.327 Federal, the .32 Maximum Comes to Fruition

They've been working on this sometime, or so it was rumored. Now, here it is the .32 Maximum or actually, the .327 Federal and will make its debut in the Ruger SP101. 1/8-inch longer than the .32 H&R, the cartridge is reported to nearly match the .357 Remington Magnum 125 gr. load for energy! Now that's remarkable. I would love to have a Contender carbine barrel for it. However, it would need to have a genuine .312" groove diameter just like the .32 H&R and not TC's usual adaptation using the .308 groove diameter. That would be unacceptable.

There's not a lot out there yet but here's some links.

- Shooting Times Article Lethal Combination - Federal Ammunition and Ruger Firearms introduce the .327 Federal Magnum & Ruger SP101 by Dick Metcalf
- Guns and Ammo Video
- Federal Cartridge Company press release
- The New .327 Federal Magnum in Ruger’s SP101 Compact Six-Shot Revolver by Jeff Quinn
- Freedom Arms Model 97 & Single Action Service Custom Ruger Revolvers Chambered for the New .327 Federal Magnum by Jeff Quinn

The more I think about this the more I like it, as a carbine cartridge. In a TC Contender, the .327 Federal would be sort of a .357 Maximum light. IOW, in some areas it could be what the .357 Max is in my area. That is, a small game (loaded with .32 S&W ammo, nearly silent) to small deer round. It would be a light recoiler, too! Of course it is pretty much a rimmed .30 Carbine or modern case .32-20 but heck, it could be fun. Just as with the .357 Maximum, the .327 Federal could be loaded with a carbide die set and no lube. That's quite an advantage.