.327 Federal Club thread

Glenn,

The 432 is a sweet little gun, though I do wish the factory load was just a tad hotter. This little jewel needed only one thing out of the box -- front sight paint! To have something this small with six shots of .327 would be a great defensive gun. Has anyone converted an aluminum framed .32 H&R to .327? I'd be afraid to trust it. I'm not even sure a Scandium frame would hold up without it being specifically engineered for the higher pressure of the .327.
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Hello Bill & Glenn
Speaking of a Very Rare find, I happened to come across a S&W Model 632 Cenntenial revolver last weekend. It came to me while I was at a Gun show and I bought it from it's original owner. It had only been test fired from the factory and sat in it's original serial numbered box there after. These were made from 1991-1992 Only and do Not show up often. I am not sure if the stainiless steel cylinder would Take the Higher pressures of the Federal .327 Magnum, but I would Be Very Leary to experiment with such a Rare piece. I gave it to my wife this morning for a Valentines day present along with a Card and box of chocolates... Here is what one looks like & up until now, I have only seen these in Pictures. By the way the guy that owned it drove a hard Bargain he wanted exactly whay he paid for it in 1991 and I caved into his asking price of $275.00, and was Very Pleased to get it. Now we have a Pair of Air-Weights chambered in .32 H&R Magnum this one and my model 431 P.D. Air-Weight Model of which both are shown below in Chocolate & Vanilla flavor... Too Bad S&W stopped Making these fine revolver's, I really like the caliber and 12 OZ. weight of these gun's....:( Hammer It





S_W_Model_632_Centennial_Air-Weight_007.jpg


S_W_Model_632_Centennial_Air-Weight_004.jpg



431_with_magnas_2.jpg


431_With_Magnas_1.jpg
 
I HATE YOU!!

Not really. Sigh!

I've passed on some really nice snubbies (because I was broke). I regret a snubby model 63 and 651 that I just had to look at.

Recently, I passed on that breaktop NAA 22 Mag for $400 - too much I sez. I will wait till the price comes down - and they discontinue them!!
 
Well, there is that Pro Series 632 with three-dot night sights.

The only thing I've been wondering about is how the J-frame will hold up to those pressures over time, even with a stainless frame.

The SP101 I'm not super worried about, that thing was always a tank.
 
Quote:
"Glenn, The 432 is a sweet little gun, though I do wish the factory load was just a tad hotter."

For a "factory" load (of sorts) for .32 H&R that's perfect for the 431/432 try Georgia Arms' great 100 gr JHP, using new brass. Reasonably priced ($24/per 50 or so + shipping).
http://georgia-arms.com/32handrmag.aspx
 
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Recently, I passed on that breaktop NAA 22 Mag for $400 - too much I sez. I will wait till the price comes down - and they discontinue them!!
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UGH! As my 12-year old would say, "Epic Fail" :eek: :(
 
Hammer, I like the chocolate airweight. Have you had any problem with it becoming a bullet puller like some of the .357s did? I would think that the .32H&R would be mild enough to not be a problem. Something like that with a 3" barrel would be very nice for IWB or thunderwear carry.

mike
 
hammerit, you paid $275 for rare s&w 632 cent. in 99% condition, cuz that's what the seller paid for it in '91-92?, think of what $275 in '91-'92 dollars is in todays value due to inflation. i say that you got a great buy.
 
CDNN sports is running specials on 327s from Taurus like $220.

I just like to know WHERE do you find this ammo, and how much is it. :eek:
 
CDNN has been absolutely liquidating those Taurus .327, but a NOTE of caution:

The .327 Federal Mag, perhaps because of it's high pressure or the burn rate for factory ammo, for whatever reason, makes a tremendously large LEAP in muzzle velocity between 2 and 3 inches of barrel.

To put it another way: .327 is fast & hot from a 3-inch barrel and above, and it ramps up quickly with more barrel as it goes.

However, .327 Federal is comparably anemic from a 2-inch barrel, which is pretty much all the snub Taurus revolvers that CDNN catalogs.

Bottom line, in my own personal opinion: A .327 with a two-inch barrel is a lousy choice for a .327 Federal. For everything that we believe a .327 Federal chambered revolver offers, a two inch barrel negates most all of it. :(

These are my opinions.
 
Hammer, I like the chocolate airweight. Have you had any problem with it becoming a bullet puller like some of the .357s did? I would think that the .32H&R would be mild enough to not be a problem. Something like that with a 3" barrel would be very nice for IWB or thunderwear carry.

mike
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hammerit, you paid $275 for rare s&w 632 cent. in 99% condition, cuz that's what the seller paid for it in '91-92?, think of what $275 in '91-'92 dollars is in todays value due to inflation. i say that you got a great buy.
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Hello Mike
No, I Haven't had any problems with bullet's pulling. I load all my own .32 H&R Magnum ammo using 85 Grain or 100 Grain XTP bullets and seat them with a Heavy crimp though....I did how ever eliminate the Lawyer lock assembly, if you look close you will see an open plain hole above the lock . ;)





Hello silvermane_1
Yes, I gave the seller just what he asked for on this S&W Centennial being $275.00. I still think he was off in his price of them being at $275.00 in 1991 though, it sounded Real Good to me. I just learned they only made 1035 of these before discontinuing them, so that made the find even greater... Hammer It
 
OK, gentlemen, I haven't visited this thread in a while, but am wondering now where we stand. Both of my local stores ALWAYS have .327 ammo in supply, but as best I can tell there still aren't many handguns offered in the caliber.

Correct me if I'm wrong...Ruger offers three models in .327, Smith & Wesson offers one, but both Charter and Taurus have canceled their previous offerings. A couple of high-end custom makers have added .327 offerings to their menus, but that's about it.

Is anyone aware of any upcoming releases?

I really like the versatility of the .327 and have been toying with the idea of another SP-101 in this caliber, but the last three examples I've held were so rough and poorly finished that I've been holding off. Gritty, heavy triggers, lots of machine marks, blah. What's happening in Prescott these days?
 
Threedogdad said:
OK, gentlemen, I haven't visited this thread in a while, but am wondering now where we stand. Both of my local stores ALWAYS have .327 ammo in supply, but as best I can tell there still aren't many handguns offered in the caliber. Correct me if I'm wrong...Ruger offers three models in .327, Smith & Wesson offers one, but both Charter and Taurus have canceled their previous offerings. A couple of high-end custom makers have added .327 offerings to their menus, but that's about it.Is anyone aware of any upcoming releases?

IIRC, S&W effectively has two--if you count ported and non ported/different barrel lengths of the 632 as different model--I "sorta" do (and favor the idea of the non-ported). Also Freedom Arms, but maybe that belongs in your custom or semi-custom column. Ditto a limited edition USFA Single Action two Christmasses ago, and I think another of their current specialty (new design) SA models.

I've been looking at the 101 as well--if ever a gun and cartridge truly seemed to be designed for one another. Sorry to hear about some fit and finish issues. A friend has one that seems fine in that department. Probably my imagination, but I thought I saw a post (somewhere) suggesting Taurus was only temporarily suspending in prep for a re-intro in longer barrel, etc, but I have no verification (whatsoever) of that.
 
Threedogdad said:
OK, gentlemen, I haven't visited this thread in a while, but am wondering now where we stand. Both of my local stores ALWAYS have .327 ammo in supply, but as best I can tell there still aren't many handguns offered in the caliber. Correct me if I'm wrong...Ruger offers three models in .327, Smith & Wesson offers one, but both Charter and Taurus have canceled their previous offerings. A couple of high-end custom makers have added .327 offerings to their menus, but that's about it.Is anyone aware of any upcoming releases?

IIRC, S&W effectively has two--if you count ported and non ported/different barrel lengths of the 632 as different model--I "sorta" do (and favor the idea of the non-ported). Also Freedom Arms, but maybe that belongs in your custom or semi-custom column. Ditto a limited edition USFA Single Action .32-20/.327 convertible two Christmasses ago, and I think another of their current specialty (new design) SA models.

I've been looking at the 101 as well--if ever a gun and cartridge truly seemed to be designed for one another. Sorry to hear about some fit and finish issues. A friend has one that seems fine in that department. Probably my imagination, but I thought I saw a post (somewhere) suggesting Taurus was only temporarily suspending in prep for a re-intro in longer barrel, etc, but I have no verification (whatsoever) of that.
 
Anyone have any experience with the S&W 632 who can report what effect the ported barrel has on noise levels?

I had an SP-101 [in .357] a while back that had been ported, but the blast, even from .38 Specials was so horribly loud that I had to get rid of it.
 
It would be an easy money bet that if you didn't like the noise from a ported .38 Spl (18,500 PSI max) then the 45,000 PSI Max .327 Federal Magnum would be, ummm, NOT so enjoyable.
 
really like the versatility of the .327 and have been toying with the idea of another SP-101 in this caliber, but the last three examples I've held were so rough and poorly finished that I've been holding off. Gritty, heavy triggers, lots of machine marks, blah. What's happening in Prescott these days?
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Hello
That has pretty Much been my Take on Most Rugers. They are way to Massive & Huge for the cartridges intended in them due to their Cast Investment style of gun Making compared to S&W's Hammer coined forged process, Ruger's have to be made like that. S&W has found you do not need to build a Brick or club if you forge and coin the guns during the process of Manufacture, as the coining process closes the moleculure pores of the high carbon steel which makes them stronger in smaller profile form. Ruger does not invest the time nor more expensive process in their gun manufacturing, so Ruger's are over built because they have to be as Cast Investment guns are not as strong as Forged guns. Most Feel Ruger makes their guns the way they do to be stronger than S&W's but that is False, as no Gun company likes to give away the extra Metal involved in making a Gun unless they have to, and in the case of Cast Investment it is Far cheaper to make them that way than to Forge and coin the forgings when building the guns. The triggers on all Ruger's I have had are just Plain Lousy with lot's of Gritty Trigger creep and Massive trigger pull weight, that is why I only have S&W's in my safe, and I have not seen any solid proof that Ruger's are more durable than S&W's only heavier and more massive in size and gun weight. ;)
 
HammerIt, I understand your point of view, but my experience has been different.

S&W's triggers used to be better from the factory, but they're just as crappy as anyone else's now. Ruger's revolver triggers used to be terrible from the factory, but now they're some of the best triggers you'll find on a production gun from one of the big manufacturers.

Barackalypse Ruger triggers are bad, but post-2010 production guns are now better than the pre-2008 guns.

Then, of course, there's durability...
I own one S&W. It's a .38 Special +P 642-2 LadySmith. It has had less than 100 rounds put through it, and is already out of time. That model is an aluminum frame revolver, but the timing issue has nothing to do with the frame. It has more to do with S&W not maintaining the same QC level they used to. The MIM parts they are using might be of superior quality, when compared to companies like Kimber and Taurus; but they aren't being fitted as well as the old forged and milled parts. Because of that, they wear much faster (not having polished surfaces), and aren't as precise.
...They ain't what they used to be.

(Depending on the day, I might consider Taurus and Charter Arms revolvers to be superior to S&W's offerings from the last decade. :eek:)
 
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