.327 availability

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Hunter2011

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I'm thinking of getting a .327 7-shotter or 8-shotter. I will go 6-shotter if I don't get the others. I like the caliber, although I never owned it before.
Will this caliber go the way of the dodo, or will you be able to buy ammo for it for years to come?
What revolvers are available in this caliber? Any size barrel. New or secondhand.

Thanks guys and gals
 
Ammo is around. Guns not so much. All a e currently out of production, used GP100s are going for $1k+ on auction sites...
 
I'm afraid it's headed for the grave as far as ammo goes. It got a stigma of being a wimpy .357 or a ladies defense caliber. I really like the cartridge and plan to get one if I can find one priced right, but if I do I will buy 3000 or more brass and stockpile bullets to feed the gun for a few years. Good luck.
 
327 Revolvers from the mainstream companies (S&W, Taurus, Ruger) are all out of production. There are still NIB Taurus 327 Snubs out there, but they're going for $500 to $600 these days. Rugers are going for $1,000 or more. I think the only company still producing the 327 revolver is Freedom Arms, and they are single actions.
 
I'm afraid it's headed for the grave as far as ammo goes.
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This is completely unfounded. They don't produce guns for several years and then immediately stop producing ammo. Not as long as people are buying it.
 
CraigC said:
This is completely unfounded. They don't produce guns for several years and then immediately stop producing ammo. Not as long as people are buying it.
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Perhaps not immediately. But he did say "headed for" the grave, not already in it. Remington no longer makes ammo for the 6.5 Remington Magnum or the 350 Remington Magnum and they made rifles for them within recent years. Winchester no longer makes ammo for the 358 Winchester and rifles are still being made.

Now there are at least three different manufacturers making 327 now so it won't disappear tomorrow. If I owned one I would stock up on brass now while you can get it. Bullets should be no problem.
 
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I'm afraid it's headed for the grave as far as ammo goes. It got a stigma of being a wimpy .357 or a ladies defense caliber. I really like the cartridge and plan to get one if I can find one priced right, but if I do I will buy 3000 or more brass and stockpile bullets to feed the gun for a few years. Good luck.
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Whatever, man, but I can't imagine needing 3000, when reloading. The cases are .25-48 cents each currently, so I settled for 300 and another 100 in bought ammo. I would have to do a heck of a lot of reloading to wear myself down to the last 50 usable cases. I will grab more at any especially good price but have better things to do with the money it would take to buy 3000.

Mine is a Ruger SP101 3+", 6 shot. I believe the .327 Federal Magnum is the ideal caliber for this gun.

The Smith 632 Carry Comp in 327 Fed Mag is fugly.
 
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Originally Posted by CraigC View Post
This is completely unfounded. They don't produce guns for several years and then immediately stop producing ammo. Not as long as people are buying it.

Perhaps not immediately. But he did say "headed for" the grave, not already in it. Remington no longer makes ammo for the 6.5 Remington Magnum or the 350 Remington Magnum and they made rifles for them within recent years. Winchester no longer makes ammo for the 358 Winchester and rifles are still being made.

Now there are at least three different manufacturers making 327 now so it won't disappear tomorrow. If I owned one I would stock up on brass now while you can get it. Bullets should be no problem.
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Yesterday I bought two boxes of Federal Hydra Shok 85 gr on clearance price in our new Cabela's store...one box left. It will likely disappear as a slow mover on LGS shelves, but online sellers should have a market indefinitely.
 
The Smith 632 does have that Sikorsky nose. I'll overlook that for the better trigger and lighter weight and smaller size than the SP101
The 32 cal has been around for a long time and being able to shoot 4 different cartridges attracted me to buy mine. I would encourage all to get one if you can, and like I did, petition Ruger to make more.
 
The Smith 632 does have that Sikorsky nose. I'll overlook that for the better trigger and lighter weight and smaller size than the SP101
The 32 cal has been around for a long time and being able to shoot 4 different cartridges attracted me to buy mine. I would encourage all to get one if you can, and like I did, petition Ruger to make more.
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Watch out for that lighter weight part, because you will trade weight for recoil and be right back in that "rude little magnum" quandary. The SP101 is light enough and already too light for full power 357.
 
Cases last me around 8-10 shots normally. So 25000 shots over the course of the next 50 years is far from unbelievable. That's basically a box a month...so yeah that's where I would feel comfortable. At 29 years of age I expect to see another 50, or at least close to it.
 
Shotter, now that is an odd made up word. Nothing personal but I would be hard pressed to respect the views some one using such vocabulary, but then again I don't guess it's any worst than ' shotty' or ; remmie ':rolleyes:
 
Cases last me around 8-10 shots normally. So 25000 shots over the course of the next 50 years is far from unbelievable. That's basically a box a month...so yeah that's where I would feel comfortable. At 29 years of age I expect to see another 50, or at least close to it.
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Lifetime supply, eh? Better get started on that $1000 stash of brass, because most I have seen is offered in lots of 100. With similar projections of usage by others, the system could get scrubbed pretty quickly. First you might buy one of the guns in that caliber. Get all your casting and reloading needs for hundreds more. Be sure to buy enough JHPs to make your own SD ammo.
 
I do plan to start casting, so cases are really the issue. And yes, 30 packages of brass would be expensive but I wouldn't be in the .256winmag type predicament I'm already in with a second caliber. At least I can form those from .357. I don't know of a way to form 327 brass.
 
I haven't seen a box of it on any store shelf for a year and a half. I know this because I was curious about the round and want to look one over close up. (Though I am satisfied with the chamberings I own currently and didnt plan to buy 327 gun or ammo.)
 
So Realgun, you sold all your 22s recently right? Because you can't get ammo it's worthless? Oh and your 300 cases would last me 4 years at best. Good luck replacing them when they are all cracked and nobody is making them.

My point is still the same. If you buy a ______ caliber and you see a chance of that round going obsolete, figure up what your lifetime needs are and build a stockpile. Be proactive instead of reactive and risk not finding the rounds or brass, or paying out the nose for them.
 
West Kentucky, I cast bullets for my .327 federal mag, I use Lees 90 gr semi-wadcutter for tumble lube. That mold is .002" over bore and the bullets don't lead my bore at all.
It's the only revolver I own that will shoot lead without leading the barrel. Wheel weight lead alloyed to about a 12 bnl.

I just bought 500 cases from Starline about a month ago. I thought it was funny that I can't buy .357mag brass to save my life since everything is "no backorder" but I was able to order .327 fed mag and waited until they ran it.

I like my .327 SP101 and I'm glad I bought it. As far as a women's defense gun I don't think most women would like the full magnum ammo.
 
.32 H&R brass & ammo has been available since whenever and Federal still makes it. I expect they will support a round with their name on it for quite a while.

Also I am thinking as the Current Emergency starts to wind down there will be more room in production schedules for slow selling models.
 
I've got a Taurus 327 snub revolver, a Ruger GP-100, and a Ruger SP-101 in .327 Federal magnum.

Very fine guns one and all.

Ruger made a New model Blackhawk that takes 8 rounds.

Charter Arms made a snub revolver as well.

The Taurus and Ruger SP-101 are 6 shot models and the Ruger GP holds 7. I've got a few each of these to go along with all three guns. http://www.5starfirearms.com/327-Caliber/departments/7/

I love the .32 calibers as they are very versatile and fun cartridges to use. New shooters take to them like ducks to water.
 
I too have wanted one since they came into production, but I decided to wait and see how things go. So as a result of the rather sharp drop in manufacturers of both ammo and firearms, I have decided to stick with my .357's.

GS
 
So Realgun, you sold all your 22s recently right? Because you can't get ammo it's worthless? Oh and your 300 cases would last me 4 years at best. Good luck replacing them when they are all cracked and nobody is making them.

My point is still the same. If you buy a ______ caliber and you see a chance of that round going obsolete, figure up what your lifetime needs are and build a stockpile. Be proactive instead of reactive and risk not finding the rounds or brass, or paying out the nose for them.
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Before getting too defensive, just consider that your math is based on the presumption that it makes sense to shoot heavy volumes of a caliber for which the supply line is tenuous. If you have the money, do as you please. It just seemed to me that a gun requiring a concurrent purchase of $1000 worth of brass didn't make much sense. ICBW.

I bought 22s by the case, so I'm good, especially when I bought some that were lead and then found out I couldn't use at indoor matches. I don't shoot 22 matches anymore, and don't want to use up the precious supply, so I don't shoot 22 much. I have an AR conversion kit for 22 which is still in the packaging. See all the logic there? You don't sell the guns...you shoot less, if at all. If you don't yet own a gun associated with an ammo supply problem, why buy one that you would prefer to shoot freely?
 
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My 2 1/8" 632 Pro, the last to be released from S&W and the first dropped by them, has chambered and fired five calibers. They include .32 ACP (vestigial rim), .32 S&W, .32 S&WL, .32 H&RM, and .327 Fed Mag. I 'got in line' with Starline and bought my big bag of .327 brass there last year, adding to my stash from shooting Speer 115gr Gold Dots (Hot!) in 20rd boxes and 100gr Fed SP in 50rd boxes. Then there are my thousands of .32 S&WL reloads and fresh brass - I'm good to go - for a bit. Ammo was available, too. BTW, the .32 S&WL loads are all day shooters, while those 115gr Gold Dots in .327 Fed Mag will get your attention.

Stainz
 
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