Has anyone used Lil' Gun in .32 Mag or .327?

[TTv2]

I look at Hodgdon's loading data on their website and for the .32 Mag it's downright impressive what velocities are being achieved out of a 5 inch barrel when using Lil' Gun. .327 also looks good.

I'd like to hear some feedback from others before I go off and start loading with Lil Gun in these calibers so I might know what to expect. Normally with .327 the primers are flattened and that doesn't concern me, but if I were to see that with .32 H&R Mag while using Lil Gun I wouldn't know if that's normal or not. Also would like to hear how accuracy was.

Thanks.

 

[tightgroup tiger]

I used it in my .327FM for a short while. It is fast with lower pressure than other equivalent speed powders, but I quit using it in revolvers when I found out about it eating the forcing cones in the barrels.
It's was a shame too, because it metered well, burned clean, has all the aspects of a powder that I liked.
But I think it is better used in a closed breech gun like a rifle. It doesn't seem to hurt them at all.

 

[Highland Lofts]

I bought a pound of lil gun and use very lityle of it when I read it eats away on your forcing cone or rifle throat.
I read where a guy ruined his gun with just one pound of the stuff.
I threw what I had left away. A $30 loss is a lot better then a damaged gun.

 

[12Bravo20]

I bought a pound of lil gun and use very lityle of it when I read it eats away on your forcing cone or rifle throat.
I read where a guy ruined his gun with just one pound of the stuff.
I threw what I had left away. A $30 loss is a lot better then a damaged gun.

You probably could have sold it to someone that reloads 410 shells or reloaded 300 Blackout.

 

[buck460XVR]

Like other's, I've read the risks of using Lil' Gun in revolvers from different reliable sources. I've experienced the extreme heat it produced in firearms before those risk were known. They say it's okay if other platforms outside of revolver....but for me it never produced performance worth the risk, regardless of how minuscule. Flattened primers on magnum ammo from revolvers is not a sign of excessive pressure, nor is there any way to legitimately "read" those primers. Some folks still claim it's(Lil' Gun) the best thing since sliced bread. But all the hoopla about it's great velocities while producing extremely low pressure is all but gone from these types of forums, as is the positive advice for using it in revolvers.

You be the Judge.

 

[12Bravo20]

Even the 300 Blackout crowd seems to prefer Hodgdon H110 over Hodgdon Lil Gun from what I have seen.

 

[TTv2]

The good news is I have a Henry .327, so as long as Lil' Gun is not damaging to rifles, I'll shoot it in that. I also have an interest in getting into loading .410, however that would be to shoot in a Taurus Judge. Now I'm gonna have to hunt for the one guy that loaded .410 to shoot in a Judge who used Lil Gun to find out what his results were.

I will try shooting starting charges of .32 H&R in my .327 revolver with Lil Gun, but I will not load any .327 cases with Lil Gun.

 

[Highland Lofts]

I read where lil gun damaged the throat in rifles.

 

[12Bravo20]

The good news is I have a Henry .327, so as long as Lil' Gun is not damaging to rifles, I'll shoot it in that. I also have an interest in getting into loading .410, however that would be to shoot in a Taurus Judge. Now I'm gonna have to hunt for the one guy that loaded .410 to shoot in a Judge who used Lil Gun to find out what his results were.

I will try shooting starting charges of .32 H&R in my .327 revolver with Lil Gun, but I will not load any .327 cases with Lil Gun.

If you decide to reload 410 shells, stick with the published data from Hodgdon. For me H110 is easier to find locally when I stop in at Graf and Sons Reloading. I guess all the skeet shooters are buying up the Lil Gun. I mostly reload 3" shells and H110 does great for that.

 

[TTv2]

I have an update. Loaded a starting charge of Lil' Gun under an 85gr XTP, shot it from a 10" .32 Mag adapter from my break action shotgun. Velocity reading was over 1600 fps.

That seemed quite high to me for a starting load as Hodgdon's data shows with a starting charge velocity with a 5" barrel is 1163fps. That's probably from a revolver tho, but a 10 inch barrel upping the velocity by almost 500 fps seems unbelievable, unless the charge was too high.

The only thing I did different was the seating depth that Hodgdon listed would have been deeper than the cannnalure on the bullet, which didn't seem right to me, so I seated to the top of the cannalure.

The primers were backing out onto the firing pin making opening a bit tough, but I was able to open them. I also brought a .32 revolver with me, but decided not to try these Lil' Gun loads out of them because I was concerned they may have been overpressure and also because of the throat erosion.

That's all I've got for now, this was pretty much a test run to see if Lil' Gun would make for a good choice in the Henry .327 rifle I have. So far I'm not sure if I should go forward with that.

 

[SlowFuse]

I used a 327 Blackhawk for load development many years ago. With the few hundred 85 grain XTPs I had I used CFEPistol, HP38, Enforcer and Titegoup. Never tried lil gun in the 327.

In heavier loads (with over 100 grain bullets) i Used H110 and ended up using Ramshot Enforcer exclusively for those magnum level loads. Found good results with it quite easily.

Commenting on the velocity you achieved, check your load or scales. The 85 can get going that quick out of a rifle barrel no doubt, but I wouldn't think so with a charge near minimum.

I got over 1500 with a 120 grainer in my Blackhawk with a certain powder. But, that load was worked up and not found in any manual. That said, not impossible but it seems unlikely the 10" barrel produces that 1600 fps velocity with a min load.

 

[Hondo 60]

I can't say that I've ever read in a magazine, or saw 1st hands any of the negative effects of Lil Gun.
I used it in full house 44 mag loads & haven't seen any damage to the forcing cone.

Can anyone say where they read it?
Or can anyone say they've seen it 1st hand.

Not trying to flame or tick anyone off.
That's the last thing I'd do.
I've never been known for tact or for being a politician.
But I'd appreciate it if someone could say it was in such-n-such magazine in the whatever month issue.

Thanks!

 

[Bill M.]

Do a search for Freedom Arms and Lil Gun.

 

[TTv2]

I used a 327 Blackhawk for load development many years ago. With the few hundred 85 grain XTPs I had I used CFEPistol, HP38, Enforcer and Titegoup. Never tried lil gun in the 327.

In heavier loads (with over 100 grain bullets) i Used H110 and ended up using Ramshot Enforcer exclusively for those magnum level loads. Found good results with it quite easily.

Commenting on the velocity you achieved, check your load or scales. The 85 can get going that quick out of a rifle barrel no doubt, but I wouldn't think so with a charge near minimum.

I got over 1500 with a 120 grainer in my Blackhawk with a certain powder. But, that load was worked up and not found in any manual. That said, not impossible but it seems unlikely the 10" barrel produces that 1600 fps velocity with a min load.

1500 with a 120 in a Blackhawk vs over 1600 with an 85 in a longer barrel with no gap... I can see it.

What I don't know about this powder is, because it's meant for .410, if it wants to be slightly compressed or have no air gap in the case. Normally I would reduce the charge, but IDK if that would be safe. I guess I could do it just to see what happens.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

After I read that Freedom Arms cautioned not to us Lil Gun in a revolver I have opted to leave it to other uses. Baker's statement is out there if you look. Link to his statement is here, I haven't dug into it further as I have better options and don't need to risk things now; https://shootingwithhobie.blogspot....een,later it came back for another new barrel.