Seven Reasons Why You Should Own An LCRx In .327 Magnum
Top Choice For Winning A Gunfight
Months, and hundreds of rounds later, Bertomen figured out the Ruger LCRx in .327 Magnum is the ideal EDC revolver.
I wanted to test some .32-caliber loads, and I picked a Ruger LCRx in .327 Federal Magnum to test them. I loaded about a hundred different rounds and began shooting them. Halfway through the second day of testing, Rick Maccia, my gunsmith friend, picked up my LCRx and inspected it. He pointed out a few things on my LCRx I hadn’t noticed.
The Ruger LCRx in .327 Federal Magnum is a 17 oz., monolithic steel-framed, 6-shot revolver with a polymer fire-control housing. It has a 1/16″ barrel with a flat face and target crown. The original LCR models were 13 oz. This is a Magnum version, which is heavier. It has a partially exposed hammer, which I prefer, allowing for DA/SA action. Macchia showed me that out of the box, the timing and lockup was ideal for a production gun. He also pointed out there is no “cylinder drag” from the locking system. Most revolvers have a distinct line circling the cylinder from the locking pawl contacting the cylinder as it spins. The LCRx doesn’t have this line because of the precision locking system, which retracts the pawl while the cylinder is unlocked.
The LCRx has a short rubber Hogue Tamer grip with finger grooves. I prefer this grip, but some shooters might prefer the longer Hogue grip without the finger grooves that have a place to rest the little finger.
Months, and hundreds of rounds later, I figured out this design is the ideal EDC revolver. Over the next few months, I will be talking about how to reload for this gun, how to train to fight with it and how to win a gunfight with one. Here are seven reasons why you should own an LCRx in .327 Magnum:
1. It’s A Top Choice For Winning A Gunfight
A person is most likely to win a gunfight if they deliver accurate, effective fire first. This means the person with the fastest presentation, most effective practice and firing effective cartridges will most likely prevail in the crucible of self-defense. With the LCR in .327, shooters can train more often for the fight, use effective cartridges and use a carry system that is faster, which is easily demonstrated with a shot timer. The Ruger LCRx is a perfect balance of great mechanics, weight and concealability.
The LCRx can fire four different cartridges.
2. The .327 Cartridge Is Effective
The .32 Magnum is the smallest cartridge with a Magnum designation — meaning it is an improved, more effective cartridge based on, or derived from, an earlier cartridge design. Notice that I said “.32 Magnum,” which is a reasonable defensive cartridge in its own right. The .327 Magnum is a Magnum cartridge derived from the .32 Magnum, making the .327 Magnum a Magnum-Magnum. The .327 Magnum is a step up, with actually amazing numbers.
The .32 Magnum can push 100-grain bullets around 1,200 fps, around 325 fpe. This is a marked improvement over the performance of the popular .32 ACP and similar cartridges.
The .327 Magnum trumps the .32 Magnum soundly, with pressure around 45,000 psi. They launch 100-grain bullets upward of 1,400 fps. This is a cartridge engineering accomplishment, by the way, so hats off to the teams that designed my defensive cartridges. What do I mean by this? If the bullet was designed to expand in tissue at 1,200 fps, it may over-expand — or even shed — its jacket at 1,400 fps.
As an experiment, I loaded some 100-grain Hornady XTP bullets over True Blue that clocked a little shy of 1,200 fps. The load could be considered only a moderate load with respect to velocity and pressure for this cartridge. In ballistic gelatin, it opened to .401 and penetrated 21″. This could be considered over-penetration. If I were engineering a defensive cartridge, I would have to tweak it quite a bit so it stopped at 18″. However, many cartridges of this caliber can’t even make minimum penetration at 12″, let alone the other FBI protocol tests. The .327 Magnum can do it all.
If you want .327 performance, try the 75-grain, lead-free, 400 fpe, 1,550 fps from DoubleTap Ammunition.
3. It Will AIWB Better Than Any Other Gun
When I consider a good CCW gun, I need to know if I can send rapid, accurate fire at a target. Another part of the equation is how the gun carries safely, how comfortable it carries and how quickly a shooter can get rounds on target. Using a shot timer, it’s easy to prove the AIWB is often the fastest carry style for accurate fire.
With most auto/holster combinations, there is too much gun under the beltline. This is great when the user is upright, but as soon as they are seated, everything poking into the lower abdomen can cause discomfort. Most IWB revolver holsters secure the gun around the cylinder level, which means a lot less gun is below the waistline. Because the LCRx is a revolver, the extra trigger travel adds a margin of safety.
4. Smooth Is Faster
In the mid ’70s to mid ’80s, mowing down steel plates in a side-by-side match was the rage. Many of the best professional shooters were using tricked-out 1911s for IPSC competition. Many of the same shooters used revolvers on the steel plate challenges. Why? Weren’t the magazine-fed Autos faster? No, revolvers were, because they allowed an even cadence of transition in multiple target engagements. Striker-fired pistols finally displaced “race revolvers,” but many old-timers remember steel plate revolver dominance.
The trigger pull of the LCRx is distinct from any other revolver I have owned. The original LCR design has its parts in a polymer fire-control unit, which has something to do with the smoothness. But the short hammer throw and the trigger fulcrum giving mechanical advantage to the trigger stroke is pure genius.
5. It Can Fire Four Different Cartridges
A .327 revolver can fire .327 Magnum, .32 Magnum, .32 Long and .32 S&W. Theoretically, it can also fire .32 ACP since it’s a semi-rimmed cartridge of similar dimension, but this is not within the design parameters, nor is it recommended.
What’s the advantage? First, this increases the potential you’ll be able to find ammo for this gun. Since the .32 Magnum is a respectable defensive cartridge on its own, its potential as a survival gun will increase as more of these cartridges go into production. The most important advantage is for the person who reloads. One of my .32 Long loads yields 5,500 rounds from a single pound of powder. That’s a lot of sub-caliber training. Trigger time equals training time.
Henry makes a carbine for this .327. Having both a carbine and a revolver that can shoot multiple cartridges gives flexibility.
6. Henry Makes A Carbine For This Cartridge
A carbine/handgun combination is a practical tradition, and also a great way of getting practice from a single box of cartridges. The Henry Big Boy Classic and Big Boy Carbine both come in .327 Magnum. They also will fire .32 Magnum. The 16.5″ octagonal barrel on the carbine will kick the velocity up a few hundred feet per second, so consider bullet/cartridge combinations that don’t shed their jackets at these velocities. I recommend Buffalo Bore Hard Cast cartridges. Henry Rifles like this are great for varmint shooting, or putting protein on the table.
Having both a carbine and a revolver that can shoot multiple cartridges gives flexibility. The Henry Big Boy is both fun to shoot and practical.
Cold Steel makes a Ruger LCR Rubber Training Revolver.
7. It Has Its Own Drone
Cold Steel makes a Ruger LCR Rubber Training Revolver designed to imitate the real thing for safe training. It is awesome for holster drills, as well as gun takeaway practice. Stick around and I’ll show you why you need to get this product as a training drone for your LCR or LCRx.
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