Important information on the Ruger SP101 327 Federal.

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Geechie

Bearcat
Joined
Apr 20, 2009
Messages
5
Location
North Florida
I finally got my 327 back from Ruger. Cylinder and barrel were replaced. Works well and casings no longer stick. Trouble is I can't find anything beside S&W Long. I don't reload, but even if I did, I see most 32 H&R materials on backorder.

Does anyone know of a good place to find the 32 H&R Magnum round? This seems to be the best fit for my wife to use. If I continue to have a firearm with ammo so hard to find, I may have to sell in favor of a .357.

Just wondering if anyone else is having this same difficulty. It's a damn shame as the SP in 327 is so versatile.

Thanks
 

Cordite

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jan 22, 2009
Messages
256
Location
Southeastern Michigan
The problems with the .327 seem to have stopped but I suspect that it is because ammo is so hard to find. Midway states they will receive some Federal ammo this month... everyone else states January is when they will receive some .327. In fact, this seems to apply to all .32 cal rimmed ammo.
 

dougader

Hunter
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Messages
3,108
Location
OryGun
Cordite":381pjsft said:
Geechie,

Looks like it will be several more months before Federal runs another batch of 32 H&R Magnum. Both versions (lead SWC and JHP) seem to be out of stock everywhere.

Hornady and Sierra make .312 cal JHP and .314 cal LSWC bullets so reloading looks like the best way to keep 32 H&R Mag in stock, at least for now. Hodgdon has a bunch of reloading data for it. Not sure who has the 32 H&R Mag brass...

Starline has brass. I ordered 1,000 pieces directly from their site, and it came quickly. Although they may be out of stock now. I also hit the mail/internet order sites at the right time and got jacketed and cast bullets fit for 32 H&R mag. I'm set. Hope you guys can find supplies too.

I ordered from Graf's for the 32 mag stuff... jacketed bullets, dies, etc. I got my cast bullets from Missouri Bullet IIRC.
 

martyj

Blackhawk
Joined
Apr 5, 2009
Messages
643
Location
Nebraska
jaypee":26mnek71 said:
RonS said it all. New manufacturing rules, no inventory, How long does it take to check with a go/no go gauge or gauge pin ?

This right here says it all about quality control. You can do this before the next one is done!!!!
 

Cordite

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jan 22, 2009
Messages
256
Location
Southeastern Michigan
The .327 round has generated a lot of opinions both good and bad. The interesting part for me is the people with bad opinions on the .327 usually have not fired one. As a CC caliber you can do a lot worse. The .327 round hits hard. You can also shoot other .32 caliber rounds in a .327 for practice.

More guns are being produced in .327... Ruger, among others, is a believer. It takes a large investment to produce a gun a new caliber and this is not something done lightly by any firearm manufacturer.

The main problem with the .327 for me is the lack of ammo availability. Only ATK loads it so we have to wait on the ATK production schedule. I believe that ATK holds the patent on the .327 round so they will be the only ones loading it for a while. ATK will respond to market demand so I do not see this to be a long term issue.

A lot of noise was made about why do we need something in a CC round for revolvers other than .38 / .357. The answer is simple: choice. The .327 round performs differently than a .38 cal round and some shooters may like it better.

I like choice... After all if Henry Ford has his way we all would be driving black cars.
 

Shamrock

Bearcat
Joined
Oct 4, 2003
Messages
29
Location
SW Iowa, USA
So what is the latest conclusion? Has Ruger solved the problem(s) and now producing well functioning guns without the earlier problems? Has anyone purchased a .327 Federal SP101 lately that has not has the extraction problems?
 

Shamrock

Bearcat
Joined
Oct 4, 2003
Messages
29
Location
SW Iowa, USA
Thanks, Chad. I assume the other .327 Federal makers have fixed their issue too. Did not know S&W model already a collectible--at least @ rec ent prices. Did they just not make as many? Or stop producing them?Or just in high demand? R.
 

tomf52

Bearcat
Joined
Mar 27, 2008
Messages
49
Location
Northeast PA
Posted: Sat Aug 22, 2009 4:22 pm Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Updated... thanks, Ronnie J!

----------
The lowest serial number of SP101 in .327 with a cylinder problem is:
563-903xx

The highest serial number of SP101 in .327 with a cylinder problem is:
573-865xx
----------

Note: 574-06xxx is reported as having no problems from the factory. May 2009 production according to Ruger. Maybe the 574 prefix denotes the start of production with the revised cylinders. I'd like to hear from anyone with a 574 series .327 revolver that was returned for a cylinder problem.

Anyone else with cylinder issues like to share their serial number?

Surprise! I have a 574-19xxx and the shells stick on extractiion.
 

exile

Bearcat
Joined
Feb 7, 2011
Messages
7
Hello,

I purchased an SP-101 in .327 Federal at the end of 2008, the first one I saw. Having only had experience with S & W revolvers, and being a reloader, I admit I was concerned about how my brass would come out after firing. Being unable to come across .327 brass, I have not fired it much.

After Brian Pearce's latest article in "Handloader" magazine stating that .32 H & R magnum brass is as strong as .327 Federal brass, I have renewed my quest to load cast bullets in .32 H & R magnum cases for this revolver.

After reading most of this post, I checked my fired .327 Federal cases (all 13 of them), and they all appear to be fine, no bulges at the case head, or inappropriate smoking (indicating powder blow-by, I guess).

In my efforts to load cast bullets for this revolver, I have not noticed sticky extraction, or anything else to cause me concern, so I guess I got a good specimen.

The one thing I have noticed is that sometimes a fired case will be bypassed by the extractor star and get stuck under the star and be difficult to remove for that reason.

I have always been fascinated by .32 caliber revolvers (especially small ones) so the SP-101 was of great interest to me, since S & W's are cost prohibitive in the extreme.

Sorry you guys are having trouble, and I am looking forward to working with this revolver as well as being on this forum after lurking for a while.

exile
 

exile

Bearcat
Joined
Feb 7, 2011
Messages
7
For what it's worth, my serial # is 573-864xx.

Since the weather will be nice tomorrow, I may go run some more factory ammo through it, just to check, although at $ 28.95 a box I hate to do it. Shooting factory ammo just bores me, but I have to admit the full power .327 loads are fun.

exile
 

bopleo

Bearcat
Joined
Jul 24, 2011
Messages
2
Shamrock said:
So what is the latest conclusion? Has Ruger solved the problem(s) and now producing well functioning guns without the earlier problems? Has anyone purchased a .327 Federal SP101 lately that has not has the extraction problems?

Nope not yet. I bought one about 3 months ago and it had the same extraction problems with the .327 mag only as listed in this post.
 

mustang99

Single-Sixer
Joined
Feb 1, 2008
Messages
180
That's wierd cuz all 327's are shot and tested for extraction before they leave the factory. Does your extractor have guide pins? What is the test fire date on your gun?
 

tgs33

Bearcat
Joined
Oct 4, 2011
Messages
23
I bought an sp101 327 magnum sept 15, 2011, serial 574-71xx. The first rounds through it were 32 SW longs with no issues. I finally found american eagle 327 100 grain online, and the empty cases would not extract. I sent an online service request to Ruger and the response said there were "no problems associated with this firearm". I was going to send it back as recommended by Ruger but decided to try it again so I could at least include spent cases in the package. Surprise- the cases extracted with no problem. I fired more of the am. eagles and some Speer gold dot 115 grain hollow points. I then shot more 32 SW longs, and more am. eagles and the gun still performed fine. I did notice the am. eagle cases appear scorched but the speers are not.
I hope Ruger figured it out because I just bought about $300 of ammo.
If I would have seen this forum before buying I would have bought the 357.
 

Leucoandro

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jun 29, 2006
Messages
450
Location
Dededo, Guam
tgs33 said:
I bought an sp101 327 magnum sept 15, 2011, serial 574-71xx. The first rounds through it were 32 SW longs with no issues. I finally found american eagle 327 100 grain online, and the empty cases would not extract. I sent an online service request to Ruger and the response said there were "no problems associated with this firearm". I was going to send it back as recommended by Ruger but decided to try it again so I could at least include spent cases in the package. Surprise- the cases extracted with no problem. I fired more of the am. eagles and some Speer gold dot 115 grain hollow points. I then shot more 32 SW longs, and more am. eagles and the gun still performed fine. I did notice the am. eagle cases appear scorched but the speers are not.
I hope Ruger figured it out because I just bought about $300 of ammo.
If I would have seen this forum before buying I would have bought the 357.

After shooting the 32 S&W's, did you clean the chamber really well before firing the 327's? A ring of carbon will form in the chamber just above the case mouth, longer cases will get stuck on this after firing if not sufficiently cleaned.


Charlie
 

tgs33

Bearcat
Joined
Oct 4, 2011
Messages
23
Please see the post by Charlie, replying to mine. That is exactly what happened in my SP101. I shot the 32 SWL/LRN first, and then the 327 mag cases stuck in the cylinder. The next time to the range I shot the 327 first without problems. The third time I shot the 32's first and had the same stuck case issue, but took a bore brush with me and reemed the cylinder. The 327's came out fine then.
 

Verndog

Blackhawk
Joined
Sep 25, 2010
Messages
890
Location
Auburn, Wa
Took my new Sp101 .327 mag to the range this weekend for the 1st time. The gun was test fired 7/13/11 from factory. Shot .32 SW long, Speer 115g .327 mag, Federal .327 mag 85g, and American Eagle .327 mag 100g. I shot these in a variety of orders and they all shot and ejected perfectly. The gun functions beautifully, this is an awesome round for this sized gun...very pleased.
 

varmonter

Bearcat
Joined
Oct 9, 2007
Messages
31
Location
Vermont
Mine has had no issues.
I find the federal(AE) 100 gr loads to be very hot. More so than any other
round i have fired in this gun.I could see why there have been extraction issues from this round although i have had none. i reload my practice rounds.
My preferred carry round is the 115 gold dots by Speer.
These were the most accurate to date but not as hot as the AE.
All In all very pleased with this gun.
DSCF2446.jpg
 

DHB

Bearcat
Joined
May 26, 2008
Messages
14
Varmonter,
Those grips are beautiful. Where did they come from? I have a 101 in 32 H&R and have had no problems. I find it strange (unless I missed it) that no official Ruger rep has chimed in on this. After all it's their revolver, and a website named after them. I find that totally inconceivable.
DBillings
 

Cordite

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jan 22, 2009
Messages
256
Location
Southeastern Michigan
>> no official Ruger rep has chimed in on this.

I am not surprised that Ruger has not replied in an official way. While I am convinced that Ruger personnel read this board I am also sure that they do not want to become involved in any flame war or something else that could be quoted as company policy.

Any statements made concerning product defects would be very sensitive legally to Ruger. They could be the basis for a civil lawsuit, especially in the firearms manufacturing industry.

Just about the only legally proper response can be is "send the firearm to us and we will examine it and repair as needed". In the same way you will notice that they only state the parts replaced after a repair ... never why the parts were replaced.

The way they handle this subject area is correctly done IMHO. If we didn't live in a society that likes to sue at the drop of a hat they could be more communicative.

Cordite
 
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