.32 H&R or .327 Fed Magnum?

[chaad]

My dad is looking at the Taurus .327 Fed Mag at CDNN for a carry/tacklebox gun, and it will shoot .32 S&W (short and long) and .32 H&R Mag and .327 Fed Mag. His thought is that it will be 6 rounds of lower recoil than .38 +p.

His thought is to load lighter, to reduce recoil. the Fed Mag runs pretty crazy pressures anyway. As long as he is loading lighter, would he be better off going with cheaper H&R brass? Any reason to buy the .327 brass if loading lighter anyway? Interested in anyone's thoughts on the round in general and this choice specifically. Thanks.

 

[papajohn428]

Using full-length, expensive brass to handle light loads would be pretty silly, IMHO. The .327F is loaded plenty hot, and the ammo I've seen is priced accordingly. Using 32H&R brass would seem a better idea, but with all the standard caveats about keeping the chambers clean after shooting the shorter rounds. Most folks just take a piece of the longest brass the cylinder will accommodate, flare the mouth a bit, and use it to scrape off the accumulated buildup.

I'm not a fan of smallish bullets for self defense, but will happily admit that defensive ammo these days is a hundred times better than it was just a few decades ago.

If your Dad is looking to the 32-caliber family as a way to keep felt recoil down, he'd be well-advised to skip the lighter-weight guns.........they only exacerbate the problem.

 

[Jellybean]

Using shorter brass usually results in less accuracy, but with a tackle box/carry gun he'd probably never tell the difference, nor care.

Here's something to consider too. The .32 magnum is a great field gun, regardless of how it was advertised, and it did catch some attention from people who thought the extra round over a .38/.357 revolver was big improvement. But it didn't come as close to the .38 special as the admen claimed, hence the new and improved .327 magnum. I predict it's going to end up the same as the .32 magnum, if it does that well, once the "new" wears off. .32 caliber cartridges were great in .32 caliber frame sizes, but when they have to put it in bigger guns to handle the pressures, you're better off going with the bigger cartridges, if you are intending to use it for anything other than small game hunting. He could get a .357 magnum in the same size firearm and load it to any recoil level he wants, from about the same thing as the .32 family to well past it. Plus there is the added benefit of cheaper, plentiful brass, wider selection of available bullets or molds, and a wealth of loading data that is much easier to find. Just a thought, if he doesn't really need that sixth cartridge.

 

[Rule3]

Well I am going to say it anyway. Please read the reviews on the Taurus. It does not have a good track record. You get what you pay for. The Ruger is another choice.
That being said I have the new SW 632 Pro and load for it. Yes it is more expensive but way more gun than the Taurus. There is NO IL.
I bought new primed Federal brass for $28/100 plus 2 boxes of the loaded 50 round ammo. I have enough new brass. You can load the 327 Fed from light to full house and there is lots of lead bullets available for plinking. I have more load data than can ever be used if you need it or look in the right spots.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-re...209207-finally-my-new-327-federal-magnum.html

http://smith-wessonforum.com/reloading/211812-power-pistol-vs-2400-327-fed-magnum-updated.html

 

[W.E.G.]

If your dad likes the Taurus, he should buy the Taurus.

I assume he does know there seems to be quite a few dissatisfied Taurus customers.

Most Taurus guns are probably OK.

Any critter you might consider shooting with a .32 probably can't tell much difference between .32 H&R mag and .327 Federal.

ymmv

 

[mtgianni]

I have a 4" CA Target Patriot. Accuracy is better with reduced loads in 327 brass than in 32 Long or 32 H&R brass.

 

[Rule3]

By all means buy what you like. There is a reason the revolvers are $219 or $250. What is to like other than the price? Will it be liked sometime in the future? Not saying this, as this is a SW forum, I am a equal opportunity gun owner Several dealers in my areas no longer carry Taurus. Some of their semi autos are OK.

 

[chaad]

Dad has a Model 37, so he can play around with them both . Everyone but Ruger has abandoned the caliber, which partly explains the price of the revolver. The longest handgun deer he has ever seen taken was his hunting buddy's Raging Bull, so I don't think the Taurus thing bothers him much. I have yet to hear of a Taurus IL problem, but I have seen a Smith lock up. The Smith is nice, but that is a lot of money (if I could find one). I think I may go with the Taurus and another 5906 and reloading dies and components for the money. Guess I'll see what brass is available and cost.

Mtgianni, thanks for the insight into what your experience has been.

 

[Ralph G. Briscoe]

Well I am going to say it anyway. Please read the reviews on the Taurus. It does not have a good track record. You get what you pay for. The Ruger is another choice.
That being said I have the new SW 632 Pro and load for it. Yes it is more expensive but way more gun than the Taurus. There is NO IL.
I bought new primed Federal brass for $28/100 plus 2 boxes of the loaded 50 round ammo. I have enough new brass. You can load the 327 Fed from light to full house and there is lots of lead bullets available for plinking. I have more load data than can ever be used if you need it or look in the right spots.


http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-re...209207-finally-my-new-327-federal-magnum.html

http://smith-wessonforum.com/reloading/211812-power-pistol-vs-2400-327-fed-magnum-updated.html

I have a 632 as well and I love it, but for a "tackle-box gun" the Taurus might be the way to go. There's always the Taurus warranty if you get a lemon. I've never fired a .327 in mine....just .32 mag and .32 long handloads. In a gun rated for .327 pressures you can get some very nice results with the smaller cases. The .32 long and the H and R have been underloaded from the factory because there are some weak guns chambered for them out there. The 1937 Phil Sharpe book (available as a free pdf online) has some hot .32 long loads that work well in my 632--
4.3 gr Unique/95 gr LSWC--1048 fps
4.7 gr Unique/85 gr XTP--1137 fps
Both generate over 200 fp of muzzle energy--same as my .38 defense loads but with very comfortable recoil and a flatter trajectory.
2 gr. of Unique/76 gr LRN is a great little plinking load--accurate and quieter than a .22 LR.
I've become a huge fan of the .32's--very versatile, cheap to load, and no major recoil.
I've used the above loads in .32 H and R brass too, and have gone hotter but found no appreciable advantage.

 

[Rule3]

Just for fun FYI.

.327 Federal Magnum

 

[chaad]

Great info, Mr. Briscoe. I think that these are the sorts of things my dad wants to play with.

Those gelatin pics are pretty cool. Not explosive shock waves, but definately leave an impression.

 

[McShooty]

I'm a little hung up on the idea of a "carry/tacklebox" gun. Is that a common combination among you gun toters out there? Carry means only self-defense to me. Tacklebox might mean self-defense or dispatching a water snake or a dumb squirrel that has come for a drink (in season of course). Either way, get the .327! Why have something less than the latest and most powerful? Especially when you can use the shorter precursors. Longs and H&R mags will work just fine and an adult human male will have no trouble keeping the cylinder clean. It is the best of all possible worlds.