Is the 327 Mag a flash in the pan?

im not too optimistic.....

just because there is a "place" for ammo.......doesnt necessarily mean there is a "need" or even a "want" for it.....

some people like the big blast of the .357........and those that dont usually go with the .38spl.......the .327 is kind of dancing in between the two.

Just some know-nothing prognostication, per your request:

I worry that the .327 missed its window by about 10-20 years. A decade or two ago, there was widespread (though not universal) interest in light-and-fast handgun rounds; lots of people talked seriously about shock effects in terminal ballistics (energy dump/temporary cavity/blood pressure wave/whatever). At the same time, there was great interest in increasing weapon capacity, and the revolver was getting beaten up badly compared to autos on that basis. In that environment, the .327 could have offered attractive ballistics and the extra round made available might have kept a few users in the revo' camp.

Today, however, it seems that the orthodoxy is for wide bullets that are heavy for caliber, with penetration valued above expansion; shock effects are commonly dismissed as either magical thinking or as something too mercurial and unreliable to be worth chasing in handgun rounds. Revolvers have already lost almost all the agency contracts, and everyone else who wants capacity has just gone to a double-stack auto, too.

None of which is to say that I think the current orthodoxy is 100% right. I have a hard time squaring the most reductive views of terminal ballistics with the long track record of success of the .357. And 7 or 8 rounds seems to be enough for all the guys who still carry a 1911.

If I had to place a bet, I don't think .327 will get any bigger than it currently is. That doesn't mean it's going to "die," though. Go into any serious gun store, and you'll see many dozens of calibers of ammo for sale, with more available via special order. That includes lots of calibers that aren't carried by Wally World and that you'll never get surplus, bulk-buy versions of. I could see the .327 ending up in the same situation as the 10mm (my favorite handgun cartridge): a handful of guns in production offering a variant; ammo available on demand via the internet or large gun stores, but rarely at great prices; and reloaders really having an advantage.

JMHO, of course; I could be, and likely am, wrong about virtually all of it.

.32 H&R is a fine cartridge, but no one was even buying that. Why they thought that if the magnumized that magnum it would sell? Not sure.

Part of it is the guns it came in: who wants to lug around a SP101 that's heavier than the .357 version? If S&W had come out with one of its scandium alloy titanium numbers at 11 oz, that might have helped. But it was a tiny market segment.

I hope not, anyway I just put a hundred dollars worth of brass on order from Midway.........just in case. Got to keep the better half happy & keep her patriot fed.

IMHO, .327 mag seems to fall into an ideal trail/kit gun caliber in the mild woods. There's just fewer & fewer people enjoying a nice, peaceful walk in the woods. Lots more folks are (rightfully) concerned about dangers in the concrete jungle. While I don't dismiss the caliber's defensive effectiveness, I do doubt its traction among CCW fans.

Im agreeing with the above, I do spend a lot of time reading and there dose seem to be a lot more interest than purchases.
You know lots of discussions about what its good and not good for
and lots of threads similar to this around the net.
like ALTDave said it dose seem to be the 10mm of revolvers

I have a SP101 and GP100 in 327 FM. I love both guns, they are very accurate and easy to shoot. My SP101 is my primary carry gun, I slip it into a good pancake holster and it's very easy to carry.

I also reload. Because of that I'm not at the mercy of gun stores having or not ammo. Components are easy to buy online and I mostly use hard cast bullets, but those Hornady bullets are awesome.

I recently asked a simular question to yours on the Ruger forum. I got very few responses. It is what it is. Glocks for semi autos and 357s for snubbies. I do believe that it will be a crying shame if this cartridge dies off. I t is a blast to shoot and I have all the confidence in the world with it as a self defense round.

No idea if its a flash in the pan or not. I do want a Ruger Blackhawk chambered for it though for the reason Ghost Tracker mentioned - it would make a fine woods gun in my bear-less part of the world.

I am just wondering when it is going to take the .357`s spot ?

I had a Ruger Single Six in. 32 H&R when they first came out but grew tired of never being able to find ammo for it, or else paying big bucks for it when I did find it. Sold it and moved on. Don't think I will do that again with the .327 Mag either.

If they would produce a couple of nice target-sighted guns with 4-6" barrels, we might have a different story. Of appropriate size that is, a Single Six from Ruger and a K-frame from S&W.

It was never designed to replace the .357 but folks sure acted like it was.

To concur and continue to bloviate. I imagine the 327FM will attain 41Mag status: meaning that it's a good caliber, but there are other, more popular options. There will be some people who want something more unique than a 38spl or 357mag. The problem is comparison - what do you compare it to? Looking at hodgdon's reloading data, the 327FM is is a little less powerful than the 30 carbine as it takes about 1-2gr less powder for similar weight bullets. When comparing velocity for 115gr bullets it's virtually even with the 9mm. If bullets heavier than 115gr are desired, most people would veer toward 38/357 at that point anyway. I imagine that you will find ammo for a long time, but it will be more expensive than the popular calibers - similar to 38super, 10mm, 41mag, etc.

The .327 is my favorite chambering. That would not be the case if I didn't handload, but for those who do it's great. I shoot my 632 more than any handgun I own. It can be loaded to .22lr energies--quiet as the .22, accurate and no recoil--great for backyard plinking....I use .32 long cases for this application. A 90 gr SWC at about 750 fs using this case or the .32 mag. is a great target and small game load. My hot .32 mag loads surpass the energy of my .38 defense load but without the painful recoil. Full house .327's remind me of hot .38 Super loads...serious medicine. The .32's are versatile and a lot of fun.

Honestly, I don't think the sparks even hit the priming powder in the pan for the proverbial "flash in the pan". .327 is going to be gone, fairly short term. Not tomorrow but I'd hate to be wanting to buy it in a couple ~ three years. Too few firearms chambered to get a critical mass going.

20 years from now I'll be able to buy factory .32 S&W (not long. Original S&W) for my wife's S&W breaktop. Not many loads and it won't be cheap. But it will be out there. I'll bet money you won't be able to buy factory .327.

IMO the .327 Magnum an answer to a question that hasn't been asked. I do feel it has a chance of staying around now that it's been chambered in a SA revolver instead of only a SP101. If a levergun maker like Marlin would chamber it in a 1894 size rifle I think it would help the round a lot. Having a Carbine/SA revolver combo that is much like the 32-20 will probably keep the .327 Magnum around for a while as long as factory ammo becomes more readily available...

Although, I would not buy one because I already have a 1894C in .357 Magnum and a Ruger SA .357 Magnum. (or 2 or 3 lol)

I'll bet money you won't be able to buy factory .327.

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There are already too many guns available for that to be true. Contrary to popular belief, commercial chamberings do not just go away overnight.

wlewisiii said:

Honestly, I don't think the sparks even hit the priming powder in the pan for the proverbial "flash in the pan". .327 is going to be gone, fairly short term. Not tomorrow but I'd hate to be wanting to buy it in a couple ~ three years. Too few firearms chambered to get a critical mass going.

20 years from now I'll be able to buy factory .32 S&W (not long. Original S&W) for my wife's S&W breaktop. Not many loads and it won't be cheap. But it will be out there. I'll bet money you won't be able to buy factory .327.

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Then the wife will just have to shoot .32 S&W in her Patriot simple as that..............

303tom,

I personally, doubt anything will replace the venerable .357! Too good of a round to toss!

One particular THR member is a HUGE .327 fan and has proclaimed it's many virtues. (forget the fellow's name. Nice guy)

Despite his trying, I just don't "get it". Despite claims I just can't wrap my head around "357 performance with 38 recoil" because there is no free lunch.

So for me, it is an answer to a question I am not asking.

But I know a bunch of folks like it, so I hope it hangs around.

To the OP...will it? I think so.

I sure hope so because I really want one.

Guillermo said:

One particular THR member is a HUGE .327 fan and has proclaimed it's many virtues. (forget the fellow's name. Nice guy)

Despite his trying, I just don't "get it". Despite claims I just can't wrap my head around "357 performance with 38 recoil" because there is no free lunch.

So for me, it is an answer to a question I am not asking.

But I know a bunch of folks like it, so I hope it hangs around.

To the OP...will it? I think so.

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You darn right with #`s like this, both from a 6in. barrel.

.327 Fed. Mag. 100gr. JHP at 1,880 fps & 790 ft. lbs. of energy.

.357 Mag. 125gr. JHP at 1,620 fps & 715 ft. lbs. of energy.

Nope the .357 Mag. is not going away anytime soon, but with numbers like this who would not what a .327 Mag.

You darn right with #`s like this

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I do not question the numbers.

I just can't wrap my head around "357 performance with 38 recoil" because there is no free lunch

Click to expand...

this is the answer I have been looking for

(I know it is not written in the form of a question...but u get it)

I predict that it'll go the way of the 10mm auto.