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Feb. 16th, 2009
Shooting My New .327 Magnum (Edited)
Feb. 16th, 2009 04:10 pmI've been wanting a firearm in this new caliber since reading about it several months ago. However, they are still very uncommon; I hadn't even seen one in person until last Saturday. Towards the end of the gun show in Lexington, I was sitting, talking with some people I know, when someone one of them knew approached, wanting to make a private sale. A Charter Arms Patriot in .327 Federal Magnum. It was used, but just barely, and still had all the original papers. And he took a check.
Went out and put 80 rounds through it this afternoon; twenty Federal 85 grain Hydra-Shok and sixty American Eagle 100 grain JHP. Let me tell you, folks who say the recoil is mild are not shooting the same ammunition I did! This is effectively a low-end .357 Magnum squeezed down into a .32. It is *potent*. Fortunately, this short-barreled, lightweight gun has a very good grip, and the recoil is quite tolerable. However, the muzzle blast actually stung my face. I found myself grateful for my long arms.
My biggest disappointment is that the gun shoots *very* low at 25 meters, with both types of ammunition I tried. Weirdly, it was right on at fifteen and ten meters. For a high-velocity round like this that is bizarre.
Since I had to aim above the target board to get on the paper at 25 meters my groups were poor. Shooting at fifteen and ten meters I was wearing gloves, and the trigger guard is small enough to hamper accuracy when doing that. I still managed - out of several tries - to get all five shots from one string in the blue. Bare-handed I might have done better, especially once I get used to the gun.
I was also shooting my New Vaquero in .45 Colt. The contrast between the loud, sharp bang and hard recoil from the small gun with the modest boom and gentle push from the much larger gun was amusing. (I was shooting a cowboy action factory load and a new handload of about the same puissance.)
I have long been a fan of the .30 Carbine, and have an M1 Carbine. I have been looking for a pistol in that caliber. With the .327 Federal Magnum I essentially have it.
Now, if someone will only make the M1 Carbine in .327 Federal... :-)
Went out and put 80 rounds through it this afternoon; twenty Federal 85 grain Hydra-Shok and sixty American Eagle 100 grain JHP. Let me tell you, folks who say the recoil is mild are not shooting the same ammunition I did! This is effectively a low-end .357 Magnum squeezed down into a .32. It is *potent*. Fortunately, this short-barreled, lightweight gun has a very good grip, and the recoil is quite tolerable. However, the muzzle blast actually stung my face. I found myself grateful for my long arms.
My biggest disappointment is that the gun shoots *very* low at 25 meters, with both types of ammunition I tried. Weirdly, it was right on at fifteen and ten meters. For a high-velocity round like this that is bizarre.
Since I had to aim above the target board to get on the paper at 25 meters my groups were poor. Shooting at fifteen and ten meters I was wearing gloves, and the trigger guard is small enough to hamper accuracy when doing that. I still managed - out of several tries - to get all five shots from one string in the blue. Bare-handed I might have done better, especially once I get used to the gun.
I was also shooting my New Vaquero in .45 Colt. The contrast between the loud, sharp bang and hard recoil from the small gun with the modest boom and gentle push from the much larger gun was amusing. (I was shooting a cowboy action factory load and a new handload of about the same puissance.)
I have long been a fan of the .30 Carbine, and have an M1 Carbine. I have been looking for a pistol in that caliber. With the .327 Federal Magnum I essentially have it.
Now, if someone will only make the M1 Carbine in .327 Federal... :-)
