Taurus .327 magnum

[Onward Allusion]

fallout mike
Taurus .327 magnum
I'm thinking about getting one for the wife. Does anyone know if the 3" model with the ported barrel has a noticeable difference in felt recoil over the 2" version? I've been looking at ballistic charts and it appears the extra inch gives it roughly another 350fps. Can anyone confirm this? And this will not be her first gun.

What will this gun be used for?

Don't know about the extra 350 fps, but I have 2 of the 2" version and they are SNAPPY! The recoil on a full-house 327 Fed Mag is along the lines of a +P 38 Spl round, maybe a bit more but less than a 357 Mag. The extra inch alone on the barrel will reduce perceived recoil just due to the weight. The porting will reduce muzzle flip but will blind you in the dark.

 

[Trad Archer]

Since when does Stareline make 327 FM brass? Just curious, because Stareline told me they didn't.

 

[W.E.G.]

Since when does Stareline make 327 FM brass? Just curious, because Stareline told me they didn't.

I don't see it on the Starline website either.

Might take a spell for them to too up for it.

Meantime, you'll have to settle for other sources, and wait.
http://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item.asp?sku=00129P327UPB100
http://www.natchezss.com/product.cfm?contentID=productDetail&prodID=FAP327UPB100

It does exist.

Website shows "in stock" here.
http://www.midwesthuntersoutlet.com...ed_Brass_327_Federal_Mag.aspx?&w=pq+jdyolrqe=

 

[A Pause for the Coz]

Ok have to add my two cents. I got one of the two inch models last spring for the wife. I think it was a good choice.
Used .32 S&W longs to get her used to the gun. Then moved up to the 32 H&R stuff. Then got her shooting the 327 mag stuff.
Having all those options really helped to 1st get her used to the trigger pull and aiming, ect As she became more proficient with the lower power stuff we them moved up.
I under no circumstances would feel under gunned in the event the 327 has to come out of the night stand.

I would add though, I do feel the 100 gr Fed factory loads are too hot for this gun. Lot of pressure there, GP 100 is a better choice for those.
I made up some 85gr XTP's ahead of 2400 that perform excellent.

If you want one better get them while you can. I heard Taurus and Charter are discontinuing them. S&W and Rugger still in.

 

[Onward Allusion]

One more thing. The Taurus 327 revolvers are rough. Rough finish, sharp edges, & gritty heavy trigger. Not bashing, 'cause I have two of them - just make sure you get to try one out before laying down your money.

 

[fallout mike]

Thanks for all the input guys. I'm buying something this week. I found a smith& wesson model 19 for $250. So it will be between that and the taurus 3" .327.

 

[Walkalong]

the 3" model with the ported barrel

A high intensity caliber, in a short barrel, and ported on top of that.

That is going to be ear splitting (read painful) in a self defense situation with no ear protection. Worse than a .32-20 I imagine. Just something to be aware of.

I have a 4" Taurus .32 Mag. It is small and would do well for carry. the DA is superb. I also have a 6" Taurus in .32 Mag (76), but it is a larger frame and strictly a range gun.

I found a smith& wesson model 19 for $250. So it will be between that and the taurus 3" .327

Absolutely no contest. Get the Model 19.

 

[fallout mike]

The model 19 has the 4" barrel I believe. Its extremely dirty. But I'm thinking I can get it for around $200-$220.

 

[Walkalong]

Dirty cleans up.

You can shoot anything from light .38 Spl to full power .357 Mag. There is something in there she will like. It is still easily carried, but the added size/weight will make it more manageable to shoot for her, and you.

As long as it is mechanically sound, it is a far better gun.

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=1430

 

[afish4570]

Brass is hard to find im seeing.

Starline or federal is the only brass avail..... I have the 32 h&r in a Charter Arms I bought used SS. Haven't even started anything to reload or shoot. Ammo cost is high and very little is available loaded,only Federal.....Get a 38spec. and you will beable to afford to shoot it. That's my advise. sorry I bought a SS 2" Charter Arms as its just another cal. to worry about reloading for when I already shoot alot of 38 spec.afish4570

 

[Jay1958]

New Taurus M327 3-inch stainless range report!

I just got back from the range, the first time shooting my Taurus 327 3-inch stainless and.... I love it!

Took three small frame revolvers:

-- new Taurus M327 327 Federal Magnum 3-inch stainless (6-shot)
-- like new Ruger SP101 327 Federal Magnum 3-inch stainless (6-shot)
-- used Ruger SP101 38 Special 3-inch stainless (5-shot)

The Good News:
The Taurus M327 3-inch shoots exactly to point of aim and is extremely accurate. A typical group today was 1-1/2 to 2 inches at 21 feet, with one flyer that was another inch out - centered over the bullseye! On most of my 6-shot groups I had only four holes - because I usually put 3 of the six rounds thru one jagged hole! I got better accuracy - both POI and group size - today from the Taurus 327 than I did from the Ruger SP101 38 Special or the Ruger SP101 327 Magnum - both also with 3-inch barrels.

I had been a little concerned because the Taurus has a groove rear sight that is not adjustable, but it shoots exactly to POA. The Ruger SP101 327 also shoots to POA (rear sight is windage adjustable), but the Ruger SP101 38 Special shoots about 1-inch to the right and two inches low at 7yds. I can't adjust it right-to-left, but I think that lowering the front sight a bit will bring up the POI, which I intend to do. There was no noticeable difference in point of impact between the 327 Federal rounds and the 32 H&R Magnum rounds at 7 yds. If anything, the POI with the 32 H&R Magnum might have been just slightly higher - 1/2 inch to an inch?

Trigger was good - smooth and not too heavy. It was basically on a par with both SP101s, with the exception that the Ruger's length of pull is just slightly longer - not enough to matter much, but just enough to be able to tell the difference.

Recoil is noticeably more significant with the Taurus 327, when shooting American Eagle 100gr 327 Magnum, than with the Ruger SP101 38 Special 3-inch, even when shooting 38 Special +P. HOWEVER when shooting 32 H&R Magnum out of the Taurus, it's about the same as the SP101 shooting 38 Special +P, maybe even less! My youngest (adult) daughter LOVED shooting the Taurus today with the 32 H&R Magnum rounds.

Recoil on the Taurus 327 using the American Eagle 100 gr 327 Magnum is less than using the same rounds out of the Ruger SP101 327 3-inch, apparently due to the ported barrel. The Ruger 327 recoil was noticeably snappier and felt 'faster' - the Taurus was still somewhat stout, but it felt more like a slightly slower 'push', with less muzzle flip. The 38 Special SP101 has less recoil than either one, unless you step down to 32 H&R Magnum in the 327s.

I like the factory grips on the Taurus, better than the factory Ruger grips - probably because I have medium/small hands for a man, and I can get all my fingers on the Taurus grip, while half of my pinky finger sits below the bottom of the Ruger factory grip.

The Bad News:
The Taurus 327 had tight lockup out of the box, but after 40 rounds of American Eagle 327 Magnum 100 gr and 40 rounds of 32 H&R Magnum, lockup was noticeably looser, both side-to-side and front-to-back. The Ruger SP101 327 Magnum also has slightly loose lockup, similar to the how the Taurus is now (after the range trip). The Ruger SP101 38 Special still locks up tight as a drum - NO side-to-side or front-to-back play in lockup. This potentially raises the issue of durability/longevity in the Taurus. Only time will tell.

The Conclusion:
The Taurus is fantastic! If it holds up well with use, it will probably turn out to be one of my favorite handguns!

I've decided to sell the Ruger SP101 327 3-inch. I don't need two 327 Magnum 3-inch revolvers, and I prefer the Taurus. My only concern is durability/longevity, which is why I am keeping the Ruger SP101 38 Special. I figure that one will probably last forever!

All told today, I put about 150 rounds of 327 Federal, 32 H&R Magnum and 38 Special +P thru these three 3-inch small frame revolver, and all rounds went into a five-inch circle, with most inside a three-inch circle - and I am a good shot, but not a great one. That says a lot about how accurate these three revolvers are, and easy to shoot well with. All shots were at 21 feet.

I will try to do a more complete review when I have time. Until then, Happy Shooting!

 

[jgarne02]

Conflicting reports on .327 velocity in a 2-inch barrel

Hi. I'm new to posting on the forum. It has been very useful to me over the years.

FYI, the BBTI report cited above may be SEVERLY misleading about 2-inch .327 performance of the 85 gr loads by Federal.

1. BBTI reports 976 fps in their tests (where no real gun is mentioned for the 2-inch test)

2. This report suggests that the S&W 2.125-nch barrel and the Taurus get about 1225 fps from the same load ( http://www.taurusarmed.net/forums/taurus-revolvers/62815-32-calibers.html ).

3. This report suggests that the Charter Arms revolver in 2.2 inch configuration gets 1,220 fps from the same load ( http://www.gunsholstersandgear.com/tag/327-federal-magnum/
).

The BBTI data is cited very often in reports claiming that the .327 does not do well in snubbie config. I have contacted them about the conflicting reports. I will let you know when I learn more.

 

[suemarkp]

I think BBTI takes a barrel and cuts it to the specified length. That works for semi-auto's and derringers. A 2" revolver has 2" of barrel plus the chamber. So the barrel system is more like 3.5" instead of 2". But the revolver has a cylinder gap, so it will lose performance compared to a solid barrel/chamber of the same total length

A 2" barrel/chamber is not much of a barrel for that long of a cartridge, so a total chamber/barrel length increasing from 2 to 3 inches will have a lot of velocity gain. Once you've doubled or tripled the barrel length compared to the length of the powder column, you'll see less dramatic increases in velocity.

Your 2" revolver should have a longer barrel/cylinder than the 3" derringer they tested. But would perhaps be similar in velocity since you have a barrel/cylinder gap and the higher the pressure the more you lose through that.

Finally, every gun is different. They could test 3 different 2" revolvers and get 100+ fps difference between them, especially if different brands with different cylinder lengths, gaps, bore/chamber diameters, etc.

If your preferred loads in 327 cases have empty space between the power and bullet, you could increase efficiency by using a shorter case (e.g. 32 H&R) and loading it to 327 pressures (or cut down the 327 cases). DO NOT do this unless you work up slowly and have no guns chambered in 32 H&R. You know the gun can take 327 pressures, but because the 32 H&R case is shorter (and more efficient), 12 grains of powder X in a 32 H&R will have more velocity and pressure than 12 grains of powder X in the 327. So you're into handloading -vs- reloading here, and there are no manuals for this. You've got to be careful if you want max performance in a non-standard load. Conversely, you should be able to find a powder that fills the 327 case and maximizes its velocity (more case capacity will always produce more velocity when pressures are the same). But with a 2" barrel, you're going to have a huge fireball and muzzle blast when doing that.

 

[jgarne02]

I was on the verge of emailing BBTI today to ask them the exact question that you point out here. Their data does seem to indicate, exactly as you state, that they must be measuring all the barrels from the case rim to the muzzle, as one measures an auto barrel, not a revolver barrel. Thanks for this statement and for the other suggestions. Perhaps I will email them now--the website could use a clarifying statement suggesting that their barrel lengths are measure like auto barrels or derringers, singel-shots, etc.