327 Federal is the best small revolver cartridge for defense

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cal44mag,

sorry for stealing your thread a bit, but the primer issue with the 327 fm cartridge is important, imo.

also, i have to disagree with you here. i think the 38 special is the best small revolver cartridge for defense. the 357mag and 327mag are too much for a lightweight revolver; power and recoil are way too much.

but, i also think the 327 federal magnum will shine anywhere the 357 magnum shines: small game hunting, defense out of a medium size revolver, etc.

will the 327 federal magnum find a place in the revolver world? not as big as the 38 special, but we'll see!

murf
 
Was the 327 actually developed for the Sig Semi auto? And now used in revolvers? What are the ballistics like for short range CCW. It appears to be better suited for distance. I see Henry now has a lever action shooting it.
 
murf said:
cal44mag,

sorry for stealing your thread a bit, but the primer issue with the 327 fm cartridge is important, imo.

also, i have to disagree with you here. i think the 38 special is the best small revolver cartridge for defense. the 357mag and 327mag are too much for a lightweight revolver; power and recoil are way too much.

but, i also think the 327 federal magnum will shine anywhere the 357 magnum shines: small game hunting, defense out of a medium size revolver, etc.

will the 327 federal magnum find a place in the revolver world? not as big as the 38 special, but we'll see!

murf
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You seem to want to define a defense gun as small and light, as in pocket gun. My lightweight J frame is a little beast with standard 38 Special, certainly +p. Both .357 and 327 would have their place, depending upon how one chose to conceal and if the load level suited the gun. I reload, so my ammo for the smaller guns is tuned to what I want to shoot from each one.
 
Jeb Stuart said:
Was the 327 actually developed for the Sig Semi auto? And now used in revolvers? What are the ballistics like for short range CCW. It appears to be better suited for distance. I see Henry now has a lever action shooting it.
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I think you're thinking of the 357 Sig cartridge. The 327 was first chambered in a 3 inch sp101 IIRC.

I have seen reviews that the low recoil Hydra Shok clocks over 1300 fps out of an LCR, so they can certainly perform well from a snub nose.
 
SteadyD said:
I have seen reviews that the low recoil Hydra Shok clocks over 1300 fps out of an LCR, so they can certainly perform well from a snub nose.
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murf: I don't mind my thread going into a discussion of primers. In fact, I think it's great and this thread will be a useful resource for any 327 Fed reloader that finds it.

SteadyD:

I find the LCR 327 quite shootable with the 327 Federal loads. The 100gr 327 American Eagle is about as high as I would go with a carry load.

The 85 grain 327 American Eagle has less recoil and would be a comfortable load for me to carry. It's nearly the same velocity as the 85 grain Hydra Shok, and the Federal HS will likely be my main carry load.

I just scored several boxes of the 327 Hydra Shok from a LGS that was shutting the doors. I need to get some practice with it before carrying it.

I also have an LCR 357 and have shot the Speer Gold Dot 135 grain 357 Magnum load. Subjectively it feels about like the AE 100 grain 327 Federal and is about the max I would consider for a carry load.
 
Since training with a small snubbie requires a special skill set, I would like to ask how many sessions per month you shoot it, and how many rounds per session. I say this based on my experience. I carry the LCR9mm, and or Pico, so they are always included in my weekly range sessions. I love shooting the small pocket guns to include the LCR. I recently bought a LCR22 to further aid in training for that gun. Normally I load up 30-40 moon clips for each session of 9mm. But now with the 22.cal only load up about 20 clips.(100 Rounds) I am not recoil sensitive, but having shot the LCR357, I have to say that it is not for me. And I personally would not be able to train with the amount and frequency that I feel I need to do with that gun. Now I know some can, and more power to them. But find it interesting to see how much you are actually shooting that round.

K2sPXEn.jpg
 
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Jeb Stuart said:
Since training with a small snubbie requires a special skill set, I would like to ask how many sessions per month you shoot it, and how many rounds per session. I say this based on my experience. I carry the LCR9mm, and or Pico, so they are always included in my weekly range sessions. I love shooting the small pocket guns to include the LCR. I recently bought a LCR22 to further aid in training for that gun. Normally I load up 30-40 moon clips for each session of 9mm. But now with the 22.cal only load up about 20 clips.(100 Rounds) I am not recoil sensitive, but having shot the LCR357, I have to say that it is not for me. And I personally would not be able to train with the amount and frequency that I feel I need to do with that gun. Now I know some can, and more power to them. But find it interesting to see how much you are actually shooting that round.

View attachment 775905
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Candidate for 32 H&R ammo.
 
Wishoot said:
Jeb- What do you think of that Clipdraw on the LCR?

I have a DeSantis ClipGrip for my J-Frame, but it wouldn't work on an LCR.
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I have so many holsters, I only wish I had a nickel for each one I own now. And now with so many guns, It is interesting that I have come to carry each day, only those two guns. And all along the simple little clip draw turned out the best. Esp. since I hate IWB holsters. But now I can put them in my Jeans and never feel a thing. I do not have to buy larger size pants. I was so surprised the Ruger fit so well. the Clip draw was perfect for this gun. Lol, there are times when I actually carry the slim Pico in my Watch pocket of my jeans.
 
My impression is 32 anything isn't going to be a great hit with the 2'' revolver crowd. It can't be much different than shooting a 7" revolver chambered in 30 Carbine except it's going to be louder if anyone can imagine that. Way too much shock and awe. It's too much in a Ruger Blackhawk. One of the reasons it isn't real popular. Actually I think it will catch on in a carbine where the cartridge can demonstrate it's true performance. Never was meant to be a handgun cartridge. Henry is on to to something here. Should be a very popular combination.
 
CoalTrain49 said:
My impression is 32 anything isn't going to be a great hit with the 2'' revolver crowd. It can't be much different than shooting a 7" revolver chambered in 30 Carbine except it's going to be louder if anyone can imagine that. Way too much shock and awe. It's too much in a Ruger Blackhawk. One of the reasons it isn't real popular. Actually I think it will catch on in a carbine where the cartridge can demonstrate it's true performance. Never was meant to be a handgun cartridge. Henry is on to to something here. Should be a very popular combination.
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Oh, it's terrific in the Ruger Single Seven, which I think is the closest fit for the cartridge. Can't deny that 327 would be good in a rifle, but I am not sure for what purpose.
 
RealGun said:
Oh, it's terrific in the Ruger Single Seven, which I think is the closest fit for the cartridge. Can't deny that 327 would be good in a rifle, but I am not sure for what purpose.
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I'm in agreement. The Single Seven to me is the perfect size for .327 Federal. It's a great combination of capacity, compact size and recoil absorption.

The 3-inch SP101 was a handful with the 100 grain AE stuff until I switched to a Hogue grip. With the new grip, .327 FM is a very manageable cartridge in the SP.
 
Ohen Cepel said:
Hodgon's reloading site (excellent resource) list small pistol magnum for the .327; http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/pistol

The Ruger Single Seven is great in .327! I'm sure the Freedom Arms revolver is amazing in it but I'm not that into the round yet.

It has a lot going for it but I think it shines for the reloader in particular.
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In terms of primer referenced, I think it is important to note which brand of primer was used, since Federal avoids its standard small pistol due to the thinner cup. Other brands of standard small pistol should work as well as a Federal magnum from what I have read. One should note though that the whole world is currently sold out of Federal Small Pistol, so their magnum might be a decent alternative, short of simply using a different brand of standards. Catch is that with all these Bubba guns with weak springs, everybody needs the soft Federals to get reliable ignition.
 
Give me a .327 in a Smith L sized frame, with an 8 round cylinder. I don't know if it would fit, but that's what I want.
 
Grey54956 said:
Give me a .327 in a Smith L sized frame, with an 8 round cylinder. I don't know if it would fit, but that's what I want.
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How about one without a lock? My 327 Single Seven was rocked violently enough to throw the base pin, so causing the lock to malfunction might be a real possibility with this cartridge. My gun now has a Belt Mountain base pin.
 
The 327 is one of my favorite rounds and all of my handguns in that caliber are made by Ruger. I did have a 2" barrel Taurus for a few months. It was a great little gun and operated just fine with the 32 H&R cartridge. When shooting the 327 rounds it would randomly lock up something inside. You could not pull the trigger or the hammer. Can't remember if the cylinder would open or not. Would gently bump the gun repeatedly with my hand or on a firm rubber mat till it unlocked. Never a problem with the Rugers......all seven of them.
 
Ohen Cepel said:
Hodgon's reloading site (excellent resource) list small pistol magnum for the .327; http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/pistol

The Ruger Single Seven is great in .327! I'm sure the Freedom Arms revolver is amazing in it but I'm not that into the round yet.

It has a lot going for it but I think it shines for the reloader in particular.
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We should be reminded that primer specs are what they used in their load developments. It does not mean that there was necessarily any science applied to determine the best primer to use.
 
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lincen said:
The 327 is one of my favorite rounds and all of my handguns in that caliber are made by Ruger. I did have a 2" barrel Taurus for a few months. It was a great little gun and operated just fine with the 32 H&R cartridge. When shooting the 327 rounds it would randomly lock up something inside. You could not pull the trigger or the hammer. Can't remember if the cylinder would open or not. Would gently bump the gun repeatedly with my hand or on a firm rubber mat till it unlocked. Never a problem with the Rugers......all seven of them.
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That sounds like the primer flowed into the hole in the frame for the firing pin.
 
BigBore44 said:
Ain’t many problems a man can’t fix, with $700 and a.........327 Federal?

That just doesn’t flow at all.

Ain’t many problems man can’t survive, with $700 and his Colt 45.

See how it’s just nice and smoothe?

The 327 should have been left in the small block Chevy world. It just doesn’t offer anything substantive to insure it’s survival. It will go the way of the 357Sig, 45 GAP, 480Ruger and others. I’m all about bringing something new to the table. But bring something that’s a real, honest improvement over what’s out there.

You can claim all day that it fills this niche or that niche. But in the end, it’s niche. When you look at a Henry rifle and see a 357/38 or 44Mag/44Spl, why would you even consider a 327Fed? Cheaper to feed? Nope. More power? Uh...nope. You can make silly rhymes with the name? Darn, can’t even do that. Well, you kinda can.

Guy with a 327 Federal started to brag, till I pulled out my Redhawk...in 44mag.
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Agree with most of that, although I carry a 357 Sig (125 gr hollowpoint at 1500 fps is quite zippy). On the original post, I think the 32's make fine rabbit loads.
 
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