327 federal magnum

[dak109]

Does anybody have these in stock? I have had my hands on a Taurus but not a Ruger, S&W, or Charter. I am looking for a friend and she will want to hold it.
Also how do you like the caliber?

 

[Eprobertson1]

Personal opion - Why not just by a .38?? To me the .327 is a marketing ploy to boost sales of a different gun at a higher price than a .38. For that matter, buy a .357 and shoot .38's. Just my.

 

[Joe Williams]

Personal opion - Why not just by a .38?? To me the .327 is a marketing ploy to boost sales of a different gun at a higher price than a .38. For that matter, buy a .357 and shoot .38's. Just my.

You get an extra shot in most small revolvers with the .327 Magnum. A 20% increase in firepower is nothing to sneeze at. Further, the .327 offers much more power than the .38 Special, almost as much as a .357 but with greatly reduced recoil. It does have advantages.

 

[m2steven]

I'm not a dealer so I don't have one in stock. But regards the 327 vs the 38 - the 38 does not approach the 327. The 327 approaches the 357 in power to the point of the difference being negligible between the hot load 327 vs the standard 357 magnum. Ballistic data backs this up.

You'll just have to shoot it for yourself to see and feel the difference. I've got the Ruger version and it's a sweet pistol. Great trigger pull and I love the fact I can shoot all the varieties of 32 from it. It's a beautiful gun. The finish is superb. When you shoot the 327 mag in any of it's cartridge forms you'll see what I mean.

 

[Eprobertson1]

You get an extra shot in most small revolvers with the .327 Magnum. A 20% increase in firepower is nothing to sneeze at. Further, the .327 offers much more power than the .38 Special, almost as much as a .357 but with greatly reduced recoil. It does have advantages.

Thank you for repeating Ruger's advertisement.
http://7.62x54r.net/ For hunting the magnum loads are great. Do you really need a magnum for self defense loads? How far do you want the bullet to travel and Through what? You kids room that is behind the intruder?
Is this over kill for self defense?
20% = 1 bullet. Why not carry a speed loader and add 100% firepower?

 

[cosermann]

Federal 327 magnum is much hotter than a .38 spl. It runs around 45,000 psi. Here are some stats fired from a Ruger SP101 with a 3" inch bbl.:

Hydra-Shok, 85 gr, 1,342 fps.
Softpoint 100 gr, 1,410 fps
Speer Gold Dot HP 115 gr, 1,316

Penetration and expansion appear to be good.

For perspective, this performs similarly to a 9 mm +p (and out of a snubbie at that).

A .38 spl out of a 2-3" bbl delivers a 125 gr bullet about 750-800 fps.

A .327 mag gun can also fire the 32 S&L and 32 H&R mag fwiw (not much, imo, except maybe practice).

Not an advertisement. Don't have a horse in this race. Just facts.

It will be interesting to see if it takes off. It has potential. Doubt that it will, however. There are already a lot of cartridges out there.

 

[Eprobertson1]

It will be interesting to see if it takes off. It has potential. Doubt that it will, however. There are already a lot of cartridges out there.

I would love to have this for Deer Hunting outfitted in a Ruger with a 6" barrel. As for - if it will take off - Most people are into high capacity semi-auto's, I too doubt that it will take off.

Oh, by the way, good balistics report. You got me convinced that this is good replacement for my old S&W .357 mag. that I use for Hunting.

 

[CSK22]

Why not buy a 357? And then either shoot 38s or 357s out of it and not be limited?

I mean according to what I know a 327 and 38 special have about the same recoil right?

.327 has 3 feet per pound which is similar to 38? One might be faster, but if its about feel for the shooter who might not be used to a larger punch it might be better.

Then again 357 is a totally different playing field, also I suppose since it is for a female 357 wouldn't be very comfy or dainty to shoot. However, it would retain more resale value or trade value.

my suggestion is get the 357, shoot 38specials, and always have the option shooting stronger.

 

[cosermann]

Yeah, if the 327 mag were popular, widely available, etc., I think I'd prefer it for snubbie carry over either .38 or .357 mag. Just seems like it fits that niche well. It provides the needed oomph over the .38 without all the sound and fury of the 357.

In the meantime, it's just not popular enough to consider as a viable option for me. I guess every new cartridge faces this catch 22 when introduced.

 

[dak109]

Looking for a female friend. I personally love my 357. She is somewhat recoil sensitive, and likes the 32 H&R mag, figure she can shoot the 32mag until she is ready for more then go to the 327 without buying a new gun. If that is marketing then so be it. Being as how I am spending her $$ shouldn't matter to me, but she is a friend. She has shot the sp101 in 32 mag and a j frame smith with 38's, 38 is more than she wants right now.

 

[cosermann]

Hmm. It's such an oddball chambering I'm not sure I'd mess with it. How about a "full-size" .380 now, like a Bersa Thunder 380 or SIG P232 (mild recoil) and a 9mm subcompact later (like a Kahr CW9)?

In terms of recoil, I'd expect a 32 H&R mag 90 gr. load to recoil about the same as a std pressure 38 spl. 130 gr load in revolvers of the same weight (with the option to move up to +p later). Does it have to be a revolver?

All these options are down below a 9 mm in terms of power. Maybe the answer is to just shoot with her more for a while with what you have until she has the confidence to move up to something else.

Definitely involve her in the process, don't progress too rapidly, and don't forget to have fun along the way.

Just a few thoughts.

 

[dak109]

She has shot my 84f 380, liked it but wants to stay with a revolver. 38 in a j frame was too much for her. I have tried to get her to shoot more but think she has become fixated on the 32 mag.
Thanks

 

[cosermann]

I think Federal is the ONLY major U.S. mfg loading for 32 H&R mag. They offer TWO loads; an 85 gr. JHP and a 95 gr lead SWC. That's it (if you can find any).

MagSafe may load 32 mag also, not sure.

 

[Joe Williams]

She has shot my 84f 380, liked it but wants to stay with a revolver. 38 in a j frame was too much for her. I have tried to get her to shoot more but think she has become fixated on the 32 mag.
Thanks

Just FYI, since you are looking at the SP101 anyway, .38 Specials, even +P loads are totally different animals from the SP101 than they are from a J frame. I'd recommend giving that a try. I like the concept of the .327 Magnum, but ammo is a real rarity, even before the panic of '09.

If you are anywhere nearby, come up with some ammo, and I'd be glad to meet you at Linden Conservation Club and let her try out my 3 inch SP101. $5 each guest fees to the club, not a bad deal IMHO.

 

[cosermann]

Just for fun I checked with 24 of my favorite online ammo vendors. Of those, only 8 (33%) normally carry 32 H&R Mag. Of those 8, three had some in stock - pleasant surprise.

Midway USA had some Black Hills cowboy loads in stock as did ProAmmo. ProAmmo also had some Federal loads (85 gr, JHP), and the Ammobank had some PCI LFN in stock.

 

[m2steven]

I've had somewhat difficult time finding 32 magnum, but the 327 magnum is pretty much in good supply. I saw about 4 different varieties the other day at my local shop. The price had dropped except for most varieties of Powerball. 40 bucks a box for anything from 25 cal up thru 40.

The 327 magnum was cheaper per box of 20 than the 32 magnum. The 32 magnum is a good round generating (I believe) a bit more energy than a 9mm if memory serves me. There was absolutely none of it for months.

 

[DeadeyeChrista'sdad]

I think it'll be pretty interesting to see if this one does become popular, because both sides do have some validity to their arguments. Why buy a .327, when you can use a .357 or a .38? But then again... Why not, if it ballistically approaches a .357 with minimal recoil? Hmmm.... I'll be hiding and watching.

 

[dak109]

Thanks for the invite Joe, I think she found one in Columbus. She is supposed to go shoot it today.

Is the sp101 that much different than a J frame? I thought they were pretty close in weight and size? I need to investigate more (more shooting darn).

 

[Joe Williams]

Thanks for the invite Joe, I think she found one in Columbus. She is supposed to go shoot it today.

Is the sp101 that much different than a J frame? I thought they were pretty close in weight and size? I need to investigate more (more shooting darn).

They are roughly midway in size and weight between a Smith J frame and Smith K frame, I think. Depending on the particular model of J frame, the SP101 can weigh anywhere from 14 to 6 ounces more. Here's a link to a review that compares the size differences of the SP101, K frame, and J frame:
The Ruger SP101


I personally recommend the 3" SP101. The gun is too heavy for pocket carry in any case, and is best carried on the belt (IWB or OWB both work very well), so the extra 3/4" doesn't make it that much harder to conceal. The extra barrel lenght delivers significantly more velocity than he 2" barrel does, and the increased sight radius makes for a markedly easier gun to shoot well. Plus, for someone who is recoil sensitive, the 3" barrel has a full underlug, and that extra weight on the muzzle really tames recoil. Even with +P loads the gun is a ***** cat.
Here's a link to a review about mine I wrote a while back:
Ruger SP101 w/ 3 1/6" Barrel Review

 

[cosermann]

Similar in physical dimensions. Weight can vary significantly between the Ruger and the S&W. The SP101 is steel and weighs between 25 and 28 oz depending on the model. The airweight S&W J frames weigh around 15 oz. The steel ones are heavier and the scandium ones are lighter (close to 13 oz).