Cosmodragoon
New member
I am a huge fan of the .32 S&W Long. However, when I see the .327 Federal being touted as the "ideal woods, walking around gun...", I envision someone who may be tempted to shoot at a target of opportunity (squirrel, rabbit partridge, etc.), in the woods without hearing protection (who actually carries hearing protection in the woods, after all?). Having never fired or having heard the report of a .327 Federal, I ask: How hard is it on the ears.
I like .32 S&W Long and have a few guns specifically chambered for it. When I was younger, I took one of these opportunity shots on the biggest millipede I've ever seen. I saw it from maybe 20ft in my peripheral vision and initially thought it was a small snake. Realizing what it was, I did a silly quick-draw shot from the hip. I surprised myself by cleanly blasting out his midsection, leaving the two end pieces wriggling around the scuff. I know this is far from a prized trophy kill but I still remember it as one of my favorite.
While this didn't exactly murder my hearing, it was still unpleasantly loud. I think most handgun calibers are, with some obviously being worse than others. They pretty much all damage hearing relative to that loudness and as far as we hear from the medical community, you never get back what you lose. This incident prompted me to throw a pair of plugs in my top jacket pocket. It's as easy as remembering to pack a fresh pair if I use them or need to wash the jacket. I know I won't have time to plug up in an emergency defense situation, but that's a widely accepted risk in any self-defense situation and there are plenty of discussions about it here on TFL. As per all plinking opportunities and many chance encounters with small game when I'm in a position to use what I kill, I can protect my hearing.
As per small game, I've never shot an animal with .327 Federal. I'd imagine it would be a bit much on the smaller critters. Even .32 S&W Long is a bit more than I like on squirrels but in this article in praise of the round, the author describes positive experience with it.