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Old December 3, 2012, 08:24 PM   #26
22-rimfire
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I was certainly tempted with the 327 Federal. But in the end, I didn't go with it. Part of the decision was the fact that I never saw any ammunition for it in at the gunshop. But as you can see with the next two calibers, they aren't so common either.

My "oddball calibers" are the 41 mag and 480 Ruger. I like both of them. I have no problem defending either of them.
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Old December 3, 2012, 09:37 PM   #27
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I will say that I'm seeing more 32 mag ammo since the 327 came out. I'm good with that, because I also have a Ruger SSM and a S&W M16 in 32 mag. I was hotloading the little 32 up until the 327 came out.
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Old December 4, 2012, 04:38 AM   #28
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.455 Webley old man. Now where did I put that Webley Mk VI? Ah there it is.
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Old December 4, 2012, 02:42 PM   #29
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I'm a big .32 fan (both long and H&R mag) but never really saw a need for the .327. It's so much a niche round. The long and H&R mag are perhaps the best small game and woods bummin cartridges devised to date. With proper loads they leave the rimfires in the dust from cottontail to coyote. Seriously, if you're looking for a kit type gun or small game handgun than forget the rimfires and get a .32. There is no doubt that if my current .32H&R had better sights (workin on fixin that BTW) that my rimfires would never see the woods. The Mag also makes a fair SD round. So what was gained by the .327? For field use pretty much nothing and for SD 1 more round.

If looking for a small revolver for nothing but CC and SD than a .327 is worth a look. Ya get your 6 and good ballistics. But beyond that it has very little attraction compared to the competition and in reality what's the current market share for snub revolvers? Right or wrong it's not a very big piece of the pie and even smaller for one in .327.

Last edited by L_Killkenny; December 4, 2012 at 02:49 PM.
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Old December 4, 2012, 08:34 PM   #30
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When it comes to uncommon calibers, I really like the .41 Mag and the .45LC. If I were not already into handloading, I doubt that I would have been tempted by either.

I think it has been over two years since I have fired a round of .38 or .357.
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Old December 4, 2012, 09:25 PM   #31
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"It's very rare for cartridges to just die. I still have folks asking for .38 S&W and .32 S&W Long enough to keep those loads in stock. As long as there are guns, there will be demand for the ammunition."

I will throw a big "AMEN!" to that one. Just browse the available brass at Midwayusa or Starline. I venture to guess that if it was a commercially produced cartridge in the 20th century, it's probably available.


A cartridge becomes obsolete when the gun manufacturers don't chamber it anymore and eventually the ammo manufacturers discontinue — pretty much in that order. Just because you can buy 43 Egyptian, 40-70 Sharps, 348 Win or 225 Win brass for instance does not mean the cartridge is not obsolete. There are a lot of companies specializing in obsolete brass that once only Bertram used to make and now you can find it from four or five suppliers. As a rule of thumb there are more rifle cartridges that fall away than handgun cartridges however there have been a lot of propriety and new designs in the past twenty years of so and I would think you will find a number of them going away sooner than later
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Old December 4, 2012, 09:55 PM   #32
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Real cartridge whores have Contenders

I am worried, I just added a T/C Contender to the family. I am having a hard time deciding the next barrel. I see many in it's future.
I think it is the ultimate range toy for the reloader.
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Old December 5, 2012, 07:29 AM   #33
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Contenders are bad that way... I load close to 70 different cartridges... probably 1/2 of those are due to a Contender barrel I have... some are somewhat common, like 7-30 Waters, or 375 Winchester... originally chambered in lever actions,... don't have a rifle for either, but have pistol barrels for the Contenders... some are unique to the Contender ( like the TCU or Barnes lines of cartridges... of which I have several )
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Old December 5, 2012, 11:49 AM   #34
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I had a contender many years ago and sold it for that reason. After my 4th barrel, I could see that I was heading towards wildcat land, and it could only get worse from there.

I have a wife and a family, and spending every spare dime on reloading components was not conducive to good financial health!
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Old December 5, 2012, 02:20 PM   #35
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T/C's and Reloading

Absolutely agree that TC barrels are a tease for hardcore reloaders and no better way to play with a cartridge for fairly short money. I knew Wes Ugalde ( 7 TCU ) quite well and we used to joke that Warren Center should package dies and loading components with his barrels. I have perhaps twelve barrels and like you guys had to back away and say NO MORE .
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Old December 5, 2012, 07:32 PM   #36
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I love the .41, especially in an old model Ruger Blackhawk. Much less recoil than any .44 (to the point of actually being fun to shoot) and kills just as dead if the biggest animal you intend to kill is a deer or wild hog.

The .41 has a dedicated cult behind it that won't allow it to die; much like the 28 and 16 gauge and the .257 Roberts.
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Old December 5, 2012, 07:37 PM   #37
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Much less recoil than any .44 (to the point of actually being fun to shoot)
But all you got to do is load the .44 down and you are in business. Shoot puff loads to real magnum loads in a .44Mag revolver.... No need for the oddball .41 ..... I am trying to say that 'recoil' can't be used as an argument for playing with the .41.... .
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Old December 5, 2012, 07:46 PM   #38
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Looking at the .327 Mag I can't find what it does different then calibers that are already available?

There are newer calibers that should become mainstream such as the 6.5 Grendel but, I can't see why the .327 mag was even a thought to begin with?
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Old December 5, 2012, 08:38 PM   #39
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I am off the chart on this one. Just recently, too. Imagine taking a .327 Federal, or more easily, a .32 S&W Long casing and chucking it in a lathe. Then turning down the rim to the same diameter as the case, and recutting an extractor groove. Then to cut the case to length, and load it with a 85gr jacketed bullet (also not easy to find). This will give you the equivalent of a 7.65mm French long pistol round. Now pretty much obsolete, it can be found loaded by some custom firms, and brass CAN be bought from custom makers (which is what I am doing), so you CAN load your own. The big reason? I got interested in one of the guns that fire it, a French SACM Model 1935A, which was a design forerunner to the famous SIG P210, a 9mm pistol of some renown. I have a SIG, and once I picked up and handled the French 1935A at a gunshow, it was love at first sight. Sleek, well balanced, and light in the hand, it SEEMED to fill the bill for a unique small game gun: more powerful than a .22, but not in the 9mm or magnum category. And, as all of you in this thread know, attractive because it is just a bit different. I have just started to delve into loading, but found 8 hundred round boxes of various jacketed bullets by Hornady, etc, that fill the bill, and am only waiting on the next run of cases. It will be the most unusual gun that I own.
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Old December 5, 2012, 08:41 PM   #40
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OOPS! Well, it's not a revolver, but it starts out with a piece of revolver BRASS to load for it!
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Old December 5, 2012, 08:43 PM   #41
1 old 0311-1
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People who buy oddball calibers are IDIOTS. Me? I'll stick with me 9mm Federal and .41 A.E.
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Old December 6, 2012, 12:25 AM   #42
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Quote:
It's very rare for cartridges to just die.
Can you say 9mm Win Mag?
9X21 Super?
256 Win Mag?
480 Ruger?
Anything Auto Mag.
9mm Federal?
45 Win Mag (seems to be a lot of WinMags in there).
357 Maximum
Dang, and I'm not even trying hard!

And if we throw in rimfires:
22 Auto . . .
22 Special . . .
5mm Remington Rimfire Magnum . . . Oh, yeah, that one's been resuscitated . . .
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Old December 6, 2012, 01:19 AM   #43
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I'm really kind of surprised the .480 Ruger fizzled out, to be honest about it. The ballistics looked pretty good, and it really wasn't that late to the maximum big bore race that was going on at the time.
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Old December 8, 2012, 02:36 PM   #44
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Quote:
Looking at the .327 Mag I can't find what it does different then calibers that are already available?
Easy.... it chambers 6 in a J frame size revolver, with fairly decent (better than .32 H&R Magnum) ballistics.

Something that can't be done in 38/357 until you step up to something the size of a D frame Colt.
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Old December 8, 2012, 05:14 PM   #45
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a revolver for the 327 too

I got silly when the 327 Mag come out and it showed up in a few of the gun magazines. Thought the thing would stay put.
So I bought a smith and wesson 327, you know the one with the weird ported barrel behind the front sight.
bought it when the manufacturers were dumping them.
Do not really see them on GB.com any more.
So now I have a revolver and dang I have yet to buy the AMMO!
But hey, look at the 38 super. It has died many deaths and come
back like a zombie !
Now people seem to love the cartridge once again. I am sure it
will die a few more times though.
What about the 10 mm auto. Heck I loved this one and bought
a good number of autos. Now I have NONE, sold them all off
and am really suprised when I fnd a box of 10mm ammo at
a gun show.
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Old December 8, 2012, 07:49 PM   #46
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Maybe the 327 Mag eas just too. Close on paper to the venerable .357 Mag. If the .38Special e
Wern't such a great round I'm afraid t
It too would face obscurity.
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Old December 9, 2012, 10:39 AM   #47
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quote from farmboy:
I really think that "flame cutting" business was made into a bigger deal than it really was.
It was and everyone knows it. Ruger's redesign of the Blackhawk didn't work and S&W (at the time) wasn't going to build a long-frame revolver. Certain writers that claimed the round did almost everything up to blowing the gun apart didn't help. IHMSA even created a maximum (excuse the pun) weight rule to kill it off then put the nail in the coffin by legalizing the nearly hand-made Freedom Arms and effectively closed the doors to new shooters who couldn't afford a $1500-$2500 revolver.
The .357 Maximum comes very close to putting .35 Remington performance in a revolver without nearly the recoil.
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Old January 1, 2013, 01:50 AM   #48
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I relined an old .357 Blackhawk (New Model) and sleeved the chambers to 32-20,love it.Shoot an 87 gr cast bullet @ 950 FPS ,lotta fun and a lot more bow-wow than a .22 Mag and cheaper to shoot!
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Old January 1, 2013, 02:09 AM   #49
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Is there anything redeeming about 11mm French? (I just bought a MAS 1873)

TCB
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Old January 1, 2013, 03:45 AM   #50
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Some guys like the odd stuff. They are generally not for me. I like choosing calibers that are highly versatile and utilitarian. 357 and 44 mag will do about anything given the right bullet selection. Add a 22lr for cheap plinking and there is no handgun hunt in the world you can not undertake.

If I could only own 3 guns one handgun, shotgun and rifle it would be

4 in 357 mag.
700 rem in 308
and a 12ga that could take 3 1/2 mag

Not very exciting stuff but I would not feel under gunned anywhere in the world.
bottom line for me is though its your money and your hobby if you want to buy the most odd ball stuff you can find more power to ya! The variety of combinations and applications is what makes this such a great hobby.
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