I LOVE the concept of the 327 max/mag.. I am preparing for a build of one now.. I received my barrel blank from Douglas, I have an old K-22 Cylinder, I have a model 10 Frame, Just bought an Aristocrat Rib, Need to order a reamer...
I have been thinking of building a pistol like this for about 30 years, right after the 32 H&R Mag was introduced... We did some load development on a custom PPC pistol in the late 70's early 80's and it made a true believer out of me...
Why it (327) never took off, beats the heck out of me.. My guess would be that not too many gun magazine gurus embraced it, and it probably never got much press from real field tests... Also, short barrel, small frame offerings may not be the best option for performace and comfort in that caliber. This would be due to the burn rates required to get the most performance out of it, and the associated muzzle blast. The shorter barrel lengths and lighter frames in my estimation could detract from the experience.
Also, while 32's have been very popular calibers in Europe, and in other parts of the world, they have just never been popular here... It has little to do with the 327 performance, as it does with "Why would I want a 32, went I can have a 38 in the same size gun... To many bigger has always equated with better.. Not always the case, but many don't see it that way.
I think that it (The 327) was heaven sent for a K frame 6 shot revolver.. Either 4 or 6 inch... You would have enough heft in the K frame to absorb recoil to the point where a church mouse could control it. The accuracy of the 32 is spot on in a good gun, with the right bullet for the twist. The 327 is more than capable of pushing 60 to 100 grain bullets to around 1500 + fps.. and that is gonna hurt plenty.. I don't care what any internet expert has to say... It would be a very devastating little cartridge...
With a lightly loaded 90 gr HBWC it is a drill, it cuts one clean hole.... I have seen the 32 H&R Mag do it..the beautiful thing is, in a custom bull barrel revolver, the perceived recoil just isn't there.. it is almost like dry firing...
It is a real shame that Smith never embraced this round in a medium frame pistol, like a K frame.... In the 50's and early 60's they made the K-32 Target Master, I have been lusting after one for years, it would round out my set... Hard to find...