.327 Federal Club thread

[Talkinghalls]

The only reason why I picked up the Sp101 in .357 instead of .327 was price. I can get .38's cheaper than any .327 or .327 variant. Now if they were closer to the same price, then I personally think .357 may have a run for its money!

[Sevens]

Ammo price is directly correlated to ammo sales. It's a volume business.

That's why 9mm is still cheaper than .380, even with the extreme headway .380 has made in the last 5 years. .380 uses a lighter, smaller bullet, less lead and copper, in a case that is smaller, using less brass, with a lighter propellant charge of less powder... and it still costs more.

It's because of the volume of it that they make. .327 is likely to always cost more than .38 Special.

.357 factory ammo? That's expensive also. I'd imagine that .327 and .357 are fairly close in price. But I don't buy either, so I'd have to go looking.

[CollapCzar]

I posted about a S&W 686, error. So many models and calibers that are similar, meant to say S&W 310 night guard, not the 686.

Posts above mention correlation between ammo sales and cost (.380). I imagine many who buy a pocket .380 don't get to the range as often as they might like or should, either from cost or the person who bought a .380 did so just to have/ carry. So ammo doesn't get shot, so then bought frequently enough to drive cost down.

I believe this somewhat proves as to what I'm saying about the .327. The guns in .380 are bought because they are there for the consumer. He or She purchases the gun because it's either what they want or the guy behind the counter sells to them, and then a box of SD ammo to put in it. Not necessarily to practice at the range with.

If there was a gun or selection of guns in .327 a person could purchase in the pocket carry/ lightweight CCW platform, then more would be sold. Guns being sold like .38spl's (for decades) and .380, to me, prove this theory.

Marketing this caliber requires marketing a platform and as of now there is not enough of them for the mainstream consumer to want to pick and choose from.

I now see the difficulties in manufacturing a gun w/ the .327's high pressure. But if 1 could be created to compete w/ a gun like the LC9, then they would have something. I still envision 1 slightly smaller, mainly thinner than a Night Guard. I understand it needs a bbl of reasonable length to perform.

I like this rd, the idea of it, it's ability to chamber those other calibers, and I want one. But if it's going to kick less than a .357 and hold an xtra rd (or 2), then I want it on me all the time.

I'm just saying if there was a gun that shot the .327

[CollapCzar]

Please scratch that last sentence as it wasn't supposed to be there.

The cost of ammo is not what is hurting the .327. I expect that enough .380 gets sold to fill the guns sold in that cal.

Everyone of us is what is hurting it. Manufacturers not making enough guns/ platforms for it, and lack of brass. Reloaders not buying new ammo to drive cost down. Consumers not buying it because lack of both.

Having a gun in a semi rare cal is not a bad thing. I read on this thread that it (.32) was possibly the only thing available during obamacalypse. No .22, no .38spl, no .9, .40 or .45. So don't be deterred about owning a gun for SD, when it seems to be a great rd to do so with. Practice w/ it some, plink w/ something else, and carry it because it can do some damage, have fast follow shots if needed, and hold an xtra rd or 2 to compete w/ some autoloaders, and eventually be a good CCW.

[JohnKSa]

Interesting article on the .327 in the July 2011 Guns Magazine by John Taffin.

Apparently John is a fan of the .327 and has some pretty good company.

Here are a couple of quotes:

"...Hamilton (Bowen) says the .327 is the best thing to come along since the .44 Magnum."

"Hamilton is at the top of the list when it comes to premiere sixgunsmiths and the .327 Federal is at the top of the list of truly useful cartridges..."

[Lashlarue]

I didn't read all the replies, but I know it took from 1935 to the first Dirty Harry movie which I believe was 1971 for the 44magnum to gain widespread popularity.I'm getting old and the alzheimers is kicking in, but I don't believe the 327 has been around that long. There have been many variants on the 32 cartridge, NAA still produces one gun that shoots only their variant. The 327 is a revolver cartridge and not enough manufacturers have gotten the memo.Who knows 5 years from now it mght be the greatest thing since sliced bread.

[farmboy]

The years it takes for a new caliber to come to fruition is a good point. The .357 wasn't exactly an instant hit either.

The .380 is another good example. The public runs hot and cold, and .380's seem to be enjoying a big resurgence.

I really don't know. The .32 mag was introduced as an outdoorsman's caliber, and it seemed to fail, but 30 years later, it's still available.

Maybe the .327 will take off in 5 years. Maybe.

[Billy Shears]

I know it took from 1935 to the first Dirty Harry movie which I believe was 1971 for the 44magnum to gain widespread popularity

That's a good point and I hope you are right about the .327 eventually getting recognition, but just fyi...the .44 Magnum wasn't invented until the mid-50s, not the mid-30s and it was featured in Dirty Harry in 1971, so roughly 15 years or so from its introduction.

[Wuchak]

The people who buy firearms are a conservative lot. You're talking about a market where some people still think smokeless powder and double-action revolvers are passing fads.

[RsqVet]

Years ago I had guns in 9mm 10mm 38 32 357 40 45 44 380 and of course 22

Now I have 38 / 357 and 45 colt and 380 / 45 acp

I shoot better because I shoot the same guns / caliber more often and I stock more ammo in bulk rather than more calibers.

I view this as a natural evolution and in this economy it just makes sense. I bet others are in the same boat.

Years ago I would have had to have the 327, at this point in life not so much,

[Super Sneaky Steve]

I think the cartridge is having problems because everything I read on it says it's a chick gun. Or good for women who can't handle a .357.

Obviously it's good for men too who are plently capable of handeling sharp recoil but it's not sold that way.

It's the same reason people go out and buy 1800 to 2000cc motorcycles. If you're seen on a perfectly capable and nimble sportster the first comment you get is that you're riding a chick bike.

[Wuchak]

If I didn't have a stable of .357 revolvers I might go for a .327. The ballistics are quite impressive and 6 rounds vs. 5 in a compact revolver would be nice. Nice but not worth selling off and replacing my current .357's. No matter how they marketed it to me I am simply not going to buy one for the foreseeable future because I do not have a gap that needs filling. I suspect that like many people I already have a stable of hanguns and calibers that cover my target, self defense, and hunting needs.

I have not even added a 1911 to my collection because I simply do not want to deal with another caliber nor do I need another handgun to sit unused in the safe. Between .22, .380, 9mm, and .357 all of my handgun needs are covered quite nicely. At this point I would add a single stack 9mm before a .327.

[BillCA]

Wuchak,

That's understandable. I have a good selection right now, including a pair of S&W .32 Long revolvers and a 432PD in .32 H&R. But a new caliber would mean stretching the budget for ammo supplies. Still, I want one. A total of about 200 rounds of the 100gr AE load will do. For serious defense, I have more serious calibers and guns. It'd make a nice back-up gun or fun camp gun (with .32 Longs and H&R loads).

While arranging the safe the other night I found my Colt Police Positive Special made in 1977. Nice gun and about the right size for a .327 carry gun, even with it's 4" barrel. Of course, the Colt is a six-shooter .38 Special, but the .327 has more energy -- worth the tradeoff?

[Mr.trooper]

32 revolver cartridges can be reloaded for a pittance.

Even with new brass, you would be hard pressed to spend more than $30 on your first loading of 100. Subsequent loadings would cost about 1/2 of that.

38spl may be a hair cheaper, but not considerably. I'm going to have to pick up a GP100 in 327!

[Wuchak]

BillCA, If I were in your shoes and already had some .32 caliber firearms that could share ammo with a .327 mag I would grab one. I like it when multiple guns can share ammo.

[tulsamal]

I know it took from 1935 to the first Dirty Harry movie which I believe was 1971 for the 44magnum to gain widespread popularity

C'mon, you guys don't really believe the .44 Magnum is pre-WWII, do you? That was the .357 Magnum!

The cartridge design was finalized in 1954. The first S&W's were made in early 1955. Production models weren't finalized until Dec 1955. Elmer Keith got his first one in Jan 1956 and that's when the revolver was announced to the public.

Gregg

[Billy Shears]

FWIW,

One of the biggest complaints I've heard [and made myself] about this caliber, which ought to be be a reloader's dream, is the lack of reloading components. I see now where Midsouth Shooters Supply is advertising that they have new brass in stock and Midway is advertising that brass is on the way, expected to arrive next week. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come.

If components become readily available, even if the caliber never overtakes the .357 Magnum in popularity, which I don't believe was ever intended, it can always carve out its own niche and develop its own faithful following like the .41 Magnum has done.

[FrankenMauser]

Components aren't hard to get. It was a problem for the early adopters, but hasn't been much of an issue for a while now. We have it better, now, than the .32 H&R guys that had been scraping by for two decades.

Freedom Arms has been freely selling primed .327 brass to the public for about 4 months, now (they stopped asking for .224-32 FA serial numbers). (In addition to the above mentioned, soon-to-be-available sources.)

Hornady XTPs are out of stock many places, but Hornady plans to run almost 3 times as many in their next run.

Gold Dots were run in massive quantities, earlier this year; and can still be obtained from many retailers. Last time I contacted ATK, they projected the next production run to be February.

There are new Gold Dots on the market. There is a new soft point being loaded in the American Eagle ammunition. Things are far better than they were over in the 2 previous years.

Cast lead bullets are easily obtained. There are dozens of internet sources for .32 caliber hard-cast bullets. Midway carries Meister and several other brands. When they're on sale, the price is hard to beat (particularly the deals with free shipping). I have never seen Hornady SWCs or HBWCs out of stock, through Midway, Mid-South, or Natchez (but have seen them sell out at Powder Valley). And, the list goes on. For cast lead, you can always find a source.


From my point of view....
The only thing that should stop some one from getting a .327 right now, is if their personal opinion is that it is a superfluous cartridge (or they already own "too many" .38s/.357s).

If some dramatic event suddenly causes all of our components to vanish again (which would effect other cartridges, as well)... You can always have fun with .32 S&W Long and .32 H&R, while keeping your eyes peeled for .327 components (plus .32 S&W, and sometimes .32 Auto, in the Blackhawk and Sparrowhawk). That's exactly how we early adopters approached the issue.

I bought a box of Hydrashocks, a box of Gold Dots, a box of American Eagle soft points, and started sourcing alternative components (.32 S&W, .32 S&W Long, .32 H&R). By the time my 500 piece order of .32 H&R brass was shipped, I already had 500 pieces of once-fired .327 brass in my possession (plus two more boxes of American Eagle ammo, on top of the prior purchases), and had put more than 500 rounds of .32 Auto, .32 S&W, and .32 S&W Long through the Blackhawk. Keep your eyes open, and don't think twice, when a friendly forum member drops you a line on some once-fired brass, clearance bullets, or even ammo.

As I've said before: The .327 Federal is one the most versatile chamberings I have ever seen. There is so much potential derived from the various cartridges, and power levels they can be loaded to... I love it.

Next year, you should see me posed over a Whitetail Deer, with the Blackhawk. (Moving cross-country -- It should have been a Mule Deer )

With the way component availability is improving, and new loads are being brought to the market; this is a GREAT time to take the plunge with a .327.

[Billy Shears]

Next year, you should see me posed over a Whitetail Deer, with the Blackhawk. (Moving cross-country -- It should have been a Mule Deer )

Hmm, yeah, I was thinking when I read that...not too many whitetail out there in "Mormonville" like your profile says. Good luck on the move, good luck on the hunt, and thanks for the good advice regarding the .327.

I haven't seen one of those 8-shot Blackhawks in person yet, but I'd love to have one. Although, I think my ideal .327 would be a 6-shot Single Six. Anyone from Ruger paying attention to these forums? Hint, hint.

[Daggitt]

It's amazing how long the interest in this thread has lasted. Not unlike my experience when I shot a box of shells through an sp-101 a few weeks ago. The 327 federal mag is not fading away anytime soon. Nor is this thread apparently.

[jimbob86]

.327 is likely to always cost more than .38 Special.

Apples and oranges: .38 Special is not capable of .327 mag performance.

If you handload, .312 bullets and .357 bullets are comparable in price, and less powder is required for the smaller caliber.

If you cast your own, you will make more bullets for the smaller caliber from a pound of lead......

[Colorado Redneck]

I just ordered 500 cases of Federal brass---.327 Fed Magnum.

Have not seen these any where else. Git'em while they is in stock!

[zfk55]

I got in early. Bought 2 .327's, one Taurus and one Ruger SP101 along with 1,000 brass from Freedom Arms when they still had it. Been shooting .32, .32 H&R and .327 Mag for almost two years now. Great caliber and the family members that carry them are happy with them. .32's for practice and full boat mag cartridges for carrying.

[Billy Shears]

I got in early. Bought 2 .327's, one Taurus and one Ruger SP101

How do you like the little Taurus? I know there is evidence around these forums to support the charge that Taurus may have quality control and customer service problems, but I'm still curious about their little 327 snubbies because CDNN has them for sale so cheap these days.

Has yours shot well for you? Does the short barrel make the increased muzzle blast unbearable? Are bullet velocities dropping excessively?

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Saw Charter Arms and SW 327s at Cabelas this weekend. Interesting they also had a SW 63 in 22 LR mislabeled as a 632 - told the clerk, very, very politely, and he first denied the mistake and then got huffy. Sigh.