U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Taurus is known for their budget-priced handguns, both autoloading and revolving. As someone more interested in Smith & Wesson wheelguns, I never gave Taurus options much of a look. Despite this, I recently got hands-on time with the new Taurus 327 revolver, courtesy of the folks over at Primary & Secondary. How did the Taurus 327 handle a day and half on the range?
Ergonomics and Design of the Taurus 327
The Taurus 327 is precisely what I’d expect when handed a Taurus revolver. The finish is a bit rough and flat, this one being matte black, though stainless options are available. The trigger, ejector rod, and cylinder release are gritty and a little heavy. Lockup was loose, with some rotational play exhibited, which was a bit worrisome for me but never materialized in a negative way. Somewhat surprisingly, even after an extended range session, the ejector rod never stuck, and the cylinder continued to rotate without any undue force required. I checked the strength of the sear and found it to be solid, with no inkling of any problems.
The Taurus 327 is a small-frame, six-shot revolver with a focus on conceal carry. The gun is a mix of alloy and carbon steel, bringing the weight to 22 ounces when empty. While I exclusively fired the gun in double action, there is an exposed hammer spur if you want to try your best John Wayne, and thumb cock the Brazilian Beast. If the name didn’t give it away, this revolver is chambered for Federal’s 327 Magnum. This means the Taurus 327 is also capable of loading and firing H&R’s 32 Magnum, 32 Smith & Wesson Long, and 32 Short. While it’s not my recommendation, 32ACP is also compatible with the 327, though we won’t get into details of the potential problems of that pairing here.
Sights
Sights are extremely simple on the Taurus 327. The rear notch is a simply fixed trench in the top strap of the gun, much like an old Model 10 or similar. The front sight is a serrated black blade, swappable with a roll pin. Throwing a bit of paint on the front sight would do wonders to improve the sight picture on a budget while maintaining the simplicity of the 327.
Range Time with the Taurus 327
The little Taurus 327 took a beating over a day and a half. We fired 200 rounds of .327 Magnum Speer Gold Dot 100gr JHP through the gun in under an hour as a sort of accelerated wear test to see how it’d hold up. After the first 80 rounds of the Gold Dot, a small spring and pin worked their way out of the gun, but with a little work, the Taurus 327 managed to function throughout the remainder of the day. This was paired with a few hundred combined rounds of Buffalo Bore 32H&R Magnum SWC, Magtech 32 Long wadcutters, and a handful of 32 Short and 32ACP. We had no problems with the ejection of the lighter rounds but had the occasional stuck case with 32H&R Magnum and a significant issue ejecting 327 Magnum cases after firing.
Being fairly heavy for a snubbie, at 22 ounces empty, the 327 does a good job absorbing recoil from 32 Long. That being said, 32 H&R Magnum was unpleasant, and 327 Federal Magnum was punishing for most shooters. I don’t think the juice is worth the squeeze when it comes to 327 Federal, and suggest shooters stick with 32 Long or H&R Magnum at most. The rubber grips on the Taurus 327 do a modest job at cushioning the hand from recoil, sitting somewhere between the Hogue Tamers on a Ruger LCR, and the standard boot grips on a Smith & Wesson J-Frame. I imagine a swap of grips would do a lot to help improve comfort when shooting here. No hotspots or rough edges showed up during shooting, which was a bit of a surprise considering the overall fit and finish of the gun.
Initial Impressions of the Taurus 327
Overall I’m not a huge fan of the Taurus 327. Part of the allure of a revolver for me is the build quality, and the poor fit and finish of the Taurus 327 doesn’t really do anything for me. That being said, I am impressed that this snub nose survived our little torture test and kept on trucking. I seriously doubt that the vast majority of Taurus owners will ever subject their guns to the amount of punishment we did to our example, especially in such a compressed timeline. Even with a minor parts breakage, the 327 continued to function effectively, which makes me wonder how it’d stack up with a more realistic diet of primarily 32 Long and the occasional 32 H&R Magnum. This, along with support from at least one solid holster maker helps make the 327 a palatable, if not ideal, option.
While it wouldn’t be my first choice, I wouldn’t feel bad with a Taurus 327 in my pocket if they all perform like this one. With an MSRP of $371, and street prices often under three bills, this seems to be a decent choice for those strapped for cash.
About Dan Reedy
Dan is an Air Force veteran, avid shooter, and dog dad. With a passion for teaching, he holds instructor certifications from Rangemaster, Agile Training & Consulting, and the NRA. He has trained with Darryl Bolke, Mike Pannone, Craig Douglas, among several other instructors, amassing over 400 hours of professional instruction thus far. In his spare time you’ll find him teaching handgun, shotgun, and less lethal classes.
Dan’s work has been published by Primer Peak, and The Kommando Blog, and he has been featured as a guest on Primary & Secondary.
I stayed away from Taurus until i got a email from their new CEO concerning all 3 Taurus Holdings brands; Taurus, Heritage & Rossi. He said that he was ashamed of their quality and poor repair service times and that it was ending right now. So I took the chance and purchased 9 firearms total from all 3 brands–none were a problem or disappointing. A 942 revolver (small frame like the 327) has been a total delight. Indeed his leadership has totally transformed the company. Very few guns are now sent in for service and the ones that are have… Read more »
My wife and I took a chance on two G2Cs when they were dead cheap at Rural King. Theyve turned out to be two of the most reliable semiautomatic pistols I’ve shot.
I have a g3c in dearly love it!
I have and have had a lot of Taurus handguns, and admit to being at least a little bit of a fan, but traditionally they have turned out more thsn their fair share of lemons.
Some of their special editions have been beautiful pistols, too.
My opinion, for what it’s worth, is that if you can stand firing the .327 Federals, that’s the load you carry for defense, if this pistol is your carry pistol. Practice with .32 longs or even shorts. Those who believe you have to punish yourself with combat loads to practice are forgetting the adrenaline dump you will get if you ever have to draw your carry weapon. I guarantee you that you will not feel or even notice much report from firing it. I’ve been there and talked with quite a few others who have.
I’ve been wanting to get one of these but the implication that they would be unable to survive a steady diet of the caliber that they’re rated for isn’t very reassuring. That would be akin to purchasing a 357 that you’re required to mostly shoot 38 special out of. What exactly was this small spring and pin that worked it’s way lose? The lose lock-up is disconcerting on a new firearm but being a survey of 1 out of 1 is it not possible that this was a defect and not the norm? I have a couple Taurus pistols and… Read more »
“A .357 that you are required to mostly shoot .38 Special out of”? Like the ubiquitous S&W K-frame models 65 and 66?
I don’t have any personal experience with those.
One of those old-school lawman/shooters, Bill Jordan maybe? pushed it to Smith and Wesson as the ideal lawman’s/peace officer’s pistol, and it kinda’ was. Hundreds of thousands of them spent the better part of 30 years hanging from Sam Brown belts alll across America. The 66 had the advantage and bragging rights as being the first stainless steel revolver, but it had some issues with magnum forces and a poorly engineered, too-short forcing cone; and cylinders being difficult to turn when hot, after the first half dozen rounds of .357 Magnum being fired
Most of the small frame .357s, such as the chief’s special, should only rarely be shot with magnum loads. It’s just physics. There’s not enough steel there, and the repeated hammering from magnum loads will beat one apart, eventually. I don’t mean it will explode, but tolerances will definitely open up. Even in K frame pistols.
The laws of physics cannot and will not be obviated without some severe side effects!
Which is why every year I love to watch the Darwin Awards!
Cheers from the oil patch in Central Wyoming
Is “oil” ok to say in mixed company under the Usurper Bidet?
Several years ago I bought a Ruger SP101 thinking it would be heavy enough for the 327 Federal. I mistakenly believed the hype about the cartridge. It is unpleasant to shoot and too darn loud. A 327 revolver that is fun to shoot 32 H&R magnums and less.
My buddy bought a pair of SIG P226 Elite’s. He brought them out to my private range and the very first round fired through one caused the slide hold lever to fly off the frame. The second one of the pair jammed about every 3 or 4 shots and the slide lever failed on it too. That was my first experience with a SIG, not very compelling. They are beautiful guns but if they aren’t reliable. Two new guns out of the box should perform much better, IMHO. My buddy was very embarrassed, he paid a premium price for the… Read more »
Was he firing nuclear ammo?
Especially when you consider that, unlike pre-Glock days, name-brand pistol reliability out of the box is the norm, rather thann the exception.
I love .32 H&R Mag./.327 Federal Mag. revolvers. I have an SP101 in .327, should I want that much juice, but it’s HEAVY for a compact short barreled revolver. If I carry a revolver, it’s usually one of a pair of little Charter Arms Undercoverettes in .32 H&R, which I consider more than adequate in a snubbie.
I would carry a 4″-6″ .357 or .44 Mag. occasionally if my wife would let me, but I know she would pitch a bitch.
I have been away from shooting sports for quite some time owing to health, but my Safe door is always being opened (and not one of the guns residing there have ever entered my ammo safe, loaded up, and gone on a shooting spree by themselves. I carry either a S&W Mod 60 (no dashes) .38, or a Kimber Mod UDP II in .45. Another one I carry on my belt is a S&W Mod 19 .357. All three have held up well through the years – 1975 for the Mod 19 = with not one parts replacement. I see… Read more »
.327 Federal was released by Federal about 15 years ago, at a guess; a lengthened .32 H&R Mag. The point was to fit 6 rounds of nominally .357 Magnum power into what is usually a 5 shot cylinder on a compact revolver, like a S&W J-frame.
It does that. It is stout, it is loud, and side-by-side, regarding terminal ballistics, the .357 Magnum still has the advantage of a larger, heavier bullet.