.327 Federal?

[Scott Tschirhart]

Does anyone here have any experience with this cartridge in a revolver?

I have an old Single Six in .32 H&R and its a good little gun that I should get out and play with sometime. But the .327 Federal seems to be loaded a good deal hotter and I wonder if any of you have opinions on this cartridge for use by an outdoorsman?

[vancelw]

I've got a Ruger SP101 in .327. Haven't really shot it much yet.

There are several gunsmiths that convert Bearcats to 5-shot .327s.

I have a Blackhawk Buckeye in .32 H&R/.32 WCF. I've considered reaming out the .32 cylinder to .327.

[Old Savage]

Is has quite a bit of bark and snap in a 3" SP101. It operates at 45,000 lbs. Best used in a larger gun. I load mine down.

[piller]

PillHer has a SP101 with adjustable sights in .327 Federal. In a handgun, it is hotter than the .32-20 by a fair amount. In a carbine, the extra powder gives the .32-20 a slight edge. The .327 Federal with a 115 grain flat nose lead bullet is pretty much right in between a .38 Special +P 125 grain and a .357 Mag 125 grain as far as power. It is a fast little cartridge from a pistol. Since it is high pressure, just be sure the frame it is put in can take it. The 100 grain soft nose jacketed are rather fast. I wouldn't be against using it on coyotes. In the unlikely event of a wolf attack, it would probably be fine. For bear defense, I would not think it would my first choice. Accuracy in PillHers revolver is good. 2 inches or less at 25 yards all day long with only a 2 hand hold and no rest. She shoots it much better than I do. The grip is a little small for my hand.

[2ndovc]

Great little cartridge, and a lot of fun to shoot.

I bought one of the Single Seven's with the 7" barrels when they came out to replace a couple of .32 H&R's I'd had. It certainly gives you a wide range of loads and cartridges to play with. Very accurate with the .32 Long and .32 H&R, the .32 S&W is fun for plinking around the yard. The .327, is a lightning bolt of a round that splits woodchucks in half. I haven't done as much reloading with the .327 yet as much as the .H&R but it's pretty easy to tailor a load to what you want to do with it. Mine has become one of my favorite guns to just go plink with.
I've run a few .32 ACPs through it, works fine but accuracy stinks as one would expect. With a hot .327 load it's as loud as a .357 Magnum w/ a speedy 125 gr. bullet. Until I got the .327 I thought that was the loudest handgun on the planet.


jb

[Scott Tschirhart]

I always thought the .30 Carbine in a Ruger was the loudest gun. But that .357 Maximun is close!

[4t5]

With full power loads it is impressive, however I mostly load it down to loads like a "32 h&r +p". I mostly shoot targets , but loaded down it's a nice cartridge, I also have a 32 h&r , I like the federal better, not because of the cartridge, but that gun has better sights, the h&r only has windage adjustment. Both are sp's.

[JimT]

I always thought the .30 Carbine in a Ruger was the loudest gun. But that .357 Maximun is close!

I bought one of the first Ruger .30 Carbines I saw when I was discharged from the Army in 1969. I remember standing in front of my '64 Fairlane and shooting it. No ear plugs. When my hearing sorta returned the front bumper on my Fairlane was still resonating a loud hi-pitched ring. Later I read George Nonte's report on the .30 Carbine in a sixgun and agreed. He said shooting one was like having a dynamite detonator go off in each ear while simultaneously being hit in the face with a wet towel.

That was a pretty good description.

[6pt-sika]

I got it in an SP-101 when they first came out . Shot factory in it . Reloaded the cases with jacketed and later cast and reloaded with cast using the same molds I used for the 32-20 . I liked it plenty only thing I found about it complain any was how loud the darn thing was . Granted in a longer barreled revolver or rifle of some sort that would most likely be negated .

[6pt-sika]

I was always of the opinion that an S&W in 22 Jet was ear deaffaning loud .

[Scott Tschirhart]

I had some credit at the gun shop from them selling some consignment guns for me. Rather than take it in cash, I had them order one of these for me.

Its a Single Seven in .327 Federal with XS sights. But it has the aluminum grip frame and ought to be handy to tote around. Now all I need is to find an old Ruger Practical Holster for a short Single Six.

[BenT]

The 327 full power loads are loud and obnoxious. It has accuracy. I load mine down to about 1000 fps with 115 gr lead bullets and they hammer raccoons. That way it is as pleasant as 32 H&R loads to shoot. I have never shot full power loads out of the single 7. only in the Blackhawk and they were very manageable.