.327 mag

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fast18

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I saw a ad today talking about the. 327 fed magnum and was a little interest. They say their close to a .357 but is this like the old saying theres no replacement for displacement? What is the use for one ? Are they worth having and hows the ammo pricing? I know they will shoot the three lesser calibers. 32 s&w etc.
 
I think the concept is you get “close to” .357 performance, but can usually carry an extra round for instance six .327 instead of five .357 in the same size gun.
 
Theres a monster thread on the merits of the .327 ..... nigh 700 replies .... good info in there, both pro and con ......

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=448008

I have never fired one. My brother has. He says it was terribly loud with full house SD loads...... recoil considerably less than full house SD loads in .357 out of the same platform (Ruger sp101, 3" barrel)..... I want one, but it's a bit down the list, behind a couple of suppressors, a Ruger SR1911 and an AR ....
 
The main advantage I see is the extra one or two shots you get. Plus, if you're recoil shy, you can always use it to fire the older .32 rounds.
 
On paper and in prinicple it is a great round. In execution and utilization, it's been underserved.

I'd rather fire a 125 grain .327 than a 115 grain 9mm, in some cases.

It is a perfect small bore revolver cartridge for small game. It would be a great sidearm on a hike. I'd take one hunting along with my long gun. I'd train my wife and kids with it.

Would I replace any of my other guns with it? No, it's a niche gun, and I don't feel that it is the right answer for combat.
 
The 327 is to the 357 what the 45 GAP is to the 45, more or less. The former flopped the latter did'nt. Sometimes you never know. The American consumer, she is a fickle beast.
 
The cartridge should've been introduced in the Single Six and S&W K-frame as a sporting round. For small game and varmints, it is a better cartridge than the .357 and fits into smaller packages. Seems to me that no one really wanted to commit to making it a success. Not to mention the overwhelming negative opinion that a great many shooters had about a cartridge they had zero experience with. "Fickle" is putting it kindly.
 
.327 mag. is the answer to a question that nobody asked!!
Click to expand...
I don't know why people get worked up about this cartridge. While a particular person may have no use for it, others do. I don't have one but I do think it has its uses. As others have mentioned, an extra round in a J-frame with adequate power and less recoil for those sensitive.

While I like the big boom sometimes, I mostly prefer shooting moderate recoil handguns at the range and this looks like it fits the bill. You can also step down to .32 H&R Mag or to .32 SW Long. You can find reasonably priced .32 SW Long ammo online if yo don't reload.
 
Jimbob86 said:
" Theres a monster thread on the merits of the .327 ..... nigh 700 replies .... good info in there, both pro and con ......http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=448008 "

+1 ...Check it out. Absolutely every pro, con, and permutation in between hashed and rehashed. Btw, I'm an old .32 fan in addition to the .38/357s and 44s etc. The .327 deserves a (continued) chance and is on my wish list.
 
I have regrettably never fired a .327Mag revolver, but here's a summary of the cartridge in a nutshell, compiled from various sources. :)
  • Muzzle energy comparable to top commercial 9mm+P+ loadings
  • Very flat-shooting
  • Muzzle energy well short of top .357Mag and .357Sig loads with similar-weight bullets
  • Measured recoil impulse more or less splits the difference between .357Mag & hot .38Spl+P; generally described as "definitely snappy but not abusive" by experienced shooters
  • Substantial muzzle flash and blast, close to .357Mag levels with some loads
  • Top-end loads are highly supersonic like other Magnums loaded with lightweight bullets, so there is a pronounced sonic "crack" that may be audible depending on the shooting venue
  • This is NOT a quiet, mild, soft-recoiling pussycat like .32 S&W Long and .32ACP, and it may be a bit much for a new shooter! (See above)
  • Ammo availability is decent although prices are somewhat high
  • New unloaded brass for handloading IS available now, unlike some months ago, but Federal reportedly is not releasing very much of it, so you may have trouble finding a dealer who has it in stock
  • #1 problem is lack of available firearms :(
 
There were two very serious problems at introduction.

A small bore revolver has to be cheap and mass produced, and for this thing to have had it's best shot at success, there should have been a lot of new engineering and new configuration, and probably an entirely new family of handguns/frames.

In the last two decades, there have been probably a full dozen 45+++++ rounds created, ranging up to and over 50 caliber.

People expect hand cannons to cost a fortune, and there is no burning need to create mass production and enormous sales figures. None of those cannons have been labeled failures, even though they are all pretty close to reinventing the wheelgun.

Pracitality and usefulness are no indicator of success, and there are, honest to god, people who just plain hate practicality to the point that when something seems useless to them, (for example, toothbrushes,) they figure that it has no reason to exist.
 
no offense here at all. The .32 caliber handgun has been a good friend to people ever since the first small pocket pistol was made. not the MOST powerful thing around, but more then capable of making the drug addict on the metro bus stop chewing on your ankle or shoving a screw driver in your ear canal.
however when they tossed "magnum" in the mix you get the same issues instantly from people. magnum means lots of noise, lots of flash, lots of recoil and abuse to the user with massive bullet expansion.

sure the 327 federal will give you those things in the best loads, but the unfortunate thing is thats a turn off because there is no low cost ammo for the 327 federal. the cheapest i can find is federal gold dots for 25.99 a box of 20, plus shipping and handling and hazmat fee. and sales tax from cabelas. thats roughly 58 dollars for 20 shots. I can get a 50 round box of generic hollowpoints in 357 or 38 special at walmartville for about 35 dollars.

sure it would be very nice to have a snub nose 327, but everyone on here tells me that the performance from a snub is going to be well reduced compared to the 4-6 inch barrels used to make the ammo.

so on a comparative level, its easier to get a 7 shot taurus snub in 357 and load it with normal low priced ammo from remington, winchester, and hornaday and save money and not have to worry about reloading.
 
I own two revolvers in .327 Federal.

I believe in their capabilities so much, that I have completely eliminated any plans to buy a .357 Mag. ;)
 
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