.327 Federal Mag Load Advice

[SmokingFrye]

I shoot a .327 Federal Mag in a 4.2" barreled SP101. The current load I work with needs adjusting...

With a minimum load of 800X and 100 gr JHPs, this pistol is an absolute fire breather! It burns inconsistent and inefficient. The question is, would I benefit from changing to a faster burning powder such as Titegroup? The recoil is not a concern, I simply want a round that uses powder more efficiently instead of blowing it out the end of the barrel and still maximizes velocity. Any advice would be appreciated as this is the first time I've had an issue like this.

 

[Rule3]

I have the best results with 2400 even better than H110. Never used 800x so can not compare them.

 

[SmokingFrye]

Good to hear. Since the burn rates of 2400 and Lil'gun are nearly identical, I may give that a go too.

 

[RealGun]

12.0 grains of AA#9 is too good for me to change it. The trick is to use a real magnum powder without getting into magnum primers. I use small rifle primers, as recommended by Speer. The case is skinny and tall, so I picked a powder with good volume that I could easily see when seating a bullet..

 

[SlowFuse]

I haven't used 800X in 327 but I would bet the "minimum load" part is what's causing inconsistent burn. In this cartridge specifically you probably need to get that powder towards upper end pressure to get it clean.

Titegroup seems too fast. The fastest powder I have used is HP38 for lower powered plinkers. CFE Pistol and HS-6 works for this too but gets closer to the sweet spot for this cartridge for me, which requires a Magnum powder.

I used H110 but when it got hard to find I tried Ramshot Enforcer. I found more accurate loads with this.

I don't load a lot of jacketed but have loaded thousands of MBC's 120 grain RNFP 32-20 bullet. HP-38 and Enforcer produced the best results with this and their 100 grain Cowboy #6 RNFP.

I think you may be able to find a good load without having to change powders, but you're going to have to bump it up. I see the Hodgdon data range for 800X with 100 gr XTP is from 6.0 to 6.9. I'd guess you'll see some good results once you hit close to 6.5, but that's a guess. Work up and let us know how it goes.

 

[Walkalong]

Titegroup isn't a good choice unless you want a slow target/plinking load.

Any full load of slow powder that will get the Magnum velocity the round is known for will have considerable muzzle flash. Some powders are treated so they have less muzzle flash, so I would try one of them if the flash bothers you. But it isn't the powder burning you see, it has burned up before the bullet leaves the barrel.

AA #9 is going to have less flash than many.

Power pistol is like this: