 100 grain bullets. I have 4 different bullet pullers, RCBS collet style, and the same brand hammer style, a clamp style which sometimes works, and the Hornady collet style cam operated. That Hornady is awesome. Bought it a few years ago and forgot about till I ran across it this morning. Never used it. It's flat a slick puller.
So the powder looks just like H110 at 14 grains which is compressed. I also not sure that it's H110, I'm just guessing. If it is H110 reducing about 10% is about all that would be safe. That would be a reduction in velocity from 1500 to 1377. Not enough.
I've pulled 82 bullets and will pull 100 more in the morning. So I'm putting this powder on my lawn and going to use a powder that's not so twitchy.
The 327 has 19.6 for volume and the H&R has 17.6. I'm looking for a 1000 to 1100 fps load. I have unique, red dot, 231, power pistol, blue dot, 2400, but I have none of the powders listed in the Hornady #10.
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This is the Hornady cam lock puller.

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Hornady #10 for the 327

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Hornady #10 for the 32H&R

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Speer for the 327

I have no other books with the 327 in it. So I'm hoping you guys can make some suggestions.
 

CWLONGSHOT

Well-Known Member
If you dont get answers, Ill check manuals for you in the morning. Unique always works. Mostly same for 231 as well. 2400 should be another strong candidate. Blue dot is my go to for heavier bullet loads.
CW
 
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Glaciers

Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun
I have 231 but never used it. 2400 I like a lot and it should not be twitchy. Unique listed for H&R at 3.6 max so that might be a place to start.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
Got Titegroup? It would be a good choice as well.
Yes, 231 is good in reduced loads. I use something like 3 gr with a 100 gr cast in my H&R and it is quite pleasant to shoot.
 

Glaciers

Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun
No Titegroup.

5.3 grains of 231 is the starting load for the 327, so 4 grains might 1000 fps ballpark
 

Glaciers

Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun
Runs at 45,000 PSI. The 32-20 is about 16,000 cup. It's hot.

My interest was the lesser 32's, but I have all those's 327 cartridges that should be good at more moderate velocities.
 

Brad

Benevolent Overlord and site owner
Staff member
No Titegroup.

5.3 grains of 231 is the starting load for the 327, so 4 grains might 1000 fps ballpark
With a cast bullet I would say fine but with jacketed I would be more cautious. Lots more friction wanting to makes bullets stick.
I think 4 gr is probably OK. I would load 5 or 6, test them, then go from there.
 

L Ross

Well-Known Member
Runs at 45,000 PSI. The 32-20 is about 16,000 cup. It's hot.

My interest was the lesser 32's, but I have all those's 327 cartridges that should be good at more moderate velocities.
My thought was maybe .32-20 data for you mild loads?
 

Glaciers

Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun
Yeah the jacketed slugs mic out at .313, so good point about friction.

Ross the volume of the 32-20 is about 23 grains to the 327's 19 grains. the 327 is like the 30 carbine in a handgun, loud.
 
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Glaciers

Alaska Land of the Midnight Sun
When I go through these factory bullets It will be cast from then on. I have a 311-316 Lyman that with a coat of paint comes out at .314, and a LEE 6 cavity that I got from Ben that drops at .315 with my mix. I also have the LEE 309-113 that needs about 3 coats of paint to use it in a 32 cal pistol.
So there's some fun coming up.
 

fiver

Well-Known Member
I wouldn't even hesitate to use the H&R data with anything faster than H-110.
pick out a Unique-231 whatever load and run with it, I bet you don't lose more than 1-K in pressure and maybe 25 fps. in the longer case.

remember all your doing is stretching the H&R case for the Federal so that is all the extra area the gas has to fill.
 

CZ93X62

Official forum enigma
I too own a Ruger SP-101 in 327 Federal with 4.25" barrel. It is actually worse than my 30 Carbine Blackhawk, in terms of report volume.

Those factory-level 327 loads serve a great purpose. If you are like me and live near gang-infested neighborhoods (most of San Bernardino, for example), NO HANDGUN ON EARTH will drive the homeboys and saggers out of an indoor range like the full-snort 327 Federal will. It is truly a beautiful thing. Even the most obnoxious of people and things can find their proper place in this wide world we occupy.

Like the 30 Carbine BH, the 327 Federal is a "Plugs And Muffs" hearing protection proposition. They are a whole lot easier to empty out through the muzzle than to disassemble. My 327 loads use 3.0 grains of WW-231 for about 850 FPS under the RCBS #32-98-SWC. Once any bullet--red or lead--exceeds 900 FPS from any 32 caliber revolver--it gets LOUD.
 
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