Ruger GP100 in .327 Magnum

[SVO]

Ran across one of these at a local gun store. Store didn't have ammo to go with the gun, but would order the ammo if and when the gun sold. Is it me or is this kinda wacked to have a gun for sale but no ammo to go with it?

[.300 Weatherby Mag]

Ran across one of these at a local gun store. Store didn't have ammo to go with the gun, but would order the ammo if and when the gun sold. Is it me or is this kinda wacked to have a gun for sale but no ammo to go with it?

You would be surprised how many stores don't make that connection....

[epr105]

They probably cant get the ammo. Most of the regular Calibers are just showing up on shelves. I have not seen any .327 Magnum ammo in my travels through gun stores and Walmarts. I haven't been to a gun show in a few months but the last one I went to had no .327 Mag. The nice thing is it can take all .32 ammo the short the long and the H&R MAG. I did see some of the .32 H&R Mag at the gun show. This is just speculation give it 6 months and the 327 will be on every ones shelves. The GP100 is a great gun and chambered for the 327 Mag gives a lot of versatility. I would get one but then I would need new reloading dies and brass. Still thinking about it though.
Good Luck,
Ed

[Kreyzhorse]

Ammo seems to be pretty rare regardless and the ammo issues seem to have been a problem since Ruger first rolled out the .327.

[SVO]

I have a large lot of 32 H&R Mag ammo left over from a Contender I have. So I kinda have a interest in this gun, give the price of Smith Model 16's and lack of DW .32' Mags. But would like to try it out with some of the .327 ammo. Shop is asking $489.00 on the gun, may need to see if there is any wiggle room on the price due to lack of .327 ammo. Does seem like they would have at least a couple of boxes of brass or ammo in that caliber. I keep thinking of the .327 as a new Supermag round.

[Steve_in_SEMich]

At Guns Galore in Michigan, they "had" ammo, but .327 gun owners bought up the ammo long ago - disappears as soon they get it in. As they posed the question - "Do we not sell ammo to customers? Even if we limit the number of boxes, we still get sold out quickly"

Seems like if you don't get the gun now, when .327 ammo finally comes in, you won't be able to get one.

Which comes first, the chicken or the egg?

[Waterengineer]

I'd suggest that if you purchase the gun you should load up on ammo because the cartridge will not be around long. I like the cartridge but it has not been marketed well or widely. Thus, I suggest the demise of another fine cartridge.

Oh, yes, and the GP 100 in .327 is a magnificent tool.

[Sevens]

I'd suggest that if you purchase the gun you should load up on ammo because the cartridge will not be around long. I like the cartridge but it has not been marketed well or widely. Thus, I suggest the demise of another fine cartridge.

I don't agree with this.

It's the bullet diameter (.312") that is key here. We aren't talking about an oddball slug size, it's here, been here a hundred years or more, was alive & kicking before the .327 and will be here as long as tree huggers don't kill all bullets from existence. Instead of thinking .41 AE (and it's odd slug diameter), think 10mm. 10mm may not be as popular as most, but it's here and it's not going to die off, either, and that's because the .40 S&W is popular enough that bullets will be made for it. Brass is tough since the Barackolypse but it's not the limiting factor.

.327 brass is scarce and jacketed slugs are more scarce at this time, but I'm finding .327 Fed ammo when I look. 85gr Fed Hydra-Shok has been available for me quite easily and this is not a new development. A new load of American Eagle 100gr JSP has recently (last two months) hit the shelves. The Speer Gold Dot (hot!) load seems to be the scarcest and I found a supply of that locally just a couple weeks ago.

American Eagle is debuting a new bullet weight this summer/fall and Federal has announced component brass availability by August.

Don't believe the doomsday scenario, it's not supported by either fact or precedent.

[gak]

I agree with BOTH Severns and the previous poster: I think it's here to stay--both of the .32 Mag cartridges actually, too good. But, Federal (etc incl CCI), Ruger and others have not marketed either the .32 H&R Mag--going on 26 years--or .327 Fed Magnum well at all. Ruger, as it would seem to have the largest stake--needs to get on Federal (and other component types') case "big time," to build up the ammo situation for both fine cartridges. To date it's been a travesty. The H&R's been especially a real blinger to find lately. The gunrags along with the bigger-is always-better crowd haven't helped one whit either over the years--they feed off each other. Consistent and persistent marketing is everything.



Later Edit: when some of the gunshops actually get any of this stuff in, it's still "what is this? We don't need any of this pipsqueak ****. Uh, can't's sell it. Uh." Some of the responses have been almost neanderthalian. Rather than saying--as you'd think think as retailers they would--"more's the better...it's all good. Here's a neat new cartridge you might want to try...," it's instead the same ol' same ol'. And so that gets passed on to the (sometimes) unknowing customer--especially newbies--and back to the distributors and manufacturers and so it goes.


The .327 is no .357, never has been. It is basically a modern/"better" (stronger case and more easily reloadable) .32-20 for revolvers and (we hope) levers, as well as a nice "replacement" for the .30 Carbine in revolvers--and essentially making possible a ".30 Carbine" lever as well. That's all good stuff. The good ol' .32-20 was--and still is--a gem, for all duties not absolutely requiring a .357--which is most everything shy of deer, elk and bear. (And I've got several .357s, love 'em dearly) This .32 Mag stuff is just more of a good thing.
End of rant.

[Jumping Frog]

If it was a Ruger-only caliber, I would be more pessimistic. However, this caliber is now being sold by Ruger, Charter Arms, Taurus, and Smith & Wesson.
They pretty well dominate the market for small revolvers. Heck, even Freedom Arms is selling a .327 Mag.

As more gun manufacturers support the .327 mag, it's chances of survival improve.

I'd be interested in seeing a small game lever action carbine in .327 magnum. I think they would be flat shooting and a gas to shoot.

[SVO]

Bought the Ruger, so can start looking for the .327 ammo or brass. Store owner is going to try to get some ammo for me. In the meantime, I have 32 mag ammo I can burn. With any luck at all, maybe Starline will start making brass. Starline seems to be the patron saint of orphan odd ball calibers.

[dsa1115]

Reason enough not to buy it. With an abundance of .38 Special and .357, I wouldn't even consider it.

[Jim March]

As long as I can get reloading stuff, the 8-shot Blackhawk 327 has me *seriously* intrigued. Performance from a 5.5" barrel is beyond impressive.

[Sevens]

Gentlemen, here is a thread in the Handloading & Reloading forum discussing .327 at the bench.
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=402168
Right now, jacketed .312" slugs between 85 and 115 grains do NOT exist in anyone's stock or supply.

I'd love to hear someone that can prove me wrong and provide or PM a link!

Cast bullets or very light (71gr and below) slugs are in stock in most places. This will improve... eventually... but they are scarce right now.

[SVO]

If & when I find the .327 brass, I plan to use the Sierra 90 gr JHP. The Sierra may not be available in stores but I have a stash of them.

[Sevens]

Great bullet! But yes... they are not available anywhere. You could make a nice profit if you dropped them on gunbroker, no doubt.

[The Great Mahoo]

Originally Posted by Jumping Frog

I'd be interested in seeing a small game lever action carbine in .327 magnum. I think they would be flat shooting and a gas to shoot.

I completely agree. I really hope Legacy/Puma or Marlin sees the potential and cashes in on this. I'd like to get one to compliment my Sp101. Load up some custom loads with a light bullet and healthy powder charge to make a fast flying, straight shooting little devil that could reach out to good ranges for a pistol-carbine. More than capable for varmint and the like, and a blast to shoot, I'd reckon.

Yep. Still waiting on that rifle....

[ice monkey]

Yeah well all this talk about the .327 not going to last because you can't get ammo for it today when ... I ordered .380 from Midway in November, and have yet to receive my order is crazy.

By that logic the .380 is doomed forever ...

[461]

Midway has jacketed bullets for the .32, looks like FMJ's from Hornady, Remington, Magtech. Plated from Ranier. Plenty of lead. (Edit to add: They've got defensive ammo for .327 as well, but it's a buck a round.) And that's just the first place I looked. I personally have plenty on hand so I can wait for the stock top catch up. Hell, Wal Mart doesn't even have .38 Special right now, is that doomed too?

[Sevens]

Twice I've laid down that gauntlet, twice I've won.

Midway has jacketed bullets for the .32, looks like FMJ's from Hornady, Remington, Magtech. Plated from Ranier. Plenty of lead

Check again -- Midway has no jacketed slugs of .312" diameter in any bullet weight other than 60 or 71 grain (.32 Auto slugs). They have no .32 jacketed bullets between 85 and 115 grains, as I said.

Even the Ranier plated (not something I want to sling at 1,500 to 1,600 FPS) is out of stock, too.

These bullets have been out of stock for a year. (yep, kinda like the .380 ammo mentioned above)

So yeah... I keep winning that bet, but it doesn't get me any closer to having some jacketed .32 cal slugs in my hand!

[Crosshair]

Who cares about jacketed slugs. Cast lead is working just fine for my "Ruger Only" 32 H&R loads. Pushing a 100 grain Lee RN at 1150 fps without even trying.

Through the one incredibly annoying thing is that both my SP-101 and Single Six both shoot quite noticeably to the left.

[461]

The Raniers are not out of stock and work just fine. The light bullets work fine too. Is there a reason you have to load to the 1500-1600fps level? I could care less about your bet, I'm saying that if you want to reload for the .327 Federal, bullets are available.

[Sevens]

Gentlemen, if those work for you, all good. I'm planning to send these about 1,600 FPS. You can do that with some cast lead, with some trial and error -- with the right hardness and the right sizing, maybe a gas check thrown in for good measure. You might even be able to pull that off with a plated bullet, but all the plated bullet MFR's suggest you load them like cast lead bullets and stay under 1,200 FPS.

The Raniers are not out of stock and work just fine. The light bullets work fine too. Is there a reason you have to load to the 1500-1600fps level? I could care less about your bet, I'm saying that if you want to reload for the .327 Federal, bullets are available.

Nice chip on your shoulder. I'm thrilled with how little you care. Doesn't make you right -- you are STILL dead wrong. You could probably be MORE wrong. Check again (or don't), but Midway is out of stock on the Ranier plated .312" slugs.

Is there a reason why I need to send them at 1,500-1,600 FPS?! Of course there is a reason. (yes, I know you could care less) My whole point is to try and replicate the factory loads, that's why I want to handload them rather than simply buy them.

I know bullets are available, I've said as much and I've detailed the loads I've built with a few different bullets in the thread I linked.

I know that you could care less about the drivel you've written, but I'm here to discuss this round and the loads available for it and the loads that attempt to replicate it. Not some mousefart poppers that run somewhere around the 21k PSI that the (WEAK) .32 H&R Mag runs at.

[Tommy Vercetti]

think it's hard to find ammo now? try finding any ammunition for that caliber in ten or fifteen years

[Sevens]

Yeah, just like 10mm. And I've only got four boxes of factory 10mm on hand, and about 600 rounds of handloads. (and 1900 component bullets and about 3,000 pieces of brass... I'm thinking I'll be okay in another 10 or 15 years and I've had a 10mm since 1992.)

Sheeeeesh.