REVIEWS
Ruger SP101.327 Magnum
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There was a time when .32 handguns were held in good regard. The Colt SAA in .32-20 was the third-largest-selling caliber. The first revolvers the NYPD was issued were in .32 S&W Long. But somehow that respect faded. Back in the 1980s, H&R attempted to change that by developing the .32 H&R Magnum. The "upgrade" only marginally increased performance. While respectable, it suffered in comparison to the then-new loads in 9mm and .38 Special.
No more. The new .327 Federal Magnum makes no pretense to being suitable for anything but modern revolvers. The earliest .32 cartridges have an operating pressure not much more than 12,000 PSI. The .32 H&R Magnum upped that to 21,000 PSI, the same as the .38 Special +P.
In upping the performance of the .32, Federal increased the case length to preclude the use of the new round in older guns, a prudent choice when you're upping the operating pressure to 45,000 PSI--that's right, more than the .357 Magnum and more than a 9mm+P loading.
First out of the gate, and in conjunction with Federal, Ruger offers its SP101 in .327 Federal Magnum. At 28 ounces of high-alloy investment-cast stainless steel, the SP101 is certainly stout enough to take the new .327 in stride; you may not be, but the revolver is. The initial offering is with a 31â ow-profile adjustable rear sight.
You may be asking yourself, "Sure, high pressure is great, but it is still just a .32, right?" Give up your old ideas about the performance of a .32, for the new Federal load leaves them all behind. The lightest load is the 85-grainer, which also runs at a lower pressure. That is, if you consider chamber pressure on par with the .357 Magnum as a "low" figure. At 35,000 PSI, the 85-grain Hydra-Shok leaves the muzzle at a promised 1,330 fps. The heavier bullets are a 100-grain SP American Eagle load at 1,400 fps and the 115-grain Gold Dot Federal Premium Personal Defense load at 1,300 fps.
