The .327 Federal Magnum

There is a certain conditioning most of us have had when it comes to .32 caliber guns. Before the arrival of the .327 Federal Magnum the caliber was anemic in autoloaders, not much better in revolvers and mostly labeled as “Use only when your primary gun is empty and there are no pointed sticks or rocks within reach”. Of course, that situation no longer holds true.

When I got my hands on a Ruger SP101… two days of range time, some ballistic test medium and a particularly bad day or two for the local rabbit and squirrel population, it became my personal protection firearm when out in the surrounding woodland. No more heavy .357 Magnum revolver tugging at my belt like a brick. No more square, bulky autoloaders to catch on branches or to fill up with dirt and debris. No more taking up the space in my tackle box that is reserved for lunch.

Federal Personal Defense and Speer LE Gold Dot Personal Protection Ammo

Federal and Speer have been steadily adding to the .327 Federal Magnum factory ammunition selection. At the time of this writing there are a total of five factory loads available. All are personal defense rounds with bullets appropriate for this application.

Speer also released 115 grain component bullets that are specifically tagged for use with the .327 Federal Magnum. The increased velocity of this round definitely warrants a bullet of tougher jacket construction, although I’ve had good luck with hard cast bullets as well.

Brand	Current .327 Federal Magnum Factory Loaded Ammo	Bullet Weight Grains	Bullet Type	Muzzle Velocity FPS	Muzzle Energy Ft/Lbs
Federal	American Eagle	85	Jacketed SP	1400	370
Federal	Premium Personal Defense	85	Hydra-Shok HP	1400	370
Federal	American Eagle	100	Jacketed SP	1500	500
Speer	Gold Dot LE Personal Protection	100	Gold Dot HP	1500	500
Speer	Gold Dot LE Personal Protection	115	Gold Dot HP	1380	486
All data based on 4″ barrel performance

A standout within a lot of old favorites…

Cartridge	Bullet Weight	Muzzle Velocity	Muzzle Energy
32 ACP	65	925	123
380 ACP	85	1000	189
32 H&R Magnum	85	1120	237
38 Special +P	129	950	258
9mm Luger	124	1120	345
327 Federal Magnum	100	1500	500
357 SIG	125	1350	506
357 Magnum	125	1440	575

To place the .327 Federal Magnum’s ballistic performance into proper context, the table (right) illustrates how it fits in with other popular primary and backup self defense rounds. Obviously this is not a cartridge of last resort.

Notable is how close the .327 Federal Magnum comes to the 357 SIG’s performance when the 357 SIG has been rated by law enforcement as one of the most effective one shot stoppers in service. The Federal Magnum isn’t that far off the mark even when it comes to the 357 Magnum and it does so with much less muzzle blast and recoil.

And it is a round that is easy to put on target

These groups were shot at seven yards, two hand hold, no rest and with the SP101’s factory installed simple blade sights. The little gun has a bit of recoil hand slap and a decent about of bark, but it is relatively easy to control and a good combination. I think Federal put something really useful together with the .327 Federal Magnum design and I think Ruger, in designing their firearm, clearly understood the application.

The .327 Federal Magnum

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