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About LinkBacksHow would these stack up against each other as a defensive round?
This is a discussion on 327 Federal vs 38 Plus P within the Defensive Ammunition & Ballistics forums, part of the Defensive Carry Discussions category; How would these stack up against each other as a defensive round?...
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How would these stack up against each other as a defensive round?
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Honestly after doing some earlier research on the two, it just comes down to if you can afford to shoot the 327 all the time to get good at it and you don't mind the extra recoil. It is double the pressure and shoots at 1300-1400 fps out of a 3 inch barrel. Most guns chambered in 327 holds six rounds so you are not losing ammo capacity. I don't think many experts would argue with me if I said that the 327 is a better defense round on paper. There is not a lot of real world shooting experiences to study the effectiveness of the round against human attackers but I am pretty sure it would surpass the 38 +p round in most areas. However, the 38 +p round is easier to handle and you could place faster follow up shots with it while maintaining good targeting. It is also a well proven round. It is a lot cheaper to practice with and funner to shoot for longer periods of time. If I had to pick one that I could shoot a lot and carry, it would be the 38. If money is not a factor and you are a bigger guy that could handle the recoil easily of the 327, then i say go for the 327.
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I'm no ballistics expert, but the .327 seems to be the answer in search of a question.
I'd rather have a .357 and have the .38 option
Trust in God and keep your powder dry
"A heavily armed citizenry is not about overthrowing the government; it is about preventing the government from overthrowing liberty. A people stripped of their right of self defense is defenseless against their own government." -source
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+1 Agreed. I love my S&W 686 for that reason and many other reasons as well.Originally Posted by zacii
I'm mixed. Though the 327 is clearly an effective cartridge, it remains as a rare dog in the market. I simply prefer the 38/38P/357 versatility.
“Monsters are real and so are ghosts. They live inside of us, and sometimes they win.”
~ Stephen King
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I do kind of wish the .327 FED MAG was less rare/expensive.
For now, I'll stick with my .38SP+P revolver. (I would like to upgrade to a .357MAG sooner or later, just for the stronger weapon and flexibility of more ammo.)
"To blame a gun for a mans decision is to foolishly attribute free will to an inanimate object"- Colion Noir.
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I think on paper the .327 is pretty good, and the extra round is nice, but again, no practical history yet.
Still, it should penetrate well.
Hakkaa päälle!
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My guesstimate: for concealed carry, I'm assuming you are comparing a 5-shot .38 SPL snubbie vs. a 6-shot .327 compact. (I realize there are other possibilities.) In terms of effectiveness of those two platforms, I'd consider them generally equivalent. I had a .327 and liked it OK, but consider the .38 easier to shoot well--less flash & blast. .38 ammo is obviously easier to obtain. If you compare a 6-shot .327 to a K-frame .38, i.e. 6-shot, I'd lean toward the .38. I'd consider any of these choices to be generally good ones, but I'm sure some disagree :-)
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You get a similar choice a step down with 32LR/32Mag/327.
The 327 is still tough to find and costs about the same as .357Sig.
Last edited by GettingOld2; February 10th, 2011 at 08:20 PM.
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I too wish the 327 wasn't such a rare thing...although I think the 38-357 ability is great too. This is an interesting resource with you question in mind:
http://ballisticsbytheinch.com/results.html
SA XD9SC...13+1 is hard to beat!
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I'll stick with the 38 for it's heavier bullets. Speed is good, but there has to be a balance, and the 38 gets my vote.
Yup !
"Violence is seldom the answer, but when it is the answer it is the only answer".
"A nation of sheep breeds a government of wolves".
http://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/
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The 38+P will do the job for you...............it has for years......no problems.
.327 is not hard to get you just have to look for it, SD .327 was always available, it is not more expensive that any other quality rnd. 500 ft-lbs is 500 ft-lbs.
It is not a question looking for an answer, it is just something different than before.
In the right platform, like a GP 100 it is extremely accurate.
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The 115 gr. Gold Dot has hits with more energy than the standard 125 gr. .357 magnum in a 2" snub nose and up. The difference in bullet size is .045" (.327 is actually .312). That is a very very small difference; about the width of a potato chip. What goes unnoticed is that all the guns that use this round have real sights, even the snub noses, because although powerful, the round is very controllable and flat shooting over distance. I have had snub noses for a long time and do not recall having any real front and rear shights on any of them. That is because the round and the gun shooting them was considered a belly gun despite being pretty accurate in experienced hands. I have shot .357 for over 40 years and I find the .327 much easier to shoot, shoot fast and shoot accurately.
BTW, you may wish to re-phrase the original post to ask how it compares to a .357 round as this round will certainly exceed even a 9mm and .40 ballistically much less a .38 +P
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