??? 44, 41,or 327 mag rifle???

[NorthBorder]

So, I have the 45LC and 357 mag covered in both rifles and revolvers.
Now I am asking them that know on THR to steer me in a direction. I have previously owned and hand loaded for the 44 mag revolvers. I have no experience with the other two. But Henry makes them in lever guns. Use would be for poking holes in targets and possibly hunting (although I am not sure where the 327 mag would fit in for hunting prospects). Right now it is an open book for me and I'm hoping ya'll write the pages for me. What are your experiences with these cartridges in a rifle? What are any pros or cons that you have experienced? Which one makes you the happiest? And, of course, what rifle?
We on THR are truly blessed with such a diverse membership with a wealth of knowledge and experience who love to share.

 

[gotboostvr]

If you cast your own bullets, the 327 will be the cheapest to feed by a good margin.

Theres nothing the 44 will do that the 45 won't.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

Given that you have a 45LC and .357 I think .327 is the choice. Flat shooting round, new rifle ammo from Federal due out for it soon (or was soon but with covid its anyone's guess).

.327 is great if you are into the 32 fam of cartridges (32L, 32mag). Likely good for small deer if you are taking careful shots.

 

[Obturation]

The 44 isn't going to do much for you. The 41 about the same. The 327 may offer you some fast flat shooting cartridges that have a little diameter and a little weight , that's what I would go with.

 

[js8588]

327 would be my pick. Will harvest a deer inside 100 yards just fine out of a long gun & you'll do it with virtually no recoil & not too much blast. As Jeff Quinn said, dandy little round.

 

[greyling22]

I'M going to vote for the 41 mag. No personal experience with it, and probably the most expensive to feed, but just such a neat idea for a round. My unicorn gun is the Marlin 1894ss LTD in 41 mag. Stainless, laminate stocks, 16" barrel, fiber sights..... Yum.

 

[Charlie98]

I have a Marlin 1894FG... .41MAG, it's one of my favorite rifles and it probably gets as much use as anything else in the safe, outside of the AR's. It is a handloaders proposition, however. I have 3 .41MAG pistols to go with it... it's a happy family.

Giving the devil it's due, there is nothing a .41 does that a .44 lever can't do, either, it's just my personal preference. I don't own a .44 or a .357... I cover everything with the .41's.

When the .327 came out, I was all excited about it... the '327' being my favorite V-8 engine, too... but, again, back to the .41, it does everything it could do. Like the .41, the .327 would be a handloaders proposition.

My unicorn gun is the Marlin 1894ss LTD in 41 mag.

Mine, too. I figure finding one I can afford ranks right up there with the odds of finding a real unicorn, saddling it up, and riding off to Utopiaville...

 

[WestKentucky]

327 can be toyed with significantly. I’m very happy to see some rifle rounds coming down the line. The revolvers are impressive, especially longer barreled guns, and the carbines should be awesome. That’s the direction I would go, especially since I already have it, and reload for it, so swapping to a slower powder would be of minimal effort to get up to speed on that. The round is impressive though, and even though it’s roughly the same size as 30 carbine the pressure it can handle gives it a huge advantage. I suspect that 327 can get nearly to 30-30 power levels due to the pressure limit being higher. Bullet size and weight can be very similar, to a point where I once seriously considered building a .327fm gun with a .308 barrel just to see what it could really do.

 

[greyling22]

I have a Marlin 1894FG... .41MAG, it's one of my favorite rifles and it p.......


Mine, too. I figure finding one I can afford ranks right up there with the odds of finding a real unicorn, saddling it up, and riding off to Utopiaville...

I've given up finding one, and am going to build a close approximation instead. I have the 1894ss in 44 mag, I'm looking at what pepper laminate stock from boyds fits my gun, I run an optic because my eyes stink so the fiber sights don't matter. Eventually I will chop the barrel to 16.25 and thread it for a can, as well as convert it from a front barrel band to a hanger style. I've done it to a blued 357 marlin, and it's awesome.

 

[JeeperCreeper]

Agreed that since you have 45 and 357...

Go 327

 

[courtgreene]

I have the aforementioned Henry in a .41 mag. I absolutely love this rifle. Everything Charlie98 said is correct, and hand loading it is critical because of the price of ammo. I got it because I already load for a revolver (also like Charlie98), but it is one of the most pleasant shooting rifles I own. I hope to make it a deer rifle this season, after trying last season with no shot opportunities.
The thing about that particular gun, is it just feels right. I got the shorter version, and with a loaded tube it balances perfectly. I think between that and .327 you really can't go wrong, but if you want to take it deer hunting down the road, I'd go .41.

 

[Dave DeLaurant]

I sure wouldn't mind a neat little carbine in 327 Federal, just because. I may order a custom TC Encore barrel from MGM in .327 one of these days.

The Single-Seven (middle) is an absolute blast to shoot, literally -- I ordered one as soon as it came out as a companion to my Single-Six in 32 H&R (bottom). Both shoot great with 32 H&R & Longs.



The closest thing I have to a .327 rifle at present is a .303 British chamber converter for 32 S&W Long, which shoots wadcutter handloads surprisingly well out to 25 yards in my P-14 and Jungled No.4.

 

[Frulk]

I have the .44 Mag and the .327 FM in Henrys. Obviously the calibers would fill two different roles. As was stated above the .45 Colt can cover the role the .44 Mag would be pressed into service for.

Shooting the .327 in a lever is just a hoot. To 100 yards the round tracks like a laser. Recoil is non existent. Makes a nifty camp gun. It’s definitely a reloaders proposition to ensure shooting it is as economical as it is fun.

A note about the new factory ammo coming for the .327 FM. It’s $31 for TWENTY rounds without tax.

 

[danez71]

Of the ones listed, I'd go 327 because that's the one that interests me most.

For my own education, why not 357 since you have it already.

Are you just wanting something new or is there a performance advantage the 327 had over the 357? Maybe it's that much more flatter trajectory...?

 

[NorthBorder]

Danes 71, mostly just becuz. I will probably give the 357 to my son shortly. Not really even sure what I would hunt with a lever gun that my 270 wouldn't be a better choice. But it will frequent the mountains with me. Possibly during bear season I might have an opportunity to use it. Is a 327 up to that challenge?

 

[Sneakshot92]

327 would be my pick. Will harvest a deer inside 100 yards just fine out of a long gun & you'll do it with virtually no recoil & not too much blast. As Jeff Quinn said, dandy little round.

And depending on the rifle the ability to shoot 32 H&R Mag makes it all the better.

 

[js8588]

And depending on the rifle the ability to shoot 32 H&R Mag makes it all the better.

The Henry can.