MY NEW MODEL 97 IN 327 FED/32-20

[45MAN]

I HAVE OWNED AND DONE A LOT OF HUNTING AND SHOOTING WITH SEVERAL LARGE FRAME FREEDOM ARMS REVOLVERS BUT ONLY YESTERDAY (9/10/11) GOT MY FIRST MODEL 97, A 5.5 INCHER IN 327 FEDERAL WITH AN XTRA CYLINDER IN 32-20. THIS REVOLVER IS ONLY SLIGHTLY USED AND HAD THE 32-20 CYLINDER AND EBONY MICRATA GRIPS FACTORY FITTED WHEN THE GUN WAS MADE. THE REVOLVER ALSO LEFT THE FACTORY WITH A TRIGGER JOB AND BOTH CYLINDERS FLUTED.

WENT TO MY RANGE ON THE RIO GRANDE TODAY TO CHECK IT OUT AND, AS I SUSPECTED, IT WAS PRETTY WET AND MUDDY BECAUSE OF A LOT OF RECENT RAINS, SO I WILL HAVE TO GO TO PLAN "B" AND GO DOWN A CALICHE ROAD NEAR SOME COUNTRY PROPERTY OF A BROTHER TO DO SOME INFORMAL SHOOTING TOMORROW USING THE 327 CYLINDER.

I LIKE TO BE PREPARED SO WAS GOOGLING TO SEE IF THE RPLACEABLE FIRING PIN BUSHING/PINS ON THE MODEL 83 AND THE MODEL 97 ARE THE SAME. I COULD NOT FIND THE ANSWER SO I CALLED FREEDOM ARMS AND ASKED, THEY ARE NOT THE SAME, SO I ORDERED A BUSHING, 2 PINS AND A SPANNER WRENCH (ACTUALLY A SCREWDRIVER BIT) FOR THE MODEL 97, AND ALSO ORDERED A MOUNT FOR THE BURRIS FASTFIRE IN CASE I DECIDE TO USE A RED DOT ON THIS MODEL 97.

WENT TO MY HOLSTER ACCUMULATION AND HAVE FOUND 3 HOLSTERS THAT SHUD WORK FOR THIS REVOLVER. LOOKS LIKE HOLSTERS FOR 5.5 INCH COLT SAA's WILL DO OK/OR CAN BE MADE TO DO OK WITH JUST A LITTLE LEATHER TRIMMING. FOUND 1 LAWRENCE JOCKSTRAP, WITH WHITE LACING, THAT IS FINE AS IS AND IS CERTAINLY COOL LOOKING AND VERY FUNCTIONAL, AND OUGHT TO LOOK GOOD ON A ROUGHOUT MONEY BELT. ALSO FOUND A LAWRENCE SIZE 507 THAT I REALLY LIKE BUT I NEED TO DO JUST A TINY BIT OF TRIMMING. THE ROUGHOUT MONEY BELT HAS 38/357 BULLET LOOPS BUT YOU CAN GET ABOUT 1 INCH LENGTHS OF STRAWS (RED ONES REALLY LOOK GOOD), SLIT THEM LENGTH WISE AND WRAP THEM AROUND A 327 CASE AND THEY FIT VERY WELL IN THE 38/357 BULLET LOOPS.

THIS MAY BE MY HOLSTER GUN ON MY NEXT TRIP TO MY RANCH LATER THIS MONTH IF I CAN GET IT SIGHTED IN WITH THE FEDERAL AMERICAN EAGLE 100gr FACTORY AMMO. FOR NOW I AM JUST GOING TO PLAY WITH THE 327 CYLINDER (I HAVE A BUCKEYE FOR SERIOUS 32-20 WORK AND PLAY). EVENTUALLY I WANT TO GET A 1,500fps + LOAD WORKED UP FOR THE 327 USING THE NEW SWIFT A-FRAME 100gr BULLET.

DO NOT WANT TO BORE YOU GUYS BUT I MAY BE POSTING MORE IMPRESSIONS, EXPERIENCES, LOADS AND THE LIKE ON THIS THREAD RE THIS 32 "GRAIL" GUN.

[sheriff]

Just so you are aware, Rey, that particular Federal load is prone to split cases and pierce primers. Shot a bunch of it when it first came out in my 5.5" New Model Blackhawk.

[45MAN]

RUSSELL: I HAD THOSE ISSUES WITH SOME 32 H&R AMMO BUT WHEN THE S7 327 CAME OUT I GOT A BUNCH OF THE AE 100gr 327 AMMO AND SO FAR NO ISSUES WITH THE BRASS OR PRIMERS.

[wheelguns]

Congratulations! Please bore us with your experiences and impressions! I am a big fan of the 327

[z1r]

Sept 11, 2020 14:32:02 GMT -5 sheriff said:

Just so you are aware, Rey, that particular Federal load is prone to split cases and pierce primers. Shot a bunch of it when it first came out in my 5.5" New Model Blackhawk.

That was a failing common to Federal .32 H&R ammo as well back when the cartridge was first introduced.

Congrats on the 97, sounds sweet!

[dougader]

Look forward to your impressions.

I have some of the Speer 115 grain GDHP ammo left and it does about 1528 fps from my 4-5/8" single 7 so I imagine you'll have no problem running that 100 grain A-Frame to 1500 fps in your 5.5" Model 97.

My Henry carbine arrived at the local gun shop today so I ran over during my lunch hour to pick it up. I can't wait to shoot it, either.

Saw a YouTube video where a guy chronographed the Federal 100 grain jsp at over 2,000 fps from his carbine. He shot water jugs at 100 yards and it blew up 4 of them and the bullet held together. Amazing for a little 327 with a lightweight bullet.

[Encore64]

My Henry 20" chronographed over 2100 fps with the Federal American Eagle. Shoots about 2-2.5" at 100 yards. Handloads are more accurate...

[sixshot]

The 327 is kind of the muscle car of the smaller calibers. Because there is so much steel in those cylinders you can really lean on it & actually the determining factor is the bullets, will they hold up.
This little missile can do some amazing things if the bullets are up to the task. Hard, gas checked bullets or the new Swift that Rey mentions allows the 327 to shoot extremely flat & really drop the hammer on some game/non game animals.
I'm guessing Rey will give it a pretty good work out!

Dick

[Encore64]

The focus here is on the 327 Federal. I have to say DO NOT underestimate the 32-20 in this brute strong gun.

Paco has some tremendous loads for the 32-20 in a strong gun. It will outperform the 327 Federal.

I'm a huge fan of the 327 and 32 Magnum. But, with good loads the old hyphenated cartridge gets it done too.

[sheriff]

Sept 11, 2020 15:01:07 GMT -5 45MAN said:

RUSSELL: I HAD THOSE ISSUES WITH SOME 32 H&R AMMO BUT WHEN THE S7 327 CAME OUT I GOT A BUNCH OF THE AE 100gr 327 AMMO AND SO FAR NO ISSUES WITH THE BRASS OR PRIMERS.

Hopefully you won't have any issues. I did, still have about 2 1/2 boxes in the cabinet of the stuff that I won't shoot. As Dick notes in a STRONG gun you can really make it shine. You ought to be able to hit 1500fps fairly easy with 110/296 and WSPM primers.

[rjm52]

You got yourself a great rig...was lucky enough to find a special order 6.5" with factory action job from a dealer who ordered it for himself, waited 18 months to get it and when it got there decided not to get into another caliber so he sold it for what he had into it...

My friend bought a 4.25" .32 H&R/.32-20 and sent it back to the factory after the .327 came out to have the third cylinder fitted...great "little" gun...

H110 or AAC-9 should put that 100 Swift over 1500 no problem...

Bob

[Big Bore]

Very nice Rey. Congrats on the new FA.

[upthewall]

Glad to see that one go to a home on the forum. Sweet little gun!

[sixshot]

Huey's correct, in equal guns like the FA or a Ruger Buckeye the 32-20 has a bit of an edge over the 327 & that's saying something.

Dick

[45MAN]

encore64 & SIXSHOT: AGREED THAT IN STRONG REVOLVERS A 32-20 CAN BE LOADED TO OUT SPEED THE 327, BUT I GOT MY BUCKEYE FOR THAT. THE MODEL 97 I GOT FOR TOP PERFORMANCE IN A 327.

RANGE/SHOOTING REPORT:

YESTERDAY I WENT DOWN THE CALICHE ROAD AND DID SOME INFORMAL SHOOTING AT TREES WITH SOME 100gr XTP's AND 120gr FPGC'ed BULLETS OVER 7grs OF LONGSHOT, SOME AMERICAN EAGLE 100gr AMMO, AND THE AMERICAN EAGLE 100gr AMMO WITH AN XTRA REDDING PROFILE CRIMP DIE CRIMP. IN THE PAST I HAVE USED A LEE FACTORY CRIMP (COLLETT) DIE ON 22 HORNET AND 22 JET FACTORY AMMO USED IN REVOLVERS. I HAVE ALWAYS FELT LIKE THAT XTRA FACTORY CRIMP WAS A PLUS ON 22 CF FACTORY AMMO USED IN REVOLVERS IN REDUCING EXTREME SPREADS. SO I USED A REDDING PROFILE CRIMP DIE ON THE AMERICAN EAGLE 100gr AMMO. THERE WAS STILL CRIMPING TO BE DONE USING THE P/C DIE.

IT WAS SUNNY YESTERDAY SO THIS MORNING (9/13/20) I WENT TO MY RANGE ON THE RIO GRANDE. MY PROPERTY DRAINS AND DRIES PRETTY GOOD, BETTER THAT SOME SURROUNDING PROPERTIES, AND THE RANGE WAS USABLE. I SHOT THE MODEL 97 ON PAPER, OFF A REST, @ 25 YARDS, 3 SHOTS WITH THE P/C AMMO THEN 3 WITH THE UN-P/C AMMO, THEN 3 WITH THE P/C AMMO, etc.,3 3 SHOT GROUPS WITH EACH. I WOULD HAVE "BET THE FARM" THAT THE P/C'ed AMMO WOULD HAVE BEEN THE CLEAR WINNER BUT IT WASN'T, WHETHER BY OVERALL 3 SHOT AVERAGES OR OVERALL BEST 2 OF 3 AVERAGES, THE REGULAR FACTORY AMMO SHOT BETTER, AND, SURPRISINGLY THE P/C'ed AMMO SHOT A FEW INCHES HIGHER. I AM NOT THE WORLD's BEST PAPER PUNCHER BUT I AM THINKING THAT I HAVE THE REVOLVER SIGHTED IN GOOD ENUFF OFF A REST AND ON PAPER SO THAT ON MY NEXT TRIP TO THE RANGE I SHOULD BE ABLE TO HIT A 6.5 INCH SWINGER, OFF HAND, @ 50 YARDS, MORE OFTEN THAN NOT.

THE EJECTOR ROD IS TIGHT, MAYBE A TAD GRITTY, HOPING THAT USE SMOOTHES IT OUT. MOST TIMES THE EJECTOR ROD FAILS TO FULLY EJECT THE FIRED CASES, BUT THE HARDER/FASTER THE INITIAL WHACK WITH THE EJECTOR ROD THE BETTER THE CHANCE OF COMPLETE EJECTION.

FOR THIS BARREL I AM GOING TO DO WHAT I HAVE ALWAYS DONE ON MY MODEL 83 454's, i.e. AFTER MOST SHOOTING SESSIONS I WILL RUN A STEEL BORE BRUSH DOWN THE BARREL 12 TIMES AND THEN A BRONZE BORE BRUSH ANOTHER 12 TIMES AND THAT SHUD KEEP THE COPPER FOULING DOWN.