Where has the 327 Fed American Eagle gone?

T

Theophilus

New member
Looking for theories, or better yet actual information... where has all the .327 Federal American Eagle ammo gone over the summer? I can no longer find it online at all, all anyone stocks is the more expensive SD rounds. Are people buying it faster than they can make it.... or have they slowed down production? I would have thought the release of the LCR(+X) and the Henry rifle would have given a boost to it's availability, what am I missing?
 
Centerfire ammunition is commonly made in "batches". The line will be set up for a particular caliber and then a quantity of that caliber will be produced. Then the line will be set up for another caliber and the process repeated.

This creates the possibility that the supply may dry up before the caliber comes back around in the rotation and another batch is made. This is especially true if something comes up in the interim that increases demand for that specific caliber (e.g. the introduction of one or more new and popular firearms in the caliber) or that causes the manufacturer to believe that they need to increase production on one of the other calibers produced on that particular manufacturing line.

If the caliber is not a high-volume production caliber, when the shortage shows up in one brand, buyers switching to other brands and perhaps over-buying because of shortage-induced-panic can cause a shortage in the entire caliber, not just in one manufacturer's offerings.
 
Seems like anytime I’ve gotten involved with any of the 32 caliber handgun rounds ammo has always been a thing for good availability and fair prices. It’s one of those calibers that it pays to reload. That is if your already a reloader and you shoot enough of it.
 
Its funny I always have a problem finding 32Long ammo, just stopped by PSA today and they had plenty of 327 & 32acp but only a few boxes of 32Long. I usually reload for the 32Long and make up WC loads but wanted to pick up a few boxes of factory stuff.
 
Centerfire ammunition is commonly made in "batches". The line will be set up for a particular caliber and then a quantity of that caliber will be produced. Then the line will be set up for another caliber and the process repeated.
Click to expand...

Thanks, that explains something.

I picked up an LCRX in the spring, bought several boxes of American Eagle, and then..... out of stock everywhere. I have some of mine left, but still.

I don't plan to reload, so I'm reliant on that production line! Hope that's not going to look naive in retrospect, this summer has not looked good.

At least there has been plenty of the SD rounds, so the gun can still serve in that role.
 
During the last shortage of reloading components, I could not find my favorite 45 caliber hunting bullet for my .460. Even the manufacturer website showed it was backordered. When I called to ask I was told it was a small demand "niche" bullet and production had been suspended to switch over the machines to producing high demand bullets, that were also backordered. Then there is a lag between production and getting the bullet/ammo back on the shelves once produced.
 
As a fan of both the big and little modern super magnums, .460 and .327, I can confirm that factory ammo tends to vary by what individual stores order and what happens to be available to order at any given time. It seems like I always see something in stock but it isn't always my favorite choice. So I just stock up whenever I can. I know I should probably start reloading for those two but my "new project" time has been tied up.

As far as favorites:

LCR - 85 grain Hydra-Shoks are hard to beat. They work well, impressively dispatch overripe fruit and old canned goods, and are both easy and fairly comfortable to shoot. I feel like this is the perfect load for a pocket six-shooter. This is my primary carry for most of the year.

SP101 - I haven't been shooting this one much lately but I really liked either the 100 or 115 grain Gold Dots. I don't know if either is still in production but I have a reasonable stockpile.

XVR - Yeah, this is a whole other animal. The 200-grain flex tips from Hornady may be the "entry level" round but they are also the most affordable. Seeing what they do to water jugs, dead trees, cinder blocks, and more; I'm fairly confident that they'd be fine for almost anything that moves within the continental United States. I know penetrating solids are preferable to hollow-points in discussions of handgun hunting but there is just so much power involved here that I feel like it won't matter much. I'm guessing buck460XVR can shed more light on this one since this is only my novelty gun. :)
 
It's interesting to me that you're having difficulty finding anything.
For the first time since release of the cartridge, at least that I have witnessed, Sportsman's Warehouse added the AE 100 gr SP load to their shelves two weeks ago.

Previously, they were more than happy to sell the revolvers, but refused to stock or order the ammunition. ...Even though they kept .45 GAP, .585 Nyati, and .600 Nitro on the shelf. :rolleyes:
 
Yep, the ammunition companies schedule their production runs for various calibers, and that has to be fit between any requirements for non-commercial contract orders.

Also, as you might imagine, if it's a caliber that's not exactly in great and constant demand it's probably going to get dropped to a lower position in the normal productions schedules, too.

I've been told by a couple of ammo makers that they have to balance their commercial lines with their LE/Gov lines, and that also means they have to schedule their acquisition and use of the different components needed for their less costly (budget) line and premium lines when it comes to the inventory of the components needed for both.

Then, if they're planning their production runs a year or more in advance, and especially for a caliber that makes up a very small part of their commercial market, they may not produce enough to keep it on the shelves of some dealers, or in-stock with their usual distributors, until the next scheduled run (which might be a year away).

Even being a popular caliber that's in great demand may not help, though. I've known of scheduled orders for even highly popular calibers (like the Speer .38Spl 135gr +P GDHP SB) to require several months of waiting before some agency's order can be fulfilled.
 
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