.327 Federal Club thread

Based on the recent poll I posted on handgun cartridge & ammo choices
it would seem the 327 is not doing very well. NOT knocking the cartridge,
but the demand seems to be not there and let's face it, manufactures are
looking at bottom lines in today's economic conditions.....
 
The cartridge if floundering because of MARKETING and pricing. The guns people want to see for this cartridge are things like a 5 or 6 inch double action trail gun with adjustable sights and a companion carbine with ammo going for $15/50. If you put it in tiny guns with ear busting noise and you jack the ammo up higher than 357 mag then people will just get the more common and potent round. If 327 ammo could be found at walmart at reasonable prices and there were more practical guns that would fully take advantage of the round, it might become more popular. It's a niche round at the moment. A small niche round because most people don't reload and ammo is not economical to enjoy shooting the guns. The best gun going for this round right now is the GP100 and ruger should have taken it out in 5 and 6 inch versions, not just the 4 inch which loses a lot of velocity to blast and flash.
 
What you said is accurate... but it's like a self-fulfilling prophecy.

"It's not popular because ammo is expensive and they don't make enough different choices in guns."

"Ammo is expensive because it's not popular so the ammo doesn't sell like 9x19."

"Manufacturers don't want to make different guns for it because the round isn't that popular and they fear folks wouldn't buy it."

It's pretty much a circle. NONE of the problems appear to be inherent in the design or execution of the caliber itself. It does precisely what it's designed to do, and quite well.
 
Though I don't want to be cross-posting, I find this to be just as applicable here, as our reloading thread:

As of the time of this posting, Midway has Federal .327 brass in stock. ...And at a reasonable price (compared to the $38 per 50 they announced last year).

$24.49 per 100 pieces, brass.
 
Wish someone would develop a .257 Magnum cartridge, and a J frame or 101 size revolver.
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How 'bout the .256 Win Mag? That should work just fine. IIRC, it was based on the .357 case? Or am I thinking about another one of those obscure cartridges?:confused:
Not that I'm getting old, or anything..:rolleyes:

EDIT: "The .256 Winchester Magnum was a firearms cartridge developed by Winchester, and was produced by necking-down a .357 Magnum cartridge to .257 diameter. It was designed for shooting small game and varmints."

Wikipedia comes through again!
 
Kind of a useless round in my opinion, if I want a powerful .32 caliber round ill take the .32H&R mag. We could lengthen cases and add more powder all day long and call it a new round, I just see no need for the .327.
 
I just see no need for the .327.
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Does there have to be a specific need for a cartridge (any cartridge) for some one to produce it, and some one else to buy and enjoy it?

Whats wrong with a little variety?
 
$$
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Not sure I understand your response.

Even if there were only one option for a pistol............it would still cost money.........so saying that the problem with a little variety, with having a caliber that some may deem unnecessary, is money.........confuses me. :confused:

The .45 GAP offered nothing but a smaller grip, which apparently many people don't consider reason enough to buy guns in that chambering. It offered no performance gains over the .45 Auto, unlike the .327 Magnum over previous .32 caliber cartridges.

If you don't like the new .327, that's your choice, but it doesn't mean I can't like it, or use and be perfectly happy with it..........even though I have a .357 revolver too.
 
Kind of a useless round in my opinion, if I want a powerful .32 caliber round ill take the .32H&R mag. We could lengthen cases and add more powder all day long and call it a new round, I just see no need for the .327.

So how long did you have yours before you decided it was useless? :rolleyes:

And I have to ask... did you bother to actually read the whole thread with all of the pertinent info and specs before you posted your considered opinion?
 
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327 Federal

I have a ruger sp101 327 mag. and I really like it. When I first got it ammo was hard to find and expensive so I fired 32 acp through it at the range. I had no problems with that. Ruger is also making a stainless blackhawk in that caliber.
 
igousigloo - The Ruger SP101 (3"), Ruger GP100 (4"), and Ruger Blackhawk (5.5"), all under one roof:

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Ignore the blued Rugers. They're chambered for weird, obsolete cartridges: .357 Mag, .41 Mag, and .44 Mag.


Having shot all three... I can tell you the GP100 is a fantastic platform for this cartridge. The SP101 has its place, and the Blackhawk has its place; but the GP100 really shines.

My cross-country move has been postponed until next year (stupid housing market...), so I'm in the process of setting my reloading room back up. Once it's ready to go, I have a significant amount of catch-up reloading to do for the .32 caliber cartridge assortment I love. Once that is taken care of, I plan to start .327 load development cycle #2, focused on the GP100 loads. I have a large number of loads to test over the fall, winter, and spring. Between the three Ruger .327s in the photo (SP101 belongs to Crankylove), I hope to provide other fans with some decent data (just need to start persuading the chronograph owner to let me borrow it again...).
 
I just see no need for the .327.
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My opinion too. Note 'opinion' ... and I bet a lot of shooters share that opinion. I am not 'knocking' those that like the .327 and its variants when I say this. Same with those that shoot the .41Mag. Enjoy them. I suppose someone else would say the same thing about the lowly .45 Colt cartridge that I like so well :) . I just feel that I personally don't 'need' it because the .357/.38 will do everything (and more) than any of the .32 variants will do and at lower pressures. When I go smaller I move to the .22 and .22Mag.... Has nothing to do with how it is marketed to me.... That wouldn't make any difference. So, in my mind, there will be an steep uphill battle to 'convince' shooters to 'embrace' the .327 in general.

How's that saying go "The .327 is a solution to a non-existing problem?".

Does there have to be a specific need for a cartridge (any cartridge) for some one to produce it, and some one else to buy and enjoy it?
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Nope. Just don't expect a lot of buyers :) which in turn means not many choices. A niche cartridge so to speak.
 
Niche cartridge

I don't mind a "niche cartridge." Something different, maybe better than what you might already have. A gun seldom loses value, and I have traded a few that I didn't like. If they have lost value as trades, I look at how much it costs to play golf or fly gliders, and think to myself "What the heck? I didn't care for that gun and I ain't married to it." So I kiss it goodbye and let the next person enjoy it.

I have really begun to like my .327 SP 101 and look forward to lots of trips to the range with it. Reading FrankenMauser's words about the GP 100 may tempt me to get one of those too.

So, it is good to hear the opinions of others, and it isn't a matter of right and wrong. It makes no difference if most people don't like what I like. If a shooter doesn't want a .327 then don't get one. You won't know what you are missing. And there will be one less reloader hunting for those components that are hard to come by right now.:D
 
The .327 Federal has more uses than self defense (especially in barrels over 4 inches)....


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This is a posed photo, and the weapon was not used (not legal for big game in that state). However, I would have felt 100% confident with the .327 Blackhawk or .327 GP100, and it IS legal in my home state (too bad I don't hunt in my own state....). Just tying to stir the pot. ;)
 

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The .327 mag is a little low powered for hunting big game.

Out of a 4" barrel, 115 grain loads are comparable to a 9mm +P+ and 85 grain loads are pretty close to 7.62x25.
 
This is a posed photo, and the weapon was not used (not legal for big game in that state)
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I once went through the gun hunting regulations looking for loopholes. One that I found was that the 32 H&R would not be legal for hunting deer, while the 32-20 was, as the regulation was based on case length. Don't have a copy of the regs to see if the .327 Federal would be legal.
 
Don't have a copy of the regs to see if the .327 Federal would be legal.
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The state where this speed goat was harvested has caliber and case length requirements. Minimum of .35 caliber for handguns.......can't remember the length requirement off the top of my head right now though.

I would have no issues using the .327 Mag for game up to deer size, and in my home state it would be legal for any game animal I can get a tag for.
 
The .327 mag is a little low powered for hunting big game.

Out of a 4" barrel, 115 grain loads are comparable to a 9mm +P+ and 85 grain loads are pretty close to 7.62x25.
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9mm +P+ ... You do know what that means, right? That means the load is beyond SAAMI limits (even +P loads), and is unregulated. You have NO idea what pressure level the load is actually reaching.
Trying to use "9mm +P+" as a baseline is like trying to compare all cars to a "Custom Supercharged Mustang". Okay... What engine? Compression ratio? Cam grind? Stroked? Bored? Pistons? What octane fuel? Gear ratios? How has it been customized? Weight loss program? And, on, and on. But most of all: Does the driver actually know how to use the power available for the most benefit? If the operator can get the job done just as well with the lower-power (.327 or V6) version of something, what's the point of wasting energy on the "big" stuff (.44 Mag or V8)?


That Antelope expired very quickly, with a teeny little .277" hole through both lungs. No evidence of hydro-static shock. No heart shot. ...Just a little bitty hole through the lungs. If the .327 was legal, it would have been even more efficient. Antelope are so small and fragile, that all but the softest of rifle bullets just punch right through. In fact, I don't think we've ever recovered even a pistol bullet from antelope (including .357 Mag, .41 Mag, .44 Mag, and .45 Auto; hand loads and a couple rounds of SD ammo).


Like all hunting (or any use of a firearm); it's not the cartridge that matters... it's how you use it. Taking 300 yard shots with a .327 would be pretty stupid (and the same thing applies to pretty much any pistol cartridge). On the other hand, I try to get as close as I can, anyway. For me, switching from the .44 Mag Super Blackhawk to the .327 GP100 or .327 Blackhawk is nothing at all; and the cartridge is perfectly capable of providing the performance necessary for a clean kill.

If I get a chance to hunt Antelope or Deer in Utah (where it's legal) next year, one of the .327s will be my primary weapon (not the backup). And, when I get to Nawth Cackalacky (that's "North Carolina" in English), a .327 will be the primary Whitetail weapon.
 
I had my Ruger SP101 .327 with me after a round of rifle shooting so I used one of the rifle targets at 15 yards.

SwissRifles004-1.jpg


Not bad for a snubby.
 
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