# General > General Guns & Ammo >  .327 Federal Magnum in a levergun...Finally!

## alaskabushman

I dont know how many of you guys are aware of the .327 Federal Mag, but its one of my favorites. Yes, a niche cartridge for sure, but in my Single Seven I can carry 7 shots of a well designed powerful magnum that does all I need. All in a package that's small and way more portable than a full sized Blackhawk. 
Fans of the .327 have been clamoring for a rifle so chambered, but until now no one has delivered. Ruger isn't in the lever game anymore, although a .327 version of their .357 bolt gun would be fabulous. Marlin will never do it unless Remington get their act together. that pretty much leaves Rossi and Winchester. Winchester would probably never do something so low-brow, not that I could afford one if they did. Rossi could do it, and I'd buy one if the quality was good. 
Then there's Henry. I'm not a big Henry fan (never fired one before), but those that use Henry's generally like them. I like a loading gate, but since this is likely to be my one shot at getting a companion gun to my Single Seven, I am willing to lay out the cash.

http://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2...magnum-rifles/

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## hunter63

I have heard and seen them and seems to make sense in a small frame revolver.

But I guess I don't know what "niche" rifle would fill?........

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## randyt

> I have heard and seen them and seems to make sense in a small frame revolver.
> 
> But I guess I don't know what "niche" rifle would fill?........


the just because niche

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## kyratshooter

The "Oh S%&T I wish I had brought a bigger rifle!" niche?

I really should not say that because it would make a real good bump in the dark varmint gun with a light and red dot for chicken protection.  Would probably make a good squirrel gun too.

I will probably never buy a Henry.  Not my cup of tea.

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## randyt

I don't particularly care for a rifle in a handgun cartridge, if I'm going to lug a rifle around I want it to pack a punch. To each their own though.

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## alaskabushman

If I am going hunting, I definitely want a more powerful rifle. There are times though, when I want something handy while in the woods or beach combing. I admit that the usefulness of pistol cartridges in longer barrels is a game of diminishing returns. The main perk is only needing to carry one cartridge. As far as "enough gun" goes I am pretty confident that the .327 would do all I need. Black Bears are never a problem for me (no Grizzly's here), and if wolves become an issue the .327 would be dynamite for them. Our small framed Sitka Blacktail go down easy from the .327. How do I know? I've done it with my Single Seven. 
For me the .327 is a peach to reload, the bullets are easy to cast, or cheap to buy. I also load .32 S&W long, which I can load super cheap, and have a good plinking/small game load. Both rounds just sip the powder.

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## hunter63

> I don't particularly care for a rifle in a handgun cartridge, if I'm going to lug a rifle around I want it to pack a punch. To each their own though.


Yeah, I agree with that.....and I guess the pistol and rifle in the same caliber has a lot of fans.....
To me its like having Two #2 Philips screw drivers....one with a longer handle.

Will have to say the Henry Big Boy in .45lc or .44 mag has been thought about and raffle tickets bought.....
Not sure I am willing to shell out $600 bucks....

I do get the "Man, that's cool ....I gotta have me one...Just because".

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## crashdive123

I've got the Henry Big Boy in 38/357.  It sure is fun to shoot.

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## alaskabushman

> I do get the "Man, that's cool ....I gotta have me one...Just because".


There is always that... :Nod:

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## randyt

I have a few rifle/handgun combos but it was just a accident that I ended up with those. I'll list them for fun, 357 mag, 9mm largo, 45acp, 9mm luger, .410, and of course .22 lr and .22 mag, oh yea and 17 hmr.

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## hunter63

Yes I do as well......22/22 rifle, 357/357 Handi, 44mag/Ruger carbine/Handi......45lc/Rossi Circuit Judge/Handi/and Handi .45/410...
But don't make it a point of carrying them at the same time....at least yet.

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## Phaedrus

I've never fired a .327 Federal Magnum but I'll admit to a fondness for PCCs, for many of the reasons the OP mentions- low recoil, ease of reloading and the convenience of carrying just one round. It seems to me that there's nothing that round does that another one doesn't do better but that's not really the point.  We could probably get by with just the 12 ga and a dozen centerfire rounds for everything but where's the fun in that? :Banana:

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## hunter63

I guess you can consider it as a center fire, reloadable .22 Mag.....?
That may be a great option.

Every one should have a couple of "different" calibers.....
Have a Handi Rifle in .204 Ruger.....may be a great varmint load, haven't really followed up....But what a hot rod.....!

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## alaskabushman

Its not really a .22 mag. While it can certainly be loaded down and used as a low power small game cartridge (that's what I use the .32 S&W for) the .327 mag is a different animal. With a 100 grain bullet you can get 1,400 fps, producing 435 ft-lbs at the muzzle. for comparison a .38 spl +P with a 110 grain bullet you only get 1000 fps producing 244 ft-lbs muzzle energy. A .357 with a 158 grain bullet screaming along at 1,235 gives you 535 ft-lbs, that's a pretty hot .357 mag load. How does the .327 acheive this? really high pressure, in fact the closest cartridge to it in terms of pressure is the .454 Casull. 
Put another way, if I have my Single Seven loaded up with 7 full power load I can carry 3,045 ft-lbs in a gun that weighs 35 ounces. If I take a Blackhawk (same barrel length) it weighs almost 50 ounces. If I load it with 140 grainers (popular in my area) moving at 1,200 fps for 448 ft-lbs I can carry 2,688 ft-lbs in the gun. If I carry the hot 158's then I can carry 3,210 ft-lbs. That's a lot of firepower!

Before all the shooters and reloaders get upset, I understand that ft-lbs in NOT the only factor in determining lethality, there are many other things in play, the diameter of the bullet being another. But it does give you and idea of what the .327 mag is capable of. I have nothing but respect for the .38spl, in fact it was my preferred CCW for many years. I love the .357 mag, I own two and when I need something really serious that's what I'm going to grab. My .327 is my pet though, its fun to shoot, easy to carry, very flexible (capable of firing .327 mag, .32 H&R mag, .32 S&W long, .32 S&W short and .32 ACP) and it holds its own in the power category. I certainly do not feel undergunned when its on my hip.

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## kyratshooter

In reality the closest thing you can compare the .327 Federal with is to view it as a rimmed 30 carbine round.  .312 bullet instead of .308 but the extra .004" is no big deal because the bullet weights are nearly identical and carbine velocity is a bit higher.  

Ruger still makes the Blackhawk in 30 carbine but it is not a real good seller due to muzzle blast, which does not seem to deter the 327 shooters.  Plus you only get the 6 shots in the carbine loading and that 7th shot seems to be very important, unless you start comparing the Henry rifle to the M1 carbine in the rifle/pistol combo package where the 30 round magazine comes into the total of rounds multiplied by energy.

And why not compare the Federal 115-120gn .357 loadings that get 1400-1500fps rather than the old apples vs oranges comparison.  Two guns with the same bullet weight at the same velocity have the same power!   

If you are going to total foot pounds of energy for total load out why not total the full 15-17 shot magazine of most 9mm or 40 caliber offerings.  There are several 9mm offerings that hit 1400-1500fps in 115 and 120gn loadings.

It's your money, buy what you want, but don't try to use faulty math to fool yourself and others.

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## Wildthang

If I lived in Alaska, and was going to carry a lever gun, it would be .44 Mag minimum, but that's just me!

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## alaskabushman

Yes the .327 is very similar to a .30 carbine. You seem to think I was saying the .327 is the best ever. I most certainly am not. I was simply trying to show that the .327 is somewhere between .38spl and .357 mag. It most certainly is not a reloadable .22 mag. You say not to compare apples to oranges, then proceed to ask for a comparison of a hi-cap 9mm semi auto against a single action revolver.
Is the .327 the greatest thing since sliced bread? No. Is any cartridge? No. That's why we have a bewildering variety of rifle and pistol cartridges today, because there are always gaps in the line-up. My math was not faulty, just simple math, I gathered the data from published books that are specifically designed for doing what you say is apples and oranges. I didn't feel like I needed to list every hot load in the book, because I was shooting for a middle ground comparison.  
I enjoy shooting all firearms, and can see the advantages of some over others, and everyone has a different situation. I wasn't even trying to "fool" anyone, just trying to have a conversation, and maybe show someone a product that they didn't know existed or ever considered. 

There I said "white", now you can say "black"...

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## alaskabushman

> If I lived in Alaska, and was going to carry a lever gun, it would be .44 Mag minimum, but that's just me!


A common misconception about Alaska is that there are Grizzly's around every tree. In fact where I live there are none. Black bears are common, but there has never been a recorded fatality in the state of Alaska from a black bear...ever. Brownies are a different story. If I lived someplace where there was a possibility of coming face to face with an 800 pound grizzly...A .44 mag starts looking mighty small. 
In my area, the biggest killers are Hypothermia, falling into sink holes, drowning and vehicle accidents(mostly ATV's). A .44 will not help with any of those.  

I do agree, however...living in grizzly country would have me toting around at least a 12 ga with slugs.

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## FloridaDad

Alaskabushman,
Old thread but a google search on the 327 rifle is how I found these forums.

I'm with you.  I love my little Henry 327 carbine (18 inch barrel) and if I had to grab only one and go this would probably be it.  I have the heavy loads for hogs and Florida deer (small like your Sitkas) but can also pop in a 32 S&W long to take a squirrel.  I can also hand it to my very small and recoil-shy wife to have at the house when I'm gone.  You can't ethically use a .22 rifle to take a deer or 100+ pound hog from anything beyond a few yards, and a .308 on a squirrel is ridiculous.  That's more niche that the 327.  This gun crosses 2 game classes, small and medium, with ease. 

Tim

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