Hand-Loading For 327 Magnum - Part3;

I have not been able to find any factory ammunition for 327 Federal Magnum here in New Zealand (- nor any ".32 S&W Short") - so my line-up consists of 32 ACP, 32 S&W Long, 32 H&R Magnum, and 327 Fed. Magnum.

- I may have the first Ruger here chambered for this cartridge.
The good news is that the various .32 cartridges all shot OK - managing to exit the 327 Magnum's 4.2 inch barrel and hit the targets.

 - All shots fired 'two handed' double-action, unsupported.

.32"ACP from Winchester 'Silvertips' and 'American Eagle' FMJs  (- Bought from Christchurch's Gun City) both fired perfectly and managed the same level of accuracy in my hands as did the other revolver rounds - But they did not extract properly at all after firing. The extractor star only managed one or two semi-rimless fired ACP cases - so I then had to use a screw-driver to poke the rest out.

.32 ACP Winchester Silvertip     .32 ACP . American Eagle.

- At 8 Meters (26 feet)

Both .32 ACP loadings felt easy & gentle to shoot - something like hotter .22"s' - and having to hand remove the shells is really little worse than using a single-action revolver.

My hand-loaded .32" S&W Long rounds loaded with 90gn SWC shot fine .. but were so lightly powder charged that the cases did not 'obturate' and failed to seal in the chambers - this resulted in very sooty dirty cases and chambers. - I'll be increasing that load closer to the book maximum load by a few tenths of a grain.

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Factory .32 H&R Magnum shot great and was very easy to shoot and gentle even for a 'wimp' like me.

327 Federal Magnum            32" H&R Magnum

 My home loaded 327 Federal Magnums were built on new *Starline* brass with Hornady 100gn. XTP bullets over 5.2 gn. of AP70N powder.. and I have to say that I am satisfied with them as they shoot very nicely but are clearly more than just plinking loads.

I am using CCI small rifle primers in all 327 cases but normal small pistol primers in the other .32"s.

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- Here we go to the main act of the day ... My DUPLEX load of one 48 gn lead ball and one 72 gn plated R.N. pill was powered by 'Trailboss' powder & built using new *Starline* 327 cases. These shot very nicely with no problems (-I had been concerned that the soft lead balls might cause leading in the barrel).

So I am now thinking about maybe trying two 72 gn. plated pills ..

Five Shots - Ten Holes:

Five 120 gn. DUPLEX Rounds - Fired at 4 meters (13 feet)

Ruger SP101 Wearing Hogue Grip.

I honestly deliberately aimed off into the quarters after the first shot - to keep the twin-holes more clearly separated.

- I enjoyed a good day eh - and I'm "well pleased" with the new Ruger SP101. - 'J' grudgingly says that the single-action trigger is nice .. but I don't plan on using it. - The only negative comments that I'd make are that the brushed S.S finish is very coarse in places - and the cylinder gap varies close to no clearance on two chambers - that may 'drag' when dirty.

I had been expecting the full power 327 Magnum load to really ROAR and be shockingly loud due to it's high pressure charge - but it was nothing special - & sounded on a par with 9mm etc through my hearing protectors.. (- Mind you - I am already very deaf in my right ear following Menieres Syndrome).

Marty K.