New 327 GP-100 w/ NOE 115-315 FN,, 125 grain WFN

[wildcatter]

I been wait'n on invoice's for 3 Mihec molds from group buy's on other forums, for the new 327 Federal. I bought the 6" full lug with the intents of using it for small edible game and small to medium sized varmint. 100 grain WFN for solid boolits @ around 1000 fps fer small game, and 130 and 140 WFN design for HP use on pests up to coyote.

Well Tuesday this week I ordered a 5 cavity NOE 115-315 FN, that came in Friday mid day. So I hurried and got mix in the Mag 20 pot, and prepped the new mold for use while waiting on the approx. #2 alloy to get up to temp. I had excellent bullets dropping in just a few dumps starting with a warm mold off the hotplate. Buy supper I had a nice stash of new silver missals and enough sized and lubed for a first attempt with the new to me caliber. I gotta say after two previous trips to the range, and now this one with similar results, I am impressed, and very happy with this new to me caliber I chose to give a go. I have never owned any revolver, in any caliber that is so accurate with about anything I throw in it. I headed out with the load seated long, using the front lube groove as a crimp ring for a looonngg 1.67" col. making plenty of room for the H110 I decided to try with this new boolit.

I took 4 different loads all primed with the Federal 205M small rifle primer,, I am looking to push the throttle on these GC beauties, and they are sweet look'n boolits. I was very impressed with 4 different loads all shooting inside 1" at 25 yards.

I have been impressed every time out, but now with a heavier cast that is sized up to chamber dia. .313" I am convinced this revolver is going to shoot amaizing groups for an outa the box revolver with cast boolits at smoking speeds. I just need to find the one powder and charge it likes the best. The great thing about looking for that is, almost anything you feed it shoots excellent. 2 of the 4 loads today put 7 shots inside a quarter, and a 3rd load that put 5 shots into 1 hole measuring 3/8" and all but one of its shots inside 5/8".

I have not hit the top end yet with this load and lots of capacity yet with the long seated boolits leaving more room to take these new 125 grain noolits on up and see if I find a sweet spot before I hit signs of pressure. I have some 2400 and 4227 that I have not tried in this caliber yet, along with AA#9 that so many have reported great results with. I am sure I am going to find a load that gets this thing down close to 5/8" or less with all 7 chambers. But I think the 125 grai boolits are just starting to get to the weight this bigger version of the 327 is going to excel with, and think the big 140 grain sledgehammer slug will be one of it's best, if I can get the speed up to stabelize it out 100 yards or a little more.

But one thing is for sure, I am having a ball with this new revolver, and totally blown away how easy this caliber is to load for. There can only be better things to come with this one! Whats not to like about this little varmint gun, and if you notice,, all loads are primarily shooting to the same POI,,, sooowwweeeeetttt.

 

[flyguy958]

Looks like great results. I love the 327, it's done everything I ask of it.

 

[recumbent]

Lookin good. I'll be following this thread.
In my GP 4 inch barrel I've been using 115 gr cast flat points. Still load testing but have been getting pretty good results.

I really like the 327 fed caliber.
Bob

 

[gramps]

Nice! I am jealous.
gramps

 

[wildcatter]

Well it got a little better today, and I had time to take the chrony and see just what these loads were doing.

Same bullet as above, just a day later, the 115-315 FN GC from NOE, figured it was a good middle of the road bullet to test and see what kind of performance and accuracy this new 7 shooter was capable of. As cast with my alloy and copper GC the weight as I shot it was 126.0 grains. I started at 11 grains with H-110, and used the Federal 205M small rifle match primer as I have good supply left from my Bench rest competition days.

Since I bought the GP100 over the S7 because of the longer cylinder and 6" heavy weight barrel for small game and varmint huntin, I elected to seat the bullets out and use the top grease ring as my crimp ring. This give me an cartridge OAL of 1.670" and a little more boiler room for the slow H110. I started yesterday with 11.0, 11.5, 12.0, 12.5, and 13.0 grains for the initial test, not sure when I would see pressure start limiting my increase in charge weight, I wasn't sure I could shoot them all. But pressure in this gun, with a BC gap wide enough to read a paper thru (.008) I found when I finished I had more room to go up. Day one showed 12.0 and 12.5 both very good with quarter size groups. Sorry but with the limited time I didn't have time to chronograph.

I was pretty happy but had no idea what kind of velocity I was looking at, and with the 13.0 grain load opening up, but still showing mild pressure, I decided to go out today and take them on up a bit, and grab the Chrony to see what I was looking at. I loaded 13.5, 14.0, and 14.5 grains, as the 14.5 grain load was pretty compressed, I wasn't sure I could shoot them all, but I wanted to have them so if I didn't run into any signs of high pressure I would have them to try. I also wasn't sure if the groups would keep opening up, or hit a sweet spot and start closing back up?

Well the first group at 13.5 shot a little tighter than the 13.0 grain load did Saturday. But when I shot the 14 grain load after 4 shots, it was opening up and all four were scattered. So with pressre still in check, and ejection, and cases looking fine I shot the last load I had with me, 14.5 grains and again the loads started coming back in. I was pretty happy and tonight am still smilling at the performance this little cartridge is proving to give me. I'mm getting excellent speed with descent accuracy, and absolutely no signs of high pressure. Recoil is practically non existant, any to me being used to the 45 Colt ruger loads and 454 and 480, this is proving to be well worth my efforts.

I need to get these loads out again only at the 50 and 100 yard range where I can test them seriously now that I have some numbers and have the Fastfire better zeroed. But with both these loads printing 6 of 7 shots @ 5/8", and seeing the velocity this 6" barrel is giving me from a bone stock GP100, I can't wait to get the 140 grain sledgehammer. I expect even better accuracy, but by then I will have the cylinder throated with the throat's honed. If I could just pull that one shot into the other 6 I wouldn't even bother with that. The barrel is spotless after about 200 rounds
total since I got it.

The shots in order for the 13.5 grain load were as follows
1) 1510
2)1435
3)1477
4)1458
5)1481
6)1489
7)error
for an av. fps @ 1475

the 14.5 grain load results were as follows
1)1565
2)1570
3)1558
4)1580
5)1583
6)1602
7)1559
av fps @ 1574 ES 44.17 SD 15.68 (I dropped the High and the low on this load and averaged the remaining 5 shots @ 1571 fps av)

This is better than I expected from this revolver. I may be able to get 15 grains in the case and still crimp it. I also could see what AA#9 will do. But for now I will just do some range testing and getting familiar with the gun till get the cylinder done and have some more time late spring when the fishing, slows. Once the Walleye start, I will go into Morrel hunting, then Bluegills will be bedding, then is when I will have time for serious testing and by then the Mihec molds should be here. I should have my freezers pretty well stocked after hunting season and the spring fishing seasons I rely on every year to keep the wife out of Kroger's, and eating as good as it gets!

I'll post my results here unless this is the wrong thread to post the GP100 results?

 

[recumbent]

Wow those are some nice groups.

 

[djw54]

This is some great info, and very interesting. Each group has that one flier. Have you numbered your chambers to see if the same chamber always throws the flier?

 

[wildcatter]

Yes and it isn't always the same one, but always one of two different chambers, even this load had one of the same two chambers throw one of the 2 flyers in this group. Till I have the cylinder throated and all chambers matched, I don't seem to be able to put my finger on this. I do think a tighter seating bullet whould help, but even the profile crimp I don't believe is enough without a tighter case mouth.

If I'm right I should see an improvement with the heavier 140 grain Mihec bullet I am waiting on the mold for. But I always keep a diagram of each chamber, the shot number, and individual fps for each shot from those chambers when I am testing. I have seen 3 chambers that when I have 5 or 6 shots touching are always in those groups. so for a hunting revolver,, there is rarely case it matters after the 3rd shot! But like everyone, when you get groups that put all but one even two shots touching, it becomes frustrating wanting that last shot or two to be a part of the rest!