In 2008 Federal Cartridge Co. in collaboration with Ruger, introduced the .327 Federal Magnum cartridge. It was an improvement of their .32 H&R Magnum cartridge that was produced in 1984 to invigorate a line of Harrington & Richardson revolvers. The .32 H&R Magnum promised better performance than the .32 S&W Long, with velocities and energy levels close to the .38 Special +P cartridge. Conversely, the .327 Magnum built on the .32 H&R Magnum, and with pressure levels of 45,000 psi, offered .357 Magnum power with less recoil. It also allowed small-frame revolvers with 5-shot cylinders in .357 Magnum to have 6-shot cylinders in .327 Magnum.
Ruger Steps into the Ring
The Ruger SP101 was the platform used to launch the .327 Federal Magnum cartridge. As best I recall, it had a 3-inch, full-lug barrel, fixed sights, and of course a 6-shot cylinder. For whatever reason, it was pulled from the market in 2013, but reemerged in 2015, but was offered in stainless-steel, with a 4.2-inch barrel, adjustable rear sight, and fiber-optic front sight. Today, this model (5773) is still on Ruger’s website, along with a stainless-steel, 3-inch, fixed sight version (5784). Recently, Lipsey’s joined forces with Ruger to produce a version of the SP101 that I have been awaiting for several years.
New from Lipsey’s a new version of the SP101, this one is in .327 Federal Magnum
Lipsey’s offered an exclusive new Ruger SP101 in .357 Magnum in 2020. It had a 3-inch, half-lug barrel, blue finish, and adjustable sights. I liked the features a lot and did a T&E on one. Later, I told Jason Cloessner, Sr. VP and Product Development Mgr. at Lipsey’s, that I’d really like to see a version just like it, but in .327 Magnum. This would allow a 6-shot cylinder, instead of just 5-shots like the .357 Magnum. I pestered Jacob about this idea every time I’d see him at the SHOT Show or other gun writer venues. Then on August 8, I got an email from Jason entitled “Finally;” Lipsey’s was now offering a Ruger SP101 in .327 Federal Magnum!
The new SP101(15707) comes in a black plastic case, with a big red RUGER logo and red closures. It has a foam-rubber lined lid, form-fitted lower, and there’s an owner’s manual, plus a security padlock. This SP101 is practically identical to the .357 Magnum model that’s still cataloged. It has a 3-inch, half-lug barrel, that is radiused, with a crowned muzzle. The top of the barrel is flat and a patridge-style front sight, with a gold bead, is mounted in a dovetail. Its six-shot cylinder is fluted and the extractor star is stainless-steel. Cylinder locking points are on the breech-face and crane/yoke. The cylinder latch is on the left side of the frame, and incorporated into the recoil shield. A fully adjustable, square-notch, rear sight is attached to the frame top-strap with a roll-pin. The frame is small, but sturdy, which explains its 27 oz. empty weight. This traditional double-action revolver has a transfer bar for safety, and frame-mounted firing pin. The hammer spur is checkered, and the 0.25-inch-wide trigger has a smooth face; these two parts, plus the action are fabricated of stainless-steel. Single action trigger pull on my test gun measured 5 lbs. 4 oz. The DA pull topped thew weight limit on my gauge, so I’d have to guess it’s about 13-14 pounds.
Like an earlier model in .357 Magnum, this version also has a 3-inch, half-lug barrel and satin blue finish
The SP101 doesn’t have a conventional grip frame, but has a post/stud which houses the hammer mainspring. It has one-piece black rubber grip that slips on over this post and is held in place by a grip screw and locator. Both sides of the grip have laminated wood panels. The satin blue finish is even and attractive; metal to metal fit is good, and there were no blemishes or machine marks visible on the exterior.
T&E Gear Roundup
I intended to mainly use .327 Magnum ammunition during the T&E, along with a couple of .32 H&R Magnum loads. The first was DoubleTap’s DT Tactical; it has a Barnes 75 gr. all-copper HP bullet, with a stated velocity of “1,725 FPS from a 6” BBL,” on the box label. Next was Federal’s American Eagle .327 Magnum load that has a 100 gr. JSP bullet. Also selected was Speer’s Gold Dot .327 Magnum load, with a 115 gr. GD-HP bullet. I elected to use a .327 Magnum handload, which consisted of a 114 gr. lead HP bullet, propelled by 4.7 gr. of Unique, with a standard small pistol primer. In .32 H&R Magnum, High Desert Cartridge Co. furnished me some of their 100 gr. JHP loads and Hornady sent their Critical Defense, with an 80 gr. FTX-HP bullet.
Unlike the previous .357 Magnum version, the .327 Magnum model has a 6-shot cylinder; the cylinder star/extractor is stainless-steel.
I wanted a belt holster and chose the Direct Line Carry Confidence CCR from Barranti Leather. This holster is an open-top, high-ride, with a tension screw for security. Its 1.5-inch belt loop is designed to prevent belt sag and holster rollout. It has a forward “FBI” tilt and came in Saddle Tan finish. I also used a Barranti Spare speedloader pouch. It’s an open-top design, and the belt slot tucks the speedloader into the body for better concealment. My pouch had a brown finish, and I mated it with an HKS 32-J speedloader. For an additional cartridges on my belt, I used Galco’s new Pick Six Ammo Carrier. This leather belt-slide divides six cartridges into pairs, secured by tension screws, for easy speed or tactical reloading. Constructed of steerhide, it fits belts up to 1.75-inches in width and comes in black or tan finish. I used a Bigfoot Gunbelt from Alien Gear. It’s all leather, 1.5-inch wide, almost 0.25-inch thick, and will support almost any holstered handgun. Mine is brown with Celtic Knot stamping, and a nickel-plated brass buckle.
Shooting Evaluation
My T&E began at an indoor range and the first chore was to sight-in the Lipsey’s/Ruger SP101. The factory installer had lowered the rear sight as far as it would go, and the sight notch blade was all the way to the right. FYI, you will need two flat-head screwdrivers; the windage adjustment screw is tiny. With the sixgun now sighted-in, I shot three 5-shot groups with each of the test loads from 15 yards. Shooting was done SA, from the bench, using a sandbag rest. The best group measured 1.14-inches, and was made using the Speer Gold Dot .327 Magnum load. It also had the best 3-group average of 1.94-inches. The rest of the group data is in the performance table.
Five factory loads and a handload were used during the shooting evaluation of the SP101
I went outdoors to do my chronographing, some practical shooting, and bullet expansion testing. Out of the 3-inch barrel of the SP101, the .327 Magnum loads gave some impressive results. This data is in the performance table too. Given the differences in recoil, muzzle flip and blast, I was curious to see how shooting a 30-round combat/qualification course would turn out using .327 Magnum ammo vs. .32 H&R Magnum loads. The silhouette target I used had scoring rings that made a possible score of 300 points. A center-shot in the Optical Triangle of the head was worth 10 points. Anything outside the 5-zone counted as a zero.
Shooting began at 3 yards during the combat course; here the author is engaging the target with his support-hand only.
I donned my leather gear, loaded and holster the SP101, then filled the speedloader and cartridge slide with ammunition. For the first session, I used the Hornady Critical Defense 80 gr. FTX-HP .32 H&R Magnum loads. Shooting was done at three, seven and fifteen yards; strong and support-hand only shooting, double taps, a failure drill, and barricade shooting. All stages started from the holster, six rounds per stage, for five stages. The score with the mild-shooting .32 Magnum loads was 175/300. Not the best score for sure, but my tennis elbow was acting up. With little recoil or muzzle flip, I shot faster with this load. The 12 rounds at 3 yards were scattered, as I was shooting one-handed, with the stiff DA pull of the test gun, and at 7 yards, I missed both head shots.
Here is the results of the first combat shoot; looks like spray and pray, with a score of 175/300; even gun writers have bad days.
The same course was shot using the Federal American Eagle 100 gr. JSP .327 Magnum loads. Recoil with this load isn’t bad, but there is more muzzle flip, and more concussion when shooting. This caused me to doubled-down the hold of the SP101, and I shot more deliberately, ending up with a score of 245/300. Unfortunately, I had case sticking, flat primers, and cylinder lock-up with this load that caused interruptions during the course. I informed Jason at Lipsey’s about this situation, and we concurred that this was an ammo-related problem. A good thing to discover at the range.
Doubletap makes what they call the DT Snakeshot load; it comes in .327 Magnum and .32 H&R Magnum. I had some of the latter on hand. Inside the cartridge case is 100 pellets of #9 shot over a 40 gr. lead wadcutter bullet; this payload is held in place with a copper gas-check crimped at the mouth of the case. I shot at a snake target at 10 feet, using the SP101. The bullet and gas-check hit one above the other, just below the snake’s head, and a number of pellets also hit their mark. Good medicine for poisonous reptiles within in striking distance.
I also wanted to test bullet expansion/penetration with the .327 and .32 Magnum cartridges. For this, I used a block of 10% ballistic gel from Clear Ballistics. On one end of the block, I affixed four layers of denim cloth to replicate the FBI protocol. Five cartridges had JHP bullets, and one a JSP bullet. I took one shot with each at the gel block from a distance of 6 feet. The block was 16 inches long, and all but two of the bullets completely penetrated the block and were not recovered. Most impressive was the DT Tactical load; it knocked the gel block off the small folding table that I’d set it on. The solid copper HP bullet penetrated 13.5-inches, and mushroomed perfectly. Only one other bullet stopped in the block; this was the Hornady Critical Defense 80 gr. FTX-HP. Its red synthetic plug inside the hollow bullet nose kept the denim material out and allowed the bullet to expand. When I cut it out of the block, it had tumbled and was positioned base forward, with the red plug just ahead of the bullet. Small bits of denim were found with both bullets.
A block of Clear Ballistics gel was used to test expansion testing with the .327 Magnum and .32 Magnum loads; 4 layers of denim covered the front of the block.
Only two bullets expanded and stayed in the gel block; on the left is the Doubletap DT Tactical .327 Magnum and on the right, is the Hornady CD .32 Magnum.
Considerations
I found the Lipsey’s Ruger SP101 in .327 Magnum to be well-proportioned, with a grip that fits my hand impeccably. I’m a big fan of the 3-inch half-lug barrel and the gold bead front sight. I believe it has great potential as a self-defense weapon, and a handy revolver for field use. It ran well with the .32 H&R Magnum ammo and my handload. Two of the cylinder chambers had issues with case sticking using the .327 Magnum factory loads. I discontinued use of the Federal .327 Magnum cartridges due to pressure-related issues. For an EDC load, I’d lean toward the Doubletap DT Tactical .327 Magnum load. It had top performance and was controllable in rapid fire. IMHO, the .32 H&R Magnum cartridges just don’t have the “Umph” I want for defense. They will do for those who are recoil sensitive. I sent this revolver back to Ruger to make sure any mechanical issues are resolved before I make serious use of it. For those who like to personalize their firearms, a company called LS Grips makes some nifty replacement grip inserts for the Ruger SP101. I ordered a special pair for MY gun; no, Lipsey’s will not be getting it back!
Additional Information
Ruger Firearms www.ruger.com
Barranti Leather www.barrantileather.com
Galco Gunleather www.galcogunleather.com
Clear Ballistics www.clearballistics.com
LS Grips www.lsgrips.com
Alien Gear: www.aliengearholsters.com
Lipsey’s Ruger SP101 Specifications
MECHANISM: Traditional double action revolver
CALIBER: .327 Federal Magnum
CAPACITY: 6 cartridges
BARREL: 3.0”
OA LENGTH: 7.75”
EMPTY WEIGHT: 27 oz.
SIGHTS: Fully adjustable rear sight, gold bead front sight
FINISH: Satin blue
STOCKS: Black rubber with wood inserts
MSRP: $919.00
Ruger SP101 .327 Magnum Performance
| Cartridge | Ave. Velocity | Best Grp. | Ave. Grp. | Ft-Pounds Muzzle Energy |
| Doubletap DT Tactical .327 Fed. 75 gr. Barnes All-Copper HP | 1,526 FPS | 1.37” | 2.38” | 388 FPE |
| Federal American Eagle .327 Fed. 100 gr. JSP | 1,353 FPS | 2.07” | 2.44” | 406 FPE |
| Speer Gold Dot LE Personal Protection .327 Fed. 115 gr. GD-HP | 1,338 FPS | 1.14” | 1.94” | 457 FPE |
| .327 Mag. Handload 114 gr. Lead-HP, 4.7 gr. Unique | 994 FPS | 2.04” | 2.15” | 250 FPE |
| High Desert .32 H&R 100 gr. JHP | 943 FPS | 2.36” | 2.55” | 197 FPE |
| Hornady Critical Defense 80 gr. FTX-HP | 922 FPS | 2.02” | 2.33” | 151 FPE |
NOTE: Bullet weight measured in grains, velocity in feet per second 10 ft. from the muzzle by an Oehler Model 35P chronograph, and accuracy in inches for three 5-shot groups at 15 yards. FPE based on bullet weight and velocity.
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