I took my 7.5" Singel Seven out for its initial range session this weekend. Very nice shooting gun. Easy 2" groups at 25 yards with the 100 grain factory loads. A little tricky to load and unload, the trigger broke clean but a little heavy. I will put a few hundred rounds through the gun and then see if I want to do anything about the trigger. It is a good sized gun for the .327 round.
.327 Federal Club thread
- Thread starter farmboy
- Start date
FrankenMauser
New member
Not in the sense that most people would probably assume.
The GladItsNotAFinnickyRimlessTaperedCartridge guys pretty much just use this thread as a 'group participation' blog, to share news, updates, modifications, and notable achievements/milestones with each other.
A gun that brings top dollar and would be very expensive and time consuming to wear out, mostly the rifling or forcing cone, is probably a safe bet. If catastrophic failures were common, you'd hear about it.
I am curious about the occasional expression of concern about how a gun would "hold up". What exactly does that mean?
Revolvers can shoot out of time or develop endshake.
Small parts can wear against each other or even break due to normal wear & tear, due to defects or from the forces of recoil.
Parts can fall off, screws can loosen, pins can walk out. Barrels can come off and fly downrange, triggers can lock up, cylinders can stop turning when they should turn or start turning freely when they should be locked up.
If none of those things happen then the gun is holding up well.
Unless a problem was chronic and common in that model, a problem that could not be readily repaired is what I would think can retire a gun or cause one to caution others. My gunsmith says a handgun should not be expected to perform well without serious service after 50k rounds. That is when barrels get replaced, among other parts.
How many people shoot 50k rounds? Competition guys perhaps, but they have their own world of race guns, tweaking, and tinkering.
One problem I am having personally is a gun that needs a new barrel, and the vendor is no longer committed to a model that's out of production. Maybe the better question is how likely it will be that a person can get manufacturer service or parts for a specific gun.
I don't believe I wrote or intended to imply that there was something wrong with asking the question how well a gun will hold up.
How many people shoot 50k rounds? Competition guys perhaps, but they have their own world of race guns, tweaking, and tinkering.
One problem I am having personally is a gun that needs a new barrel, and the vendor is no longer committed to a model that's out of production. Maybe the better question is how likely it will be that a person can get manufacturer service or parts for a specific gun.
I don't believe I wrote or intended to imply that there was something wrong with asking the question how well a gun will hold up.
FrankenMauser
New member
Ruger still repairs, and even fully rebuilds, models that were discontinued more than 25 years ago. Customer support can change over night, but I'm comfortable with the service they provide for "orphaned" models. And, right now, .327 Federal isn't an obsolete orphan, yet. Ruger has stated that they do plan to make more .327 revolvers - it just isn't a priority when so many other products are in much higher demand.
Taurus and S&W on the other hand....
Good luck.
Support from Taurus will be, "It's out of production, and this one is unsafe. We won't be sending it back to you. Would you like a .38 Special +P 7-shot revolver for $173?"
And S&W's support depends on the day...
My experience with a Police Service Six in trying to replace a poorly grouping barrel with little visible rifling was that Ruger told me they could only scrap the gun and offer 1/2 MSRP on a replacement. In fact they wouldn't even attempt a repair, even if there was no reason up front to believe that parts weren't needed, because they might lose something and not have a replacement part. That's pretty severe, seems to me. The fact is that one with a Security, Service, Speed Six series gun is on his own. Look for guns parted out and work with a gunsmith at your expense.
It is definitely true that at some point, a manufacturer is going to run out of replacement parts for discontinued products. When that happens, you're mostly on your own. That said, having a manufacturer offer 1/2 MSRP towards a replacement isn't bad for an item that was discontinued more than a quarter of a century ago and that was basically worn out from a ton of use.
Try getting that kind of an offer from a manufacturer of virtually any other consumer item out there...
Try getting that kind of an offer from a manufacturer of virtually any other consumer item out there...
RodTheWrench
New member
Anybody wanting a 3" SP 101 New in the box? A guy here in Utah is asking $899 for one.
http://www.utahgunexchange.com/ads/rare-ruger-sp-101-327-federal-magnum-new-unfired-2/
http://www.utahgunexchange.com/ads/rare-ruger-sp-101-327-federal-magnum-new-unfired-2/
FrankenMauser
New member
Absolutely.
That's actually a win for everyone, because 1/2 MSRP (approx. is what they actually said on the phone) is what Ruger normally gets from a distributor. It can't be that extraordinary without any particular sacrifice on their part. How would you like it if the gun didn't really need any parts but was caught by their inflexible policy. From their point of view, the gun has to be scrapped, and you have to pay $250+ unexpectedly for a new gun. It is a good deal on the new one, but raises the effective cost of the old one by $250+. I have chosen to camp a search for a barrel on GB and eBay ($50-100 plus install)). Financially it is a tough call, but I would rather have the old design gun.
The gun only has to be scrapped if you decide it is going to be scrapped. Otherwise you can keep it in its current condition and pay to have it repaired yourself. Also, I can't agree with the idea that it is "unexpected" to have to pay to replace/repair a 28+ year old gun that's been shot so much that the rifling is gone.
You've already paid for the old gun and have shot it until it's worn it out. The idea that replacing it after several decades of use adds effective cost to your original purchase is a little bizarre. The only way that would make sense is if you take the view that a gun should maintain its NIB value even after you've shot it for 30 years or so until the rifling is gone.
The cost you're paying would be for the NEW gun and 1/2 MSRP is a very good deal on a new gun.
It is quite unconventional to take the view that it adds effective cost to a gun if you have to replace it after shooting it 30-40 years until it's worn out. By that logic, if I buy a car for $20K, drive it for decades until it's worn out and then buy another one for $30K, now the "effective cost" of the first car is $50K. I guess that means the new one is free?
Real Gun
See: http://www.gunpartscorp.com/Manufacturers/Ruger-33474.htm
If they're out of barrels, check back every few days as they get used ones in from time to time.
I don't see your point about an "unexpected" cost to replace the gun. Sure, if Ruger would normally be able to replace a worn out barrel for (arbitrarily $100) then you're only out an "unexpected" $150.
Your statement, to me, is like saying you bought a 1986 Chevy, have driven it all these years and expect GM to be able to furnish & install a crated engine 28 years later - for free or at a nominal charge. To complain when GM has sold out of your engine or tells you the chassis is rusting out and you have to buy a new truck (at dealer cost) says either your expectations are unrealistic or you weren't thinking ahead as the barrel deteriorated.
See: http://www.gunpartscorp.com/Manufacturers/Ruger-33474.htm
If they're out of barrels, check back every few days as they get used ones in from time to time.
I don't see your point about an "unexpected" cost to replace the gun. Sure, if Ruger would normally be able to replace a worn out barrel for (arbitrarily $100) then you're only out an "unexpected" $150.
Your statement, to me, is like saying you bought a 1986 Chevy, have driven it all these years and expect GM to be able to furnish & install a crated engine 28 years later - for free or at a nominal charge. To complain when GM has sold out of your engine or tells you the chassis is rusting out and you have to buy a new truck (at dealer cost) says either your expectations are unrealistic or you weren't thinking ahead as the barrel deteriorated.
Crankylove
New member
I agree.
I'd be quite happy to have to pay to repair I gun that I had actualy worn out from shooting it. Not replacing springs or pins or other normal wear items, but actualy wearing out a gun from use..............cause that means I had A LOT of fun with it.
Too much parsing on the word "unexpected". Give it a rest. If I needed a new barrel; worth what, maybe $50 and labor; and was confronted with the news that all I could get is a new gun at $250 or more, scrapping my existing investment, to me that would be unexpected, certainly an unpleasant surprise. I don't care about arguments whether I should have been surprised. I was still surprised, certainly caught off guard and frustrated..
No, I didn't. I bought it off auction and it didn't pass the gunsmith checkout, grouping poorly and with little visible rifling to stabilize the bullets. I never shot it.
I bought another one, like new, possibly unfired, and it has enough end shake to stay at the gunsmith FFL for shimming. Thus, I have never yet fired a Police Service Six 38 Special, only my Security Six 357.
Maybe we should get back to the topic of 327 Federal Magnum.
113 Grain Bullets
I bought some Cast Performance 113 gas check bullets and they are the best bullets I have used to date. With my 5.5" barrel, I was getting 1626 fps for about 664 ft/lbs of energy. Best of all very accurate with groups under 2" @ 25 yards. I am going to try to get a similar mold to cast this bullet.
This load should work in the single 7s as it is 1.486" OAL which of course would include the rim in the measurement.
I bought some Cast Performance 113 gas check bullets and they are the best bullets I have used to date. With my 5.5" barrel, I was getting 1626 fps for about 664 ft/lbs of energy. Best of all very accurate with groups under 2" @ 25 yards. I am going to try to get a similar mold to cast this bullet.
This load should work in the single 7s as it is 1.486" OAL which of course would include the rim in the measurement.