327 LCR soot in your face?

[jski]

You weren't asking me and I need to verify my notes but I'm almost positive my favorite .32 mag load for my LCR is 3.5 gr of Titegroup and a 100 gr LSWC.

I recall that giving me about 950 fps. But I need to look it up and edit my post tomorrow. It may be over pressure in a .32 magnum but it's no stress in a .327 Fed chamber.

The LCR smacks primers well so I can use CCI or whatever I want.

I would like some .327 Fed brass because as you can tell by the numbers even a .32 magnum +p+ is at best slightly ahead of .380 acp. A full-power .327 load can do 9x19 things.

Cartridges become less popular and "dead" is over-used but I have to say, when you can't find .327 even using an ammo search engine, nor is anyone making BRASS for it...it's probably safe to announce the demise of the cartridge.

I would go with Starline brass for .32 H&R +P loads.

Awhile back I emailed Starline's ballistician, Hunter, asking how stout their .32 H&R brass was? I was told: "If you you can find loads, +P or otherwise, published in reputable magazines. e.g., Handloader, our brass is well capable of handling it."

 

[jski]

BTW, I like 85 gr XTP bullets mounted on top of either 11 gr. of H110 or 7 gr. of True Blue for my .32 H&R +P loads. Excellent performance in my 327 LCR.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

Since this thread has veered into discussion of this cartridge's commercial viability and availability, I hope y'all will permit a slight digression:

My most recent brand-new handgun purchase was a Rock Island 1911 in .38 Super. About two years ago (mid-Covid) the local Sportsmans Warehouse had a few of these on sale at a deep discount. Since I load .38 ACP for my 9x23 Astra M400s and Star Modelo Super, I had about 2K of suitable once or twice fired brass on hand. Making .38 Super ammo would just be a matter of adjusting the powder charge, along with being very careful about labeling and segregating loaded ammo.

When I told the sales clerk what I wanted to buy, he warned me about the difficulty I'd be facing about finding the "unusual ammo" for this handgun. He practically tried to talk me out of the purchase, which I believe was to his credit. I had to assure him that I was already quite familiar with the cartridge and could make my own ammo.

From the large retailer's perspective, a gun chambered for a cartridge like .38 Super is a bit of a dog. Their typical customer just wants to buy a new gun that they will shoot with factory ammo, ideally in common cartridge like 9x19, .380 or .38 Special. As with .32 H&R or .327 Federal, they won't restock .38 Super ammo very often or in large lots for fear that it will just sit on the shelves. In fact, I had my gunshop special order a Single Seven for me because they had no plans to stock them.

These retail forces work against any new cartridge that is not supported with substantial military or police contracts.

 

[jski]

These retail forces work against any new cartridge that is not supported with substantial military or police contracts.

There are maybe 1/2 dozen pistol cartridges that can reliably be found on shop selves. That's it.