.327 LCR vs .380: 2018 Edition

I considered getting a .327, but decided against it bcause of the cost of ammo. I'd have to commit to reloading in order to shoot a lot of it, and i have found (after doing some reloading ofr 38 spcl) that I simply do not have the time to reload very much.

Also, unlike the OP, I don't have issues shooting .380. Granted, I don't have an LCP, but I can shoot the foofoo out of .380 with my Bersa Thunder. I've done enough of it now that it's sorta second nature point and shoot.

So......my choice is .380.
 
I considered getting a .327, but decided against it bcause of the cost of ammo.
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I've never understood this argument, and still don't.

Since buying my first .327 Federal revolver, the price of ammo has been roughly the same as .38 Special (let alone .357 Mag). ...And I've lived in two different states and shopped in dozens of shops in five different states since then.
I just don't get it.

I must be blind, isolated, lucky, or regionally blessed (even though I've also looked and priced the ammo in North Carolina).


That aside...
Since when was reloading a bad thing?
 
FrankenMauser said:
I've never understood this argument, and still don't.

Since buying my first .327 Federal revolver, the price of ammo has been roughly the same as .38 Special (let alone .357 Mag). ...And I've lived in two different states and shopped in dozens of shops in five different states since then.
I just don't get it.

I must be blind, isolated, lucky, or regionally blessed (even though I've also looked and priced the ammo in North Carolina).


That aside...
Since when was reloading a bad thing?
Click to expand...
I agree with you Frank. Again, the price of JHP defense ammo .38 and .357 is at the least .80/round. For .327, it's about $1/round. For .38, one can get target/plinking ammo for around .25/round, but if we're looking for a cheaper, softer recoiling ammo, then in that case one can get .32 S&W Long for around .30/round.

These prices are indicative if you buy online. If people are (and they should be) buying online, then you can get .32 ammo for a good price. If people are shopping at Bobby Joe's sporting goods store, then yeah, you're likely not going to find .32 revolver ammo and if you do, you're probably not going to get it as cheaply as .38 is and Bobby Joe is probably going to laugh at you and call you a girl for buying .32 ammo when he checks you out at the register.
 
Part of the problem is that there is no "normal" FMJ or LRN plinking ammo for .327 Federal. Oftentimes, the only ammo a store will have is premium defensive ammo. The American Eagle JSP, which is actually one of the hotter factory loads, is the closest thing at around fifty cents a pop. Keeping a gun fed with 327 Fed Mag requires a little more work than .38 special, 9mm, etc. The question is whether that little bit of extra work is worth it to you.
 
I still don't see the 'extra work' argument. I understand that there are regional differences and every gun shop owner chooses what to carry, and what not to carry.
And I do believe that some people may have difficulty locating ammunition (especially if only looking at big box stores, or the ONE gun store they frequent).

...But my experience differs. Of the eight LGSs in my city, five carry .327 Federal AE ammo. Two carry SD loads.
At my previous location, in a large city 180 miles away, there were at least a dozen shops that stocked the AE ammo, some SD ammo, and some .32 H&R and/or .32 S&W Long.

Last week, I was in a tiny, isolated, backwoods town in Northern Idaho where the gas station was also the local taco stand, pet shop, ice cream shop, meat processor, and sporting goods store. They had AE 100 gr .327 Federal on the shelf. (Though, admittedly, it was quite expensive at $39 / box.)
...As did my favorite podunk 'one stop shop' gas station in a town with a population of 132 people, in the middle of Wyoming, last time I was there.

From my perspective, the only real oddity that still persists today is that most chain stores still don't carry .327 Federal, even if they sell the revolvers.
 
FrankenMauser, there seems to be a lot of people who exclusively buy ammo at Walmart (or whatever chain) and a good number of those people view having to shop elsewhere as a lot of extra work. I know because following .327 posts here and elsewhere, they make up a good chunk of the naysayers.

As far as local shops, it depends on the shop. We all live in different places and visit different shops. Personally, I know at least two shops who don't stock it but will order it for you if you ask. I know at least three shops who only stock one or two types of .327 ammo. I've had lots of cases where I went into other shops, including while traveling, where they only had one choice and it was either Gold Dots or Hydra-Shoks.

It's not a big deal for me and it shouldn't be too bad for people who shop online or hunt for deals. Handloading is probably a game changer but I don't have any experience with it. Buy it or not, taking up .327 for defensive carry and committing to shooting it regularly does involve a little more work and a little more coin than .38 special or 9mm. As my EDC choice, I just accept it.
 
I like revolvers, and often depend on my 3” GP100 357, as well as owning a Model 10 a Model 15, and Model 38.
So the 327 saga has interested me enough to click on threads about it.
I don’t see myself getting one at this point in my life. The 38spl and 357mag do everything I need them to do.
As far as ammo cost, while I do order ammo online often, I check the case at Walmart when I go there. A week ago, I bought a 100rd box of the old Remington SJHP 125gn 357 mag load for $50...that’s a round with real street credibility. Or, I could have bought one of my favorite 357 loads, the American Eagle 158gn JSP, which I enjoy shooting, and my revolver likes very much...for $26/50.
The 380 is also part of this discussion, so I will say that a P3AT is part of my daily kit. I also own a Beretta 84F, which I bought due to its low cost, being Israeli surplus. I didn’t consider it for serious use when I bought it...but shooting it has made me a believer. I load it with Underwood hot loaded XTP’s, and feel pretty well armed with it.
All that having been said, a 6 shot 3” LCRx would be a very attractive carry piece for me. I’d just have a hard time deciding what to sell in order to buy one.
 
I find that revolvers just don't conceal as well as autoloaders, in equally sized handguns.
The cylinder is the problem.
It's like carrying a golf ball in your pocket.

So, I prefer a .380 pocket pistol.
 
I focused a lot on the snub LCR because it's small enough it could be carried in the pocket, but my preference is a 3 inch because of better velocity and sight radius.
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I, too, prefer the 3" barrel on a compact revolver for concealed carry. A little less bark from the muzzle and a little more controllability for repeat shots in terms of slightly reduced recoil and a slightly longer sighting plane. The extra inch (as opposed to a 2" barrel) is pretty inconsequential when it comes to drawing the gun or hiding it.

Imo, the "ideal" carry concealed revolver would be an LCR, chambered in .327 Magnum with a 3" barrel (would that configuration still qualify as a snubbie?). For concealed carry, I would insist on having a revolver with an enclosed hammer.
 
I find that revolvers just don't conceal as well as autoloaders, in equally sized handguns.

The cylinder is the problem.
It's like carrying a golf ball in your pocket.

So, I prefer a .380 pocket pistol.
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So... equally sized in which dimension?
 
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