.327 Federal Club thread

Falcon 642 wrote:
The great Obama-induced ammo shortage of 2008-2009 sure didn't help either. At the peak of the shortage the ONLY ammo I could find was 9mm, I couldn't find .22, .40, .45, or any of the revolver calibers. Its hard to convince people to buy a new caliber when they can't find ammo for it.

At the height of the "crisis," about the only ammo I could find was .40--likely due to LEO usage I understand. There actually was a smattering of .327 here and there in my neck of the woods in more major markets, precisely because of the perceived "odd duck" status I've been told...not much on the shelves to be sure, but more than 9mm, .38/.357, .44 Mag and .45 ACP, all of which supply seemed truly dismal, especially given the demand.

Put me down as another fan for the underappreciated .327 and its little brother .32 H&R Mag. There's nothing more fun than a Ruger Single Six in .32 Mag, match made in heaven!...definitely enough pop to know you're definitely not shooting any .22...unless Ruger does the right thing and introduce it in .327...or handier than the Smith Airweight in H&R. Little six shot powerhouse. The newer steel and scandium Smith J's and Ruger SP101 .327s make for great carry and CC pieces. About the comments regarding the .327 "filling no known void," to paraphrase one post: try the gi-normous gap between the .22s and .38/.357--the same gap the H&R tried to fill. Hey, I'm not so sure other than LEOs or lever hunters that anyone really "needed" the .357 when it came out either. Certainly not later on with the advent of the .38+P. I would agrree that both Federal and Ruger--who essentially co-sponsored the cartridge--dropped the ball upon and shortly following (2+ years) the .327's intro by not making sure ammo/component support was right there from the get-go. A shame...I do think that a lot of momentum was lost right there with many potential buyers, but I still see a bright future for the .327 despite snafus by the very companies that brought it to us. But I've been known to be wrong many times before. I hope not this time.

Edited to be more clear as to my particular experiences, versus over-generalization.
 
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At the peak of the shortage the ONLY ammo I could find was 9mm
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At the height of the "crisis," about the only ammo you could find was .40--likely due to LEO usage.
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Have you considered that a complete stranger most likely living no where near you had a different experience?
 
Admantium said:
Quote: At the peak of the shortage the ONLY ammo I could find was 9mm Quote: At the height of the "crisis," about the only ammo you could find was .40--likely due to LEO usage. Have you considered that a complete stranger most likely living no where near you had a different experience?

You make a good point and I have edited to better reflect my experience, which is what was intended.
 
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At teh height of the GOAS, I never had a problem finding ammo..... just finding ammo in popular pistol calibers. Never any 9mm, .45 ACP, .38 or .357, .380 ..... Just stuff like .41 mag, .357 SIG, .327, .32 ACP, .25 auto, 9 Mak, .38 Super...... I never did have a problem finding components, though. Primers got to be outrageously high, though....
 
To restate: the very best use of the .32 is in smaller frame guns. For an outdoors type of gun, the best thing is to pick a platform that is .22 LR sized. Like a Single Six.
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the sp101 is smaller and lighter than a standard single six
did you just forgt to say that you need double action?
 
.327Fed round, my thoughts...

This topic has come up before on gun/tactics forums.
I have not read every post here but I'd add that, to me, the .327Federal round is okay for defense or concealed carry but not the huge improvement or Earth shaking change in the US shooting sports industry.
 
You can dance at the edge of Splodeyville with the .327, too, if that is what floats your boat........
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There was nothing dangerous about pushing the .32 Mag to 1500 fps in a strong little gun like a Single Six. The gun magazines tend to be quite conservative in the loads they publish and Skeeter and Dean had a whole article on the various combinations they tried. In my experience, the weak link is the brass. You keep adding more AA #7 and you start splitting case mouths. Sometimes a load that is too hot will flatten primers but usually it is case splits. You back off a bit and you're golden.

I'm sure the .327 can be pushed ever further. Of course, just like a .44 Magnum case compared to a .44 Special case. You've got more room for more slow powder. But IMO, that extra velocity is more than you really need for a woods gun. My normal walking around load uses the Sierra 90 grain JHC bullet at about 90% of max. Runs about 1350 fps out of my 4 5/8ths SS. The max load gets too loud for me to want to shoot it "for fun."

And, like all .32's, it's a happy little gun with mild loads and hard cast bullets. You can load it all the way down to what seem like .22 LR levels.

Hey, I can't convince everybody in the world to like and reload .32 Mag. Or .41 Mag. Or .357 SIG. Or .44 Special for that matter. But I shoot more of those four cartridges than any of my other ones. Even 9mm or .45 ACP. Sometimes it's nice to be a little different!

Gregg
 
I think it is a GREAT idea. But I already had a .357/.38 in 3" and I have no problem with the recoil.

There is also the question of whether the ammo will expand, and if it doesn't, then bigger is better.

Now, you have me thinking about it again. For my wife. But if you're honest, it does have that magnum blast, right? She'd probably rather just have a good old fashioned .38.
 
Now, you have me thinking about it again. For my wife. But if you're honest, it does have that magnum blast, right? She'd probably rather just have a good old fashioned .38.
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Out of the SP101, it has the ".357 blast". Out of the Blackhawk, it's tamed to something more like .38 Special/.44 Special. How much that matters, depends on intended use.

If you don't like the .32s, that's fine. Stick with what's easier for you to get, and keep things simple. I understand it perfectly well.

Me? I didn't already have a .38/.357, and liked the greater variety of loads possible with the .327. As a reloader, all I care about is component availability. I don't have to be a slave to wondering if EvilMart carries my ammo. Provide some brass and bullets, and I'm good to go.

I didn't need the 8 shot cylinder of the Blackhawk, but it does save some weight (versus being 6 or 7 shot). The beauty of it, for me, is that I can shoot anything I want, all day long. I can shoot anything from 350 fps round-balls, to 580 fps .32 SW, to 1,800 fps 60 gr XTPs, to 1,500 fps Gold Dots. When my wife wants to shoot (it's her revolver ;)), she breaks out .32 H&R hand loads, running 1,300 fps with 85 gr XTPs. ... and she shoots, and shoots, until the ammo is gone. :D
 
There is also the question of whether the ammo will expand, and if it doesn't, then bigger is better.
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If you can't get a 100 gr HP bullet to expand at 1400 f/sec .... maybe the bullet manufacturer would like to see your test data .....

I'm thinking that at that speed, you'd be more worried about the bullet disintegrating than not expanding......
 
Most folks just don't want a .32
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For my self defense needs, I just didn't see a need for it. I know it is frequently stated that the .327 magnum has energy numbers that rival the .357 magnum. But then we get into the whole discussion about what is most important in a SD round: energy, penetration, caliber, etc. I would have to see some convincing real-world data to make me want to switch from known calibers (.38 SP, 9mm, etc.) to something that is unproven.

The extra round in my snubby revolver would be nice, but it wasn't enough to make me want to jump into a new caliber. Maybe in the future, but not at this point.

TMann
 
.327 Federal

I like the idea of a powerful round with less recoil than a 357 and still able to chamber 6 rounds in a j-frame compact. But it just seems to be too rare for reliable ammo supply. I'm not a reloader and I never see 327mag ammo anywhere.
 
Cabelas in TX have it - if you are near one. It's hard to find 32 HR mag - I saw a guy with some at the gun show - Mr. Genius here only bought one box - maybe the next show, I'll find more.
 
I really like the idea of the .327 federal. Jimbob already mentioned all the reasons that make it appealing so no need for me to coppy what he already said. I'm pretty well set right now on handguns but if I was in the market I would strongly consider it. As far as finding ammo goes, hasn't anyone ever ordered ammo online? I buy most of my ammo online because the local gunshops don't have the variety.
 
I'm thinking it would make a very good trapline gun especially if it's loaded with a good fur-friendly, hardcast bullet. I'd feel comfortable walking up on a wolf in a trap with one.
 
The problem as I see it is this:

Companies creating new calibers has become an epidemic in the gun industry. The companies all know guns are durable goods and that 38 special from 1940 is either still alive and kickin or can be repaired to do so.

This is a serious problem to their longevity as a company especially when times get tough and people start dipping into the collection for some gas money. When a good used gun can be bought for a fraction of the price of a new and arguably inferior quality product, companies going under becomes a reality.

The solution, convince the public that what has worked for generations is no longer up to snuff and in doing so stabilize their position in the market for just a bit longer. They do this by reinventing the wheel and creating the 32-20, oops I mean the 327 Federal Magnum. It is obvious that even though the companies place huge amounts of dollars on marketing they really dont believe their new fangled thing will catch on and that is why they have limited runs and low production while continuing to produce the very items they are damning in high numbers.

I dont think even the biggest idiot would actually believe the 327 is as powerful as the 357 Magnum. It is laughable. Ok then, you get 6 shots. Well OK, that IS something but it is pretty weak too.

Some have stated a lever carbine would be good for the 327. I see more utility here than in a personal defense revolver. With defensive revolvers the 38 makes more sense since cheaper practice is attainable and practice is the most important aspect of defensive shooting not cartridge.
 
I dont think even the biggest idiot would actually believe the 327 is as powerful as the 357 Magnum. It is laughable. Ok then, you get 6 shots. Well OK, that IS something but it is pretty weak too.
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One problem is that the statement is suppoed to read 'the 327 is as powerful as a 357 when fired out of a 2" or 3" barrel.' In reality, if you fire a factory 327 100 gr. and a 357 110 gr. bullet from a snub, the 327 actually will come out on top. Velocity numbers for the 327 are based on a 3" barrel, a 357 is usually based on a 8 3/8" barrel. The 110 gr. 357 is rated at 1295 fps, the 100 gr 327 is rated at 1500 fps. From all accounts, Federal's velocity claims are pretty accurate. If you move to 357 125 gr. bullets, they are typically rated at 1440 fps. In a 3" pipe, you aren't going to make those numbers.

The next problem is that too many people think that carrying any caliber that doesn't start with a 4 is a waste of time.

Last problem still seems to be ammo availabilty and pricing. Anything 32 seems to be overpriced.
 
Jus wondering: Is there any real world data of there regarding the effectiveness of the .327 magnum as a SD round?
 
I doubt it. It's basically brand new.

About the best you could do is look up something similar.

For example, what other caliber fires a 115 grain bullet at 1300 fps? What other caliber fires an 85 grain bullet around 1400 fps? Hmm...
 
Think about it, the 327 is only 3 hundredths of an inch smaller than 357 and going just as fast with a bullet of almost the same weight. Doesn't seem like a huge difference to me. Arguing over differences in paper ballistics is a waste of time.
 
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