What about the .327?

[Sevens]

For me... it's the crazy price tag on the Smith & Wesson. And that's a two-fold problem because that price tag has kept others from buying it too and if I can't find one used, I'm not really all too interested.

Have you ever shot .30 Carbine from a handgun? The noise is almost legendary and the blast is pretty horrendous. Big -BOOM- and stuff goes flying, there's nothing tame about it EXCEPT for the recoil. It's like all your senses are poked, but without the beating on your hands.

Of course, the .30 Carbine Blackhawk is a 7.5-inch barrel, so that blast is moved a bit further away from you and I am sure that matters & helps. The .30 Carb also runs a slightly lower pressure. Otherwise, the two cartridges are very similar and the experience--or at least the muzzle blast & lack of violent recoil are also quite similar.

 

[Billy Shears]

Have you ever shot .30 Carbine from a handgun? The noise is almost legendary and the blast is pretty horrendous.

Good comparison. That is precisely what I think of when I fire .327 out of the short barreled SP-101.

The blast and the flinching I developed just weren't worth it to me so I sold it off. I'm still holding out for a Ruger Single Six in .327 with a 6 inch barrel.

A guy can dream...

 

[shafter]

It would have been a great round in some of the old Smith and Wesson K frames.

 

[Sevens]

It would have been a great round in some of the old Smith and Wesson K frames.

Post #19 in this thread, or any post by TFL'er "Hammer It" or run to Hamilton Bowen's website or Google 16-4.

It lives!

I feel like I shouldn't -ever- mention it, because spotting a 16-4 is hard enough all on it's own, I don't need to alert others to them.

 

[jimbob86]

Here is a 29 page thread on just this topic.

Aarond

It's up to 39 pages now, Aarond!

Great Thread, that.

 

[Sevens]

It is a great thread, but it's a bit overwhelming for anyone who finds it for the first time.

 

[alex0535]

The ballistics are really appealing out of a 4 inch or greater length barrel, under that and you lose enough velocity and gain a lot of muzzle flash.

Lighter recoil and comparable muzzle energy to .357 magnum and you get another round in the cylinder.

 

[jimbob86]

For those of you complaining of much muzzle flash and velocity loss in barrels less than 4", what powder and bullet weight are you using?

 

[Billy Shears]

For those of you complaining of much muzzle flash and velocity loss in barrels less than 4", what powder and bullet weight are you using

I found the American Eagle 100 grain ammo to be pretty awful. I don't have any way to measure it and compare other than by shooting it side by side, but I'd bet money that it's louder than American Eagle's 158 grain .357 Magnum ammo.

 

[jimbob86]

IME, when loading for shorter barrels, heavier bullets lost less velocity than lighter ones ..... and using a powder quicker than the one that gives top velocities in the longer barrels used to develop the load data gives less flash/blast ...... using both (heavy for caliber bullet with a powder from the middle of the burn rate range in the load data) will get the best performance out of a short barrel .....

I found the American Eagle 100 grain ammo to be pretty awful.

I have found that the dimensions of cheap factory ammo to be all over the place ..... some of the really cheap remanufactured stuff won't even chamber in my EMP ......

Other than premium Personal Defense ammo for Carry, I don't buy much factory ammo these days ..... I make more consistant gun fodder in my basement.

 

[Billy Shears]

I make more consistant gun fodder in my basement.

Completely agree with you. I bought up several boxes of that American Eagle stuff when I first bought the SP-101 so I could "harvest" the brass to use for my reloads. It was no fun at all to shoot, indoors or out.

 

[Colorado Redneck]

Sevens--Look at this

http://www.armslist.com/posts/14923...r-sale--smith-and-wesson-model-632-in-327-mag

 

[51.50]

327

How about the Charter Arms "Patriot" 327 revolver?

 

[Cosmodragoon]

So of the two current production models, would y'all say that the GP100 is far superior?

 

[9mm]

Nope, forget about it. Never seen a box of ammo for it in my LGS, only gun shows!

 

[saleen322]

327 Revolver

I find these to be one of the most flexible calibers out there. Good power with the .327 mag rounds and good accuracy with .32 S&W Long wadcutters.

I found the American Eagle 100 grain ammo to be pretty awful.

Well I couldn't get any brass but I found all of the local gun shops had factory ammo in American Eagle, 100 grain, even during the crazy runs on ammo. I bought a number of boxes for the brass but I thought it shot OK. I am sure I can get a handload to do better but this was from 25 yards....

...and had decent power:

JMHO and YMMV

 

[gak]

Don't forget folks - there's the NON-ported 632 stainless as well, albeit a shorter (2+) barrel IIRC. Lesser known, it came out about 18 months after the ported and, last I looked, hard to find on the sometimes confusing/overly complex S&W site. Being.a J, it'd be my carry choice over the short barreled SP101, maybe save a few oz's, but I think they'd be close. Pricier than the Ruger(s), but for a dedicated Smith-o-phile it's another choice.
Here you go -
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...75658_757896_757896_ProductDisplayErrorView_Y

 

[Sevens]

Colorado Redneck, getting a dead link, as if the ad was pulled.

Was it cheap or what was the deal?

Remember folks, the .327 Federal -HAS- to have a minimum three inches of barrel to do the very high velocity that this cartridge is known for. Go under 3 inches and it gets neutered. Drops like a ROCK.