.327 Federal Magnum - Pros, cons, info about this caliber?

[surprise_i'm_armed]

While browsing http://www.budsgunshop.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and other places, I see Taurus revolvers
chambered in .327 Federal Magnum, 6 shots, for only $280.00.

Although there's probably a thread on the forum somewhere about this, I would like to start this new thread.
I can't recall any discussions on this caliber.

Is this one of those "flash in the pan" calibers which will go away due to lack of enthusiasm on the part of the shooting community,
or does it have some kind of great potential which is not yet realized?

IMHO, if I should pick up a snubby, it would just need to be a standard .38 Special. I find my 4" Rossi with .357 no fun to shoot much
more than 25 rounds in a session.

I'm expecting that a .327 Federal Magnum would also have a large recoil, with some trouble doing followup shots.

Your opinions please.

TIA / SIA

[flintknapper]

surprise_i'm_armed wrote:

While browsing http://www.budsgunshop.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and other places, I see Taurus revolvers
chambered in .327 Federal Magnum, 6 shots, for only $280.00.

Yup.

Is this one of those "flash in the pan" calibers which will go away due to lack of enthusiasm on the part of the shooting community,
or does it have some kind of great potential which is not yet realized?

Hard to say what it is going to do. My guess is it will be somewhat like the 10mm (there for those that want it, probably not going away anytime soon).

IMHO, if I should pick up a snubby, it would just need to be a standard .38 Special. I find my 4" Rossi with .357 no fun to shoot much
more than 25 rounds in a session.

The .357 pretty much covers all the bases IMO.

I'm expecting that a .327 Federal Magnum would also have a large recoil, with some trouble doing followup shots.

Not really. My nephew has one and we spent an afternoon shooting it. Recoil is pretty "snappy" with full house .327, but it is at least as manageable as medium .357 loads (or that was my perception).

As for power...I wasn't really expecting the cartridge to impress me, but its NO JOKE...it struck the steel plates with authority. Definitely a high pressure round, (you'll know that immediately by the muzzle blast).

I suppose having six rounds of .327 (vs. five of 357) in a similarly sized pistol could be an advantage.

You can also shoot 32 H&R Magnum through it...as well as 32 S&W Long (and short if you wanted), so it is versatile (if you happen to have those other cartridges).

The pistol was reasonably accurate, had a serviceable trigger pull (double action) and recoil was not as bad as I thought it would be, but muzzle blast is significant.

One thing I would caution against: Don't get a finger or thumb anywhere near the cylinder gap. I held a piece of paper next to the cylinder and had my nephew fire the pistol in order to demonstrate the need to keep any "flesh" away from it. It would definitely eat you up!

IMO, it would make a good BUG for LEO (maybe in an ankle holster) but I have no use for one.

[surprise_i'm_armed]

flintknapper:

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. It's about what I thought.

SIA

[WildBill]

I am always leary of buying a gun with a newer cartridge. Sometimes superior cartridges aren't always successful in the marketplace.

Just like flintkapper said about the 10mm, the .41 Remington Magnum is a great caliber. I always thought that it would take off, but I was wrong.

[Sidro]

SIA I have shot one and liked it, here is an article for your perusal. http://www.gunblast.com/Ruger-SP101-327.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[surprise_i'm_armed]

Sidro:

Thanks for the link. That was quite an informative tutorial on .327's.

SIA

[MoJo]

Unless the cartridge passes the "WalMart Test" (I can walk into any place that sells ammo and buy a box that round) I don't have any use for it as a self defense caliber. If it catches on, great!

[CC Italian]

I have shot this round several times in a Ruger SP-101 and GP-100. While only .312 caliber it is a nasty little round with a pretty thick sectional density. It is just as much a magnum round as a .357 mag in the sense that it can achieve a high velocity and has a thicker sectional density, two things that any true magnum has. I also own a .32 H&R mag. SP-101. Factory ammo in .32 H&R is quite weak but the round still penetrates well. I did a informal review on some H&R ammo a while back and some of the hot loads I would definitely consider an adequate personal defense round. I would take an 85 or 100 grain .32 H&R hot load before a .380acp in a heartbeat after owning both. Even the Federal 85 grain jhp load consistently penetrates 12-14 inches in ballistic gel. It is just a better penetrating round in any hollowpoint load. Buffalo Bore also just added some 100 grain speer loads to their lineup that look nasty for a .32 H&R.

The .32 H&R is probably In the same realm as .38 special +P and standard 9mm while the .327 is probably comparable to +P 9mm or better. I think the .327 mag. just like the .32 H&R mag will always be a niche cartridge. For self-defense a .32 H&R has the benefit of lower recoil even in hotter loads while a .327 in an SP-101 has way more recoil then a .38 Special +P of the same SP-101 frame and barrel length. Of course you can always fire .32 H&R in your .327 mag. That being said I really don't see much point in the round because of the increased recoil over the .32 H&R in a self defense situation. It might have a purpose for whitetail, coyote and other small game but with the extra recoil you might as well just get a .357 mag and call it a day IMO.

Also, as Mojo said "It doesn't pass the Wal-Mart test" I asked several of the ranges what niche round is holding steady in handguns and they all said that in Semi-auto 10mm has seemed to come back from death the last 5 years or so while the GAP and sig are showing major signs of fading. The GAP round is almost dead and the only thing keeping the sig alive is law enforcement. This of course is based on all the brass they pick up.

[seeker_two]

I agree with the "Wal-Mart Test" and would add another caveat....if another company besides Federal/Speer/ATK starts making ammo for it, it would be worth considering.....it sounds like a great cartridge (think 9mmP performance in a six-shot snubby w/o moon clips)...but it needs more support before I'd buy it....

[philbo]

I picked up a SP101 in 327 mag a while back.. mostly our of curiosity and partly because it was just too good deal to pass up at the time. It's an impressive little cartridge, but offers little that can't be accomplished as well or better than the 357. It's another niche cartridge much akin to the 41 mag and the 10mm, ie viable to someone who reloads but of limited interest to the average shooter. Fortunately I reload and can enjoy all of those cartridges.

[karder]

I have little experience with the cartridge but I do like it. I almost purchased a Ruger in that caliber awhile back but picked up a bond arms derringer instead.
I am not as leery of "niche" cartridges as some. While it is hard to argue with the track record of .357 or even .38 special, many of these new calibers have good science and research behind them. If I can get a six shot .327 snubby in the same physical size as a 5 shot .357, and the round is effective, I would certainly consider it. While there is a chance that the round will not catch on and become obsolete, I would not let that be a major factor in my purchase decision if I were in the market for a good self defense revolver. I have plenty of .45 and .40 stocked up for the Zombie war.