Is .327 Federal Mag Still Viable?

[CoalTrain49]

Actually, the 327 really doesn't compare very well to a 357 as several have claimed. I'm not sure why people try equate it with a 357, maybe they feel it needs to be something it isn't to be respected. All one has to do is look at load data from several powder mfg's to see that a 357 is a much more versatile cartridge. Those that complain that it's too hard to handle are shooting full power factory loads. If you reload you can tame the beast. The 327 has to be loaded hot to even approach the lower energy levels of the lighter 357 loads. So lets just accept that, deal with reality and move on.

I think the 327 mag is a very interesting SD cartridge. I tried to find a S&W at a reasonable price but never did. There was a brief period with reasonable prices when they were discontinued but I missed out. They really didn't market the model very well and that was part of it's lack luster sales. If they offer it again and price it with the rest of the J frame line I will buy one. Until then it's just another exotic cartridge with some promise.

I really would like to play around with one though.

 

[RealGun]

(ed: re .357 Magnum) If you reload you can tame the beast.

Or you could shoot full power 327 Federal Magnum without a recoil penalty. The velocity is the thing, so it doesn't make sense to plan on toning it down. 32 H&R Magnum cases are around, if needed.

This assumes one even has any pistol powder, which seems a bit more likely of late. LGS had some Bullseye, no less.

The best lesson for me is in comparing the Ruger SP101 3+" in both .357 and 327, which I have been able to do, owning both guns. My .357 version has fallen out of favor and will probably be sold, except I have a significant gunsmith tuning investment making me hesitate. I do actually reload milder .357s for it. The 327 Fed Mag seems the ideal caliber for this gun and probably most J-Magnum frame Smiths currently settling for 38 S&W Specials.

 

[RealGun]

I don't think this thread is meant to be a swarm of those curmudgeons, who don't think much of the caliber. The OP posed the following questions:

--as long as I'll be able to get ammo for it for a long time to come.

What do y'all think:

is the .327 going away?

If Ruger discontinues the Single Seven, will .327 ammo still be available?

I know I can shoot other .32 ammo in it, such as the .32 H&R Mag which is why I will probably get the Single Seven anyway, but what I really like about the SP101 in .327 is the combination of that extra round and the capabilities of the .327 Mag, especially with somewhat lower recoil than .357.

As I have found out with 44 Special in other than what Hornady wants me to buy (165gr FTX), retail stores might not support the caliber. A 327 owner should probably be ready to "mail order" his ammo.

Brass and bullets will likely be around but maybe not continuously, given the prospect of hoarding. Producers will probably do periodic runs, so a buyer would need to pay attention and be ready to finance an order on short notice.

 

[gunman5646]

Women may be the 327's biggest supporter

I don't quite understand all the comparison of the 327 and the 357. The 357 is considered obsolete and overkill by most law enforcement agencies. When it was a standard, most carried it with 38 specials. In actual use, most officers used 38 specials for practice and carry. It was developed in a time when auto body and window penetration was of primary concern due to traveling bandits in steel bodied autos. It's been 30 years ago, that most agencies switched to the 40 S&W.
A better comparison would be with the 9mm Luger, or the 40 S&W. Its low recoil will be a major factor for the fairer sex, combined with the more compact revolvers it will accommodate .
Personally I would rather use one of my 357's to deer hunt, in a 18" carbine it is devastating. But, when out with my 327, if I came across a legal buck within my range, I know it could do the job if I did my part.
My daughter loves her 327, but like the LEOs of old, she shoots 32 H&R most of the time. As her main CCW is a 380 , the 327s are her woods back up round.

 

[CoalTrain49]

I read somewhere that duplicating the performance of factory ammo with handloads is difficult if not impossible. Is this true? Not that it matters to most people.

There isn't a lot of load data out there. Trying to find a powder that will duplicate a factory load might be a challenge. I load 30 Carbine which is similar. There are only a few powders that will duplicate the original hot mil spec load. I'm not sure what the working pressure is for 327 but would suspect that it is near 40000 psi like the 30 carbine. As a matter fact, the 327 was tested in an 18" barrel and the MV's were quite close to what one would find with the 30 carbine. It's a very potent little pistol cartridge.

 

[Madcap_Magician]

I was actually thinking that .30 Carbine may be the closest comparable round.

I really wanted to love the .327, and I think it will have a longstanding niche market in the same way that 10mm does.

 

[CoalTrain49]

Well, I don't think the 327 mag is going away. All it will take to establish itself is a mfg. that wants to offer it on a continual basis which hasn't happened yet. It is certainly more attractive to me than a 38 spl. with a 3'' barrel. It has the same energy profile as a 40. S&W was just testing the market and they should now be aware of it's potential as a very desirable SD cartridge. In all honesty it has the potential to replace the 38 spl. completely.

It will never scratch the surface in the PCC market. 357 and 9 mm have a death grip on that one.

 

[RealGun]

It will never scratch the surface in the PCC market. 357 and 9 mm have a death grip on that one.

Interesting opinions, but we have to know that there are many in that market who would welcome relief from the .357 and also an improvement in performance and round count over 38 S&W Special in the same size gun.

 

[oldcelt]

I am an old curmudgeon and I have two .327, gp100 and sp101 3 in. Plan to keep em. Hodgdon website for 327 load data

 

[garyhan]

In my opinion, the .327 largely flopped because it was marketed as a self defense cartridge, and offered largely in belly guns. I do consider it a viable sd cartridge (though I personally prefer other rounds for that purpose), but it is absolutely the best small game and varmint cartridge available for handguns today. Marketing should also have stressed this feature, and it should have been offered from the start in barrel lengths 4 inches and longer, and with adjustable sights. The Single Seven is the first pistol to offer these features at an affordable price (other than the briefly produced Blackhawks which weighed as much as a .44 mag). Single Sevens are selling briskly and hopefully will lead to a renaissance of the cartridge in guns appropriate for trail and hunting use. My Single Seven is a tackdriver with either .327 or .32 S&W ammo.

gary

 

[RealGun]

The Ruger SP101 and 327 Federal Magnum were a great marriage. Clearly, the SP101 is a holster carry gun. More of a hunter or target gun is now in the Single Seven. Stay tuned for the followup, 4" SP101 six shooter (again with adjustable sights).

 

[Agsalaska]

I bought a Taurus 85 for my mom in .327 last year. Stainless. Now I wish I could get it back. I carry the same gun but in .38 and I would trade with her in a second.

She actually loads it in 32 mag(she would load it in 32 long if I would let her). So if I ever come across a good snub 32 mag I may try to work a deal.

 

[Agsalaska]

To add to that, I also don't think we have seen the last of it. It would be an an outstanding lever option. I also think you will see more revolvers.

 

[Saleen322]

Sectional density is what matters when comparing rounds for penetration effectiveness-the ratio of mass/weight compared to diameter. A 327 mag with a 115 grain has a sectional density of 0.169 where a 357 mag with a 158 has a similar SD of 0.177. A 327 with a 130 moves it to 0.191 which compares well to a 357 with a 180 @ 0.202. It is like saying a 35 Remington rifle shooting a 200 grainer is a good for deer but a 308 Winchester with a 150 grain load is too small. The SD tells the real story as this would be a 35 caliber round @ 0.223 SD to the 308 150 grain @ 0.226. Meaning they would both work very well and the same with the revolver comparison.

 

[bluetopper]

I still would love to have a 6" 327 Mag in a K frame Smith with adjustable sights, for target and plinking.

I'd ream the chamber on a model 16 if they were affordable.

 

[gunman5646]

The 327 needs a double action

I also believe the K frame would be almost perfect for the 327. The sp101 should be revived as a 6 or seven shot, with 3, 4, and 5 1/2 barrels.

 

[Bush Pilot]

How about a dumb question? I already load for a Ruger SP101 in .32 H & R magnum, how similar is it to the .327 Federal? I have to admit total ignorance when it comes to the ,327 Federal.

 

[JustsayMo]

My 32 H&R handload (Lil'Gun) comes within 200 fps (1145 fps) of the American Eagle 85gr JSP 327 factory loads (~1325) in my 327 SP101. The Georgia Arms 100gr JHP 32 H&R load averages 1174 out of the SP.

The 32 H&R even at the max end of the data is pretty easy shooting in the SP (and the Single Six & Single Sevens). The 327 level loading bark louder, have more muzzle flash and make reaching out farther a bit easier. The 327 will get the SP and S7 to buck a little bit, still tamer than 125+gr 357 loads in my estimation.

 

[roknjs]

I love my .327 and will never sell it. Like others mentioned above, I'd like to see a lever gun like a Ruger 96 or a Ruger semi auto in.327. It would be a great little carbine round.

 

[RealGun]

I love my .327 and will never sell it. Like others mentioned above, I'd like to see a lever gun like a Ruger 99 or a Ruger semi auto in.327. It would be a great little carbine round.

Make mine a lever gun like a Henry. Come to think of it, Marlin might be the more likely player.

 

[beeb173]

.327 Federal Magnum would take off in an instant if it could be put in an Airweight/LCR sized revolver.

 

[roknjs]

Yes. I could also go for a Henry in .327.

 

[RealGun]

.327 Federal Magnum would take off in an instant if it could be put in an Airweight/LCR sized revolver.

Have you shot this round in full power, typically 100gr? That little gun will be more user friendly with some weight to it.

 

[Mr. D]

While we're on the subject of pistol-caliber carbines, what I would like to see, in addition to a lever gun, is a good-quality M1 Carbine repro in .327.

 

[A Pause for the Coz]

I still dont understand why every one thinks it needs to be a ether or proposition.
Do you only have one gun?

I have a few 38's, 357 Magnums, 9mm, 380's, and 45's I like them all.
My Model 19 has a honored place right next to my bed.

But I have yet to find a fire arm that can fill as many roles as my 327's

If I want to CC I have my 327 mag snubby,
If I want to small game hunt and hit what I am aiming at. I load 32 mag.
Now if I want to punch paper and be super impressed with my groups. I load 32L

If I want to teach my wife or kids to shoot, 32L gets loaded.

Shooting deer? maybe if I was hungry and ran out of 30-30 ammo.

Some guys are recoil junkies, and some are connoisseurs of the art of revolver hand gunning.

But I am sure it is an acquired taste.

The one really good part about people poo pooing the 32's.
You get to find some real nice fire arms for real nice prices.
As long as I can cast and starline keeps selling. I can keep shooting.

just took delivery of 1000 32-20 and another 1000 32 mag brass a couple weeks ago. be ok for a while.

Indecently Gunbroker has quite a few Single 7's listed and the price is getting normal.

http://www.gunbroker.com/All/BI.aspx?Keywords=Single+Seven

Of all my guns. Two will for sure get passed to my Son with instructions to never ever sell.

My Ruger Single 7 and my Smith & Wesson Model 19. I may add to the list but these are on it.