327 Federal?

K

KevK.

New member
I was just browsing through some online autions and came across several revolvers chambered for .327 Federal. I've not heard of this cailber before. Obviously it looks like it has been around for a while.


I'm assuming it's smaller than .357 and .38 spl. Can anyone tell me some more about this round?

Don't worry, I don't care that much for oddball calibers, just curious about this one.
 
Do a search of this TFL forum. Most recently (this past spring) there was a megathread--20+ pager or so-- or two on the .327. Pros, cons, anything and everything. No time now but if I or someone else finds it before the OP does, we'll post the link.
 
327 Federal Magnum

Once I had one I had to have two. I carry a Taurus M327 in town and a 3" barrel S&W 632 in the woods. Reloading for them as well. Excellent caliber, depending on round expands to 0.4 to 0.6 inch, and FBI penetration tests show better than 38 or 9 +P

two327swgrips900.jpg
 
I considered it, but to me, even as a reloader, I went with a .38.

Problems I had with it...

- I can't share brass and projectiles with my .357 magnum.

- Required a steel frame gun that weighs 23 ounces or one made from exotic materials (too expensive!). For comparison, my M&Pc carries 13 rounds of 9mm and weighs 21 or 22 ounces.

- For me, a pocket gun (what I wanted) needs to weigh no more than a .38 Bodyguard, about 15 ounces.

- For large framed guns, the L-frame S&W has been available in a 7 shot .357 model for years and the N-frame Model 27 can hold as many 8 shots of .357 magnum.

- Even if I saved enough for a lighter .327...the .38 Special +P at a power factor of 103 is already a handful, the .327 would have a power factor of at least 115, maybe more depending on the load. That's more than 10% more recoil, as well as more muzzle blast and flash.

If download the .327 to .38 Special +P power factor then I'm not gaining much, maybe one more round at the expense of a smaller diameter/lighter bullet.

After all that, I just went with a j-frame .38...
 
Would not mind an 8 round Blackhawk in .327
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Yup. It's on "the list". I think it would make for a perfect, fur-friendly trapline gun with cast boolits and capable of whacking everything from rats to wolves.
 
Even if I saved enough for a lighter .327...the .38 Special +P at a power factor of 103 is already a handful, the .327 would have a power factor of at least 115, maybe more depending on the load. That's more than 10% more recoil, as well as more muzzle blast and flash.
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That's subjective. Different people interpret recoil, blast, and flash very differently. Assuming recoil, muzzle blast, and muzzle flash will be of a certain type by looking at power factor figures, is like assuming a Porsche Boxter 3.5L will be faster and accelerate quicker than the 3.2L version. ...Yet, in reality, the opposite is true.

Don't assume. Try it.
 
Trying to find something to say that grabs some points from the MEGA-thread, without getting in to the same arguments that .327 Federal always brings up -- all the while dropping some thoughts for someone who has never heard of the round.

What you've got is a .32 cal handgun round...and in the grand tradition of handgun rounds, they took what was already out there and made it longer -- made it hotter -- made it louder -- and made it meaner.

The .32 S&W, the .32 S&W Long, the .32 H&R Magnum...all are ".32 cal" handguns. (actually, the bullet diameter is .312", but these "misnomers" are common in guns.) The .327 Federal Magnum isn't a ".327", it's also a .312" -- or as we call it, a hot-loaded .32.

Factory ammo is offered in 85, 100 and 115 grain bullet weights. A factory ammo was from Federal/American Eagle/Speer until Buffalo Bore recently offered two different rounds. They upped the ante on bullet weight, bringing out a 130-grain hard cast lead bullet.

The .327 Federal run a VERY high pressure for a handgun round at 45,000 PSI. For reference:
.38 Special runs 17,000 PSI
.45 Auto runs 21,000 PSI
9mm and .40 S&W run 35,000 PSI

What's interesting is that the .32 H&R Magnum really never had any business being named a "magnum" in keeping with other handgun cartridges. At best, it was a "Special" and the gap between the .32 H&R Mag and the .327 Federal Mag is canyon-like.

One thing that we've come to know is that it takes some barrel length to make this cartridge work. While every round benefits from a longer barrel, testing has shown that going under 3-inches in barrel length for the .327 Federal really neuters it's performance. It's my personal opinion that if you buy or own one of these snubby .327's, you haven't experienced the the .327 Federal properly at all.

In a proper barrel, expect velocities beyond 1,400 FPS with a 100-grain bullet. With the light 85-grain slug, higher.

As for launch platforms -- not as many as we'd like to see. Ruger is the flagship and they make three different revolvers that chamber it. Others have dabbled in it.
 
That's subjective. Different people interpret recoil, blast, and flash very differently. Assuming recoil, muzzle blast, and muzzle flash will be of a certain type by looking at power factor figures, is like assuming a Porsche Boxter 3.5L will be faster and accelerate quicker than the 3.2L version. ...Yet, in reality, the opposite is true.
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Still, you can't get more performance for nothing. The .327 is exactly between the .38 special +P and the .357 magnum in terms of performance.

If two weapons have an identical bore axis, identical weight (scandium .327 vs. aluminum .38 Special +P), identical grip, identical barrels, with the .327 having a greater powder charge (more recoil) and a higher power factor (momentum), then the .327 is going to have more recoil than the .38 special +P.

Now, if you're comparing a 28 ounce SP 101 to a 15 ounce j-frame, then you're not comparing like to like, since two j-frames weight almost the same as one SP 101.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of nich cartridges...my favorite is probably the 10mm Auto. I just think the negatives of this cartridges out weigh the pros. I think idea behind this one is to split the ballistics of the .38 and .357 while giving +1 round.
 
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If two weapons have an identical bore axis, identical weight (scandium .327 vs. aluminum .38 Special +P), identical grip, identical barrels, with the .327 having a greater powder charge (more recoil) and a higher power factor (momentum), then the .327 is going to have more recoil than the .38 special +P.
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Recoil is not really dependent on powder charge.
It is more dependent on bullet weight and rate of acceleration of that bullet (powder-charge related, but a change in powder burn rate with a lighter powder charge can achieve the same result).


I can tell you, definitively, that no one that has ever shot my 4" GP100 with full-power .327 loads side-by-side with my brother's .357 GP100 4" with .38 +P loads has said the .327 has more recoil. Their responses are always in favor of .327 Federal being more tame, and (much) more fun to shoot. ;)
(Plus, you get an extra round in the cylinder.)

If you don't like it, you don't like it. That's perfectly acceptable, but quit looking at the figures on paper. This is one of those cases, where ballistic figures don't relate well to the real-world experience. Go out and shoot one, or forget about it. ;)
 
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How do ya'll think the .327 would work in a win. 92 action carbine.
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Fantastic; same with a 5" S&W K frame.

Myself and several other regulars on this forum have been patiently waiting for both of the above, ever since the round was announced.
 
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