Ruger Single-Seven 327 Fed Mag....to buy or not to buy??

[Wheel-Gunner]

Ok folks, when the .327 mag cartridge came out along with the subsequent Ruger double action revolver offerings in 2007, I decided to pass. My thought process was why should I get another caliber (along with all the ammo and such) when my many .38/.357 revolvers are more than sufficient.

Well, I just handled a Single-Seven which has me entertaining this whole idea again. After perusing through the extensive "327 Club" thread I am still right back where I started. Do I want to introduce another caliber?

Anyone have a Security-Seven?? Thoughts? With a 327 mag revolver, what are all the calibers I can shoot specifically?? .32 S&W Short (never seen a box on any shelf), .32 S&W Long, .32 H&R Mag (being phased out? haven't seen a box in a long while), and of course .327 Fed Mag. Am I missing any?

Do you guys think this caliber is going to stick around for the long haul? I currently don't reload (yet), but I could reload .38/.357 just as easily (perhaps easier with brass availability) and just as cheap as the .32 varieties when I do. I am thinking the Single-Seven would be a good sidearm while working and roaming around the acreage, one that could easily eliminate some of the critters around, not to mention being a fun plinker. However, my many .38/.357 models already do that just fine.

To buy or not to buy.....that is the question......

 

[mhblaw]

Go for it! Always fun to have another caliber, and the more you have, the more likely you will reload for them. 327 Mag, like all calibers, can be loaded from mild to wild. Will it do something no other caliber will do? No, but that is not the point. Have fun!

 

[Model12Win]

Don't buy it.

Instead, invest in some loading equipment and INFORMATION on reloading for the cartridge.

Then, buy the Single Seven!

Seriously, if you don't reload for this cartridge, you are missing out and others can and WILL look down on you. The .327 Feddy Mag crowd reloads. PERIOD DOT.

 

[Concerned Citizen]

Ok folks, when the .327 mag cartridge came out along with the subsequent Ruger double action revolver offerings in 2007, I decided to pass. My thought process was why should I get another caliber (along with all the ammo and such) when my many .38/.357 revolvers are more than sufficient.

Well, I just handled a Single-Seven which has me entertaining this whole idea again. After perusing through the extensive "327 Club" thread I am still right back where I started. Do I want to introduce another caliber?

Yes, because logic and common sense usually doesn't factor in with a new gun purchase.

 

[FrankenMauser]

Buy it.
Shoot it.

You'll love it, and have a good reason to start reloading.

If, for whatever reason, you don't love it... You can trade or sell it off and know it's not for you.


My one word of advice, which you probably picked up from the "club thread" if you read much of it:
Do NOT shoot it without hearing protection, unless your life depends on it.
While I am a firm proponent of .327 Federal (I have four revolvers chambered for it), and believe it is much tamer and more pleasant than .357 Mag... it still has extreme muzzle pressure and notable muzzle blast. You do not want to experience "full house" loads without hearing protection.
9mm is bad. .45 Auto is bad. .38 Special isn't fun. .327 Federal or .357 Mag will ruin your day (and probably cause permanent hearing damage).

So... Puttering around the farm, killing gophers?... Not the best option, unless you have some hearing protection available.
I often carry a .327 while hunting. But it isn't for game animals. It's for predators (primarily the two-legged type).

 

[LOLBELL]

Everyone needs a 327. A very fun cartridge. If you reload and cast you can shoot for less than cheap 22s. If you don't reload it'll cost about 42 cents a round for AE 100 ammo. Typically in equal sized platforms a 327 will hold 1 more round than a 357, sometimes 2.

Reloading is not for everyone, but if you do, you can either save a lot of money or shoot a whole lot more for the same money.

 

[tallball]

I have a Single Six in 32 H&R magnum and an SP101 in 327. They are great calibers. I especially enjoy the Single Six. I shoot a lot of 32 S&W long with both revolvers.

 

[Oldman11]

you can also shoot .32acp without any problems.

 

[smee78]

I'm in the same boat as Tallball, I own a Single Six in 32 H&R mag and an SP101 in 32 H&R mag and I shoot a lot of 32 long wad cutters out of them, not to much H&R mag. To be honest I found a love for the little 32 cal guns during the ammo scare where I could not fine any 22LR ammo. This round was dubbed the reloadable 22 for me. I do reload so that is a huge plus but you can still get 32 Long ammo for a good price if you look around online. I also ended up getting a S&W 30-1 and a 3rd model hand ejector in 32 Long and love the little round. If you do get it just plan on your next purchase to be a reloading setup and your world will really expand after that.


P.S.-- How can you call yourself Wheel Gunner if you don't buy a seven shot wheel gun? lol

 

[weblance]

I have the Single Seven in 7.5" and a stainless Taurus M327 snub. The 327 is a great cartridge. The Single Seven is a really nice package. I swapped in Wolf springs, and a set of Altamont grips, and its a lot of fun. I took a groundhog at 50 yards with it. I'm seriously thinking about a Henry lever in 327 Federal.

Both my revolvers will shoot 32 ACP as well...

 

[glenncal1]

I also have the Single 7 in 7.5 and think it is a great gun, good sights and very accurate.
The gun handles well with the long barrel and isn't that heavy. I had a Blackhawk .327 and it was too heavy IMHO.

 

[Sevens]

If you don't handload... the .327 Federal will probably wear out it's welcome quickly for you. Even still, as FM said above, you could probably get your money back out of it down the road if that happens.

If you are on the fence about becoming a handloader, this is a fine round to start with. I'm of the camp that deeply loves the handloading hobby and for me, it has opened up a world of joy that has just expanded my entire "guns/shooting" life exponentially. And it did this right away and I've been handloading since 1989.

I also believe that the idea of using all the shorter .32 cal ammo is royally over-hyped and totally under-delivers. It seems like it is a sound-byte sales pitch for the .327 Federal that gets trotted out automatically in every discussion but has small tangible merit. Sure, dissenters have their own opinion, mine won't change theirs and vice-versa.

.32 S&W, .32 S&W Long and .32 H&R Magnum factory ammo is somewhat scarce and simply no bargain whatsoever at retail prices. It's pure economy of scale, this is ammo that precious few purchase so the manufacturers don't make a lot of it so the price reflects that. You'll find that American Eagle .327 Federal ammo typically carries a price in the same ballpark. .32 ACP ammo may very well be cheaper and while this is fine and presents little trouble in the Single Seven or Blackhawk... what a fiasco in any double action revolver when it comes to extraction and clean ejection. But don't take my word for it, try it and see.

If you are handloading -AND- you have access to a supply of any of the other .32 brass, then sure, no reason not to play at the bench and run all of these through a .327 Federal if you wish.

But let's be clear, this isn't like the handloader's .38 Special to .357 Magnum simply because .38 Special brass has been piling up on this planet for a 100+ years, it is plentiful and easy to get. This is not the case with all the .32's and all of this adds up the same way: "other" .32's in the .327 Federal is overhyped and under-delivers. -YES- you can do it, but it's not much of a true selling point of getting a .327 Federal.

Good news is that there are plenty of fine reasons to get a .327 Federal, so the whole "other .32's!" is a free throw-in. (and worth that much too)

 

[Arizona Fusilier]

I was thinking of getting something in .327 Federal for a working "homestead" gun as well. Sounds like a custom holster with an ear- plug pouch could be in order.

 

[dontcatchmany]

Well, if you do not buy it maybe you will start the cure for those of us afflicted with the curse of buying guns just because we do not have one or maybe only have one or two or three or more of a particular gun and just "need" another one.

If you do buy the gun, then you will just keep the illness at epidemic levels.

Besides my wife has a Ruger 327 magnum and I shoot hers at times since I purchased the ammo for her.

 

[TruthTellers]

Do I think .327 will stick around for the rest of your life? That depends. If Ruger and Federal are going to be the only manufacturers of .327 revolvers and ammo, then its not really going to grow and will stay a niche cartridge like the .41 Magnum or .22 Jet.

I didn't start reloading until last year and it was to load two cartridges: .327 and .45 Colt. I think if you really like the .327 and want to shoot it, you should reload.

Currently, I think the Single Seven is the best .327 revolver available as I just have a distaste for SP101 triggers. I'd gladly get a Single Seven if it weren't for the fact that I already have a .32 H&R SAA clone and want a .327 with a swing out cylinder more.

 

[weblance]

The fact that Henry is making a Big Boy Steel lever action in 327 Federal will help the cartridges popularity.

 

[tallball]

I also have an old S&W Hand Ejector in 32 long, and two snubbies in 32 H&R magnum. The Single Six is the most fun to shoot and most accurate. I feel comfortable with 32 magnum and 327 magnum for SD or small game. I mostly shoot 32 long for plinking and the range because my FiL reloads those a lot. Some of my 32 magnum revolvers have shot 32acp just fine, and some haven't. My understanding is that it's not safe to shoot 32acp in 32 S&W long revolvers, due to its higher pressure.

 

[Cosmodragoon]

If you were reading the club thread then you already know I'm a fan. I buy factory ammo. The American Eagle stuff usually runs 45-50 cents per round, though I've occasionally done better buying in bulk or finding a deal. Most of the local shops near me carry it. Sure, it's more than 9mm or some other options but it's certainly not the most expensive thing you can shoot from a handgun.

I like .327 because it's fun to shoot. It's a decent defensive round even without counting the extra shot. I also have sentimental attraction because I grew up with .32-caliber guns and this one represents the "cutting edge" in wheel-gun technology.

 

[Satchmoeddie]

It shoots flatter farther than .357, making it more accurate. You get almost .357 power, easily .38 Special +P power, and you get a 6 round not 5 a round cylinder in a J frame, and the recoil is more manageable, even in a lightweight revolver. You can also shoot .327, .32 H&R Mag, .32 S&W, 32 Short Colt, .32 S&W Long, and even .32 ACP. Now you have several excuses to start loading your own ammo. It's a fun round. I found the little S&W .327 that they have since discontinued. I'd love to see an N frame with 9 rounds of .327 just for fun. How about an X frame with 11 or 12? I may be prejudiced, because I still carry a Beretta 3032 Tomcat. It's so light and tiny, I kinda intended to replace it with a Glock 43, but it's so small I have a backup for that little Glock, or a backup for the backup, for my Sig Sauer. Revolvers are just cool. I retired the Colt D and I frames, sort of. It's hard to not grab the Detective Special, or a J Frame, for the day. I even have a couple H&R magnum wheel guns, and a Banker's Special D Frame .32.

 

[arquebus357]

Unless you are familiar with the Ruger single action revolver's quirks, and accept them, I would suggest you go for the Ruger SP101 in .327 or some other double action revolver.