327 Federal

[Gus Youmans]

Snowwolfe,

I use Lee .32 H&R dies to load .32 S&W Long, .32 H&R, and .327 Federal. As you suggest, they just have to be adjusted appropriately for the cartridge at hand. I have no experience with the .32 S&W or .32 ACP.

Gus Youmans

[FLHTC]

I was just on Midways web site and could only find Lyman dies for the 327 Federal. Does anyone else make reloading dies for the 327?

Or do you just buy dies for the 32 and adjust them differently?

It depends on the manufacturer. My Dillon Square Deal B will rip the rims off of every case during sizing so perhaps the carbide sizer is too shallow for the 327. I have a set of Lee dies in 32 H&R but the seating stem is only in by a few threads. Unless the Ruger Single Seven really takes off and other companies launch their own platforms again, I doubt you'll see proprietary dies for the 327. I have a 32 mag conversion kit for my RL550B and although it works, the dies are barely in the tool head because they're for the 32 mag/32 S&W.

[snowwolfe]

I ordered a set of Hornadys. Amazon had them in stock and with the current rebate offering a free box of Hornady bullets (limited selection) its hard to go wrong for $50 shipped.

[Gus Youmans]

FLHTC,

Recommend you look up the definition of the word "statistics" and then read that article again. Although the article is good reading and the author offers a lot of observations and opinions, he provides no data that allows us to perform an apples-to-apples comparison of the two cartridges. He does provide some information about the trajectory of the .327 but he does not provide comparable information for the .357, so we don't know if the .327 really has a flatter trajectory than the .357. It probably does, but he does not tell us. Without data there can be no statistics.

I use a 10 " .357 TC Contender, a max charge of H110 and the Hornady 180 grain XTP bullet for deer hunting. My largest .327 is a 4" GP100 and believe the best factory load for deer would be the 115 grain Federal JHP load that I have chronographed at about 1400 fps from that gun. My handloads using the 100 grain Hornady XTP bullet using published data are not equal to the Federal load in my gun. Given the guns and ammunition available to me, I cannot accept your conjecture that the .327 is as good as or better than the .357 for deer under all conditions. I have never shot a deer with the .327 but I have shot them with the .357 and know that it works as long as I do my part. I consider the .357 to be less than optimal for deer but use it instead of a larger cartridge because I don't shoot the larger cartridges as well.

The reason I first bought a .327 was for use as a self-defense cartridge and I think you can make strong arguments that it is as good as, and maybe better than, the .357 in that role. The ballistics of the .327 are certainly nearly as good as the .357 and bullet performance in ballistic gelatin suggests similar results in tissue at self-defense ranges. Other factors in favor of the .327 are its reduced recoil and the fact that most revolvers chamber one more round than a similarly sized .357 revolver. The fact that you can cheaply make very low recoil practice ammo using .32 S&W Long brass is also important to me.

Gus Youmans

[Green Frog]

It depends on the manufacturer. My Dillon Square Deal B will rip the rims off of every case during sizing so perhaps the carbide sizer is too shallow for the 327. I have a set of Lee dies in 32 H&R but the seating stem is only in by a few threads. Unless the Ruger Single Seven really takes off and other companies launch their own platforms again, I doubt you'll see proprietary dies for the 327. I have a 32 mag conversion kit for my RL550B and although it works, the dies are barely in the tool head because they're for the 32 mag/32 S&W.

I believe the problem is the case rim specs rather than the carbide ring in the die. When I am using my "Through-the-die" expander and powder drop (Lyman) I have the same problem. I think the existing shell holders have openings that are a little too generously proportioned and don't hold onto the admittedly small rims well enough. This is a particular problem with some of my old Lyman J-type shell holders. Manufacturing tolerances can sometimes get us into trouble!

Froggie

[OuchHot!]

I was intrigued that the Dillon shell plate was ripping the case heads so I tried my lee shell holder and lee carbide dies on new starline .327 cases with no ill effects. Cutting back the lee seat stem might be the best solution but I see that Grafs lists lyman .327fed die sets if the die bodies are just too short.

[dilly]

I wish this thread would die out so I could quit wanting a 327.

[OuchHot!]

Oh it is too late for me! I ordered the lipsey's yesterday. These guys are terrible enablers. Just plain terrible.

[rhbrink]

Welcome to the club OuchHot! Better get on the list before it's too late dilly!

[lefty o]

I wish this thread would die out so I could quit wanting a 327.

its already in your mind, just go get one! LOL

[Green Frog]

I was intrigued that the Dillon shell plate was ripping the case heads so I tried my lee shell holder and lee carbide dies on new starline .327 cases with no ill effects. Cutting back the lee seat stem might be the best solution but I see that Grafs lists lyman .327fed die sets if the die bodies are just too short.

As I said, I think it's a matter of tolerances in shell holders/shell plates... I've had good success with my RCBS die set in 32 S&W L/H&R and a Lee shell holder from their starter set. Bad luck with one of my Lyman J-type shell holders and the Lyman Expander/Powder Drop. Luck of the draw on manufacturing tolerances.

Froggie

[M-Tecs]

I don’t have a 327 Federal but a couple of friends have them and they love them. The only issue I have is the .311 bore size. If it was.308 I would have one.

I do not like misinformation. Below is my response to what I believe is misinformation.

The trajectory of the 357, compared to the 327 is nothing close. There is very little "Hold Over" with the 327 out to 200 yards. You might want to refigure

Comparing the flattest 327 Federal load to the flattest 357 shows 32.1 drop for the 327 and 34.8 drop for the 357. www.federalpremium.com/Ballistics_Calculator

The 327 factory load gives it the highest velocity of any handgun round to date and with handloads, the bar is even higher.

Not even close to the 460 S&W factory velocity of 2300 fps http://www.corbon.com/corboncart/ht460sw200-20

http://www.speer-bullets.com/pdf/327...File_Final.pdf

http://www.speer-bullets.com/pdf/327...8_DataFile.pdf

http://www.ballistics101.com/327_magnum.php

http://www.ballistics101.com/357_magnum.php

http://www.ballistics101.com/460_sw.php

due to the chamber pressure being 45,000. That is the highest of any handgun round to date. All the manufacturers got cold feet and dropped the 327 when Ruger did. With the 357 mag chamber pressure being 35,000,it's easy to see how great the liability was when companies relied on producttesting done by Ruger. So when Ruger dropped the 327 due to the cylinderissues, it's not surprising that other companies followed suit.

Not even close to the 65,000 PSI of the 454 Casull and 460 S&W

http://www.ballistics101.com/460_sw.php

http://www.lasc.us/SAAMIMaxPressure.htm

[Thundarstick]

I'm a big fan of the .32s ever since I bought my first 32 H&R Ruger more than 25 years ago! As mentioned, the 327 Federal covers all roles from paper punching to true self defense, to hunting. The 327 makes the 32 H&R into what it should have been from the beginning, and adds a dimension in .32 performance!

I have one of the Single Sevens on order and am doing my part to keep this round alive and well. I own a S&W 632, Taurus snub, GP 100, SP 101, and that big ole fist full of bullets BlackHawk from Ruger! I carry one of these guns nearly every day as a CCW and don't feel under gunned. Being a revolver man, the 327 gets me an extra shot in the same size gun as a 357. I am perplexed to this day as to why Ruger didn't put this round into it's LCR and 4 inch SP 101 with adjustable sights. I have shot IDPA with the GP 100 and think it is much more effective than the 380 and at least equal to the 9mms. All hand gun rounds are very weak when compared to rifle rounds. After all, if you truly expected to be in a shoot out would you choose a pistol first if your rifle was handy? I didn't think so!

I'm still amazed at the people who make comments along the lines of "anything the 327 can do the 357 can do better"! Well where does one stop with this line of thinking? Anything a 357 can do a 35 Remington can do better, or a 350 Wby. Mag! Deer are taken every year with rounds that, to some folks, should just bounce off! There have probably been more deer taken with a 22lr than many on this forum would care to admit! Killing deer is all about shot placement and BTW, I'll take my .223 over any 357 or 44mag because I can put that little bullet exactly where it needs to go. If you are not disciplined enough to know what your gun is capable (or not capable) of and choose your shots accordingly, then just how big of a gun does it take to make up for poor bullet placement? No the 327 isn't a 357, nor is the 357 a 44 mag, nor is the 44 mag a 500 S&W, but it does fill a very big gap between the 22lr and the 357 mag with some overlap, and without the recoil.

On my wish list? How about a 327 low wall, or even one of the Ruger bolt actions. A lever action would be the cat's pajamas!

As far as ammo, I could find 327 when most other ammunitions could not be found. I've not cast in years, but I do buy my bullets both cast and jacketed. It is a very easy round to load for and goes easy on the powder and lead.

YEP! I'm a fan and I don't see myself ever not having 327s in my stable! I dare you to try one for yourself!

[UnderDawgAl]

I put in my order for both a 5.5-incher and a 7.5-incher, in the hopes that one of the two might become available. We shall see.

[arvchaeopteryx]

I picked up a SP101 in .327 Federal Magnum about two years ago. I've fired both Federal and Speer factory ammo out of it. It's a really "intense" round to fire, especially with the 115-grain Speer loading. Literature notes that the pressure of the .327 Federal is higher than that of the .357 or .44 Magnums.
I just loaded 100 rounds of .327, my first adventure in loading the round. I used the Hornady XTP 100-grain, a projectile I've gotten superb performance from in both .32 H&R Mag, and .32/20.
The brass I loaded on was Federal, purchased as new factory unprimed. I picked up 500 rounds from Graf when they had it a while back. Unfortunately the Federal brand brass is no longer in the Graf catalog. I'm not concerned though, since .327 Fed is now listed by Starline.
I've ordered a Lipsey's Single Seven and very much look forward to seeing how the round performs in it.
For those having difficulty locating ammunition in the caliber, as of a few days ago Graf had both Federal and Speer factory ammo in stock.

[OuchHot!]

I see that some folk have gotten their Lipsey .327's. Has anyone gotten a 7.5 incher? That's what I ordered and I wondering if they are out yet. Got brass, boolits, no gun.

[Hooker53]

The more I read about this round the more I want one. I'm thinking seriously about setting up an old Martini Henry for 327 Fed just to plink with. I think it would be a hoot. One gun that can shoot 3/4 different rounds.

[Combat Diver]

The more I read about this round the more I want one. I'm thinking seriously about setting up an old Martini Henry for 327 Fed just to plink with. I think it would be a hoot. One gun that can shoot 3/4 different rounds.

.327 Federal
.32 H&R Magnum
.32 S&W Long
.32 Colt New Police (just different bullet profile from the S&W Long)
.32 S&W
.32 ACP/7.65x17 SR


CD

[ejcrist]

I'm a huge 32 fan as well. My general philosophy is 32 H&R for small game and 44 Special or 45 Colt for everything else. I ordered a FA 327 with extra 32 H&R and 32-20 cylinders a few months ago but I got it mostly for the 32 H&R. I've never shot a 327 but look forward to it. FA revolvers are really quite a bargain like in this case where you can get three 32 caliber revolvers for a little more each than you would pay for three separate revolvers. And you won't have to worry about the FA not being accurate if you take your time and work up a good load.

[trapper9260]

.327 Federal
.32 H&R Magnum
.32 S&W Long
.32 Colt New Police (just different bullet profile from the S&W Long)
.32 S&W
.32 ACP/7.65x17 SR


CD

I shoot all those in my BH .I use the horndy dies of 32HR Mag and load all of these round with it and the only differnet thing is you need a different shell holder for the 32acp.I shoot cast in all of them.I end up also got a P32 keltec since I was usen the round anyways.The BH I size the boolit to 313 and for the P32 to 312.