.327 Fed Magnum compared to .357 Magnum compared to 9MM
.327 Fed Magnum compared to .357 Magnum compared to 9MM
.327 Mag........ 115 GDJHP.......1300 fps.....431 ft-lbs of energy
.327 Mag.........100 JSP...........1400 fps.....435 ft-lbs of energy
.357 Mag.........110 JHP...........1300 fps.....410 ft-lbs of energy
9MM Luger.......115+p+ JHP......1300 fps.....431 ft-lbs of energy
Looks like all deliver around the same energy, but, as I understand it, the recoil of the .327 Mag is significantly more manageable.
Shooting 85 JHP .327 Mag compared to .32 Mag
85 JHP........327 Mag......1400 fps....370 ft-lbs of energy
85 JHP.........32 Mag.......1100 fps....230 ft-lbs of energy
My source was page 57 of GUNS MAGAZINE, Nov 2008 issue. It contains a good article on the .327 Fed Mag, as well as, Ruger's LCP.
an interesting little cartridge that i am afraid is going to die on the vine.......
comparing it o the 9mm is apples and oranges.....the semi-auto format when considered will be in most cases still higher capacity in a similar size/weight class.
comparing it to the 357, they made one giant ommission and that is comparing it to the most popular load in the 357----the 125 gr jhp with energy at over 550 ft pounds.....
a more realistic comparison would be to the 38 spl for the energy figures where the 327 clearly out-shines the 38-------but there i suspose the 38 would possibly have less kick and be more manageable.
These same types of comparisons were made when the 32 h&r magnum came out and they touted it superior ballistics wise to the 38 spl..........the 32 h&r immediately went stale due to lack of demand------the blasted ammo was too high at time of introduction and not readliy available-----demand for the guns suffered accordingly.
and the biggest ommission is the ammo itself. I have not even seen the ammo available in any shop on the shelves (or 327 guns for that matter)or at any of the gun shows in my area------i think from a lack of demand. Also, i've read horror stories about the costs of factory 327 ammo compared to 9mm, 38 spl, or 357 mag ammo, also the ammo selection of the established cartridges is legion........and from what i've seen, the loading components for the .327 are few again compared to the established rounds. But again, many folks don't reload---the vast majority don't reload----so ammo costs for things such as practice are a definate concern......
I am a ruger fan for sure, but i think ruger missed the mark with this one. Last figures i had seen, the number one selling revolver in this Country is the Smith and Wesson model 642 air-weight 38 spl...........that's where the demand and market seems to be and perhaps ruger should look at building an air-weight. The LCP certainly was a step in the right direction for the ccw market---small and light-weight---and the sales reflect this---a small light weight gun in an established caliber that is affordable. Ruger it seems has failed to learn from their own success as gun dealers in my area are still begging their distributors for the LCP because they sell like hotcakes................
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A neat little round but can't match the .357 with 125 gr. jhp's. The Federal and Remington loads are awesome in .357 125 gr. It would probably be better than a standard load .38.
__________________ "Congratulations, how does it feel to be an All American"? " I gotta pee"!
is a neat concept but it is dumped into a marketplace already
beyond saturation. It would be a miracle if it generates the demand to be around two years from now.
This is the fate of most new cartridges as there are just no real ballistic voids to fill in the marketplace.
Last edited by nathangdad; 10-24-2008 at 08:43 AM.
The good thing is you'll always be able to shoot .32 Mags in the gun if anything happens to the caliber (although personally I see it sticking around--kinda like the .450 marlin).
The main advantage is a 6th shot in a compact snubby that usually only holds 5. This allows room for the snubbies that directly compete with the .380 market, but much more powerful and reliable.
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God gives us free will; the statist tries to take it away
All of you are making very good points. I went to the gun shop yesterday to look at the Ruger's 101 pistol, chambered in .327 and they didn't have one available (don't know if they were sold out from demand, like the LCP, or just didn't have one).
I wish I had thought to ask to see the ammo, just to see if they had any. I'm going back today to their indoor range and will ask if any .325 ammo is on the shelf (I'll ask about price also, now I wonder how expensive they are)
I wonder why GUNS MAGAZINE omitted entering the .357 Mag 125 gr JHP in their data. I don't have a .357, nor have ever reloaded for it, and didn't realize it was delivering over 550 ft/lbs of energy. I wonder if they have a "dog in this hunt" - did they leave the 125 gr JHP out because it would have made the .327 Mag look less desirable? I hope not. I was reading with the notion that they were unbiased, just presenting data.
RE:"Looks like all deliver around the same energy, but, as I understand it, the recoil of the .327 Mag is significantly more manageable.", I shot several rounds yesterday through my Ruger .357 Mag Security Six 4" bbl.
The recoil was just a "smidge" more than my 9mm XD has, IMHO. I fired both .357 Mag rounds and .38 special rounds without noticing enough difference to be significant.
Okay, I went over to the gun shop to shoot my XD45. But before I did, I went to the display case and again looked at the Ruger SP101. They didn't have it on .327, only in .357. The .357 has a 5-chamber cylinder while the .327 has 6 chambers. I can buy it for 446.99. I think it is a good looking little revolver. I liked it better than the GP100.
Then I asked to see some ammo. WOW - $22.99 for 20 rounds.
If I get the SP101, it'll definitely be in .357 Mag.
I assume they may have used the 110 gn. JHP for the .357 data because that is what is now often carried in snub guns. The belief being that the lighter gn. bullet will have a better chance of expanding with the velocity loss from the shorter barrel. In a 4" or longer barrel the 125 gn JHP is the combat / defense load in .357 mag , and has put down more bad guys in police shootings that any other load in any caliber.
If they were going to use those castrated loads for the .357 Magnum, why not simply use the .38 Special or .38 Special +P? Oh wait, that wouldn't get as much attention, or go anywhere close to validating the .327, would it?
I apologize in advance if I offend anyone but comparing the .327 to a real .357 Magnum isn't even funny. Not to say it is a bad cartridge, it just doesn't have the horsepower they are trumping it up to have.
I'm not surprised, billy. I'm only surprised that they didn't just create a rimmed .30 Carbine and maybe then the comparisons would be more valid. Even chambering the revolvers in a hi-performance .32-20 load would have made more sense, at least to me. Then you would have had existing brass and reload data to work with.
At least the magazine article comparison didn't use the UltraMax .357 Mag 158gr LRN cowboy load at 750 fps and declare the .327 to be superior.
Okay boys, I just bought a Ruger SP 101, 327 for a carry gun. I also bought two boxes of 32 wad cutters 100 grain for practice and a box of 85 grain 327 Federals. The wad cutters cause the cylinder not to rotate after two shots, the spent shells get stuck in the cylinder and I broke a nail trying to get them out. They would not release without forcing them. I didn't notice hardly any recoil at all. Put a Crimson Trace on it and had good groups. Am going tonight to buy better bullets and see if that makes a difference. As I don't want a carry gun that is only good for 2 shots. Ammo makers are definately proud of their 327s, expensive.
I wouldn't want a 2-shot handgun for CCW either, BunnyWabbit. For the lack of a better suggestion, maybe try the revolver with .32 H&R Mags? Maybe a step backward, powerwise; but if it stops the jamming and stuck cases, it's better than only having two shots.
