deer with a .327 Federal

I did it. I killed a deer with my .327. There has been plenty of conversation and speculation about what would or could happen on the Internet. I have been reluctant to try it, but curiosity got the best of me, and I took an ideal opportunity to try it. I think we all have wanted to see actual field results.

I bought my Single Seven .327 for use in the IHMSA field pistol game, not for use on flesh. Rave reviews of accuracy and high velocity were the selling points. My Ruger with its 7.5 inch barrel does not disappoint on those fronts with the uber hot Federal American Eagle 100 grain loads. It is a little hotrod. I haven't chrono'ed mine but reports online suggest 1600-1700 fps is not only possible, but realistic. I have shot hundreds of the Federal loads through mine, and feel very comfortable with the gun and ammo.

With the Georgia season ending this weekend, it's crunch time for shooting a deer. I haven't seen a mature buck this season, but have seen a bumper crop of young bucks. On a whim I decided to carry my .327. I resolved if one of those young bucks gave me a perfect broadside shot at 25 yards I would test the 100 grain AE load on flesh.

The buck I would end up shooting emerged from the woods into the opening I was hunting at about 65 yards. As he fed comfortably, he gave me numerous broadside presentations at 50-60-70 yards, but I wouldn't try it. The accuracy wasn't an issue, but I was dubious of the .327's penetration. As fate would have it, the deer exited the field parallel to my shooting house giving me that perfect broadside shot at about 30 yards.

It was my intent to shoot the deer directly in the heart, but my placement was off. The bullet struck too low and too far forward. I did exactly what I should have not done. I shot the deer through both shoulders.
The bucks reaction was immediate. With no front drive, he plowed into the woods. I heard him crash in the crisp leaves of the nearby woods. I didn't hear him flee any further. I was cautiously optimistic that he was done, but waited 10 minutes non the less. Prepared for a wounded deer, I quietly approached his last position. My worst fear was realized. He was still alive and bedded. In that moment, I regretted my choice of gun. I leveled the front sight on the deer bedded facing away some 30-40 yards away and fired. The buck attempted to regain his feet, but only plowed forward on his chest. I hurriedly flung another shot at him. He stopped moving, laying on his side, but his head remained up. I took a seated position and carefully placed a bullet in his neck. That did it and he tumbled lifeless downhill.

All 4 shots struck the deer. 3 bullets exited, and one was recovered. I feel that if I had placed the first shot correctly, we would be talking about a one shot kill. The .327 proved to be adequate, but I can't recommend it as a first choice for deer hunting.

Matthew is the reason that my wife, Jennifer, now has a Ruger Single Seven in 327 Federal....that and an extended range Turkey head shot... the 327 Federal is a hot little round. Matthew showed off this bada** little gem on a forum hunt several years ago at Salt Creek, and it's an impressive combination of form and function. You did it! You took a White Tailed deer with the 327 Federal....very impressive good buddy

Well done, Matt! Congrats on a fine deer. I?ve been curious about the 327 fed and just might have to try one out.

Outstanding! Congratulations!

This is the first 100 grain American Eagle that struck the deer. It penetrated both leg bones and was recovered in the shattered remains of the offside shoulder-leg joint.

Bullet number two hit one lung and exited. The damage inside the chest cavity was similar to the damage I have seen caused by other revolver cartridges.
Bullets 3 and 4 entered and exited the head and neck.

When I walked up to the deer, I was underwhelmed by the wounds. However, when I opened him up, the bloodshot and hemoraging was similar to wounds in deer I have killed with my .44. Where bone or rib was struck, there was violence. But, where only soft tissue was hit, the wound channel was small. That's understandable, the bullets are only .312 in diameter. Perhaps a hollow point would help...but that might hamper the impressive penetration I witnessed. Granted, it was a small deer, but a 100 grain .327 broke bones on both sides of the deer.

I feel the .327 treads deeply into .357 territory. My Single Seven in .327 with the 100 grain Federals continues to impress. As impressive as 1600 fps is in the context of small revolvers, 1600 with a 100 grain bullet falls well short of deer cartridge by all measures.

EXCELLENT AND FORTHRIGHT REPORT.

You got it done Matt, good job!

Congrats. Taking handgun hunting to another level.

FINE job on the deer Matthew.

l hope to see you and your 327 Ruger very soon at our first Field Pistol Match of 2019 in Feb!

Very nice! Congrats and appreciate the great write up.

Yes, definitely great write up!

Well done Matthew. You're a killer with anything a person puts in your hands.

Good job and buck Matt...

In Colorado the minimum handgun caliber for big game is .357 magnum. I appreciate your good and honest write-up...

You answered a lot of questions about where exactly the 327 stands in the game field`s.....Its definitely a magnum handgun round when you look at PSI but for medium game I`ed call it a VERY seasoned handgun hunters cartridge....

Thanks guys! It was my intent to gain some real world results with the .327 and share them objectively with all of those handgunners interested, myself included. I think I did that, and I can't see me shooting another deer with my .327.

I appreciate your honest assessment.

Good write up & a nice deer with your Single 7. My results were a little different than yours but one or two animals doesn't make or break any caliber. I think any time you use a small caliber it's more what bullet you use than what caliber. Also, shot placement is always a factor, nothing makes up for bullet placement & I see where you said your shot was off just a bit.
Maybe if you had hit that heart you would have made a one shot kill & your conclusion might have been that the 327 was up to the task.
A few months back I shot a doe antelope in Utah with my iron sighted 327 at 73 yds as she stood broadside just behind another doe in an open CRP field. My bullet was a powder coated 135 gr Ferminator HP running a bit over 1500 fps. The cast slug got both lungs & a rib on both sides with an exit.
She got turned around & maybe took 2-3 fast steps/jumps & dropped. Not a true sample with just one kill on my part but I was both happy & surprised at the results. Would I use it again, for sure I'll use it next year just for comparison.

Dick

Not to be argumentative, but i hope he wouldnt have changed his opinion if he had hit the heart. You will kill anything shooting it through the heart. Big difference in size between a large doe and a large buck. Massive difference in size between a buck and a small doe.

Lets stop for a moment and look at the bullet used in the subject matter. The ammo was American Eagle with a 100 gr bullet Correct?
Look at the website and you will see that the recommended use for the ammo in question is for Target shooting NOT HUNTING.
The bullets loaded in that said ammo is a TMJ If I understand their abbreviation is a Trunicated Metal jacket. Pretty much a Full Metal Jacket.
Not my first choice, for Hunting.
I do not criticize you Matthew for trying. And a good writeup.

Sixshot. The cast bullets seem like they would be at home in the little caliber. It would be awesome to see a recovered bullet from anything. I wanted to check the GT HP bullet in the 45 caliber to begin to get a basis for their offerings. Sadly I did not get to do so yet. I am glad that you used a HP as your choice.

Bullet offerings have been very limited in this caliber. We have the 85gr XTP and the 90gr in the Sierra, but other than that, I do not know of any "Hunting Bullets" in a Jacketed offering.

Lastly I do question the fact that Federal has not been more supportive in ammo offerings for a caliber that they claim as their own.

Actually I agree that the 327 is right on the fence for being a suitable cartridge for medium size game like deer/antelope. But if you're going to try it you need to stay with a somewhat heavier bullet if possible for best results.
That buck doesn't look very big to me & at 30 yds that light weight bullet at high speed is really cruising! Any antelope is on the light side, even a buck but a heavier bullet, especially a long shanked one like the Ferminator is a much better choice if you're going to choose the 327.
Kind of like choosing a 9mm to tackle a big bear... Not even sure where I got them but I have 5-6 boxes of that Federal factory 327 ammo mentioned in both 85 gr & 100 gr & I've never fired a single round of it but as mentioned I've heard it's quite fast.
Light weight ammo at high speed always scares me a bit when used on game, just my opinion.

Dick

Thanks for sharing guys!
Congrats on your kills.
Good info

I have done some extensive testing this past year with the 327 Federal. I found accuracy to be one constant with this round, and found no problem getting great results from 100 grains to just over 140 grain bullets.

I was going to mention the heavy bullets in this caliber after reading the OP's post. I agree 100% with what SIXSHOT said about the heavy bullets in this caliber. I also found the only way to get them is to cast em. There are no jacketed bullets I found made to compliment this calibers performance or full potential. While I would prefer a better suited round for medium sized game, the 100 grain bullets in any form would be the last one I would concider for deer sized game.

One other thing before I say the Bullet I believe SIXSHOT took his deer with is the bullet I would use, the Mihec 140 grain Sledgehammer. I also would want it used in the HP, my preference is the Penta HP and mine weigh 133 grains as I cast. I also know to get the most from it you need the FA Ruger Blackhawk or the GP-100 to allow the powder space to extract all it can be. These revolvers with the longer cylinders allow the long bullets to be seated further out, allowing for valuable powder space for the slower powders it needs to be all it can be.

Properly cast these long lean HP offer 1541 fps from my GP-100, with an alloy that will keep the over 100 grain base of the bullet together on large bone hits from deer sized game even if the nose does separate on them. Small bones like ribs I don't believe will cause these bullets to loose their nose, but even tissue should allow over 40 caliber expansion. I say this because we have shot some pork shoulders and other media with them.

But even the single seven length cylinders would benefit from this heavier bullet at somewhat slower velocities for game the size of deer. I have not shot a deer, and will likely not use it on deer, but I do think a double lung shot should be a sure bet out to reasonable yardage one is capable of placing accurate shots. My reason for not using it is the likely thoughts that how far that deer will, or could, travel before the shot takes it's full toll would be questionable. I have far to many options that will assure me at my age I won't have to bother with the tracking the 327 could require.

Call me lazy, but DRT is more important to me today than ever before, and becoming even more of a priority every season!

Everyone keep in mind Matthew didn't advocate for anyone else to do this. He even says that he probably wouldn't do this again. With that said, that little 100 gr 32 cal FP unbonded bullet wrecked both shoulders...I seriously don't think anyone with any TRUE handgun hunting experience would call the 327 Federal a GREAT WT round, but it will work in a pinch

Perhaps I should explain futher. I have never envisioned the .327 as a big game tool. That is not why I bought one. The .327 enjoys a reputation for speed and accuracy. My 7.5 inch Single Seven affirms these traits. The thing is a daggum blast to shoot. To roll the diminutive cartridges in your fingers undersells the power their high pressures yield. To describe it as just a .32, and lump it with the anemic 32 S&W or 32 H&R, is misleading. To get on the trigger, clang the plates, topple the steel, and pop the water filled jugs is to see and to believe.
I can't recall anyone in my little circle of handgun hunting and shooting friends, that after seeing the gun at work, didn't at least mention its use on deer. " I think it would work." "If you got close...I don't see why not." "Inside 50 yards...why not"
I always responed with a scrunch faced " Mmm...I don't think so..." I admit, curiousity got the best of me, and I did it. Then I shared my results on the internet, attempting to be as honest as possible. I wish I could have been as thorough as Zee with forensic photos.
As far as the ammo is concerned, the American Eagle load I used features a jacketed soft point. It is likely the most available factory load on the shelves. The bullet features skives cut in the jacket to facilitate expansion. I measured the bullet recovered from the deer. It measures .390 at its narrowest and .430 at its widest. It broke bones on both sides of the deer. I wouldn't say the bullet underperformed.

You mentioned Zee. Just like him, you have advanced the "science" of handgun hunting. We now know more than we did about this particular cartridge and bullet. Well done.

I don?t think anyone is being critical of your use of the cartridge on deer. Clearly you are capable of making it work with good placement. I applauded you for the honest and objective assessment of the .327 on deer.

In the grand scheme of things, in the right hands it can over-achieve, but it is clearly only a .32, albeit a fast one. That?s not an insult, just a fact.

These forums exist to discuss and I don?t see that it?s getting heated in any way.

Again, you made it work and my hat?s off to you. Oh, and I don?t think you owe anyone any explanations. You?re out doing, not theorizing.

I agree this is not being frowned on, and I also would not hesitate to the shot at reasonable range with mine if it was all I had and the opportunity was there. I just found with all my shooting since getting the 327, it really is a much better cartridge when fed the heavier bullets. I only hope some one comes out with a new jacketed offering in 125 to 140 grains. This cartridge in the full frame guns really would benefit from it.

But hope I was not mistaken as thinking this was not something that I would never try. But everything you stated in your hunt was everything we would expect the responsible hunter to do, and you did it well.

No worries, I don't think any of the conversation has been heated. I welcome the exchange of ideas, points, and counterpoints.

Good stuff and i like pushing limits like using hollowpoints on cape buff and using 41?s on buffalo, and using 41 hp?s on buffalo. This is just more of the same and its fun to see the results!!! Theorizing can be fun but its not as fun as discussing real results!!

Mathew I was not criticizing you or the 327. I did not know the AE came with a different bullet in the 100gr. That FMJ is all that is available up hear in my little town. You know everyone is into tactical ...I will continue to criticize Federal until they are shamed into offering better choices in ammo Hahahaha.
I would like to be able to try some good cast bullets as well as come up with a good Jacketed bullet for this caliber. I have been able to shoot some nice 327s and I think the accuracy is there, for most guns and we can get the velocity we need, it is just going to take some good bullet offerings and plenty of testing.

The American Eagles that I have are soft points although I've never shot any of them.
Where my 327 really shines is on Jackrabbits with 118 gr cast HP's, that's something to see!

Dick

EXCELLENT INFO ON THE 327. I MAY NOT MAKE MY SINGLE 7 AND THE 100gr AE A PRIMARY DEER HUNTING ROUND BUT WON'T HESITATE TO USE IT FOR FIELD CARRY AT MY RANCH WHEN OUT DOING CHORES, WHEN LITTLE CRITTERS AND HOGS (USUALLY UNDER 100lbs) MAY PRESENT AN OPPORTUNITY. I ALSO HAVE SOME OF SIXSHOT's FERMINATOR BULLETS THAT I AM GOING TO LOAD UP FOR USE IN A 5 INCH GP-100, AND THAT WILL ALSO GET SOME USE.