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This is a good post with lots of good points. I can see how a .327 would be a great SD round. I just hate when people try to make it to be something it is not.Originally Posted by nn
This is a discussion on 327 federal magnum within the Defensive Ammunition & Ballistics forums, part of the Defensive Carry Discussions category; Originally Posted by nn I see the controversy is still the same as when the cartridge came out. Basically it is if I don't have ...
This is a good post with lots of good points. I can see how a .327 would be a great SD round. I just hate when people try to make it to be something it is not.
"Books are useless! I only ever read one book, 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' and it gave me absolutely no insight on how to kill mockingbirds! Sure it taught me not to judge a man by the color of his skin... but what good does that do me?" Homer Simpson
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To those of you that consider the 327 federal mag round "anemic", I would advise you to think again. This round out performs a 38 special in every way you can imagine. I carry a 327 fed mag as my CCW and I love this gun. I quit carrying my 38 special after I bought this gun. Here is how the 327 fed mag round stacks up against some other popular calibers.
Caliber: Bullet weight: Muzzle velocity: Energy
.327 Federal Magnum 100 1500 500
.32 H&R Magnum 85 1120 237
.32 ACP 65 925 123
.38 Special +P 129 950 258
.357 Magnum 125 1440 575
.357 SIG 125 1350 506
9mm Luger 124 1120 345
The only problem with the 327 fed mag is ammo availability. It's plentiful on line though. Where I live, a lot of gun shops stock it so I am lucky in that regard. You can also shoot the 32 S&W longs and 32 H&R mag round from this gun. It's quite versatile.
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I also like to ccw my 327 too, I have the sp101 with the 3" barrel. I don't have any problems finding the ammo where I live either, plus I'm a avid reloader so that REALLY cuts the cost for target practice.
I'm considering looking into another 327 in a shorter barrel length for summer ccw just so its a little easier to hide. I was considering something like a charter arms I don't want to drop a lot of coin on what I would consider a " beater gun" meaning something I can easily carry in warm weather while riding my atv or even wading thru the local river fishing ( it would break my heart to slip & fall in the water with my ruger ;O) ) & not worry about the finish getting beat up some.
Make no mistake the 327 mag. is no pop gun nor is it a cannon, but one thing it is for sure is a fun to shoot revolver...
G
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Here is the one I want: S&W Model 632 ,,,, its not cheap.
S&W M632 327FED 3" Stainless $663.00 SHIPS FREE
I have been checking locally for several months ,,,, FFL to FFL is $45 ,,,, which
I believe is RIDICULOUS.
"It is better to remain silent and appear stupid, than to speak and remove all doubt."
"I fear the day when technology overlaps with our humanity, and the world will only have
a generation of misinformed idiots," Albert Einstein
It looks like a good revolver. I'd go for the SP 101, just for the extra 3.5 ounces of recoil taming steel.
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Looks like a nice piece, my local guy charges the same price for the transfer deal if I buy something off of broker, he's a local guy so I don't feel too bad giving him the money ( as I would to a chain store), & man is the 327 a firecracker
here's some interesting reading about the caliber
Understanding .327 Federal Mag. Ballistics
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Yeah, it is a firecracker. Definately not a pipsqueak cartridge a lot of people make it out to be. From a 6" barrel this round shoots the 115 grain 327 fed bullet at over 1600 FPS. I hear people all the time say...."yeah, it's got great velocity but it's still just a .32". The 327 fed mag has ballistics comparable to the 9 mm+p+ and many 40 S&W rounds. That's a little more than just a .32!!!!
Nope, it really doesn't outperform even the lowly .38 Special. Not unless one is selectively using quoted ballistics. Paper ballistics aside, I'll take the .38 Special's bullet diameter and weight over the .32, especially for the serious business of self-defense. The .38 Special is still hanging in there. Here's some links to some .38 Special chronograph testing. Sure some are heavy handloads but there are also some equally effective factory loadings found in the first link that far exceed the 129 grain performance figures quoted in the cartridge listing above.
Some .38 Special Velocity Tests
Three .38 Special Handloads
Four High-Performance .38 Special Handloads
I really like the .32 bore (have several different revolvers chambering various .32s) and it has it's place, which could include effective self-defense, but a sense of proportion must be maintained.
“No possible rapidity of fire can atone for habitual carelessness of aim with the first shot.”
Theodore Roosevelt, The Wilderness Hunter, 1893
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bmcgilvray
To each their own I guess. I like my 38 special too and think it's a descent round, but after going to the range and shooting my 327 fed many, many times, it really continues to impress me. It's a gun that I would trust my life with. I know a lot of people would rather carry a 38 special or a 357 mag, but not me. In a 6 shot revolver, the 327 fed is lighter and more compact making it easier to conceal. You can buy the 115 grain 327 fed ammo from Speer. The ballistics are quite impressive with this load.
Sure JF, to each his own.
I actually think pretty highly of a .32-20 Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector 4-inch I have around here. Played around with some handloads that were a little above the "revolver applicable" loadings but a little below most of the .32-20 "rifle only" loadings. It was wicked with it's .312" 100-115 grain jacketed soft point bullets and 1400 fps was crowded with some handloads and I also did crazy things with it like stoke it up with 77 grain .32 ACP bullets over heavy charges of powder. Began to think to myself about how it would make a fearsome companion in a self defense situation and, it wouldn't have been half bad. I've retired it from having to shoot such heavy handloads but it is still easy to beat .32 H&R Magnum performance with the old late 1920s/early 1930s vintage revolver. It's also one of the most accurate revolvers I have with the right loads.
Oh, and the fast stepping 32-20 handloads were too rough on small eatable game, being prone to spreading too much of them around the countryside.
My dad has a Ruger Blackhawk .30 Carbine revolver with a 7 1/2-inch. It'll mimic the .327 Magnum ballistically with bullets of the same weight range and effectively the same diameter (.308" vs. .312"). The single action design is not the very best self-defense configuration but the gun is pretty potent with either factory fodder or handloads. It also mistreats small game meant for the pot.
I think I would like to have a .327 if I didn't already have a huge pile of 38 spl and .357 ammo. I hate the idea of buying another gun in a new caliber just to fill the same role as one I already have.
I do like the 6th round though. Maybe someday, who knows.
"Books are useless! I only ever read one book, 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' and it gave me absolutely no insight on how to kill mockingbirds! Sure it taught me not to judge a man by the color of his skin... but what good does that do me?" Homer Simpson
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I have been looking at the .327's for some time and finally took the plunge. I had an older S&W mod. 31 in .32 Long that I occasionally carried, my primary CCW is a Rock Island Tactical Compact .45. I always felt undergunned with the little .32 but still felt it was better than a sharp stick. I have been the proud owner of a 2" Smith 632-2 for about 2 weeks now. I have ran approx. 50rds of .327 through it and about 150rds of .32acp. NOTE: The .32 ACP is a "semi-rimmed" cartridge having just enough rim to properly seat in a revolver. I have a couple .32 semi's that I plan to give to my kids and I load for them. So that's my practice ammo which is super weak, they might could kill a rabbit but I don't know. It appears they lose ALOT of power from the barrel to cylinder gap. Anyway, I was able to run some of the American Eagle 100gr. fn ammo over a chrony. From my 2" barrel they clocked 1230fps. I no longer feel undergunned. Recoil is very managable, the more I shoot it the better I shoot it(shocker, huh), the muzzle report/blast is impressive. Don't shoot one without ear protection! New shooters can enjoy shooting these with ACP's, S&W's, S&W Long's or H&R's with mild recoil and muzzle blast. It truely is a firearm for the whole family.DSCN2087.JPG
EDIT: Forgot to mention, I'm a new member here and this is my first post.
JTTNC
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For me this cartridge fills a niche for people that do not reload. Felt the same way about the 41 magnum. We have to remember though that not everyone reloads.
Michael
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Since I already had an SP101 3 inch 327 mag, I jumped at the opportunity to bid on an auctioned Charter Arms snubbie with CT laser grips.
The nice thing about the snubbie is that with a pocket holster, it's very convenient to slip into a coat pocket and still be accessible while bundled up.
Unfortunately, the Charter Arms at half the weight of the SP101 is scary painful to shoot with full up 327 loads. I'm not real thrilled with the build quality of the CA Patriot either. It's functional but If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have bid.
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Im actually at the other end... I am going to start reloading because of my .327.
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