.327 Mag VS .357 Mag Episode 6: Buffalo Bore Heavy 

Thanks! Well, and you're welcome lol

No kidding!😩👍

IIRC, S & W still makes the 13 ounce Scandium version of the model 60.

Maybe we can find a phaser . . .

Thanks for watching!

I am really starting to love the .327 Federal Mag. Not a lot of ammo choices but it's so good.

@@GunSam I admit having a softspot for 32 caliber cartridges, but I primarily handload for 38 Special and I want a hardcast load that can do decisive work on medium sized predators if pressed into service. I know Buffalo Bore makes a hard cast version of both cartridges. I figure the 327, with its longer, skinnier bullet, could in theory eek out a little more penetration.

@@professorpewpuew Yes. The .327 seems to get the same penetration as the .357 as long as the sectional density of the bullets are the same and the velocity is the same, even with the .327 having a lot less energy. So for sure if you got equal energy with the .327 which can be done, you will definitely get more penetration than the .357.

Yeah I did test it in my 4" barrel and got I think it was 1,638 FPS average. Might have to keep some in case I need to take a deer with a handgun.

Gun Sam _Revolver Aficionado_ yeah I might wait to get a lever action 357 to shoot that stuff!?! lol 😆😬

Thanks. I mean, I could handle them, but I really did not WANT to handle them lol.

I usually feel less recoil in snubs with .327 Mag, however it seems there are a lot of lower end .327 Mag loads that still do well.

I've sworn off the 100gr AE for my LCR. Too much wasted powder. You can feel lots of it every shot coming out of the cylinder gap and the barrel in half burnt and unburnt powder specks... But now I want another box of the 100gr to try in my 18" rifled 12ga -> .327 Fed Mag chamber adapter. I think that one is purpose loaded for a barrel of 6" or longer. I imagine it would be at peak efficiency in carbine and rifle lengths.

@@randysouse-git531 For .327FM 6" must be close to good barrel length? Ruger only made .327FM 8 round Blackhawk in 5.5" barrel. When .327FM ammo was tested in 3 different Ruger Single 7's shot length barrels, smaller 4.8" barrel & larger 7.5" did not have velocity or power of middle 5.5" barrel. You may be onto something there on good barrel length with BB especially? Plus, lot of potential power is lost on revolvers gap between cylinder & barrel. .327FM can have velocities up to around 1700 FPS under right conditions. Can be eye opener?

I shot through my 4" 686 and it averaged 1,638 FPS. That's about 200 FPS more than typical.

Thank you.

Thanks. When I pick an EDC round, if it's in a caliber and or small gun where recoil is an issue, what I pick is one that has the least felt recoil with the highest terminal ballistics. In these two revolvers what I carry is the .357 Mag 135 gr Gold Dot short barrel, and the .327 Federal Mag 85 gr Hydrashok. I especially like the .327 Hydrashok as it's felt recoil is less than a .38 Special with terminal ballistic performance the same as a 9mm+P.

Glad to help

But not really a deer/ bear load . Sure , the occasional was taken with perfectly place unobstructed broadside with 125 , but way too little penetration for bear . For hunting it's a divided opinion between a controlled expansion 158 , and heavy cast of Keith or LBT shape . ( Speaking as aficionado of hot .32's ) The .327 is an intriguing cartridge , but unfortunately doomed to becoming obscure , if not as dead as .400 CorBon or 9mm Federal ( rimmed) , unless it suddenly achieves a popularity boom . In the personal defense market which was its intended bread & butter it it missed the mark . The overwhelming market for defensive .32's is for " less recoil than .38spl , while still having worthwhile power , and significantly better than the really small calibers . The .32 Mag tragically fell just short . As a clean sheet cartridge in the modern era , there was no reason to establish it with pressures at the .38spl level . Had it been established at just a bit hotter , say 25K psi , it would have nailed the targeted market . The .327 " Lite " is what the .32 Mag should have been in the first place . The full power .327 is The Bomb . But alas misses the mark by having More recoil than .38 +P . For most potential buyers , it is too much of a counter intuitive leap . Alienating those looking for low recoil on purpose , and most buyers looking for power have the conventional ( and usually correct ) idea that bigger diameter is presumptively better .

Thanks.

Someday I will be testing in a 3" SP101 if everything works out the way I plan.

Great. I have both. In fact my SP101 327 is at Gemini Customs right now. My wife gave up her 9mm semi and now carries a LCRx 327 too.

It gets over 2,200 fps out of a rifle. It's basically 7.62x39mm.

Thank you. I do plan something like that maybe in comparison to their .45 ACP+P.

@@GunSam That will be awesome to see.

I see what u did there!

Are you talking about .327 Federals? I think I got like 1,350 FPS with the 100 gr Gold Dot in this LCR.

Gun Sam _Revolver Aficionado_ yes in Gold Dot I’m getting 1450-1470 in my 3” SP101 I was saying I don’t think the Buffalo Bore would hit 1350 in a 3” based on what you got from the LCR. In my 26 oz SP101 I love the Gold Dot performance and recoil I find very manageable for follow up shots but my buddy has an LCRX in 327 and I find the Gold Dot a bit much in that 17oz gun for follow up shots he’s carrying Hydra Shocks in his LCRX which is probably do as well but the Buffalo Bore I think looks promising for an LCR carry load.

But the is , the " Normal Full Power " .357 125 jhp already IS . Not really enough room for potential improvement to be worth the additional recoil , for slower follow ups , if not the discomfort .

Very few fly apart like that. I'm not better, just dumber lol. Hurt to shoot. I have RA so I felt it later.

Thank you.

In my video "10mm More Powerful than .357 Magnum? 💥ULTIMATE Test💥💥💥POWERFUL Ammunition" I tested this same ammo through my 4" S&W 686. Was almost at 1,700 FPS.

Thanks for watching. I really like the American Gunner and Golden Saber range of velocity loads. I can also do it with around 7.5 gr of Titegroup.

@@GunSam I thought about going the titegroup route but I'm using that for my plinking loads with berrys 125s and it seems to be more versatile for the other pistol calibers I plan on reloading so I figured I'd better use the W231 for something. W231 seems to burn a bit cleaner/ meter better for me as well

@@MrDowby I have used W231, its a good generic powder but seemed to work well with auto cartridges, but revolver cartridges were a bit flashy. Titegroup has almost no flash and its one of those powders than can be dirty at low charges, but actually shoots really clean at max listed charges.

@@GunSam Titegroups definitely going to be a staple in my powderbox... lots of stuff it's good for. I'm not a polished reloader quite yet and the easy pressure spikes have me a bit spooked... I'm sure itll get lots of use just not sure if it's something I want to max out on the regular yet

Thank you. Funny thing is the .45 auto is the ONE semi auto cartridge I do like, I don't like many more. The .45 auto is perfect in that it has the power to do well, it has the mass to keep the momentum going though objects and it's not too powerful, so the reliability issues you might get with 10mm or other high energy semi auto cartridges is less prevalent with .45 auto.

With very heavy recoil it's difficult to get the same trigger press as I will grip the revolver tighter. This seems to break my shot at a different time than expected in double action, so single action helps.

Yes, I tested the .38 Special Silvertip in my snubby a few videos back. It seemed to perform well.

@@GunSam awesome. ill have to check that out. We have been on vacation and i guess i missed it.

Thanks.

Thanks.

Thanks!

Thank you. I have a lot more coming.

@@GunSam keep them coming please 🙏

Thank you, thanks for watching.

Funny thing is I compared this .327 ammo to the Buffalo Bore .32 H&R Mag with the same 100 gr XTP and the average velocity was basically the same. The case expansion/sticking was the same and the felt recoil was the same. So, at least in a snub nose their .32 H&R and .327 is the same, so that's good information to know. With a longer barrel i'd assume the .327 would be faster than the .32 H&R.

Why?!? LOL. I liked testing it, but doubt i'd ever carry it.

I carry Buffalo bore 180 grain in my 3 inch 686, very potent round.

Thank you. It usually works well but once in awhile it has off days and also it has days like this where certain ammo has a lot of flash that effects it.

Thanks. Yeah, I prefer 125 gr .357's that shoot about 1,150 FPS in the snub, and the American Gunner and Golden Saber .357 Mag 125 gr do just that.

Thank you. It hit the palm with a lot of force, but surprisingly I had no hand pain the next day.

Thanks. I don't think the 115 gr Gold Dot is produced anymore, and I have been trying to get the 100 gr soft point but it's never in stock.

Thanks. Yes I have tested a lot of the same loads, well "same" and Buffalo Bore is almost always more powerful and more consistent.

The .357 is just as versatile, and I don't know why it's not often talked about. I mean in .327 it can also chamber and fire .32 H&R, .32 S&W Long, .32 S&W and .32 ACP (but .32 ACP not very well, my latest video tests this), but no ones seems to talk about the .357 Magnum beyond it's backward compatibility with .38 Special. It can also fire .38 Long Colt, .38 Short Colt, and in certain circumstances if the chambers are loose enough tolerances- .38 ACP. Of course .357 and .38 Special alone have way more choices of ammo than the .32 caliber family, however....the .32 S&W Long has a decent amount of choices and the .327 Federal has enough ammo choices to be a viable option. The .32 H&R Mag is a little obscure, it's sort of to the .32 family what the .38 Special+P is to the .357 family. It's a thing, but no one really truly needs it lol

Thanks for watching!

This is the same box of .357 I used in 10mm VS .357 Mag where in my 686 4" I got around 1,700 FPS and 800 FPE lol. I would probably never get a .327 carbine, but maybe .357 or .44 Mag.

@@GunSam Yeah, I think I agree. The .327 makes a lot of sense in a snubbie, but in a carbine? I mean when your using a shoulder mounted gun with some weight and a rifle length barrel you may as well go big, like a .44. Then again that brings up the question of carbine (handgun caliber) or just get a lever gun in .30-30 or some other rifle caliber? If matching your ammo to your sidearm is desirable then a true carbine makes sense, otherwise there are far more effective offerings in rifle calibers. Another point is that the .327 seems a lot less likely to benefit all that much from the greater bbl. length. A .44 mag, and even the .357 mag does get quite a bit more performance out of the longer bbl. but those light weight .32 bullets have me thinking they won't get a lot faster out of a 20" bbl. than say a 3" one. In fact I suspect the optimum bbl. length for that cartridge is probably shorter than a carbine length barrel anyway. At some point it will just produce drag.

Well scratch all that. I just remembered the .30 carbine round. I clearly have no idea what I'm talking about.

I am more and more thinking that the .327 Mag is a superior concealed carry round VS the .357 Mag. The .357 Mag is a good round, but not so much in a pocket gun.

It's a wrist snapper.

Yeah I think it's raccoons because in the summer when we had rain and mud splatter, I found raccoon paw prints on my table and ballistic box. On my new one that's painted reddish brown.

I carry the 85 gr Hydrashok, it's the best load had the best performance and least recoil. Cool thing about that load as it is the same thing as the American Eagle 85 gr soft point, same nose profile, same velocity and felt recoil etc, just with no hollow cavity. See what they did there, it's like a Winchester train&defend but not labeled as such.

@@GunSam I checked my records and I also had extraction issues with Speer 115 gr Gold Dot HP and Jamison Brass & Ammunition/Captech 90 gr JHC

Thanks for watching. I didn't specifically check for bullet creep but I would not expect it to be a thing with these as the crimps were massive, plus I normally don't see that effect on jacketed bullets. I have only seen it happen with lead bullets.

I suspect it's utility is found in L frame and Ruger GP 100 size guns.

@@GunSam I don't know of any hotter round that . When I did have a heavy Dan Wesson 2.5 " the blast of normal hot 125 gr was just too much . A 9mm or larger round , 44 sp +p , 10mm or 45 acp , in common weights & power , and or Crit Def or Ranger T > High tech ammo , would be better for most people . I would like a small revolver as a back up , I would feed it Horn Crit Def .. same as I keep in my 9mm today . I keep silver tips in my 10mm G20 mostly , both are user friendly & work well . Thanks !!

@@danoneill2846 I loaded my G2C with the 147 gr Silvertips as I really liked the performance to recoil ratio. That's usually the biggest factor in my choices of carry rounds. If the terminal ballistic performance is way to good to believe for how low the recoil way, then it becomes my carry round. Same as the 85 gr .327 Federal Hydrashok. Less recoil than a .38 Special but more damage than a 9mm.

It's normally unusual for me to complain something is Too powerful , but I have to say this .357 " Heavy " 125gr is largely pointless for any practical application . The Normal Full Power .357 125 already realises the full potential of a 125gr JHP , already works as well or better on the street as any handgun round period , already is at the upper limits of controlability , and most modern criticism of it ( besides recoil ) is too much expansion , and not enough penetration . an additional 150-200fps would be seen as making that worse, not better .

I haven't really tried or thought about the HoneyBadger rounds but have seen them. The only .357 Mag ammo to have similar energy to this Buffalo Bore round was the Cor-Bon 110 gr .357 Mag, however the underpenetration and forcing cone potential damage is something that makes me not want to use that round.

Gun Sam _Revolver Aficionado_ HoneyBadger rounds are like the kissing cousins of xtreme defender/hunter/penetrator. What makes the 357 mag interesting to me is they are 127grain, basically the ‘magical’ 357 weight. Though they’re listed at @1300ft/sec out of a 6” barrel. That seems lowish to me.

Thank you.

You’ll blow your ear drums out ❕❗️🤯🤯🤯

Well I already knew lol. Except the .327 doesn't make sense as it's not really heavy.

I have to wonder the velocity in a rifle. Might be impressive.

I tested this round in the 4" barrel too. Some were over 1,700 FPS.

@@GunSam yes I was thinking it would be just as hot as the Corbon you tested. GREAT JOB on that one also 👍

The .327 was developed between Federal and Ruger to be fired from the 3" SP101, so that's the perfect gun for .327 Federal in the same way the 5" 1911 is, I mean IS the .45 standard.

Ruger makes single actions (the Single Seven) with barrel lengths up to 7.5". I think the 4-5/8" might make a great trail gun. Probably a good trainer with 32 H&R ammo too

I do, but I have used a lot of them making the words "Jug-or-Not" with them on my second Jug-or-Not box. I still have a ton of them though.

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vKdLQSonVYI.html

@@GunSam Yes, thanks! I forgot about that! I bet without the board to simulate bone the .32 long would easily over penetrate.

It will go a long time with great reliability, but then by chance have issues in what seems to be chronograph issues, but it's other factors. One factor is this chronograph likes to read rounds exactly over the 2" wide sensors, so if my windage is off, that causes errors. Also, like we see here, some ammo that has too much flash, smoke, or unburned powder will cause issues. If a round is fired directly over the bars from far enough away to not read flash, it's 100% reliable. Paul Harrell uses the same chrono with almost no issues, because he fires from 7 yards or greater and is a good shot. I guarantee if we swapped machines mine would work great for him but his would show errors. But, it's all about the way I do my videos. I like to shoot for accuracy at the same time as chronographing because I can't afford two boxes at once of the same ammo, and because at 7 yards I might pull a shot low.

Thanks very much for explaining. I almost mentioned Paul.....I’m sure you know if he gets a duplicate read between adjacent shots he throws out the duplicate. I’ve NEVER worked with one so I really appreciate the education. I really do enjoy your channel Bud. Big wheel gun fan so your stuff rocks! Thanks!

Well no 578 ft lbs in a 3.25" barrel which would be the 2" revolver barrel comparison in a 9mm pistol. I think it was like 750 ft lbs in the 4" revolver lol

@@GunSam Came across this video again (2022/01/07). Considering the 125gr HTP SJHP from Remington was too hot for me to handle, I'm quite certain I'll be avoiding this stuff!

I have a lot of ammo tested.

@@GunSam Yes, so what do you think are the more moderate loads?

@@garylewis3641 I think you mean like weaker loads. I think they are the best ammo for snub nose revolvers. I will carry Gold Dot short barrel ammo or other low end ammo in a snub.

@@GunSam ok, thanks so much. I eventually will get around to watching some more of your videos, you make some good ones!

The Winchester USA 110 gr is a midrange load, rated at 1250 fps (assumedly in a 4" barrel). Basically it is the old .38 Spl +p+ Treasury load from the early 70's, in a 357 case. The Rem HTP is basically the same, rated at 1295 fps. Both should be a little more comfortable in snubbies.

I think they have different versions. I have seen various ammo they have in various calibers with identical listed ballistics, but they label the Gold Dot bullets as "bonded" ammunition and the XTP as just JHP I believe.

@@GunSam they listed the Gold Dot bullets in .357 Magnum loads as JHC (Jacketed Hollow Cavity) I see they have a new 180gr load that looks like an XTP bullet. I thought maybe they switched from Gold Dots to XTP on the 125gr load. The 158 gr JHC load was Gold Dot also.

My druthers would be the SP 101 , but I'm sure the LCR will decisively out sell it in that cal .

Currently i'd say the only two i'd go to are the Gold Dot short barrel 135 gr and the American Gunner 125 gr. Both of those are backed off just enough to have manageable recoil while still performing very well. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vDDhblyjhBM.html and ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-c_ZyrAZuqDI.html

@@GunSam okay Thanks

Come to think of it, I think the 100 gr XTP .32 H&R Mag was near identical performance. Let me look it up lol;;;;WOW, the .32 H&R Mag was 1,238 FPS/340 ft lbs and this .327 was 1,252 FPS/348 ft lbs. And the .32 H&R I tested in the winter. This makes no sense, the .32 H&R+P and the .327 is identical basically.

@@GunSam The 32 H&R Magnum is no joke.

Gun Sam _Revolver Aficionado_ b