Question about .327 Federal Magnum Recoil

[Pat Riot]

This is a question to people that own or have shot revolvers chambered in .327 Federal Magnum.

In similarly weighted revolvers does the .327 Magnum have more or less felt recoil than .38 Special or even .38 +P?

I ask because there is a Ruger SP101 .327 with a 3” barrel lounging in a case at my LGS. Probably because there’s no ammo available. It’s a good looking little revolver. I wasn’t really considering one but it seems my right wrist really isn’t what it used to be. Arthritis and joint damage from high pressure loads has taken its toll.

Recently, after a trip to the range and after firing my snubbie .38s my wrist was really bugging me. My snubbies weigh between 15 and 21 ounces. The SP101 weighs 27 ounces. I was thinking this might be better on my wrist, but I cannot find a straightforward answer on the Internet. One site says the .327 is stouter than a .38 +P load while another touts it as softer than a standard .38 load.

So, if you own or have shot a .327 Magnum what are your thoughts?

Thank you

 

[Offhand McFlan]

I havent shot a 327, but a 32 H&R Mag is about one notch below it in power and I've read many times that 32 H&R Mag is about like a 38 Sp. My guess is 327 is like a hot 38 +P.

 

[P Flados]

I have a 4.2" SP 101 in 327 Fed.

The 327 federal with hot reloads or factory 327 ammo is generally considered nasty to shoot due to the muzzle blast first and the recoil second. I gave it up pretty fast after getting my gun.

I shoot the gun a lot, but mostly with very light (and economical) practice loads.

I also have a medium "SD" load. My SD load pushes an 85 gr bullet a bit more than you can do with a 32 H&R magnum but no where near 327 full power. It is not "fun" to shoot with the SD load, but I generally only shoot a cylinder or two of these per session,.

Your opening post make me think you might not be a reloader. If so, the ammo choices for the 327 still offer tremendous flexibility, but availability and cost are downsides.

Most with SP-101 sized guns find that 32 H&R mags are pretty close to "pleasant" to shoot. They are considered adequate for SD.

For general range shooting, dropping down to 32 S&W will certainly get down to very mild.

 

[ArkieVol]

I have four Rugers in 327 Fed mag and like them all.
.
SP101 .327 Fed mag: I too have some recoil sensitivity but the SP101's with the rubber grips shown below it's not a problem. Recoil is about the same as a .38 spl but a WHOLE lot louder so don't forget the ear protection. I'm not uncomfortable with the 101's and shoot them in double action only because the triggers are smooth and trying to cock it for single action is awkward and rather difficult...no advantage. Shooting them with .32 Longs or .32 H&R mags is a good solution for recoil sensitivity...very little recoil with these.

LCR .327 Fed mag: This is my carry gun loaded with .32 H&R magnums bcause I live in a low crime area and don't even carry that often anyway. I feel the 32 H&R is dequate for my needs and full .327 ammo in this gun will spank your hand pretty good. I don't want to be thinking about recoil in a defensive situation. A little recoil with H&R's but, again, .32 Longs are an option.

Single Seven .327 Fed mag: I rarely shoot this one because I have other SA's I prefer to shoot. Not a bad gun at all, I just haven't found it as useful as others.

I reload so ammo is not a problem.

 

[TTv2]

The blast is every bit as loud as .357, but when I shoot full power .327 the recoil is even less than that of 9mm in a revolver, let alone .357. Now, I'm shooting .327 in an SP101 and it's the smaller frame revolvers you should be getting for .327 as the large frames are asinine for any serious use other than a range toy, but the .357 I shot is in a Charter and it's lighter than the SP., but regardless the recoil with .327 is not bad.

I would leave the 3 inch SP in the case tho, all the SP101's in .327 are frequently regarded as the poor models. If you want to go .327, get the LCR or a Single Seven.

 

[Pat Riot]

Thank you very much all for your responses.

I do reload, but I reload all my ammo as if it might be used as defensive ammo so I do not load too far down on the scale. I have found a moderate load in a heavier gun is fine for me. So is a heavier load in a heavier gun but a larger .45 bullet. It’s the snappy recoil from a lighter guns with a fast bullet that causes me aches and pain after shooting. Also, smaller shorter grips contribute in snappier recoil.

@ArkieVol and @TTv2 I did not consider noise. Nice guns, by the way. Thanks for the photos.
The noise didn’t even come into my thinking That is an excellent point. The bark of a .38 without hearing protection is quite sharp. I had forgotten that the loudest sharpest report I have ever heard indoors was from a .32 Magnum. The most tolerable was from a .45 ACP. Don’t ask...young and stupid acts.

I think I will just pass on this gun and this idea. I would have to reload for this gun as there is no ammo available and the only brass I have found is backordered at Star Line.
I think I will save my money for the Blackhawk that is on my want list.

Thank you all very much for your responses.

 

[Sistema1927]

I have the 3" SP101 in .327. Perceived recoil is about same as .38 +P in my experience. However, with the same gun you could downsize ammo to .32 H&R, or even .32 S&W Long, in order to get to whatever level you are comfortable with.

 

[Dunross]

I also have a 3" SP101 in 327 and pretty much agree with the bear above. Full house loads are about like a 38+p, but the muzzle blast is something else entirely. For working loads I prefer a .32 H&R mag power level. Still less recoil and the muzzle blast won't blow your hat off. Like you I reload as well so prefer to use 327 brass then tailor the load to suit.

 

[GEM]

I've shot full power commercial 327 in a SW 632 SS comp'ed gun. The blast is significant and the recoil impulse is not trivial. You will feel it if not ready for it. I've said elsewhere that when I switched from 32 SW Long in a match to a 327 (to make sure I could knock down steel as the Long wouldn't), the SO and crowd thought the gun blew up.

 

[Walkalong]

The .327 reminds me of the old .32-20 rifle loads

 

[Pat Riot]

I have decided to skip on the .327 SP101. Thank you all very much.

 

[fxvr5]

If you want to KNOW what has more/less recoil, do the math.

Recoil force has 4 elements. Bullet weight, bullet velocity, gun weight, powder weight.

Plug those numbers into a recoil calculator and get the answer. http://kwk.us/recoil.html

Too many people will respond with how the recoil 'feels' and that's not a good way to determine actual recoil force, because different people have different perceptions of the same experience. Also, it will depend on EXACTLY which ammo they use (they aren't all loaded the same), which few people will take into account.

 

[Pat Riot]

Thank you. I completely understand that.

 

[Buckeye63]

I own a LCR327 & LCR357 both as close as you can get equal weight.. both same grip

LCR327 ... Federal 327 100gr GD
Recoil very similar to Remington 38spl +P out of the LCR357

LCR327 Hornady 32 H&R 90gr FTX less than 130gr 38spl Winchester FMJ loads

LCR327 Federal 32 Long less than 38spl 148gr LWC lite loads , similar to 22mag

I have found the 327 to be light recoiling for its energy

 

[herrwalther]

I fired 327 soft point rounds out of my Taurus M327 regularly. I didn't know it could shoot the other 32 calibers until well after I sold it. The Taurus was just under 26oz in weight, and felt like shooting a slightly warmer (not +p) 9mm 124gr.

 

[WestKentucky]

Similar to standard 38spl but with a truly nasty bark. The cartridge is extremely high pressure and because of that it has a whole bunch of blast. People complain about recoil a lot but it seems as much a complaint about noise as it is about what their wrist says. If their wrist feels a sharp pop but their eyes and ears are a fireball and hear thunder then it all plays into a brain taking all of that in as something and a lot of people take it as recoil.

Im a 32 revolver junkie so I would buy it and load 327 cases at 32 long pressures. They are very nice and very fun guns to shoot.

 

[EMC45]

Similar to standard 38spl but with a truly nasty bark. The cartridge is extremely high pressure and because of that it has a whole bunch of blast. People complain about recoil a lot but it seems as much a complaint about noise as it is about what their wrist says. If their wrist feels a sharp pop but their eyes and ears are a fireball and hear thunder then it all plays into a brain taking all of that in as something and a lot of people take it as recoil.

Im a 32 revolver junkie so I would buy it and load 327 cases at 32 long pressures. They are very nice and very fun guns to shoot.

This is my take on it too. I have been mulling over a .327 purchase because I came into some brass for it. Also it would compliment my other .32s and keep them company.

 

[Pat Riot]

I am opting for something bigger...I hope to post good news later today. I found something special.

 

[SteadyD]

The 327 Federal 85 grain feels very similar to a 38 +p. The other 327 rounds I have shot have significantly more recoil than +p 38 special. Hornady recently released a 327 that is 80 grains, and I bought a few boxes, but I haven’t shot any yet. I am suspecting they are also on the milder side.

 

[Armybrat]

I am opting for something bigger...I hope to post good news later today. I found something special.

Picture when you do?

 

[Pat Riot]

Picture when you do?

I posted it in the Holy Grail Revolver thread.

In 10 days I pick up this:
S&W 25 Classic .45 Colt. Quite a bit bigger than an SP101 .327 Federal Magnum

 

[Targa]

Very nice..congrats! The looks, balance and trigger of a N frame S&W is hard to beat IMO.

 

[TTv2]

The 327 Federal 85 grain feels very similar to a 38 +p. The other 327 rounds I have shot have significantly more recoil than +p 38 special. Hornady recently released a 327 that is 80 grains, and I bought a few boxes, but I haven’t shot any yet. I am suspecting they are also on the milder side.

The only issue I'm seeing with the Federal hollow point .327 is it's not expanding in snubs like the LCR and I haven't seen any results of the Hornady, but it's using the same bullet as the .32 Mag version does and that expands fine at 1050 fps, so if Hornady had the spine they didn't just keep the .327 to the same velocity as the .32 Mag, it means from a snub it would expand, but be as mild as the Federal 85 gr load.