Future of the 327 Federal?

[Surefire]

Do you all think this cartridge will catch on and become popular enough to be considered a major player?

Or, is it destined to become obsolete and/or extinct.

I like the concept, a round small enough to pack 6 shots into an SP 101, or 7 into a GP 100 and yet with some teeth to it (400 ft lbs is kind of respectable).

Will this round survive, and maybe even one day thrive (especially for the use in small frame revolvers)?





On another matter, is it just me or would anyone else like to see someone come out with a new revolver round that is .40 caliber (hopefully something that has a lot more commercial success than the .41 magnum did). I keep seeing a whole between .38 spl/.357 magnum and .44 special / .44 magnum. I think a revolver equivalent of a .40 S&W would be a nice middle ground, and with a revolver you could also introduce magnum loads too.

 

[W.E.G.]

Oddball caliber.
Limited production.

Buy the most expensive gun you can find in that caliber.
Lock it up in a safe place, and save all the boxes and papers.

Sell it in 20 years for a lot more than you paid for it, but probably less than you would hope, if you account for inflation and offset by the amount of earnings the investment dollars would have brought if invested in some other conservative investment.

I'm running out of years and opportunity to play that move.
Now, I stick mostly with stuff I'm actually going to use on some frequent basis.

 

[BADUNAME37]

It needed a 350 and a 427 to survive.

 

[earlthegoat2]

Maybe chamber it in a lever gun, but then you might as well have a 32-20.

 

[ArmedBear]

If S&W, Ruger, Taurus and Charter were to get behind it and heavily market it in affordable 6-shot pocket revolvers, I think it would have serious potential.

So far, they don't seem to be doing that. A 7-shot GP-100? Whoopeee! If anyone wants 7 shots, the 686 has long offered that in the more powerful .357, which interchanges with the common .38. Sure, a .327 Federal gun will allow you to shoot other .32 caliber rounds, but none of them are anywhere close to common rounds.

This has, of course, happened with rifle rounds, like the .260 Remington. It may be common in some target-shooting circles, but it's still not a common hunting round, even though it should be. This isn't the round's fault.

So, the future of the .327 is really in the hands of CCW revolver makers. Time will tell.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

The best thing that could happen to the .327, in my opinion, is for Ruger to offer it in the Single Six.

 

[RJM]

The .327 makes a better handgun hunting round for animals like coyotes than the .357 magnum. It shoots flatter and does less pelt damage. The 7 shot gp 100 would fit well into this role because of its adjustable sights and 4" barrel. It would also benefit with a 6" barrel for the extra sight radius, but the 4" would be easier to pack into the field. The 7 rounds isn't really needed for this type of hunting, but why not stick it in there if there is room. The blackhawk also fills this role, and some handgun hunters just prefer a single action. (it also holds 8 rounds)

The sp101 makes a good self defense revolver chambered in this round. I have one and use it as a ccw gun with an IWB holster made by raven concealment systems (which, by the way, makes a very good IWB holster even though it is just two sheets of kydex sealed together.) The gun offers 6 shots in a more powerful round than the .38 but with less recoil than the .357 magnum in a gun that usually has just 5 rounds.

I do not believe the round is destined to become extinct, it offers more power than any of the currently produced .32s and gun makers seem to be making new guns every year for it. .32 bullets are very common for the reloader. The round works well as a ccw cartridge and as a small game hunting round. I would really like to see it in a lever gun and as a standard chambering for a TC contender pistol and carbine. The round is going to have its share of fans.

I don't, however, see it as a "major player." The gun community seems to be stuck in the mindset that bigger is better and think that anything below .38 caliber is just too small for anything, especially a self defense gun. There also seems to be quite a few who think that anything new is not needed, period and if NATO doesn't use it, it is useless.

 

[MMCSRET]

As for a gun in the Single Six class, take a look at the Charter Arms Target Patriot. 6 round, 4" barrel with adjustable sights. I bought one last year and I am very pleased. I like 32 cal. revolvers and have a dozen or so Colts and S&W, most prewar but some built in the 70's. The Charter Arms is a nice gun, well built and very accurate and big enough to handle easily the hot 327. I'm hand loading it now and it is impressive. I think the GP100 and the BlackHawk are too big for the round. I have the big ones and like them, but a 32 should be in a 32 sized gun, like the single six.

 

[Surefire]

I like to keep an open mind, and would consider the .327 especially in an SP 101 format.

I have enough .357s to open up a gun store.

I don't see the harm in trying something new.

 

[Surefire]

The best thing that could happen to the .327, in my opinion, is for Ruger to offer it in the Single Six.

I'd love to see a limited edition Bisley style Single-six in this chambering.

 

[Chuck Perry]

I'm in the process of buying an SP101 in 327. I think it's a great pairing and am really looking forward to playing with it. Now if Starline could just make 327 brass I'd be all set!

 

[shotgunjoel]

What they should make is a five-shot revolver in 327. They could make it really small and slimmer in the cylinder. I think that if Ruger shrank the LCR to the 327 they could sell a few.

 

[RJM]

I would like to see the sp101 with a 4" and a 6" barrel chambered in it, with a set of adjustable sights for windage and elevation. These would make good hunting revolvers and would be light enough to carry all day. It would be a good pairing IMHO.

I like the single six idea and have a good feeling that they will come out with one in the near future.

Actually, I like them all. the more that are made the better.

 

[Jubjub]

I'm baffled by the offerings in the caliber. Why on earth are the small frame guns suitable to the cartridge only offered in short personal defense guns? As everyone else has noted, a small frame revolver with a long barrel, whether single or double action, is what everyone wants.

 

[m2steven]

if someone doesn't start making cartridges for the 327, i'd say it's future is not that bright.

 

[RJM]

if someone doesn't start making cartridges for the 327, i'd say it's future is not that bright.

Now, I will agree with this. Federal needs to ramp up production of the cartridge. I can still get some locally and I have enough to reload, but I haven't been able to find any online.

 

[Bush Pilot]

An answer to an unasked question.

 

[Jamie C.]

An answer to an unasked question.

So was the .40 S&W and the .357 Sig, but they seem to still be doing fine...

Me, I plan on buying a SP101 in .327 mag sometime in the next couple of weeks. And if I have too much trouble finding ammo, well, I guess I'll just have to start reloading again.

BTW... +1 to whoever said Starline needs to start producing .327 brass. However, I was just poking around their site last night, and even most of the stuff they do make seems to be a backorder proposition.



J.C.

 

[General Geoff]

So was the .40 S&W and the .357 Sig, but they seem to still be doing fine...

.40S&W was a logical derivative of 10mm Auto, when the FBI began using downloaded cartridges which did not require the 10mm's full case capacity or peak maximum pressure. I wouldn't call it "an answer to an unasked question." The .357 Sig, on the other hand...

 

[Jamie C.]

Geoff, not to side-track this thread too much more, but I'll bet you good money that there's not a single thing that the .40 will do that can't be done with either a 9mm or a .45 acp.

The fact is, the FBI put the blame for those problems in Miami on the cartridge/caliber, rather than on the tactics and actions of the people involved, where it really belonged.

Anyway, my whole point was that there are plenty of calibers that may not be an answer to a question that you or I may ask, but still be just the thing for somebody else.

Me, I'm gonna give the .327 a go, and see how it shakes out. I might find it to be the grandest thing since sliced bread, or trade it off in a matter of days.

One way or the other, I'll know for sure, and won't have to take anybody else's word for it.


J.C.

P.S. The .327 mag is just a logical derivative of the .32 H&R mag, with the intention of getting the power out of it that should've been there from the beginning.

 

[Taurus_9mm]

I don't forsee it becoming extinct. As some of the others noted, if it was given a bit of a push by Ruger, S&W & Taurus on the revolver end and if others aside from Federal would produce ammo - not just quality JHPs @ $1.00 a pop but FMJ range fodder i.e. Remington, Winchester, S&B, Fiocchi, Magtech etc.. IMO it would stand a fairly decent chance and much better than the .480 Ruger fared, albeit different cartridges and different applications.

 

[acpman]

I'd like to see a .327 snubby with 7 or 8 shots.

 

[ljnowell]

I see it as something that the gun rags will cram down our throats until it at least becomes mildly succesful, like the .45 GAP or possibly even the .357 SIG. Before anyone comes in and starts arguing, I am not bashing those calibers. I just dont see the purpose. Same with the 327 Mag. I know, one extra shot over 357, etc., but that just doesnt do it for me. I guess it does for some people though, because they are selling.

 

[peyton]

S&W needs a K-Frame for the round to succeed. There is a big potential for it, a lever action rifle would be great!!! And then the ammo makers would get the hint.

 

[Landric]

Its an interesting idea. I had a Taurus chambered for it for a while, but I was never able to locate any 327 ammunition or brass. I eventually sold the Taurus and replaced it with a S&W 431PD in .32 H&R Magnum. I just couldn't persuade myself to like the Taurus, no matter how hard I tried. I guess I'm just enough of a gun snob that Taurus isn't for me. Actually, come to think of it, all my handguns are made by Beretta, Ruger, or S&W, so the Taurus was just out of place.

I really like the .32 H&R and .32 S&W Long for plinking and general fun shooting. I'm seriously considering taking up Cowboy Action Shooting (like I need another shooting hobby other than IDPA, plinking, and hunting), and if I do so, I see my Ruger Super Single Six in .32 H&R making an appearance in one of my holsters. I'm a .32 fan and I'd like the see more guns available chambered for .32 revolver cartridges. In that respect, I hope the .327 is a success because it means more guns I can shoot .32 H&R and .32 S&W Long in.

As for the .327 its self, I don't have much use for it. I'd be interested in a Airweight 6 shot snubbie version around 15oz. or so (like the new S&W 632 centennial only an Airweight) if my department would approve calibers smaller than .355 (but as of now they will not). I think its pretty interesting as a defense cartridge for those allowed to carry it, especially in the 115 grain Gold Dot version. Actually, I just got a box of 115 grain Gold Dot .312 bullets to try loading in my .32 H&R mags. Hopefully that will meet with some success.

I hope it takes off. It might be an answer in search of a question, but that doesn't mean it isn't interesting. In my mind anything that isn't designed to be chambered in a plastic autoloader is at least mildly interesting.