.327mag

[jeepster]

I was oogling guns the other day and came across a nice double action stainless ruger in .327 magnum. I fell in love with the weight and feel of this revolver.

I have never heard of .327 mag before this, but they say it's equal to the .357 mag with less recoil?

Opinions?

I have a super blackhawk 44 mag, and while I feel comfortable with it, i often find it overkill as a WA defense gun.... My 44 is my Alaska pistol, where the four legged critters are scarier than the two legged critters.... Here in WA, it's the two legged critters that scare me the most.....

I don't cwp/cc, more often than not, if I'm off roading in the jeep I have a 12 ga or AR, but I would really like to have a good reliable solid hand gun for hiking/back packing/camping near main roads/ more or less where I am more likely to encounter people, but would like something with enough oomph to knock down an angry animal, or to zap a Bambi with, say close range out in the islands or so.....

Personally I think a 38/357 is the way to go, but, this 327 seems to be the best of both worlds....

[fish vacuum]

It's not equal to the .357. Its ballistics are similar to the 9mm, but with fewer rounds than most 9's. Lots of better options. Do a little googling. A woods gun it is not.

[grundy53]

I listened to Tom Gresham talk about this round. He said they tested it on ballistic gel and it performed great. The energy was close to the .357 mag without the felt recoil. It performs way better than a 9mms.

[Mongo Hunter]

your initial thought of the 38/357 is the way to go. the .327 was kind of a gimmick when it came out. the thought process was a gun that gave better performance than a .38 but less recoil than a .357, plus you got one more bullet in a gun that would normally be a 5 shot.

However the ammo is more expensive and not as common. I just did a quick look on ammunition to go and .327 is around $1 a bullet. you can get 38 and 357 for practice at about half that, plus its more common.

After the last big ammo and gun scare I have become much more self aware about what rounds are considered "in mass use" (9mm, 45, 38, 357, 380, 5.56, 308, 12 gauge ect.). Cause lets face it that's not going to be the last time that will happen and I like to be able to run the guns I have. The days of the .357sig, 10mm, 41mag, 32acp, 25acp, 327mag (may I say even the 40? ) ect. I think are going to be coming to a close. I know I may get totally flamed for that comment, there's always someone who has a favorite, they may not go totally away but the ammo will become more scarce and expensive.

[turkeyfeather]

 
I have reconfigured my gun safe to only have the most popular and readily available calibers and ammo. With the exception of the rarely seen and nearly extinct .22lr. 

[b23]

I looked at this round when it first came out and a few times since.  It's kind of a cute sexy looking little hot rod but, for me at least, it just didn't offer much, if any, advantage over the 38/357 for a CCW.  If I can't get it done with 5 shots from either my S&W 442 or LCR in 38spl I doubt the 6th shot from something in 327mag is going to change that.  If I think I need something with a higher round count I'll grab the PPS in 9mm and if I need more than that I'll grab the 357Sig but in a revolver, IMO, either the 442 or LCR in 38spl is as good as it gets.

Now, if you're just looking for a little nudge because you just want to purchase something new, disregard everything I just said and feel 100% confident the 327mag is an excellent round and get yourself on down to the store and pick one up.     I've spent the last week, riding the fence, talking myself in and out of a new Sig 1911.  I don't really need one but I seem to think I want one.  Last night my wife told me she was tired of hearing me talk about it and since when did I ever give two sheets about her opinion on a gun and if she told me she thought it was awesome and she really wanted me to get it if I would shut up about it.  Sheesh, alright already, if she's going to be so pushy about it, I'll just get the darn thing. 

[AWS]

Buy it and enjoy it knowing that ammo could be a little harder to find and it isn't quite as powerful as a 357.  What fun would it be if we all used the same rounds.  To limit yourself to boring things like a 223, 308, 9mm and a 12ga just because you fear doomsday.  I'm old and have achieved "Been there, Done that" status, what keeps it fun is hunting with odd and different cartridges and weapons.  Anyone can kill a coyote with a 223 AR, it is so much more fun to do it with a 90 year old drilling  in cartridges that haven't been chambered since WW-II, 6.5x58R Sauer and 2 1/2" 16 ga.  It kills them every bit as dead as the 223.

[grundy53]

Those that only want the most popular rounds just remember, those are the rounds you couldn't find during the ammo shortage. I had no problem finding the less popular rounds. But to each their own. I also don't worry about scarcity as much since I reload.

[Special T]

Is it a Curio or a tool? If its a Tool get the Eastwing of calibers the .357 mag. If its a Curio then fondle, shoot and dream about it.

Me personally If i had a longer barreld 44 mag I add a Lever gun and Snubby in the same calibers. 

[Come Get Some]

My father died a couple of years ago and i ended up with his Ruger .327 Mag. It is a great shooting pistol and it is 8 shot not 6. It is definately more powerful than a 9mm. And in a revolver. I would rather carry 2 revolvers than an auto. Although ammo is expensive and harder to find. I set myself up to reload it. I bought a quantity of ammo a while ago and all the components to reload if needed. Just another never fired NICE Ruger to add to the collection of Ruger revolvers, and more reloading equipment to add to the collection as well.

[jdb]

I think the ruger single-7 with a 4 5/8" barrel would make a mighty fine woods carry gun. Loaded light with cast bullets it'd make a good grouse gun or loaded it hit with a fast expanding jacketed bullet it'd be a great pistol for pest control. Elmer Keith started out with a colt saa in the old 32/20 which the .327 emulates and he found it fine for such pursuits.

[Biggerhammer]

The fact is, some of us like certain things and the bottom line is we could careless what it costs. We aren't comparing it to 9mm, 45ACP, 44 Magnum because we already have those. Ammo is ALWAYS available for pretty much everything, it's just more costly. No matter the sport or the hobby, now days you have to pay to play.

If it fits well and you like it, buy it. Half the guys sniveling about ammo prices and giving comparison/ efficiency options. Are too busy trying to feed their chipped out turbo'd diesel, that's never towed anything in its life and spends weekends attempting to smoke out Prius's at stop lights.

[magnumb]

You obviously like it.....buy it!

One question about the perfect woods gun is gonna get you 1,000 different answers and understandably so.  Guys, especially 'gun guys', are about as opinionated as they come.  I like that 'cuz if a fellow HW member suggests a reason for this or that and then adds why, I usually take at least a little bit away from his reasoning, whether it contributes to why my thinking about the subject seems more prudent or why perhaps his/hers does.

Terminal ballistics/efficiency, round count, firearm configuration, manufacturer.......yada, yada, yada is all fun stuff to discuss, ponder, agree to disagree on and so forth.  Whether I think that a .357 is the the bottom rung of the ladder for your needs and is the most prudent choice for you, my suggestion, as is everyone else's, is likely based on my abilities to shoot my personal .357 and the confidence that I have with it.  If I shoot my .4", 629 with confidence and it doesn't hinder my activities while afield due to weight and configuration, I'm pickin' that as my regular woods gun.  Either way, my choice of ammo is no less important in this decision.

Bottomline, IMHO, is that you should pick the firearm that you have a great deal of confidence in after wringing it out thoroughly, that it have enough poop to dispatch the largest, meanest 4-legged critter that dwells in the area you spend time recreating, that you choose the appropriate ammo for that particular animal in order to break it down immediately and that you practice with that entire setup until it gets boring to consistently and accurately place semi-rapid shots into that specific animals vitals when shot through it's frontal area. 

Better yet......have someone screaming in your ear and then somehow allow or force yourself to feel as scared as you've ever felt, x's 10, to better set the stage for what you'll have to fight through to perform this life saving manuver in mere seconds, if that.  Not possible, but as we all know, that exact moment will determine how we will come through that particular encounter.  Lots of variables, but being proficient with yours woods gun shouldn't be one of them. 

Afterall..........be it the .327 or .454, it's not gonna matter if you can't hit where you're aiming.

Placement, placement, placement..........with enough gun to get the job done.

Good luck......

[fish vacuum]

The OP said he wants a gun "with enough oomph to knock down an angry animal, or to zap a Bambi with."
I wouldn't mind having a .327 in my safe. I'd carry it from time to time. I just wouldn't call it a hunting gun or a bear defense gun.

It's in the 400-500 ft-lb range similar to hot 9mm ammo.
Hot .357 and 10mm ammo is in the 700+ ft-lb range.

I don't believe the biggest, baddest gun is always required. My 9mm sees more miles than any other gun in my collection. But if I was going to pull a gun out of the safe to hunt or travel in thick bear country, I'd grab something with more pop. Checking cams or hiking in certain areas draws the 10mm or .45lc out of the safe.

[HighlandLofts]

The 327 Federal magnum is a fine cartridge, I have three of them. A Smith 632 J Frame, a Ruger SP101 and a Ruger GP100 - 4". I will be buying a 4 5/8" Single Seven here shortly.

A couple of months ago whileout shooting with a friend I took some frozen 46 ounce juce bottles that were filled with water. After seeing the difference in damge between the 327 Federal Magnum compared to a 9mm, I sold my Kahr PM9. I'll never carry another 9mm.

The 327 is a nice defensive load against civilized targets, as fa as wild stuff I'd rather have one of my 357 revolvers. When out target shooting outside of Darrington I use to carry my stainless 357 GP100 9six inch).
But after hearing a few encounters a couple of guys have had up there I bought a Glock 20 - 10mm with the fifteen round magazines.

I had two of the 327 SP101s and sold one to a friend. I bought a Taurus revolver in 327, I took it out shooting one time and dumped it that week, What a piece of scrap.

I have been paying $27.95 for the 327 American Eagle ammo, When I bought the GP100 I got five boxes of Gold Dot with it so I haven't bought any defensive loads yet. But for defensive purposes, How many boxes do you need to buy?

For shooting my Smith 686, Smith 586, of my 357 GP100 I've been paying over $30 a box for the 357 ammo for target shooting, Around $25 for 38 Special.
So there isn't much difference in price. 327 ammo was available durring the ammo shortage, I couldn't find any 38 or 357 at that time.

You can also shoot 32 S&W Short, S&W 32 Long and H&R 32 Magnum through the 327 Federal Magnum.
Shooting the Shorts & Longs through these revolvers is like shooting a 22LR. Very little felt recoil.


I looked at the Single-Seven up at Anacortes Telescope & Guns, they wanted $599 for the one they had.
Bud's Guns online gets $499 & free shipping with a 90 day lay away program with 20$ down.
JC's Pawn shop in Mt Vernon gets $35 transfer fees, so right off the start you save $65 plus the sales tax on the extra $65.

The 4 4/8" Single Seven would mage a fun target gun, and a respectable carry gun. For less then $600 you can't loose too much if you decide it's not for you.

I'd like to find a stainless 327 Blackhawk, Some day down the road.