.327Federal; a good round or the next wildcat caliber?....

C

ClydeFrog

Moderator
I was looking over a few .327Federal DA revolvers online and I wonder if this caliber will ever catch on with the US shooting sports industry or if the caliber will fade out to become the latest wildcat.
The .327Federal ballistics look impressive but it's not like a .357magnum or a .38spl +P.
It does not seem to have the big push that other handgun rounds like the .45GAP, .40S&W or the .357sig semi auto calibers got in the 2000s.
ClydeFrog
 
Hummm...Lets see, Rossi, Charter Arms, and Taurus dropped this caliber from their lineup recently. That should be an indicator of its popularity.
 
Whatever happens to it in regard to factory options, or popularity, it is not now and will never be a wildcat. It might be a reloaders cartridge, it might have some loyal cult following etc. but it is a factory round, not a wildcat.

The 40-70 Maynard is no longer offered, is no longer used but by a handful of folks, but is not a wildcat.
 
Excellent cartridge (and a few noteworthy flexible shooting platforms) in need of much more support by its corporate proponents, primarily components and loaded ammo. Increase availability, get some proactive advertising going and the market will respond. And yes, ballistics DO span through and beyond .38+P and in some loadings on into the lower .357 range. There's a recent mega-thread here on the .327 worth checking out looking at lots of folks' (20 or 30 pages worth last I checked?) perspectives on pros and cons:

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

.
 
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The fact that, unlike many other failed cartridges, the .327 does have well-established subloads that can be fired in a so-chambered revolver will, IMHO, prevent it from becoming a true wildcat. I could see it, however, becoming something of a niche cartridge with a cult following much like .38 Super, 10mm Auto, and .41 Magnum.
 
become the latest wildcat
Click to expand...
Just for the sake of accuracy, it can never be a "Wildcat" because mass produced guns and factory ammo have been made for it.
If it dropped off the radar screen it would become "obsolete".

Jim
 
How you define; "wildcat"...

I think the last posted remarks are based on how you define; "wildcat".

I'd call a wildcat a rare caliber that is not widely used or in demand but still has a few fans or users. Wildcats may have been in full production at one point but slowly got reduced over time due to lack of interest or $$$/production costs.
The .327Federal has decent specs but is no real match to a 9x19mm revolver, a .38spl +P or a .357magnum.
Few US shooters really carry or wear DA revolvers on duty compared to 2000 or even 1995 or so.
ClydeFrog
 
I guess you can define it anyway you want, however,
A "wildcat" is a cartridge to which no commercial ammo is made. Guns can be custom chambered for it but no factory ammo exist.
My TC in 357 Herrett was a wildcat. Nobody made ammo or brass for it. I had to make my own brass with forming dies and fire forming it, then loading it.

Once a manufacturer starts chambering guns and factory ammo the chambering loses it's wildcat status.


Jim
 
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Correct, we do not get to redefine words to suit our purposes. The term "Wildcat" has a particular meaning. Not some other meaning.
 
Hummm...Lets see, Rossi, Charter Arms, and Taurus dropped this caliber from their lineup recently. That should be an indicator of its popularity.
Click to expand...

Rossi hasn't offered a model chambered in .327 Federal. They can't drop what they don't make.


Taurus didn't drop it. They changed models, barrel lengths, and made the current model a limited-production affair.

It's true that you can't find a Model 327 in their catalog this year, but... the 327 has never been a cataloged item. It was always an non-catalog item.

Dig around online, particularly on auction sites, and you'll see the current 3" bbl model quite frequently.


And... Taurus dropping something is no real indicator of popularity of the cartridge or platform. It's an indicator of popularity for THEIR product. Talk to dealers that sold Taurus revolvers during the '90s, and ask them about the .38 Special revolvers that disappeared for nearly 2 years. It wasn't because no one wanted the cartridge. It was because no one wanted the stupid variants Taurus was producing.


Charter, as it turned out, made the same mistake as Taurus: They neutered the platform, by cutting the barrel too short. It got poor reviews, and suffered because of that short barrel.



But... what you didn't cover in your post, is that S&W is still producing .327 Federal revolvers, and even ADDED a model this year. We also have Ruger, still offering three models.

.327 Federal is not just holding its own, but still growing. ;)

For further reading, we have this monster thread going: 29 pages of terror
 
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my wife saw the sale price on CDNN for a Taurus and jumped for a 2".
She normally carries a Lady Smith in .38.

She went to the range and fed the gun everything from .32 long on up to .327.

Love isn't the word.

It's her new carry.

Try telling her it's going to bewcome a wioldcat.
Her range friends all tried it and expressed a lot of interest.

AFS
 
ClydeFrog said:
"The .327Federal ballistics look impressive but it's not like a .357magnum or a .38spl +P."
and
"The .327Federal has decent specs but is no real match to a 9x19mm revolver, a .38spl +P or a .357magnum."

A few of the charts and analysis BillCA posted in some other related discussions might tell a different story. The +Ps are not noted, but can be extrapolated.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4954464#post4954464

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4638285&highlight=327+ballistics#post4638285
 
It was a mass produced, commercial cartridge. It wasn't, and can't be a wildcat. It can be reloaded because it was essentially DOA when it was introduced.

I'm sure it's a great cartridge but it's too close to the .38 and the .357.
 
I think for most of us a wildcat is a round where you have to fire form or manufacture your brass, bullets, etc OR one that has never been factory. I think the reloaders will say it is one that is not factory b/c that means there are no standard loads for it(as I understand things).

Wildcat is synonymous with "I can't get ammunition for this gone" for the general population.

I don't think the 327 ever had a chance, just like the 41 mag or 45 GAP. 327 probably had the best chance, but only if aggressively marketed to new female shooters. That in and of itself would probably cause some problems and once they got a little experience they would outgrow it anyways.

Who here actually carries a 327 every day? Maybe one for every 50 who carries a 9mm, 40, 45, or 357.
 
I traded in my .357 for this without regret

It impressed from the first shot at the range. Flat shooting, as much energy as the .357, less muzzle flash and just enough noise. My wife shoots .32 sw longs from it burning through 100 rounds without any of the complaints she had with the .38s.

There are enough guns out there that the round is here to stay and ammo for it can be had online for $.50 per round, reload for about .12 per round.

This is the gun that made me forget about the .357 if I want more firepower I'll drag the .44 mag out of the closet.
 
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