Magnum SHOWDOWN: 327 Federal Magnum vs 357 Magnum - Ballistic Gel Test

Thank you for shining light on 327 Federal Magnum!

As I've gotten older, and arthritis in my hands has started to become painful, I have been moving away from .44 magnum and even .41 magnum revolvers, and lately have been favoring the medium and larger frame .357 magnums, where their weight mitigates recoil and reduces pain. Just this year, I began exploring .327 Federal magnum as a natural progression, and I really like getting "near 357 mag" performance out of a cartridge I find more manageable, plus I can still get 6 rounds in a small frame revolver. I now own both the SP101 in 327 and the Taurus 327... both 6-shot small frame revolvers... and I have options to run 32 H&R magnum, and even lesser rounds should I so choose. IMO, the 327 Federal magnum is a great cartridge, and much under-appreciated.

very informative with a lot of comedic commentary. i think i found my new favorite channel!

I'm a 357 enthusiast and one of my 357s is also an SP101 w/3" barrel. I'm sticking with it but that 327 is an impressive round. Good test.

327 Federal is specifically designed to replicate 38Spcl +P. Never intended to match even the lightest 357 Magnum loads.

Great information. Thanks!

I have arthritis pretty bad in both hands. I carry a steel framed J-frame .357 but I load it with .38 special +p ammo due to noise and recoil. If I need to lower recoil further, I can load
.38 Special wadcutters. I have no desire to trade my .357s. If you think 5 rounds isn't enough, carry two snubbies.

Find what's comfortable for you to hold, handle, and operate. Then practice, practice, practice!

The 3" SP101 .357 is what i normally have on my belt.

Well presented without a lot of bias. Just plain fun to watch.

I have a GP 100 3 inch 357 so nice to see an approximation of what velocities to expect !!!Thanks fellers!
Been eyeballing the 327 from Taurus, the LCR and the SP101... That SP 101 is sweet!

Awesome shedding light on defense rounds love to sèe content with cost and damage for different rounds

Why not both a 357 and a 327...i own both in the Ruger SP101, and the Ruger LCR. Just my opinion, but i prefer the 327 for personal self defense. It is plenty adequate in power, less recoil, and get that extra round. Cant argue with the 357 if raw power is what you want, though.

I'd love to see a rematch with the Speer Gold Dot version of both (or another premium cartridge that's available with both).

I just sold my 357. Man I miss it.

I feel as if the 327 is the 357 for short people😂

I always go to comfort of shooting.
I own SP101 327 and love shooting it. I even reload 32 longs up to the equivalent of 32 H&R.
327 is yes lower recoil and on average +1 in cylinder.
357 is average 5 per cylinder and harder recoil.
Yes you can go to 38 special, and the same can be said for 32 H&R.
Both too have been proven rounds in self defence.
Now I never add in stopping power.
People of different types can resist or not resist the damage.

Enjoyed your tests and comparisons. How about some 380 and 9mm, I’m sure there’s a ton of other videos about that but you guys did a great job. Keep it up.

Awesome 👏🏻 thanks for sharing

My 357's all hold 6, I'll stick with 357