Debating LCR in .22 mag or .327 mag

[Cosmodragoon]

Every 327 LCR should come with a reloading kit. Over the counter prices on that ammo are for folks that do not plan on doing a lot of shooting and training, or have some very deep pockets.

This is a persistent critique of .327 Federal. Of course, this is the case for a lot of cartridges with smaller shares of the market.

The cheapest major-brand commercial load in .327 continues to be the American Eagle JSP. It now comes in two weights: 85 and 100 grain. Both can usually be found in a box of fifty for around $25. Poking around for deals, I usually buy it for $22-something. That's roughly a little worse than .357 Sig, on par with 5.7x28, and better than .41 magnum. As with any of those choices for whatever application, you have to weigh the increased ammo costs with whatever special benefits the cartridge has to offer. In the case of .327 Federal, there are three:

1. Striking a favorable balance of power and recoil somewhere between 9mm and .357 magnum;

2. Having the option to use a bunch of other .32-caliber cartridges including but not limited to .32 H&R Magnum and .32 S&W Long;

3. Having a six-shooter on a frame that traditionally holds five.

Getting back to cost, a major problem facing .327 Federal was that before the 85-grain American Eagle was introduced, there wasn't really a cheap load specifically for target practice and plinking. It was defensive ammo at defensive ammo prices or the 100-grain JSP from American Eagle. Ironically, that "cheap" 100-grain JSP is pretty hot. It has the same advertised velocity as the 100-grain Gold Dots. That's fine for people using the full-sized steel revolvers and probably great for people looking to hunt with the longer-barreled models or a Henry Rifle. In the little LCR though, felt recoil was much closer to the .357 end of the spectrum for that first benefit. I think it turned some people off.

The introduction of the 85-grain American Eagle JSP is a good thing. While the 100-grain load was advertised at the same 1500fps as the Gold Dots, the 85-grain load is advertised at a milder 1400fps. That's the same advertised velocity as the 85-grain Hydra-Shoks which I find well-balanced in the LCR and trust as my personal carry ammo. (Actual numbers for the Hydra-Shoks are closer to 1200fps when fired from the little LCR and that's good enough for me.)

[Doc Holliday 1950]

I've found that I can get excellent prices for my wife's NIB 327 Ruger snub in stainless steel on Ammoseek.com. The 327 Fed SD ammo is running from $21 & up & the S&W long starting at $12.62 & up. I forgot to add the 32 ACP which runs under $10 a box can be used for both SD & TP(I think?)
I hope that as more people buy the 327 that the cost for the ammo will drop. Wishfull thinking???

[Doc Holliday 1950]

I forgot to add that my wife immediately liked the feel of the 327 vs. her lcr 22 LR. as for me,
I feel a lot more comfortable with her carrying the 327 vs. the 22 as a carry revolver & so does she. She actually wants to go to the range with me now. If I have to pay more for her ammo then so be it. Her safety is more important than $$$$.

[Targa]

.32 s&w $12.80 50 round box, .327 just over $20 a box, 32 H&R being the priciest at over $30 a box....that is not terrible. That was just using gundeals to find those prices, other search engines could probably provide better options.

[TruthTellers]

Originally Posted by Doc Holliday 1950

I've found that I can get excellent prices for my wife's NIB 327 Ruger snub in stainless steel on Ammoseek.com. The 327 Fed SD ammo is running from $21 & up & the S&W long starting at $12.62 & up. I forgot to add the 32 ACP which runs under $10 a box can be used for both SD & TP(I think?)
I hope that as more people buy the 327 that the cost for the ammo will drop. Wishfull thinking???

If nobody other than Federal/Speer starts loading .327 it sure is. It's not solely a competition thing as economies of scale is what really lowers prices, but only having one company load for the cartridge doesn't help.

To make a comparison, the best one I can come up with is .45 GAP. It's a relatively new cartridge as is .327, but .45 GAP has several companies that make ammo for it and had more years back. It keeps the ammo manufacturers honest with price and if Company A raises the price too high, people buy cheaper ammo from Company B instead.

And bringing up .45 Gap, if the excuse among other companies like Remington, Winchester, Hornady, etc. in not loading .327 is lack of market share, that's BS because these same companies are making ammo for .45 GAP even tho that cartridge is more obsolete than .327 is.

Unless the civilian gun market in other countries outside the US where so called "military calibers" are not legal for private citizens to own, I see no reason why those companies are still making .45 GAP.

[TruthTellers]

Originally Posted by Targa

.32 s&w $12.80 50 round box, .327 just over $20 a box, 32 H&R being the priciest at over $30 a box....that is not terrible. That was just using gundeals to find those prices, other search engines could probably provide better options.

Those are online prices, not physical retail store prices. As much as we're in the modern age with internet buying, the new gun owner, you know those people we want on our side to help resist gun control, they're not spending their free time talking guns on the internet and buying gun stuff. To them, if they don't see the ammo at the store or is such an outrageous price, they're not gonna buy the guns that shoot them.

And this is why .327, while better than .32 H&R in every way, is destined to forever just barely stay afloat in the market while the .32 S&W L. has been around over 100 years longer will never disappear and will always remain low in price simply because there are more guns that shoot it.

[Doc Holliday 1950]

That's why I went to my GS to show them what could be have on line & the owner thanked me. His ammo prices are quite competitive. I don't mind buying ammo from him & I also bought 3 guns from them and their prices matched Buds.
His service is 5 star & so is his staff. This one of the first GS's that I found that wasn't sleazy & they also have a large amount of ladies that shop there. It's not a huge GS but they actually carry a coulple of cases with NIB & used revolvers & pistols which a lot of stores carry mostly pistols

When Blue Nile first opened online all of the retail jewelers when bats. How could they combat the much lower prices on Diamonds They panicked but forgot that CS & personal advice & care matered more. In the past I said I'd never buy from a GS. Well looks like I didn't have the right GS & I was wrong.

[WheelGunMan]

I own both an LCR.22WMR and a LCRx.22WMR and had experienced FTF often....then I changed ammo manufacturers and have not experienced any problems since.

I was using Winchester Super X 40 grain JHP and FMJ...found it to be filthy dirty, of poor quality (a lot of bent and mis-formed cases in multiple boxes), and too many FTF's every time I used it. I would have to run a bore snake thru it and brush under the ejector star about every 10 rounds so I could get the cases to seat in the cylinder. Time spent at the range was frustrating....then I found a solution that was easy...I quit using that junk.

I shoot pretty much CCI thru it now and have had "0" FTF's with it....and I can run a 100 rounds thru it and it's still pretty clean...requiring only minimal cleanup.

I have had the LCR longer, it's probably seen +1500 rounds down the pipe and I find the hammer spring seems to have softened over time. I attribute that to the spring softening somewhat and the general meshing wear of parts from lots of use. The wife shoots it quite a bit and she loves it. She generally shoots 50 rounds per range session and has no complaints about the trigger pull effort.

The .22WMR under rated, highly effective high pressure round, regardless of what the naysayers state...I would highly recommend it for a self defense arm.