.327

I just don't see this caliber surviving. They created a caliber to fill a niche that no one cares about. You would be better off buying a 357 magnum, way more bullets available, and more power range to load in.

 

One of my regular customers at the gunshop bought 2 Ruger SP101's in .327 and love 'em
He's 73 and his wife is 72 so she's a little recoil sensitive but he likes it cause it's damned accurate.

They both say with.32's it has ZERO recoil.

As far as the Smith is concerned,as it's a lighter gun it may have some recoil in .327,but with 32 S&W it shouldn't be bad at all.

DAT85

 

I've shot two .327s and loved both. They were Charter Arms 2.2" & 4" barrel ones. Grips felt a little funny but recoil even on the 2.2" one was very manageable. With .32s the .327 would suit your needs very well. I doubt that your wife will be shooting 1,000s of rds. so a few boxes of self defense ammo will last a long time as she will most likely practice w/ .32 anyway.

 

Hey Ron. My personal opinion is that the .327 caliber just won't catch on. Similar offers have popped up in the past and they just haven't taken hold. There's not enough practical difference for the caliber to take hold. Unless you reload, I can see ammo becoming difficult to find in the next 5 years.

Personally, I'd rather go for a gently used K-frame.

 

I think that this is yet another case of a promising cartridge which never found a compelling package to make it really worthwhile for consumers to gamble on. In practice this cartridge has been used to allow Ruger and Smith and Wesson to build SP101's and J-Frames that contain 6 rounds of 327 Magnum as opposed to 5 rounds of 357 Magnum or 38 Special. Basically you get one more round and either less recoil than the 357 or somewhat more power than the 38 Special. Unfortunately, I don't think the cartridge makes a compelling enough case against either of those cartridges in that package since both of those rounds do the job just fine.

However, given the recent concealed carry and subsequent pocket 380 craze, had somebody had the foresight to develop a revolver closer in size to the old Colt Pocket Positive that fired this round (or lower powered 32 Magnum rounds for the flash and recoil sensitive) I think they may have been onto something. You could have had an even smaller and more concealable package than you can reasonably get with the 357 or 38 chambered in a cartridge that doesn't induce giggles. That might have been something which allowed the 327 to be something more than an answer to a question not enough people were asking.

 

Small grenade?

 

Ever thought of a Sig 230 in .32ACP? It's a small caliber, but the trigger is better than a J-frame Smith.

I got a S&W Nightguard 315 .38 for my wife, and it's still too big, and the trigger is too long/heavy for her to hit very well with it. I am trading it for a Kahr K9 in 9mm, which has a really really smooth trigger pull and the all stainless construction should dampen any recoil... I hope!

 

I picked up a S&W 431 for the wife but she has week hand strength and the J frame double action is too heavy for her. She now has a LCR that will work but I have to load the practice loads down.

 

Ron have you thought about a Kahr 9mm? the CW9? It has a very smooth trigger and is a light gun. I don't think the recoil is very bad either. I have one that I'm quite impressed with.

Chris

 

Chris,
Have you had any reliability issue with yours?

My shop stopped carrying Kahr's because all of the polymer framed guns we received were jam-a-matics and were sent back to the factory at LEAST 2x before they would run.

I have heard that they have gotten more reliable,but the shop owner is "gun shy" about trying them again.

DAT85

 

Rick,

so far it has been fine. I have right at 300 rounds and no malfs at all. I bought it early this year as a summer carry gun but actually always have my Keltec p32 with me.

The Kahr has only had factory fmj and Gold Dots through it.

 

Thanks for the info!

I have had excellent luck with my K9.(HEAVY lil' sucker that it is! )

Maybe I can talk the shop owner into trying them again.

The first generation of poly framed guns stunk.


DAT85