I
‘ve been watching the hype about the 327 Federal Magnum cartridge and wondering where it might fit in my personal defense strategy. I like to have backup guns in strategic locations – my truck console, my laptop case, even the pocket of my jeans. Last year I had a Taurus Ultralite revolver in .22 magnum. It was just the right size and I figured .22 magnum would at least get someone’s attention, especially since it carried 8 rounds, but I didn’t like the heavy double-action trigger pull on that particular gun. A trade opportunity came along and I took advantage of it. That left a small revolver gap in my defense arsenal.
Cheaper Than Dirt in Fort Worth ran a Taurus sale one week and the advertised price for the little 327 Federal Magnum revolver was just too low to pass up. The cartridge is similar in size to the .30 caliber rounds I carried in the M2 Carbine I kept on the back of the seat in my helicopter in Vietnam. I read the specs and found the cartridge is loaded to around 40,000 psi pressure, making it have more impact velocity than even a 357 Magnum.
It’s a pretty gun – mine’s stainless steel – and fairly lightweight. It holds 6 rounds. I took it to the range and not surprisingly, it’s loud and it ‘s got a fair amount of recoil. It is not painful to shoot, but you wouldn’t want to shoot it all day. From approximately 10 feet away I put most of my rounds somewhere near the center of the target.
I find the gun is easy to hide and I expect it to be totally reliable. When you pull the trigger on a revolver you can usually count on it to go “bang.” This one will do that six times. If I place my shots carefully and make them count I have no doubt the 327 magnum bullets will stop somebody in their tracks!
David Freeman 