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Old April 14, 2011, 03:56 PM   #51
overkill0084
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I'm sure it's lovely. It fills no need for me.
Like it or not, it's a niche cartridge. In it's performance envelope, I bet it's brilliant, but few people feel they need it for anything. Perception is everything. Fair or unfair, it is percieved as a solution in search of a problem.
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Old April 14, 2011, 04:08 PM   #52
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22LR/22MAG, 38SPL/357MAG, 44SPL/44MAG, and 45ACP/45Colt. I just dont see where any of the 32 caliber cartridges feel a need in there for me. I might look at a 17HMR or a 474 Linbaugh but thats about it.
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Old April 14, 2011, 04:12 PM   #53
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Most folks just don't want a .32
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Old April 14, 2011, 04:51 PM   #54
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The answer is

SIMPLE...I have a 1 7/8"barrelled 38 sp+p double action only that is hell on the hands with anything larger than 135gr loads(13 ounce ruger)....but a 327 in a similarly sized gun(sa/da) is easier to shoot with way more energy....especially using it in SA....LOVE IT!!!!!!
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Old April 14, 2011, 05:39 PM   #55
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The first .327 I saw was a 3" barrelled Ruger sp-101 with an adjustable rear sight, exposed spurred hammer and sticky rubber grips: hardly a pocket snubby, there. Too many folks see what they want to see- you saw "Ruger sp-101" and assumed it was a SD gun (thoughit would work for that).
Yeah, and hardly a trail/field gun, either.

A 3" barrel is still to short, and is still directed towards SD purposes. For a trail/field gun, I want at least 4, and prefer a bit longer. A Single Six with a 4 5/8" barrel would fit me needs just fine. A 3" SP101 would have to be in .357. No advantage in one chambered for .327 mag.

I'm not one to buy a gun just because it's "different". I'm practical in such things, so it needs to fill a need of some kind. A Single Six or small framed smith with a 4 1/2-6" barrel would be great for hiking country where coyotes, badgers, and longer range jackrabbits are found.

I'll stick with the larger cartridges for self-defense.

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Old April 14, 2011, 06:35 PM   #56
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I've never wanted one because I could think of absolutely no good reason to have one. Anything it would do some cartridge I already had would do just as well, or maybe better.
That is my feeling too...
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Old April 14, 2011, 07:20 PM   #57
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I can't agree there was a void there since .32 Magnum was capable of nearly the same velocities as the .327. Of course you had to reload to get that performance!
You can dance at the edge of Splodeyville with the .327, too, if that is what floats your boat........

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A 3" SP101 would have to be in .357. No advantage in one chambered for .327 mag.
..... besides the extra round (Wow! A sixgun!) and lower recoil.....
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Old April 14, 2011, 08:11 PM   #58
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If there was an affordable lightweight pocket (hammerless) revolver - I'd be all over it as I like the 32 SWL for accuracy. About 13-15oz would be ideal with 6 shots..............OR make it it a 5 shot on something like the old I frame - even smaller
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Old April 14, 2011, 08:19 PM   #59
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The 327 Federal Magnum joins a long list of caliber that look good on paper but will never be mainstream for various reasons, the main one being because there is little to no demand for it by regular consumers.

444 Marlin
41AE
450 Marlin
327 Federal Magnum
30 TC
9x21mm
45 GAP
6.8mm SPC
(Insert next caliber here)

I can understand the concept of "being different just to be different". I rarely practice it but I understand it. But some of us find logic in just shooting a 357 instead of something trying to copy it in everything but selection, availability, and price. Arguing that such things aren't important or don't exist I do not understand.
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Old April 14, 2011, 08:25 PM   #60
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The .327 was an answer to a question no one was asking. The .357 magnum is a wonderful round that has had 75+ years to be perfected. The .357 also shoots a .38 spec which is one of the other best selling revolver rounds anyway. Why would you want a gun that also shoots 327mag, .32 H&R mag, and .32 Long when they are such obscure rounds anyways? Might as well go with the more available, well proven rounds anyways. If we're talking small revolvers and capacity, if 5 rounds of.356 magnum can't do it, than it's doubtful that 6 rounds of .327 would have done it, and you probably need more practice.
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Old April 14, 2011, 08:25 PM   #61
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Falcon 642 wrote:
The great Obama-induced ammo shortage of 2008-2009 sure didn't help either. At the peak of the shortage the ONLY ammo I could find was 9mm, I couldn't find .22, .40, .45, or any of the revolver calibers. Its hard to convince people to buy a new caliber when they can't find ammo for it.

At the height of the "crisis," about the only ammo I could find was .40--likely due to LEO usage I understand. There actually was a smattering of .327 here and there in my neck of the woods in more major markets, precisely because of the perceived "odd duck" status I've been told...not much on the shelves to be sure, but more than 9mm, .38/.357, .44 Mag and .45 ACP, all of which supply seemed truly dismal, especially given the demand.

Put me down as another fan for the underappreciated .327 and its little brother .32 H&R Mag. There's nothing more fun than a Ruger Single Six in .32 Mag, match made in heaven!...definitely enough pop to know you're definitely not shooting any .22...unless Ruger does the right thing and introduce it in .327...or handier than the Smith Airweight in H&R. Little six shot powerhouse. The newer steel and scandium Smith J's and Ruger SP101 .327s make for great carry and CC pieces. About the comments regarding the .327 "filling no known void," to paraphrase one post: try the gi-normous gap between the .22s and .38/.357--the same gap the H&R tried to fill. Hey, I'm not so sure other than LEOs or lever hunters that anyone really "needed" the .357 when it came out either. Certainly not later on with the advent of the .38+P. I would agrree that both Federal and Ruger--who essentially co-sponsored the cartridge--dropped the ball upon and shortly following (2+ years) the .327's intro by not making sure ammo/component support was right there from the get-go. A shame...I do think that a lot of momentum was lost right there with many potential buyers, but I still see a bright future for the .327 despite snafus by the very companies that brought it to us. But I've been known to be wrong many times before. I hope not this time.

Edited to be more clear as to my particular experiences, versus over-generalization.

Last edited by gak; April 14, 2011 at 09:25 PM.
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Old April 14, 2011, 08:39 PM   #62
Adamantium
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Quote:
At the peak of the shortage the ONLY ammo I could find was 9mm
Quote:
At the height of the "crisis," about the only ammo you could find was .40--likely due to LEO usage.
Have you considered that a complete stranger most likely living no where near you had a different experience?
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Old April 14, 2011, 09:21 PM   #63
gak
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Admantium said:
Quote: At the peak of the shortage the ONLY ammo I could find was 9mm Quote: At the height of the "crisis," about the only ammo you could find was .40--likely due to LEO usage. Have you considered that a complete stranger most likely living no where near you had a different experience?

You make a good point and I have edited to better reflect my experience, which is what was intended.

Last edited by gak; April 14, 2011 at 09:50 PM.
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Old April 14, 2011, 09:30 PM   #64
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At teh height of the GOAS, I never had a problem finding ammo..... just finding ammo in popular pistol calibers. Never any 9mm, .45 ACP, .38 or .357, .380 ..... Just stuff like .41 mag, .357 SIG, .327, .32 ACP, .25 auto, 9 Mak, .38 Super...... I never did have a problem finding components, though. Primers got to be outrageously high, though....
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Old April 14, 2011, 09:50 PM   #65
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To restate: the very best use of the .32 is in smaller frame guns. For an outdoors type of gun, the best thing is to pick a platform that is .22 LR sized. Like a Single Six.
the sp101 is smaller and lighter than a standard single six
did you just forgt to say that you need double action?
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Old April 14, 2011, 11:33 PM   #66
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.327Fed round, my thoughts...

This topic has come up before on gun/tactics forums.
I have not read every post here but I'd add that, to me, the .327Federal round is okay for defense or concealed carry but not the huge improvement or Earth shaking change in the US shooting sports industry.
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Old April 15, 2011, 07:49 AM   #67
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You can dance at the edge of Splodeyville with the .327, too, if that is what floats your boat........
There was nothing dangerous about pushing the .32 Mag to 1500 fps in a strong little gun like a Single Six. The gun magazines tend to be quite conservative in the loads they publish and Skeeter and Dean had a whole article on the various combinations they tried. In my experience, the weak link is the brass. You keep adding more AA #7 and you start splitting case mouths. Sometimes a load that is too hot will flatten primers but usually it is case splits. You back off a bit and you're golden.

I'm sure the .327 can be pushed ever further. Of course, just like a .44 Magnum case compared to a .44 Special case. You've got more room for more slow powder. But IMO, that extra velocity is more than you really need for a woods gun. My normal walking around load uses the Sierra 90 grain JHC bullet at about 90% of max. Runs about 1350 fps out of my 4 5/8ths SS. The max load gets too loud for me to want to shoot it "for fun."

And, like all .32's, it's a happy little gun with mild loads and hard cast bullets. You can load it all the way down to what seem like .22 LR levels.

Hey, I can't convince everybody in the world to like and reload .32 Mag. Or .41 Mag. Or .357 SIG. Or .44 Special for that matter. But I shoot more of those four cartridges than any of my other ones. Even 9mm or .45 ACP. Sometimes it's nice to be a little different!

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Old April 15, 2011, 09:11 AM   #68
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I think it is a GREAT idea. But I already had a .357/.38 in 3" and I have no problem with the recoil.

There is also the question of whether the ammo will expand, and if it doesn't, then bigger is better.

Now, you have me thinking about it again. For my wife. But if you're honest, it does have that magnum blast, right? She'd probably rather just have a good old fashioned .38.
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Old April 15, 2011, 04:16 PM   #69
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Now, you have me thinking about it again. For my wife. But if you're honest, it does have that magnum blast, right? She'd probably rather just have a good old fashioned .38.
Out of the SP101, it has the ".357 blast". Out of the Blackhawk, it's tamed to something more like .38 Special/.44 Special. How much that matters, depends on intended use.

If you don't like the .32s, that's fine. Stick with what's easier for you to get, and keep things simple. I understand it perfectly well.

Me? I didn't already have a .38/.357, and liked the greater variety of loads possible with the .327. As a reloader, all I care about is component availability. I don't have to be a slave to wondering if EvilMart carries my ammo. Provide some brass and bullets, and I'm good to go.

I didn't need the 8 shot cylinder of the Blackhawk, but it does save some weight (versus being 6 or 7 shot). The beauty of it, for me, is that I can shoot anything I want, all day long. I can shoot anything from 350 fps round-balls, to 580 fps .32 SW, to 1,800 fps 60 gr XTPs, to 1,500 fps Gold Dots. When my wife wants to shoot (it's her revolver ), she breaks out .32 H&R hand loads, running 1,300 fps with 85 gr XTPs. ... and she shoots, and shoots, until the ammo is gone.
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Old April 15, 2011, 04:47 PM   #70
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There is also the question of whether the ammo will expand, and if it doesn't, then bigger is better.
If you can't get a 100 gr HP bullet to expand at 1400 f/sec .... maybe the bullet manufacturer would like to see your test data .....

I'm thinking that at that speed, you'd be more worried about the bullet disintegrating than not expanding......
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Old April 15, 2011, 06:27 PM   #71
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Most folks just don't want a .32
For my self defense needs, I just didn't see a need for it. I know it is frequently stated that the .327 magnum has energy numbers that rival the .357 magnum. But then we get into the whole discussion about what is most important in a SD round: energy, penetration, caliber, etc. I would have to see some convincing real-world data to make me want to switch from known calibers (.38 SP, 9mm, etc.) to something that is unproven.

The extra round in my snubby revolver would be nice, but it wasn't enough to make me want to jump into a new caliber. Maybe in the future, but not at this point.

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Old April 15, 2011, 06:40 PM   #72
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.327 Federal

I like the idea of a powerful round with less recoil than a 357 and still able to chamber 6 rounds in a j-frame compact. But it just seems to be too rare for reliable ammo supply. I'm not a reloader and I never see 327mag ammo anywhere.
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Old April 15, 2011, 08:09 PM   #73
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Cabelas in TX have it - if you are near one. It's hard to find 32 HR mag - I saw a guy with some at the gun show - Mr. Genius here only bought one box - maybe the next show, I'll find more.
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Old April 15, 2011, 11:54 PM   #74
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I really like the idea of the .327 federal. Jimbob already mentioned all the reasons that make it appealing so no need for me to coppy what he already said. I'm pretty well set right now on handguns but if I was in the market I would strongly consider it. As far as finding ammo goes, hasn't anyone ever ordered ammo online? I buy most of my ammo online because the local gunshops don't have the variety.
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Old April 16, 2011, 03:10 AM   #75
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I'm thinking it would make a very good trapline gun especially if it's loaded with a good fur-friendly, hardcast bullet. I'd feel comfortable walking up on a wolf in a trap with one.
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