The 327 Federal Magnum

Recently I've been reading quite a bit about the 327 Federal "Magnum" in many publications. The revolver being tested is the Ruger SP101, which is a great looking revolver, and Although it is a nice looking (and I'm sure, a well assembled gun) the point of this post is to point out the cartridges performance. One of the most abused concepts in all of physics is sadly hyped by many gun writers and ammunition manufacturers is the kinetic energy of a projectile. Now, as an engineering major, I can tell you that the kinetic energy of particles is a practically useless concept for dealing with ballistic projectiles in physics. In the gun world it is the golden calf which everyone has been worshipping for years. It rewards velocity and throws inertia to the wind. Let me point out the following: Silhouette target shooters understand what it takes to knock the socks off of something. They rarely choose the lightest fastest bullet to slam iron. They choose the heaviest bullet for caliber to be able to mash their targets to the ground. They try to get that lug of a bullet to the maximum velocity allowed to safely operate in their firearm. Moving along, I'll just have you keep in mind that there are better measures other than kinetic energy to approximate wounding potential. The hype surrounding the cartridge is what makes me most unimpressed with the cartridge. First of all let's start with the name. The cartridge, and all ".32" caliber cartridges are in fact .312" diameter projectiles. So where did it go from being a ".32" caliber to being called a 327? The marketing department, that's where. Its also likely the same place it picked up the title magnum as well, because after all with a name like magnum it has to be good. Right? Oh wait that's Smuckers Jam. Any how, looking at the kinetic energy data, the cartridge is on par for most 357 magnum factory loads. But the momentum numbers tell the real story. This cartridge with its little girly bullets is on par with a 38 special , the 38 +P loads typically exceed it for comparable sectional densities. You'd be better off buying a 357 snub nose instead and loading it with 38s. And if anyone says, well you get another round with the 327, those 38's only carry 5 rounds. Inform them that you can buy several models from Taurus that are 357 snubbies and they hold 7 rounds. I carried one for a while and it was less noticeable than my springfield xd subcompact. My take is that this cartridge is a waste of money for individuals buying one for self defense. The only reason I would pick up a revolver in 327 Federal would be if it came with a large barrel (8+ inches), machined for a scope base, and retailed for less than $500. Such a revolver would make a fun small game hunting gun.