"Ruger LCR Revolver in 327 Federal Magnum, for Close Quarters Self Defense?"

[the_leper_colony]

Very short article about one of Ruger's great products - more questions than answers, but possibly of interest:

Ruger LCR Revolver in 327 Federal Magnum, for Close Quarters Self Defense?

A revolver, like the Ruger LCR Revolver in 327mg, that can be quickly accessed & then fired multiple times, from under clothing represents an attractive self-defense option.

www.ammoland.com

"Will... multiple 32H&R Mg, or 327Mg, bullet impacts, at contact range, persuade the attacker to let go and then go find something else to do?"

I checked with my good friend Captain Obvious, and he advised me that, in most cases, the answer would be 'yes'.

As always IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, etc., etc.

 

[contender]

I own a few 327's,, and I dern sure would NOT want to be shot with one.

 

[firesubie]

The LCR 327 replaced my LCR 38 as my EDC several months ago. I replaced the factory sight with the Big Dot XS (for 22/9mm/327) and I am quite confident it will do the job, if, God forbid, the need should ever arise. I suppose my fascination with First 48 has taught me that many victims have fallen to the lowly .22 LR, so the 327 Fed Mag, as well as the 32 H&R should be sufficient. It is certainly easier to shoot accurately than the LCR 38 is with 38 +P loads and with 1 more in the chamber. I definitely enjoy shooting it more which translates to better proficiency. Just my .02.

 

[recumbent]

I have a LCR in 327 and a GP100 4 inch bbl in 327. Wish I had bought the 6 inch GP100

 

[firesubie]

I wish I had bought the 8-shot 327 Blackhawk when nobody wanted them...

 

[noahmercy]

The 327 Federal with the right bullet is a definite fight-stopper...it destroys a lot of tissue and drills plenty deep even after expanding. Damage from 115 grain Gold Dots is well beyond anything I've seen from even the best 9mm in my testing. The 32 H&R cartridge as loaded by most manufacturers, however, is pretty weak-sauce. The article quotes 1,200 FPS with an 85 grain bullet from a snubby, but I don't believe I've ever seen one go over 950 FPS, so I'm not sure what they're talking about. (For reference, many 380 loads throw a 5 grain heavier bullet 50-100 FPS faster from a little LCP.) I would not rely on anything less than Buffalo Bore's +P or my "Ruger-only" handloads for personal defense in the H&R cartridge.

And while a lot of people have been killed with the 22, and the 25, and the 32s (ACP, S&W, S&W Long), those cartridges are really close to tied for highest percentage of failures to stop (regardless of where the shots were placed or how many times the target was shot), and since the goal is to stop an attacker, lethality doesn't matter.

 

[firesubie]

Noahmercy, have you tested the new Federal HST 327? I haven't seen any tests on it but the HST has good reviews in other calibers.

 

[noahmercy]

Noahmercy, have you tested the new Federal HST 327? I haven't seen any tests on it but the HST has good reviews in other calibers.

I have enough of the Gold Dot to last me for the rest of my life, so haven't tried the HST. From past experience with it in other cartridges though, I wouldn't hesitate to rely on it...GD and HST are almost invariably top performers in any given caliber (380 ACP excepted).

 

[Hankus]

I have enough of the Gold Dot to last me for the rest of my life, so haven't tried the HST. From past experience with it in other cartridges though, I wouldn't hesitate to rely on it...GD and HST are almost invariably top performers in any given caliber (380 ACP excepted).

Noahmercy since you have a "lifetime supply" of .327 Gold Dot would you mind sharing? My 8165 Single Seven is hungry …

 

[noahmercy]

Noahmercy since you have a "lifetime supply" of .327 Gold Dot would you mind sharing? My 8165 Single Seven is hungry …

Sorry, partner, only a lifetime supply because I shoot so few...less than two boxes of projectiles. My hope is that since the 30 Super Carry uses the same bullet, and that cartridge looks like a non-starter, the 115 Gold Dots may find their way back into the catalogs. Hard to tell though, with the Czech Republic now owning Speer.

 

[planetcat]

I have an lcr in .327. It's quite the little powerhouse. Would make for a good home defense revolver. I'd prefer the 3" lcrx for that purpose.

 

[firesubie]

I wish Ruger would make the 3" LCRx in 327. I would buy one.

 

[Johnnu2]

I'm truly sorry that I can't keep my mouth shut on this subject (even though I'm NO expert), BUT I've always believed that LARGE bullets, moving at about 900+/- fps are needed to cause enough nervous system "shock" power to stop a large human (who may not be of right mind). Fortunately, I've never needed to test the theory.... we keep shotguns for home defense; however, they are much more difficult to tuck into one's waistband .

J.

 

[the_leper_colony]

I'm truly sorry that I can't keep my mouth shut on this subject (even though I'm NO expert), BUT I've always believed that LARGE bullets, moving at about 900+/- fps are needed to cause enough nervous system "shock" power to stop a large human (who may not be of right mind). Fortunately, I've never needed to test the theory.... we keep shotguns for home defense; however, they are much more difficult to tuck into one's waistband .

J.

I agree. My personal preference for handgun cartridges is a 180-200 grain bullet moving 750-950 fps, because that's what I enjoy shooting, and they're generally cheap for me to load. I load .40 S&W (10x22mm :^), .44 Special, and .45 acp in that range. FWIW & IIRC, the original proposed .45 acp load was a 200 gr bullet @ 850 fps. I do load above that range (in both bullet weight & velocity) when I want a more energetic load, and I also recognize that a light weight bullet at high velocity has many advantages, and is nothing I would want to step in front of, the classic .357 Magnum 125 gr JHP being a textbook example. The .327 Magnum is obviously in that latter group (light bullet, high velocity), and like every other cartridge on the planet, actual performance depends on specific bullet, velocity, range, target, etc.

As always IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, etc.

 

[Stantheman1986]

Yes, people tend to be upset when they get shot

.327 is nasty, I have a .327 GP100 that rarely gets fired but I have a box of the Hydra Shoks that got wet when my basement flooded in the winter of '20, so I should probably fire them off

.327 is like we all know just a .32 H&R Magnum, Magnum and I'm surprised it took so long for an ammo company to soup it up for $$ gain. It would have been a popular LE round if it came out in the 1950s or 60s but they had .357 so why fix what isn't broken

The only advantage to my .327 GP is less muzzle blast and recoil, but it certainly was not the "light shooting defensive round for women" it was hyped up as.

It kind of became a niche round because it's more or less just a hyper velocity .32. People want the meat and potatoes stuff they can buy ammo for

I knew .30 Carry wouldn't catch on either

 

[the_leper_colony]

...It kind of became a niche round because it's more or less just a hyper velocity .32. People want the meat and potatoes stuff they can buy ammo for

I knew .30 Carry wouldn't catch on either

I never say never, because other factors like politics can really influence popularity & market share. One reason the .40 S&W became as popular as it did was the Clinton/Democrat "assault weapons ban" - a lot of folks figured, "If I can only carry 10 rounds, why not something better than 9mm?" We could see something similar again, if the gun grabbers copy foreign gun ban legislation (which they've done in the past), and ban "military calibers". After all, President Joe thinks a 9mm slug will blow your lungs out! So if our 'Gun Ban Party' manages to outlaw military & police calibers for civilians, I could see 9mm fans going to 9x21mm, or maybe .30 SC if they're buying new (& if mag capacity isn't limited). Hope we're not headed that way, but who knows?

As always IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, etc.

 

[davevabch]

Bought the LCR9mm when it first came out and one of the best buys I have ever bought. Bought the LCR22 to aid training.

 

[JackBull]

The LCR 327 replaced my LCR 38 as my EDC several months ago. I replaced the factory sight with the Big Dot XS (for 22/9mm/327) and I am quite confident it will do the job, if, God forbid, the need should ever arise. I suppose my fascination with First 48 has taught me that many victims have fallen to the lowly .22 LR, so the 327 Fed Mag, as well as the 32 H&R should be sufficient. It is certainly easier to shoot accurately than the LCR 38 is with 38 +P loads and with 1 more in the chamber. I definitely enjoy shooting it more which translates to better proficiency. Just my .02.

Problem is many of the 22 victims are not stopped immediately.

 

[firesubie]

Neither were all of the .45 victims but every scenario is going to be a little different from another one. You never know what you're going to be faced with so I agree that it is best that one be prepared with as much firepower as possible, but most people carry what they can comfortably handle. If all I could handle was a .22, then I'd use that if I had to, but fortunately I can handle more than that. There are those that, for whatever reason, cannot handle heavy recoil or stiff action springs. Maybe a .22 is all they can use. The LCR 327, which is the subject of this thread, is capable of reliably shooting 4 different cartridges (32 S&W, 32 Long, 32 H&R, 327 Fed Mag), so it is very versatile in that regard so one may choose the amount of power they can handle. It can also fire 32 Auto, but the thin rim makes it less reliable due to headspace issues. I was just trying to be funny in referencing First 48, but I have responded to many gunshot wounds in my career, and most were not immediately fatal because they weren't shot in an incapacitating zone of the body. Some were shot in the butt or the back as they were running from the sight of a gun and they didn't stick around to see what caliber it was.

 

[NC FNS]

I'm not condoning warning shots, but if you had to, 327 is so dang loud it would do the job…