.327 Federal Club thread

The .32 Mag wasn't that big of a hit, why would a large number of people run to the .327? If more power was needed, there are lots of other cartridges around already. The .357 Magnum comes to mind. Ruger came out with the .32-20 in the Blackhawk, I bought one, and tried hot loading it as much as I could. It wore out brass faster than the .327 would probably wear out, but performance on groudhogs was as good as the 9mm 90gr JHP's (with the Hornady 85gr XTP). Lead bullets in the Ruger .32-20, even at peak loadings, did not smack groundhogs as hard. I'm sure the .327 has potential for varmints, and it remains to be seen if this niche will keep it alive.
 
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The .32 Mag wasn't that big of a hit, why would a large number of people run to the .327? If more power was needed, there are lots of other cartridges around already. The .357 Magnum comes to mind...........
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At least put some effort into reading part of the topic, before you post to a 10 page thread.
 
Why not the .327?
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Seems like a good caliber. And I truly like the 6-shot capacity in a compact revolver. But I already have handguns in the following calibers:

22LR
380
38spl
9mm
357magnum
45acp

So, two things hold me back from the 327...

1. I already have more than enough different ammo types to stock up for. I'm not going to add 10mm or 40s&w or 327 or anything else.
2. I have NEVER seen a box of 327 ammo on the shelf of any gun shop I've been in.
 
I've been very interested in 327mag since it came out and I've been hoping that it would get to be popular because it seems like it has so much potential. The only thing keeping me from buying it is that I don't want to get stuck with a gun I can't get ammo for. If its popularity grows, I'll probably get one. I guess I'm a perfect example of there being a willing customer base, just not enough marketing.
 
32 H&R MAG Wadcutters

detail_270_36B_Medium.jpg


Been wondering when somebody would do it. 130 grains of hardcast wadcutter @ 1133 fps/3- inch barrel cranking 370 ft-lbs ME. That's got to be bad to the bone. Do you really need the expansion of hollowpoints with this bad boy in the chamber?

http://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=270
 
Loading 32 H & R Mag to 327 Fed Mag pressures

If they were going to be fired in a gun chambered for .327 Fed Mag, would it be safe to load 32 H&R Mag to similar pressures? There have been comments and maybe even threads that talked about loading 38 Spec to 357 mag pressures, because it is the difference in the gun, not the case, that dictates safety limits.

Since 32 H&R Mag brass is more readily available, it could be a work around means of a shooter getting some fairly good performance out of a 327 Fed chambering, like the SP 101, or the Ruger New Model Blackhawk.

I understand that this may be conjecture on the part of anybody that responds, and since I have loaded 38 cases to fairly hot levels, it is my responsiblity if this comes to an unhappy conclusion for me.

I looked really hard at an SP 101 in 327 Fed and can't get that out of my feeble mind. The one thing that got in my way was the availablity of brass.
 
There's a difference in case capacity and probably a difference in the construction of the two cases which would affect the strength of the brass.

You wouldn't want to use .327Mag loads in a .32H&RMag case unless the cases are identical in capacity and strength.

Assuming that the case strength is similar you could reduce the .327Mag loads to compensate for the reduction in case capacity between the two cartridges and get roughly similar performance.
 
As John pointed out, the case capacity of the two cartridges (.32 H&R vs .327 Fed) is different enough to make quite an impact. "Full House" loads in the .327 really are "full". With almost all hot or max loads I have tested, the case is full of powder. You simply cannot get that much in the .32 H&R case. You might be able to reach similar pressures, but the .327 should always provide better velocities (provided you have a barrel length appropriate to the load).

With a short barreled handgun, hot .32 H&R loads should be good enough for most shooters. (There's no point in pushing into .327 territory with the loads. Hot .32 H&R loads give similar enough performance in short barrels. {in my opinion})
 
.327 federal magnum is the GAP of the revolver world.
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Care to elaborate a little on why you believe that?

While the .45 G.A.P. doesn't really add any performance over the standard .45 Auto, the .327 Federal does give a substantial increase in energy and velocity over its predecessors...........so I am not really understanding your comparison.
 
It's not actually a comparison... it's a drive-by post. It's worthless to the thread. The .45 GAP was a new round that copied an old one to similar performance and then was marketed to law enforcement. The .327 Federal is nothing whatsoever like the .45 GAP other than the fact that the poster doesn't seem to care for it. (which doesn't matter)

While the brass issue certainly is an issue and I wouldn't try to pass it off as nothing, you can still get brass from factory ammo. And given the fact that we are talking a revolver and not a semi-auto that roughly handles brass and throws it in to the weeds, you can make... say, 3 or four boxes of factory ammo/brass last a good long time.

The brass will wear like any other, but less than heavier revolver rounds because it's obviously much less prone to bullet creep and crimp-jumping. The revolvers are heavier, the slugs are lighter. So you needn't put the crimp of death on these rounds.

Less need for ultra-heavy crimp means longer life from the brass.

My point is... the brass issue is a problem, but honestly, unless you happen to know someone that has a stash of .32 H&R brass (or you have such a stash), you are in the same boat either way. Is Starline shipping .32 H&R again? Some folks have been waiting for a long time for that stuff... factory .32 H&R ammo costs as much as .327 Federal.

Finding factory .327 Federal ammo isn't half as tough as the nay-sayers (who don't actually own one or buy any) continue to say that it is.
 
With a little bit of luck, you lovers of the .327 will see something interesting shortly

If I can read between the Wild and the Alaska, I'll go out on a limb and say "levergun".
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This is exciting, Marlin could make a 22" barreled 94 with a half magazine and call it a 327CL....oh, wait a minute.......
 
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With a little bit of luck, you lovers of the .327 will see something interesting shortly

If I can read between the Wild and the Alaska, I'll go out on a limb and say "levergun".

This is exciting, Marlin could make a 22" barreled 94 with a half magazine and call it a 327CL....oh, wait a minute.......
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Hello
I would be Really Surprised to see Marlin come out with a Lever action rifle chambered in Federal .327 Magnum. The Much Higher Cartridge Pressure of the Federal .327 Magnum alone is a deterent to making such an action. Some say they intend on stretching out the throats of the previously made Marlin lever actions that came chambered in .32 H&R Magnum... :( To those I say Good luck, you may very well need a Right Cheek replacement if this is tried and fired... The action's of those guns were Intended for a much weaker cartridge compared to the Federal .327 Magnum I feel all that would be accomplished with that is ruining a very good gun by trying a cartridge conversion on that gun...:(Hammer It
 
That was kinda a joke hammer it...well not much of one evidently. Here's the deal, I own a 32/20 Marlin 94cl and I load it up to around 2000fps maybe 1800 or 1900, I really need to get me a chronograph, with 100gr. jacketed and around 1800 with cast 115gr. The first ten shot group @ 100yds with the cast load went into 2.25" with eight of them in 1.25", making a point about reinventing the wheel you see.

I didn't realize the 327 produced greater pressures than say the 44mag or 357mag. I worked up my loads from some Paco Kelly stuff on the internet and I'm pretty sure I'm not ruining my Marlin.

Oh yeah, and since I'm a lefty I'm thinkin my right cheek is safe, and thanks for the higher pressure info.
 
didn't realize the 327 produced greater pressures than say the 44mag or 357mag. I worked up my loads from some Paco Kelly stuff on the internet and I'm pretty sure I'm not ruining my Marlin.

Oh yeah, and since I'm a lefty I'm thinkin my right cheek is safe, and thanks for the higher pressure info.
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Hello Salvadore
From what I have read the Federal .327 Magnum SAMI Pressure is about 45,000 which is almost twice that of the .32 H&R Magnum pressures which in essence are higher than the 32-20 round. Compared to the Remington .44 Magnum which has 36,000 the Federal .327 is much higher...:eek:I hope this helps, Hammer It
 
the brass issue is a problem, but honestly, unless you happen to know someone that has a stash of .32 H&R brass (or you have such a stash), you are in the same boat either way.
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Stay away from my stash!:p

I would be Really Surprised to see Marlin come out with a Lever action rifle chambered in Federal .327 Magnum. The Much Higher Cartridge Pressure of the Federal .327 Magnum alone is a deterent to making such an action.
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I disagree. Cartridge pressure is just one aspect that one needs to know when figuring how realistic it would be to chamber a cartridge in a gun. The max chamber pressure and the casehead area. What limits an action is not the max chamber pressure, but the amount of thrust put onto the bolt/action of the gun. That is a function of chamber pressure AND casehead area. That's why you can buy a Contender in .223, but not .308 even though the two are loaded to similar pressures.

44 mag

Base diameter .457 in
Maximum pressure 36,000 psi
Theoretical max bolt thrust at max pressure 16,452 psi

327 Federal

Base diameter .337 in
Maximum pressure 45,000 psi
Theoretical max bolt thrust at max pressure 15,165 psi

So a Marlin action should be easily capable of handling the pressure of a .327 Federal
 
That was kind of my point hammer it, since the 327 has less case capacity than the 32/20 and since the 94 can handle 36,000 CUP with a bigger case head the 32/20 might approach 327 velocity without the higher pressures. I believe my cast bullet loads are around 30,000 CUP or less, certainly less than the 36,000 CUP of the 44 mag. Anyway, there are plenty of shooters out there that function without a problem at the higher pressures. I may not push a police positive beyond saami pressures, but my OP is another matter, and the new SAA would work fine too.
 
My guess is the "news" will be Ruger is discontinuing production of the 327 MAG. Cylinder cracking problems and a lack of buyer interest. The round's apparent unsuitability for use in 1-7/8" barreled guns may have doomed it from the start.
 
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