I'm considering purchasing a Ruger SP101 .327 Has anyone shot one? I'm curious about the .327 federal magnum being used in real life - does it shoot as well as the magazines say?
I wouldn't know how it shoots. I do know I really liked how a .32 H&R magnum shot out of a Ruger SP101. I was close to buying one until the .327 Federal mag was announced. The idea of it being able to shoot (4) cartridges intrigued me. ( .32 H&R mag, .327 Federal mag, .32 S&W, and .32 S&W long).
The one thing I would look into though... The cost and availibilty of ammo ! I reload so I'm not too concerned. As of right now, the brass is even hard to come by.
I, too, am intrigued by the .327 magnum cartridge! I have three (3) SP101, a 2.25" .357mag, a 3" .357mag, and a 4" .22lr revolver...and all three are awesome to shoot, are accurate, handle (the 'lighter' .357mag rounds) very well, while a 158 grain JHP will rock you pretty good in one of these, but they are, basically, fantastic little guns! The .32 H&R Mag is a nice round to shoot out of a 26 oz. SP101.
The .327 magnum round, reportedly, "hits like a .357 magnum with the felt-recoil of a .38+P." If this is true, then it should a nice round to shoot. The question of having sufficent penetration and expansion still needs to be answered, but with the perceived differences in shooting capabilities, when compared to a .357 mag, it should be nicer. The nice part is, while a .357/.38 round carried in an SP101 is a 5-shots, with the .327 mag round, you'll have 6-shots available in the same sized gun. However, I believe that it only comes in a 3.16" barrel.
As far as ammo goes, I see .327 mag ammo at places like H&H Firearms and Gander Mtn in the Fort Wayne area...but not many other places tend to carry it. I would suggest ordering it online or finding a dealer who is willing to order it in by the case, which most of them will do for you if you ask them. I also like the fact that they will shoot four (4) different rounds (see XtremVEL comments), and I do see several of these rounds available at other gun shops in the area.
Meprolight (better) and Trijicon (XS Sights) both make a very nice Tritium front night sight for the little SP101...giving you better point capabilities in low light or dark situations. I have them on 2 of mine and they are easy enough to install yourself.
SWMBO ( aka she who must be obeyed ) got her LTCH last year, and after an exhaustive search to find the "right" weapon for her, she settled on a 3 inch SP101 in .327. So far she loves it. For range practice she shoots the .32 S&W because she is recoil sensitive and that round shoots like .22. For carry she loads up with .327. Not sure how "effective" it is in real life. From what I have read it appears to be similar to a .38 +P. I dont think there have been enough real world usage to get feedback on how well it works. It is probably gonna be a little better that .380 though.
I've shot kitty's 327 Taurus.
It sure does pack a punch, recoil is lighter than a 357 but it's got a blast to it.
As far as terminal ballistics, it's anyone's guess. It looks good on paper, but unless I tested it myself, who knows.
The .327 is an intruiging idea but I think when all the gunsmoke settles the .357 will still be tops. As far as loading down like the .32, .32 long, etc you can do essentially the same with the .357 by using .38 specials, .38+P, etc. And .357 and .38 ammo is soooo much available.
Is the .327 magnum ammo still hard to come by? Last time I bought some for a friend I had to have someone special order it from a supplier for the target rounds.
The .327 Federal Magnum hits with the energy of a .45 ACP +P round. What you lose in diameter, you more than make up with a lower cross-sectional density for more penetration.
In terms of a comparable cartridge in both size and power, you could compare it to the venerable .357 Sig... A cartridge that did not quite measure up to the .357 Magnum that it was supposed to emulate, but not too far off. That is squarely in the same market space as the .327 Federal Magnum.
This is a chart I created, which is based on the published performance data of Speer Gold Dot ammunition. The muzzle energy of each cartridge is shown in red: