The .327 Federal Magnum is a cartridge introduced by Federal Cartridge but also sold by Sturm, Ruger, intended to provide the power of a.357 Magnum in six shot, compact revolvers, whose cylinders would otherwise only hold 5 rounds. The.327 has also been used in full-sized revolvers with a capacity of seven rounds or more.
Development
Introduced by Federal Cartridge company, the.327 Federal Magnum is an attempt to improve on the.32 H&R Magnum introduced in 1984. Like the.32 H&R, the.327 Federal is a lengthened version of the original.32 S&W cartridge, which dates back to 1878. In 1896, the.32 S&W Long was introduced, which generated slightly higher velocities. The introduction of the.32 H&R increased pressures from 15,000 psi to 21,000 CUP, giving velocities of approximately. Based on the.32 H&R Magnum, with a 1/8" longer case, strengthened web at the base of the case, thicker case walls, and different heat-treatment and metallurgy, the.327 Federal can be loaded to much higher pressure levels than its predecessor. The.327's actual bullet diameter is and achieves muzzle velocities up to with bullets, and up to with bullets, when fired from the 3 1/16" -barreled Ruger SP101revolver. With its strengthened case and increased pressure ceiling, the.327 Federal reaches the velocity levels of the.357 Magnum, if not the same power. Since the.327 still shares all case dimensions, excluding length, with the.32 S&W,.32 S&W Long, and.32 H&R Magnum, revolvers chambered for the.327 Federal can also safely chamber and fire these shorter cartridges. While felt recoil exceeds that of the.32 H&R, revolvers in.327 Federal are much easier to control than equivalent models chambered in.357 Magnum. Comparing the two calibers, Chuck Hawks says, "There is no doubt that, for most shooters, the.357 Mag. produces uncomfortable recoil and muzzle blast." The.327's recoil energy is for an jacketed hollowpoint load, for the JHP, and for the softpoint. For comparison, the figures are for an .32 H&R Magnum load and for a .357 Magnum load.
Firearms chambered for the .327 Federal Magnum
Revolvers in.327 Federal Magnum were initially offered by Charter Arms, Taurus, Ruger, and Freedom Arms. The stainless steel Ruger SP101 was originally selected as the development platform for the new cartridge. Freedom Arms made a single-action design, as did U.S. Fire Arms with its 8-shot Sparrowhawk. Ruger offered the double-action 6-shot SP101 and 7-shot GP100, and the full-sized single-action 8-shot Blackhawk, revolvers chambered in.327 Federal Magnum. A version of the Ruger SP101 with a 3 1/16" barrel chambered in the.327 Federal Magnum was released in January 2008. Ruger, U.S. Firearms, and Freedom Arms discontinued these models by the end of 2013. Smith & Wesson's Model 632 has also been discontinued. In late 2014, Ruger introduced the smaller-framed Ruger Single-Seven, a 7-shot single-action.327 Federal Magnum revolver based on the Single-Six. In March, 2015, Ruger re-introduced the SP101 in.327 Federal Magnum. The current version of the SP101 features fully adjustable sights and a longer 4.2" barrel. In September 2015, Ruger also introduced the LCR in.327 Federal Magnum, a double-action only, six-shot revolver with a polymer subframe.Ruger also offers the similar LCRX with an exposed hammer in this chambering. In early 2017, Henry Repeating Armsannounced production of four new lever-action long guns, with shipping scheduled to begin in March. Firearms author Chuck Hawks suggests that lever-action carbines in.327 Mag. will make "excellent, fun to shoot centerfire rifles for hunting javelina, jackrabbit, and coyote"; he also notes that revolvers with 6" to 8" barrels and adjustable sights "would be excellent hunting handguns for varmints and small predators, as well as offering flat shooting protection from two-legged predators in the field."
Similar cartridges
The.327 Federal Magnum provides performance similar to the high-velocity rifle loadings of the old.32-20 Winchester, though these velocities are achieved in a much shorter revolver barrel, thanks to a much higher pressure ceiling for the.327. Another similar cartridge is the.30 Carbine, which has been offered in Ruger's single-action Blackhawk revolver line since 1968. However, the.327 Federal Magnum has a higher maximum pressure ceiling than the.30 Carbine. Custom gunsmiths working with Ruger and Freedom Arms have offered conversions of single-action.32 H&R Single Six and Freedom Arms revolvers to.327 Federal. Test results from the long barreled guns showed even higher velocities than the.30 Carbine, along with excellent accuracy.
Reception
In the April 2008 issue of the NRA's American Rifleman magazine, Field Editor Bryce Towsley summed up his review of the cartridge as follows: The cartridge ultimately won the NRA Publications's prestigious Golden Bullseye Award for "Ammo of the Year". In April 2008, Guns & Ammo magazine's Patrick Sweeney reviewed the Ruger SP101 in.327 Federal Magnum and had this to say: Sweeney continues: Shooting Times magazine's Dick Metcalf had this to say about the.327 Mag. in the Ruger SP101 revolver : In the Jan–Feb 2009 issue of American Handgunner magazine, John Taffin reviewed the.327 Federal Magnum in a Charter Arms Patriot revolver :
