.327 Federal.....

Scooter22 said:
I know nothing about it but what I read. My son is thinking about getting one of the small revolvers chambered in it to carry. He has several other small carry semi autos but thinks he wants one of these. What do you think. Thanks.
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Does he reload? If not, is he okay with the price of factory ammo and having to buy it online?

Further, is he intending to use .327 or the .32 H&R or .32 S&W Long? If he winds up using any of the shorter, less powerful than .327 calibers in it, he's going to lose power by doing so compared to if he shot the .32 H&R or .32 S&W Long in a .32 H&R revolver(check my thread recently about this https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/more-data-on-velocity-loss-with-327.939039/) and that reduces effectiveness.

The one benefit for .327 is Taurus makes the cheapest snub on the market and it's excellent, I have one. Ruger makes an LCR in both .32 H&R and .327 Magnum, so at that price point he'd have a choice. S&W only makes a .32 H&R, great sights, but I question if it's worth the price that's asked for it.

My bottom line currently is if someone isn't going to use .327 in their .327, then they should buy a .32 H&R and the benefit for the .32 H&R isn't just higher velocity, but Ruger and S&W are making them on ultralight frames, so they're lighter.
 
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The 327 has quite a bit of power, bark, and recoil in small revolvers. In my opinion if you like the 357 mag in snubs, then you will like the 327.

For myself, the best thing about a 327 snub is being able to shoot 32 H&R mags or 32 S&W Longs.

The 32 H&R is much more manageable for myself. The 32 S&W Long is down right pleasant and tends to have the better availability from what i have seen.

The 327 snubs are not available in an airweight format....the 32 H&R is available in lighter weight snubs.
 
Scooter22 said:
I know nothing about it but what I read. My son is thinking about getting one of the small revolvers chambered in it to carry. He has several other small carry semi autos but thinks he wants one of these. What do you think. Thanks.
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It is an awful carry caliber. I had one, and loved it but it’s absolutely wrong for carry outside of a VERY specific role.

Let’s start with the platforms. Heavy, generally bulky, and short barrel. Heavy sucks for carry. Bulky sucks for concealment. Short barrel is the wrong way to go for this caliber. More on that in a sec.

Let’s look at function. Crazy pressure (why there’s need for lots of steel generating the bulk and weight) and very fast with a huge fireball, exacerbated by short barrel. The pressure is realistically in light rifle category and that makes report a very loud and high pitched assault on your senses. You feel it, you hear it, then you don’t hear anything for a while. The flash is pretty bad too. Now, with that in mind imagine setting off heavy duty firecrackers inside of a metal trash can with your head inside the trash can with it. That’s what it’s gonna be like if the 327 is used indoors. It will damage hearing badly. Shooting outside in open fields I was doubling up on ear protection and still getting tinnitus.

Let’s consider power. It’s 9mm power give or take, but it’s in an odd configuration. Small light bullet at extreme speed. Not much for penetration but explosive expansion, or deep penetration without much expansion. Not much in the middle for good carry ammo. For that reason you’re better off with 38+p or 9mm because there’s good ammo readily available.

Now, all of that said, there’s one situation that a .327 makes good sense for defense. That’s riding on a hip as a hiking gun in places where people are not on the menu. Still not a great choice due to weight of the platform, but it’s a good generally accurate cartridge with plenty of power for woods carry. It can take down nearly anything out there shy of a moose. The big caveat here though is that it needs to be a longer barreled gun, and then we are right back to talking about whether it makes sense over a .357 and it’s hard to argue for the 327 in that scenario. Ammo is lighter, but how many rounds is a person going to pack on the Appalachian Trail? The difference in weight savings is also going to be nullified by weight of the gun because most 327s are built on 357 platforms just with a smaller hole in the barrel meaning that more metal is left in the barrel which is heavier on the gun side.

Having been there and done that, I’m glad I got out of 327. It’s great on paper, but in reality it’s kind of a goofy thing in that it doesn’t really fit anywhere that there’s not already something better, that’s very similar to it. Pocket revolver-38spl is better. Hip revolver-tossup for most purposes, 357 is going to be easier to feed and cheaper too. Light rifle/carbine 30carbine is similar and made to feed in a semiauto. 327 in a lever gun or single shot rifle again 357 eats its lunch.
It’s too much pressure for a handgun. Too light of a round for a rifle.
 
contender said:
The 327 has quite a bit of power, bark, and recoil in small revolvers. In my opinion if you like the 357 mag in snubs, then you will like the 327.

For myself, the best thing about a 327 snub is being able to shoot 32 H&R mags or 32 S&W Longs.

The 32 H&R is much more manageable for myself. The 32 S&W Long is down right pleasant and tends to have the better availability from what i have seen.

The 327 snubs are not available in an airweight format....the 32 H&R is available in lighter weight snubs.
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My latest S&W 432 UC weighs 13 ounces.
IMG_2131.jpeg IMG_2132.jpeg
 
WestKentucky said:
It is an awful carry caliber. I had one, and loved it but it’s absolutely wrong for carry outside of a VERY specific role.

Let’s start with the platforms. Heavy, generally bulky, and short barrel. Heavy sucks for carry. Bulky sucks for concealment. Short barrel is the wrong way to go for this caliber. More on that in a sec.

Let’s look at function. Crazy pressure (why there’s need for lots of steel generating the bulk and weight) and very fast with a huge fireball, exacerbated by short barrel. The pressure is realistically in light rifle category and that makes report a very loud and high pitched assault on your senses. You feel it, you hear it, then you don’t hear anything for a while. The flash is pretty bad too. Now, with that in mind imagine setting off heavy duty firecrackers inside of a metal trash can with your head inside the trash can with it. That’s what it’s gonna be like if the 327 is used indoors. It will damage hearing badly. Shooting outside in open fields I was doubling up on ear protection and still getting tinnitus.

Let’s consider power. It’s 9mm power give or take, but it’s in an odd configuration. Small light bullet at extreme speed. Not much for penetration but explosive expansion, or deep penetration without much expansion. Not much in the middle for good carry ammo. For that reason you’re better off with 38+p or 9mm because there’s good ammo readily available.

Now, all of that said, there’s one situation that a .327 makes good sense for defense. That’s riding on a hip as a hiking gun in places where people are not on the menu. Still not a great choice due to weight of the platform, but it’s a good generally accurate cartridge with plenty of power for woods carry. It can take down nearly anything out there shy of a moose. The big caveat here though is that it needs to be a longer barreled gun, and then we are right back to talking about whether it makes sense over a .357 and it’s hard to argue for the 327 in that scenario. Ammo is lighter, but how many rounds is a person going to pack on the Appalachian Trail? The difference in weight savings is also going to be nullified by weight of the gun because most 327s are built on 357 platforms just with a smaller hole in the barrel meaning that more metal is left in the barrel which is heavier on the gun side.

Having been there and done that, I’m glad I got out of 327. It’s great on paper, but in reality it’s kind of a goofy thing in that it doesn’t really fit anywhere that there’s not already something better, that’s very similar to it. Pocket revolver-38spl is better. Hip revolver-tossup for most purposes, 357 is going to be easier to feed and cheaper too. Light rifle/carbine 30carbine is similar and made to feed in a semiauto. 327 in a lever gun or single shot rifle again 357 eats its lunch.
It’s too much pressure for a handgun. Too light of a round for a rifle.
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The OP isn't asking how .327 is from a rifle, he's asking how it is for a snub, so let's stay focused on that for his sake.

The reason .327 was made was to have an option in the caliber that was close to .357 from a short barrel, yet had less recoil and held 6 instead of 5. I've never shot a .357 from a snub or a similar weight as I have .327, but the .327 does have less recoil than .357 and .32 H&R has less than .38 and from a snub those are beneficial. Blast between .357 and .327 is the same: a lot. .32 Mag and .38+P, it's about the same.

Data has shown the .32's are capable, they pass FBI requirements, and in terms of ammo availability for short barrels for .32 H&R, .327, .38, .357... all are tough to get the right stuff for. Generic range ammo? Sure, .38 and .357 are more available, but prices for everything revolver have been high since Covid.

My focus for the OP is to inform him that the .327 has a quirk and it's that it shoots .32 H&R and .32 S&W Long slower than what a .32 H&R chambered revolver does. That's important because 50 to 60 FPS makes a difference when we're talking hollow point expansion bullet penetration.
 
Scooter22 said:
I know nothing about it but what I read. My son is thinking about getting one of the small revolvers chambered in it to carry. He has several other small carry semi autos but thinks he wants one of these. What do you think. Thanks.
Click to expand...

My wife has a Ruger LCRx in .327 magnum with a Crimson Trace laser grip. The strongest ammo she uses in that gun is .32 H&R magnum. The aluminum frame .32 H&R LCR wasn't a thing yet when she got the LCRx.

If one is considering belt carry, the LCR in .327 is not heavy. My wife's steel (and polymer) framed .327 LCRx weighs 20 ounces loaded with 6 rounds of .32 Magnum. Which is a whole lot lighter than my S&W 66-2 with 2.5" barrel at 37 ounces loaded. Both with Crimson Trace laser grips mounted.

If considering pocket carry, my wife's .327 LCRx is only 4 ounces heavier than my aluminum (and polymer) framed Charter Arms Undercoverette in .32 H&R magnum. 20 ounces versus 16 ounces fully loaded*. And I do pocket carry the Undercoverette on occasion.

In my experience, weight in a pocket is more noticed in loose pants than snug pants, due to the ability for a small gun to swing more freely in the loose pants. Khakis versus jeans, if you can imagine.

*Reduce those loaded numbers to empty to get 18 ounces in the CT equipped LCRx versus 14 ounces in the plain Uncercoverette.

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I have two guns in 327

1743427495491.jpeg

Both are shot regularly with 32 H&R and 32 S&W Long. The LCR and the Bond both come in around 17 ounces each. That is about as heavy as i will go for a pocket gun.

I am already invested and too old to change horses now. So i most likely will not look at lighter options for myself. Ruger has finally got around to producing an airweight version of the LCR in 32 HR mag and Bond finally has the Fireball 327 featherweight available, but i can't justify the additional expense to change guns at this stage in life.
 
NorthBorder said:
I've been thinking a lot on that same idea. I reload but just don't know if I want to start reloading a new caliber.
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Fortunately if you do decide to make the leap, there are just two reloading setups that can cover nearly all .30-.32 revolver cartridges. These will allow you to blow money on all kinds of new and interesting revolvers.

You can use one set of dies for .32 ACP, .32 S&W, .32 Long, .32 H&R, .327 Fed and (wait for it) 8mm Gasser. You just need a couple different shellholders and make some depth adjustments when switching between case lengths.

The other setup for .32-20 is also usable for just about any late-19th century military Euro revolver cartridge other than the Austrian Rast & Gasser. Included are the 8mm French Ordnance, 7.5 Swiss Ordnance, 7.62 Nagant for both Swedish and Russian revolvers (minus the gas seal function.) Use Nagant or 32-20 brass cut down to 1" and HBWC bullets seated flush -- I've shot this one load in all of these revolvers except the two Webleys.

MilitaryRevolvers052024.jpg

That leaves some .30/.32 outlier handgun cartridges, such as the .30 Carbine Ruger Blackhawk and the bottlenecked .30 autopistol rounds (Luger and Borchardt/Mauser/Tokarev), but you probably shouldn't buy one of those guns unless you've thought through the ammo issue first.
 
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There’s more than a few .357 owners that will say the .327FM was an answer to a question that was never asked. That’s probably true for folks who ALREADY owned a 357.

However, if starting from scratch the .327FM should at least be considered. That doesn’t mean the shopper won’t end up with a .357 after careful consideration.

I’m an unabashed .327FM fanboy and I own my fair share of .357’s. Love em both.

I used to carry an 3.2 inch SP101 in .357. Still have it. Replaced it about a decade ago with an 3.2 inch SP101 in .327 FM. Wanted that sixth shot. Carry’s well but it’s a little chunky. Well, they both are actually. However, they conceal well. This .327FM is wearing pink grips as my wife liked them when she saw them and we plan to work up some light to heavy .32 H&R mag for her to shoot through it.

IMG_2240.jpeg

Some months back I bought a lightly used 6 shot Taurus in .32 H&R mag. About a four inch barrel. Handling it there’s a quantum difference in perceived svelteness over the Sp101’s. I have faith the .32 H&R will get the job done if ever pressed into service for its intended purpose. I’m not hung up on the horse power difference between the FM and H&R. Until I owned the Taurus I wasn’t really feeling the need to go the H&R route. Full house .327 FM loads just don’t bother me. Granted, as stated in other posts, the muzzle blast, flash and sound signature is there in spades but can be mitigated somewhat with hand loads.

IMG_2239.jpeg

The 7-shot GP100 was my first .327 FM. It’s my test bed for loads at the max end of things. I’ve never CC’d it. I know some folks here have said they carry a GP100 but for me it’s a tad on the large side. With a pic of the GP and a S7BH side by side. Note the thickness of the GP top strap compared compared to the S7BH

IMG_2243.jpeg

IMG_2242.jpeg

Although this thread is focused on a carry gun for your son I’ll toss in the following just for FYI as they related to the caliber being discussed.

The Single Sevens are just all around great plinking and ranch/farm/hiking guns. Light and low recoil depending on what you have them loaded with.

IMG_2237.jpeg

The Single Sixes in .32 H&R are absolute jewels and high up on my ideal ‘kit gun’ meter. In a pinch they could pull double duty as a CCW if working the hammer cowboy action style….trigger pulled back and held while hammer is cocked and dropped repeatedly.

IMG_2238.jpeg

Reloading for both the FM and H&R is straightforward and relatively economical. Fair amount of data out there now vs. just a few years back. Brian Pearce articles are a must have on the topic for these calibers. Heaviest .327FM I’ve loaded are 130 grain cast lead. In my experience the heavier bullets are more accurate across the spectrum of powders I’ve experimented with.

Always makes me smile how flat the .327 FM shoots at extended distances of 50-100 yards.
 
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I have a couple of revolvers in that caliber. The noise and recoil seem a lot less than my similar revolvers in 357, though that's just my opinion.

No reason not to use one for SD. It goes bang and makes a hole in things. The math people say it would hurt a target about as much as 38 or 9mm.

There's no reason to be super critical about it. It's interesting to try new things.

Taurus Model 327.jpg

Taurus Model 327.jpg


Ruger SP101 327

Ruger SP101 327

 
Scooter22 said:
I know nothing about it but what I read. My son is thinking about getting one of the small revolvers chambered in it to carry. He has several other small carry semi autos but thinks he wants one of these. What do you think. Thanks.
Click to expand...
Good power, size, and capacity in a small package. You can shoot six calibers in it, if I'm not mistaken. Pretty versatile. The biggest down side of the caliber, IMO, is ammo price and availability. The same was true of 5.7 x 28 mm years ago, so perhaps if it takes off a little more that might help.
 
TTv2 said:
The OP isn't asking how .327 is from a rifle, he's asking how it is for a snub, so let's stay focused on that for his sake.
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The point was valid, in pointing out the working pressure is more what you would expect to find in a light rifle-class cartridge. And firing such a cartridge in very a short barrel comes at the cost of blast, flash, and concussion noticeably greater than what you would get from other cartridges in the same type of snubnose revolver.

My only real experience with the .327 Fed is in the large frame Blackhawk. I bought this 8-shooter more because I like unique guns than from any real need that couldn’t have been met by some other firearm.

I had considered getting a 4.2” SP-101, but ultimately decided not to. I’d owned a 3” one of these in .357 Mag, but never warmed up to it. It was too heavy for pocket carry, and I would prefer a 6-shot revolver if worn on the belt. Although the 6-shot .327 version looks just about right in this size frame.

After shooting the Blackhawk, I can imagine all of the shortcomings of a snubby in this cartridge. While it would do the job, I think there are others that would do as well or better.

Just my opinion.

.327 shown below the ballistically similar .30 Carbine.

PiNLIZV.jpeg
 
Recently bought a ruger sp101 in 327, shoots 32 hr mag, long, and short flawlessly. Great gun and caliber
 
NorthBorder said:
Yeah, I succumbed to the lust (the 1st deadly sin) and ordered a Lipsey"s SP101 at the LGS this week. Its a blue steel with 3" barrel and adjustable sights. Then I ordered the dies and brass from Midway. Things should be here sometime in the next week or so. I'm probably going to Hell.
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I wish I had waited to get my standard Ruger Sp101 in .327, cause just a few months after I did they announced that Lipsey's exclusive. It matches the larger Lipsey's exclusive GP100 in .327 so well in appearance that it would have been really nice to have a pair of each.

Instead now I have two distinctly different looking revolvers in the same caliber from the same manufacturer and its just a bit jarring to see them next to each other.
 
NorthBorder said:
Yeah, I succumbed to the lust (the 1st deadly sin) and ordered a Lipsey"s SP101 at the LGS this week. I'm probably going to Hell.
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Look for me…we can compare load data…I’ll be wearing an old faded Randy Gradishar jersey and drinking a Shiner Bock.
 
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