.327 Federal Club thread

[deserted]

Seems to me I saw some FMJ .327 advertised on Gunbroker just the other day.

[PoiDog]

"Now in the month of the scheduled release of the Henry 327 Federal Magnum rifle. Anxious to read a report."

I emailed Henry last week, and they sent an email back early this week, Monday I believe. The email said the .327 guns would be going to the distributors in 2 or 3 weeks.

I'm on the list for one at my LGS.

[superspirit]

I called Henry on monday,They said it would be released at the end of the month. but wouldnt give me an exact date. I have one backordered at the LGS.

[FrankenMauser]

I also talked to the LGS about the Henry BBC .327 today, while on the phone getting them to send a copy of their FFL for some receivers/rifles coming my way.

A summary of the conversation:
LGS owner: "If Henry is shipping rifles soon, that means they're sending three of them to some Cabela's in Missouri! Nobody else is going to see them for a long time."

Me: "How 'bout I call you back as soon as I see some in Davidson's inventory?"

LGS: "Well, that won't do much good, 'cause there won't be enough for me to get any."

Me: "You still do business with Davidson's, don't you? I've gotten three firearms through you, ordered through the Gallery of Guns website."

LGS: "Yea, but we're small-time. We can't get crap, if there's only three rifles!"

Me: "Dude, calm down. I'll call you back when I see some in inventory, and have you order one. Or, I can just order one and have it shipped."

LGS: "Yea, good luck with that! It'll be next year! And I'd rather you call, if, by some miracle, there are any. I don't make a dime off the web orders!"

Me: "Take care. I'll see you next week. ...And I'll just get the Henry through Sportsman's [Warehouse], or the crusty guy on the point [angry curmudgeon of a black powder dealer and kitchen-table FFL that owns almost an entire hill over-looking the city]...."


Some people's kids...
...Can't take free money, even if it's stuffed directly into their pocket.

[FrankenMauser]

And, in case some one is looking for one...

Gallery of Guns has 17 of the 4.2" SP101s in stock right now, along with 13 LCRs.

[Low Friction]

Will Davidson's have these 327 Henry's? I have been confused if they are a Lipsey's item.

[FrankenMauser]

I could be wrong, but I have seen nothing indicating that the .327 BBS and BBSC will be any kind of "exclusive".

It seems to me that they're a regular production item (which ships to any distributor that places an order).

[alaskabushman]

I handled a .327 SP101 today and walked out of the store without it. It was not a particularly great deal at $635. I think its been there awhile. I may go back and offer $550 and see if they'll take it out of desperation.

[superspirit]

April 10th and still no Henry 327 carbines released. losing interest myself.

[FrankenMauser]

I still want one.
But I blew the Henry .327 fund on a Marlin 36 that I couldn't let pass me by.

I may need to start working some magic to repopulate the fund.

[Cosmodragoon]

April 10th and still no Henry 327 carbines released. losing interest myself.

I still want one.
But I blew the Henry .327 fund on a Marlin 36 that I couldn't let pass me by...

I've got this problem brewing as well. I was almost bouncing off the walls with excitement, and then they left me hanging. The longer I've been hanging and the longer that cash sits in the can, the more I wander to other ideas and other projects. Henry's quality and my love of .327 has held for months but how long can it last in the veritable sea of cool stuff I can buy today? (Heck, their weather-proofed .357 lever gun is starting to call my name.)

That said, public interest is a fickle thing. Given the .327's poor launch and difficulty maintaining a spot in the market, I find myself growing impatient with Ruger for neglecting their baby. Companies should know that introducing a new pistol cartridge is a big deal and requires ongoing care and active effort. When I look at a company like Armscor and see how they treat the .22 TCM, I can't help but shake my head at Ruger. With all the other new stuff they've been rolling out, maybe they could bring back the GP100, possibly in different barrel lengths? How about a high-capacity 6" Redhawk? Why not the new LCRX? Henry's new rifle should breathe a little new life into things but Ruger really needs to step things up.

[superspirit]

I still want one.
But I blew the Henry .327 fund on a Marlin 36 that I couldn't let pass me by.

I blew mine on a S&W 60.

[FrankenMauser]

It's the way things work.
When I don't have the money, things that I want make themselves appear.
When I have the money, nothing good is out there at reasonable prices.
And then when I'm waiting on a very particular item and have the money ready, something pops up that I just can't ignore.

In other news...
I ran across an old Marlin in .32 H&R, yesterday. It appears to be a rebarreled 1893 .32-20, that was distressed to look old again.
Got some wheels turning.

Actually, it got the wheels spinning at such velocity that I couldn't sleep last night. It's rare for a firearm to do that to me.

The "problem" is that I know where there's a Marlin 1893 (unknown chamber, .30-30 suspected) that was beaten, battered, drilled for multiple receiver sights and then welded to fill (poorly), and just generally treated like garbage for 100 years. It looks like it, quite literally, bounced around behind the seat of a truck, with tire chains, jacks, tire irons, pipe wrenches, and various other nasty objects for most of its life.

It is in pretty poor condition externally, but solid, smooth inside, and the bolt-to-receiver fit is still excellent (though ugly). Not very appealing to anyone else, but very tempting to me -- especially since the current owner generally refuses to sell the rifle (it's a decoration), but is willing to sell it to me, because he knows I'll give it a second life.

It would make a very cool 'rat-rod' .327 Federal, after a rebarrel, magazine sleeving, some action work, and distressing the barrel to match the receiver.

I really, really want.
...But I have too many projects, already.

[Low Friction]

This is going down as expected. I'd rather Henry take their time and get it right. Over optimistic schedules are an affliction most of us (Henry) succumb to. I'm in no rush.

[PoiDog]

I'm anxious to get one, but things happen and schedules slip on occasion. I sent another email asking for the next date, but it was late last week. No reply yet.

They'll reply, they always do.

I agree that it would be better to wait until all is ready to go rather than rushing to market.

[TruthTellers]

I'm fine waiting for Henry to come out with the .327 rifle because number one, I haven't decided if I want the 16 or 20 inch model and number two, I don't own a .327 revolver yet because I'm not sure about the SP101.

I think Ruger will come out with an LCRx .327, but it has yet to happen and if it does, it's likely not happening for another year or more.

[FrankenMauser]

Whether or not it will pan out...

The latest, directly from Henry, is that they think the 327 Big Boys (all versions) will ship first week of May.

I've been in contact with them for a short time, in regards to the 327s and some other things, and the last email included some discussion of shipment of the 327s. Their best guess, right now, is first week of May.

There was no specific mention of what's going on with them, but my interpretation when 'reading between the lines' is that they're having some problems going from prototype to production item, are still working out a few kinks, and may need to re-make some parts, even though the rifles are essentially done.

We'll know soon enough, hopefully.

(I'm still stuck on that Marlin 1893, though. Unless I can get that thing out of my head, I don't think I'll buy a Henry.)

[TruthTellers]

The only concern I have once Henry does release the .327's is if there's going to be enough of a demand for them.

I know the .41 Magnum has proved popular with that niche in the market and isn't going to be discontinued anytime soon, but the .41 Mag from a rifle is a substantial hunting cartridge.

The .327 is... fair.

I see the .327's potential being a centerfire replacement for .22 LR by using something weak like .32 S&W Long or .32 ACP.

Is there enough of a demand for a .32 rifle to keep it in continuous production?

[FrankenMauser]

.32 S&W Long and the shorter cartridges probably won't feed properly in the Henrys.
They probably had a hard enough time adapting the action to run both .32 H&R and .327 Federal, even though COAL isn't much different.

For light loads, I think the best bet would be light charges of bulky powders in .32 H&R or .327 Federal.

[Cosmodragoon]

I see the .327's potential being a centerfire replacement for .22 LR by using something weak like .32 S&W Long or .32 ACP.

This is true with the revolvers. The .32 S&W Long is widely known as a pussycat in the recoil department. It's also widely known for accuracy, at least in guns chambered for it. (I've never run it through my .327 guns so I don't know if it suffers there.) It might not be "ideal" but I'd also be much happier with .32 S&W Long than a .22 in most defensive situations!

As per the rifle, FrankenMauser already caught it. The new Henry rifle is specifically listed as being for use with .327 Federal and .32 H&R Magnum. The .32 H&R Magnum is often overlooked today but was at least as powerful as "vanilla" (non +p) .38 special in revolver applications, where it also had mild recoil and made an extra shot available. I never had the chance to try it in a rifle but I'd imagine that some of the comparisons to .38 special hold true.

[saleen322]

The new Henry rifle is specifically listed as being for use with .327 Federal and .32 H&R Magnum. The .32 H&R Magnum is often overlooked today but was at least as powerful as "vanilla" (non +p) .38 special in revolver applications, where it also had mild recoil and made an extra shot available. I never had the chance to try it in a rifle but I'd imagine that some of the comparisons to .38 special hold true.

My 327 Fed Mag Blackhawk shoots a 120 SWCGC @ 1520 which generates 616 ft/lbs of energy. The 120 has a sectional density of .176. Going from a 5.5" revolver barrel to a 20" rifle barrel even a very conservative estimate would be a 400 fps gain. That ups the energy to 982 ft/lbs. For comparison, my 41 mag revolver with a 5.5" barrel shoots a 210 XTP (SD .178) @ 1338 fps generating 835 ft/lbs of energy. I don't have numbers for 32 mags as I shot them very little but I would expect them to be at least comparable to standard 38 specials that are generally under 300 ft/lbs.

[Radny97]

I think the real question is whether the 327 mag will get the same velocity increases that the 357 mag does. If so this may turn the 327 mag into a very capable small to mid size game hunting rifle.

[Cosmodragoon]

I think the real question is whether the 327 mag will get the same velocity increases that the 357 mag does. If so this may turn the 327 mag into a very capable small to mid size game hunting rifle.

http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/327mag.html

These guys did some testing of what were then the most available factory ammo choices. (The 115-grain Gold Dot has since been discontinued and replaced with a 100-grain Gold Dot.) You can click to produce a graph of muzzle velocity over barrel length.

[TruthTellers]

.32 S&W Long and the shorter cartridges probably won't feed properly in the Henrys.
They probably had a hard enough time adapting the action to run both .32 H&R and .327 Federal, even though COAL isn't much different.

I don't mind single loading.

[Real Gun]

I would wonder if the 32 SWL was capable of exiting a rifle barrel of any length. Henry makes more 22s than anything else. I would get one of those, if interested in a squirrel gun.