327 Mag Reloads Brass Sticking In Cylinder

[PCCUSNRET]

I picked up one of the Stainless Ruger 327 Magnum revolvers with 5.5" barrel a couple of weeks ago and was trying a couple of different reloads this past week. On the second load the brass from 3 of the 7 rounds stuck in the cylinder. They were stuck tight enough that I was unable to remove them using the case extractor. I am now trying to figure out what might have caused this. The load I was using was Hornady 85 gr. XTP's, with 5.7 grs. of Win 231, CCI 500 (Small Pistol Primer), with new Starline brass. I seated the bullets to the cannelure with a crimp hard enough to remove the bell. I had previously fired 14 of these loads before with no problems (7 previous week and 7 the same day prior to these sticking). I did notice this powder seems to be a lot dirtier than Alliant 2400 in this gun (the Federal commercial ammo was even dirtier than the Win 231). This is based only on how much the brass was smoked after firing. I also noticed the outsides of the stuck cases seemed to have a "matt" finish once removed from the cylinder. The cylinder was quite dirty when I cleaned it put doesn't appear to be rough. I am going to stop using this load but would still like to know if it was caused by a "hot" load or if I did something wrong when cleaning the cylinder. I use Butch's bore cleaner followed by their lube for cleaning all my guns. I was curious if I didn't remove all or most of the lube would this cause brass to stick? Don't reload or shoot that many revolvers so any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

[anothernewb]

my first thought is residue in the cylinder. while I'm not familiar with that combination, powder weight for a bullet that light isn't excessive either. so i wouldn't think case expansion is an issue.
only thought left is powder forward condition creating overpressure.

I'm going to go with dirty cylinder first. they might appear clean, but they might not be. scrub the snot out of the cylinders with a larger brush.

like in a 38, a 358 brush isn't that tight in the cylinders, I use a .40 brush for that keeps them squeaky clean. the 327 brush will be small for the cylinders. use something a tad bigger maybe a 338 lapua brush or something close to the case diameter to really get in there and scrub them good.

 

[Rule3]

You are well within Hodgdons data for that powder and bullet. So I doubt it is over charged unless there is an error in your powder drop or measure.

Assuming it correct. I would scrub out your cylinders with a oversize brush and solvent and do not leave any excess lube in the cylinder, They may just be dirty.

 

[PCCUSNRET]

Thanks for your help! These were loaded on my Rock Chucker and each load was weighed to within .1 gr. Could too much or too little crimp cause this? I had only fired 21 rounds through the gun prior to cleaning it. I was afraid I might not have cleaned enough lube out of the cylinder but I always run a couple dry patches through each chamber after applying the lube. I wasn't going to use this powder but I may have to try another dozen or so rounds to see if I can figure out what caused this. The brass came out of the cylinder with a light "tap" of a Lee decapper after I got back home but I couldn't get them to budge with the extractor rod on the gun. The other 4 pieces of brass pushed out with no problem. I didn't notice any harder recoil from these loads than the commercial Federal loads. Actually, the Federal loads felt pretty "hot" compared to these and the ones loaded with 2400. I'll try using a larger brush next time and make sure the patches are clean.

 

[RealGun]

My Ruger like that (Single Seven) went back to Ruger, and they didn't have any replacement cylinders, asking to scrap the gun and offering me a replacement. I got the gun back and purchased a finishing reamer with a 10 week wait. It didn't take much, but the cylinders are now where they should be with zero extraction issues. PM me if interested in where you can get the cylinder reamed. You can mail the cylinder without fanfare rather than FedEx the whole gun to this FFL gunsmith.

First be sure the rounds are not jamming on loading gate misalignment, because that is a notorious issue with these guns.

 

[PCCUSNRET]

My Ruger like that (Single Seven) went back to Ruger, and they didn't have any replacement cylinders, asking to scrap the gun and offering me a replacement. I got the gun back and purchased a finishing reamer with a 10 week wait. It didn't take much, but the cylinders are now where they should be with zero extraction issues. PM me if interested in where you can get the cylinder reamed. You can mail the cylinder without fanfare rather than FedEx the whole gun to this FFL gunsmith.

First be sure the rounds are not jamming on loading gate misalignment, because that is a notorious issue with these guns.

Yes, if you would PM me that info I would appreciate it. I'm not convinced right now that it is the fault of the gun and not something I did. I would have thought if it was dirt from the ammo the Federal cases would have stuck also but they didn't. I'm hoping that it was caused by me not getting the 3 chambers cleaned thoroughly. I appreciate your help.

 

[Rule3]

When cleaning the cylinders of a revolver you should not leave lube in them. Even so I doubt that is the issue.

Clean them real well. Then take some sized brass and put them in each cylinder. Do they go in easy and fall out easy? They should.

If you can post a picture of one of your finished loads, showing the crimp you may be OVER crimping.

Have you shot 32 HR Mag, 32 Long or 32 SW out of the gun?

I load the 327 Fed but have a SW. I have shoot serious hot loads(within spec) out it with many different weight bullets and had no issue with brass sticking Use H110, 2400, PP, Longshot). Your load is a mild load compared to many,

All I can think of is over crimp and it wrecked the neck tension and hot gas and powder leaked out around the brass?? If that is even possible Just a guess.

Assuming again that the cylinders are in spec.If not, Ruger should take care of it

If you shot factory ammo out of it and no issue that it's something strange with your reloads.

I have had SW 460Mag stick some, but not so much they will not come out.

 

[AzShooter1]

Starline brass has not been the best in the last few years. Lots of extraction problems. I just bought 1000 pieces of Starline only to find the sticky extraction problem with my Smith & Wesson 929.

Today I shot the Steel Challenge match. I started using Winchester White Box Ammo but only had 200 rounds of the good stuff. No problems extracting. For the rest of the match I used Starline brass with a moderate reload of 135 grain bullets and 3.2 grains of VhitaVhouri N 320. YMMV.

Only had one stuck moon today but last week I had to pound out every moon I shot.

Biggest difference is that I scrubbed the cylinders with my brass brush dipped in M-Pro 7. Very wet and 12 passes in each chamber. Then I use a swab to get rid of the excess cleaning fluid. Now that the cylinders are squeeky clean I had no problems.

I did just order 1000 pieces of Winchester Brass to solve my problem all together.

 

[oldfortyfiveauto]

I've been seeing Starline rims undersize and the extractors wanting to go over the rim. Also not fitting the shell holders causing reloading issues.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

This is based only on how much the brass was smoked after firing. I also noticed the outsides of the stuck cases seemed to have a "matt" finish once removed from the cylinder. The cylinder was quite dirty when I cleaned it put doesn't appear to be rough.

This tells me the brass is not obturating completely. The smoked appearance is due to gas getting between the cylinder wall and the incompletely expanded brass.

This would also account for the "quite dirty" cylinder and the "matt" appearance of the brass. Powder fouling between cylinder wall and case wall is the culprit here.

I would clean the gun, make sure the chambers are dry, and use a slightly heavier charge and see if that solves the problem.

 

[PCCUSNRET]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I don't have any more bullets right now but once they arrive I will load up a few more and post a photo of the crimp. All I do for the crimp is a 1/4 turn of the die once it touches the mouth of the case. The bullets fit into the cylinder easily and I could remove them prior to shooting with no problems. I'm leaning now towards the loads being too mild or too much lubricant in the cylinder. I will check all this when I get some reloads made. All I have remaining now are factory rounds and some loaded with 2400. Thanks again for all the help.

 

[FROGO207]

I have a pair of Ruger 30 Carbine Blackhawks. The eight of the twelve cylinders were so rough that it took reaming them and polishing all twelve of them with 400 grit sandpaper until smooth to cure the extraction problems. If the same three cylinders are always the culprits then this could be the cause with yours as well. Problems are worse when dirty. It looks like you have light loads to me as well when the outside of the neck is smoked up excessively.

 

[Rule3]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I don't have any more bullets right now but once they arrive I will load up a few more and post a photo of the crimp. All I do for the crimp is a 1/4 turn of the die once it touches the mouth of the case. The bullets fit into the cylinder easily and I could remove them prior to shooting with no problems. I'm leaning now towards the loads being too mild or too much lubricant in the cylinder. I will check all this when I get some reloads made. All I have remaining now are factory rounds and some loaded with 2400. Thanks again for all the help.

If you are using a the Lee FCD 1/4 turn is not enough. You need 1/2 to just a tad more to around 3/4 turn from when the set screw touches the top of the bullet

There is noting wrong with your load you can go a tad higher if you want. 6.0 gr is max per Hodgdon.

 

[PCCUSNRET]

If you are using a the Lee FCD 1/4 turn is not enough. You need 1/2 to just a tad more to around 3/4 turn from when the set screw touches the top of the bullet

There is noting wrong with your load you can go a tad higher if you want. 6.0 gr is max per Hodgdon.

I am using RCBS dies. The instructions indicate starting off with 1/8 turn and increasing 1/8 turn until you get the crimp as you want it. I ended up with about 1/4 turn to remove the bell and give me a mild crimp. I used the Federal commercial loads for a sample on how I wanted the crimp to look.

As soon as I can get some more bullets I will try bumping this load up a bit. I forgot to mention that this particular load also put burn marks on the outside of the cylinder. The Federal and my reloads using 2400 did not make these marks.

 

[Rule3]

OK, my mistake some reason I thought you used the LFCD

Without seeing it, all we can do is semi educated guess

Most of the time sticking cases is over charge which from your info is not the situation.

 

[RealGun]

Most of the time sticking cases is over charge

For me, that would be UNDER charge.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

First, a stainless gun doesn't need oiled after cleaning, unless it is going in long-term storage. Stainless can rust or corrode, so only minimal oil is needed. After cleaning I apply oil to the exterior, then give it a good wipe with a dry rag.

Next, I would recommend numbering the cylinders before going to the range. If the sticking occurs, and it is in the same cylinders, you know the problem is the gun. If so, the cylinders will need work.

 

[Rule3]

For me, that would be UNDER charge.

Well his stated charge is not UNDER.

 

[RealGun]

Well his stated charge is not UNDER.

I guess I was thinking sticking bullets.

 

[Rule3]

I guess I was thinking sticking bullets.

Yep that will do it for sure

 

[GooseGestapo]

I polished the chambers on my S7. You should too.
Use a brass patch holder (slotted). Use a square piece of 400 grit wet/dry sand paper. Fold it and place it in slot like you would a cleaning patch.
Remove cylinder from revolver.
Chuck patch holder in cordless drill (or power hand drill)
Very lightly lubricate the chambers.
Gently work the patch into each cylinder, running each for several seconds. Avoid the throat areas, but don't worry about them too much.
Clean each chamber.
Repeat process with a .358" RIFLE brush wrapped with a cleaning patch dabbed with a metal polish such as "Flitz", SemiChrome, or Mothers chrome polish.
Clean again.

Even the HOT Federal 100grn soft point loads punch out easily. Not so easy before.

 

[RealGun]

That polishing might work but is a Bubba solution. My finishing reamer will give a more uniform chamber and is available for others use at Wheaton Arms in Piedmont, SC. No need to send the whole gun. Cylinders can go my mail.

 

[GooseGestapo]

Hmmmm!
Polishing out REAMER marks FACTORY left due to cost of HAND finishing = bubba! ???

I guess those S&W Performance Center guns and my custom S&W's I've shot NRA National Records with were Bubba'd guns!!!

Or, someone is trying to make some $$$$ off lazy gun owner!

 

[RealGun]

One does not polish out an undersize chamber, nor does one really need a mirror like finish. What you don't need is irregular shape from free hand honing.

 

[PCCUSNRET]

I received some more of these bullets and made a few more loads using 5.7 grs of Win 231. Looking at them close up I can see that I did (do) have a harder crimp than the Federal commercial loads. Would a hard crimp on these bullets cause the brass to stick? With all the snow we are getting it may be a week (or two) before they open our range for me to try test them. I am going to make a few more with a lighter crimp (just enough to remove the bell) and try them too. Since none of the Federal ammo cases stuck in the cylinder I am just about convinced that it is something I have done wrong (just need to figure out what).