A Bit of Catch Up

On the Ruger .327 SP101, whatever birthing problems the gun/cartridge combo had seems to have been cleared up. Ruger never recalled, which leads me to believe it was a limited occurrence. The hot Federal loads we had all ejected just fine. Of course, that's just one gun.

As I said on the podcast, am I going to rush out and buy a .327 snub? I don't think so, though if one fell into my hands I'd probably keep it (my Sweetie shoots .32 H&R Rugers in cowboy action shooting, so there's always .32 H&R around). Yes, you get an extra round in an SP101, but I don't that's likely to be a big deciding factor in a civilian shootout, especially if I'm carrying a speed loader or a second gun. Secondly, the .38 +Ps are easy to shoot in my own SP101, which I know to be a 100% gun. If I had a relative or a client who had issues with recoil or medical conditions that affected the hands, I'd take a good look at the .327.

I would like to see the cartridge in a Blackhawk single action platform...it would be a 32-20 for the new century and a superfine little varmint cartridge with the ability to do double duty as a self-defense in the woods.

RE: the endless comments on whether Ruger .22s ran/run all the time, Mr. Smarmy, here's a flash — NO .22s run 100% with all ammo! Welcome to the real world. .22s are the most finicky animals out there for several reasons:

1) Generally, .22s are inexpensive guns...inexpensive is as inexpensive does.

2) Semiautos require a certain amount of necessary UMMMPH to run the action, and .22 ammo is pretty much all over the charts. That's why you have to try a bunch of different .22 ammo in your gun until you find one your gun "likes."

3) Externally lubricated .22s are dirty dirty dirty, and they gum up a gun pretty quickly. You have to clean a .22 more than you would a centerfire.

I have bunches of .22s, and to one extent or the other ALL the semis are ammo-sensitive. My Lou Lombardi-tuned S&W M41 wants Eley 10X; the Tac-Sol 1911 conversion will run with anything hot; my 10/22 Target is pretty forgiving until you get into the really really cheap stuff, and it just won't run. Both my S&W 617 DA revolver and my Ruger Single Sixes will gum up and jam after a couple of hundred rounds of Aguila Target, which my semis tend to like and is superbly accurate. For some reason none of my guns like Winchester, but they're mostly okay with Remington cheap stuff.

Ask Mr. Completely, who is an active .22 competitor and knows more about this stuff than I do...every competitor I know — including Olympians — keep special batches of their gun's favorite ammo for major matches. So did some of the Rugers jam at the Rimfire Challenge? Yep...but so did the big dollar Marvel 1911 conversions, Brownings, S&W big dollar and small dollar, etc.

BTW, perversely, the single most reliable .22 I own is an ancient Walther TPH, a notoriously unreliable little gun. Mine will run with everything, and I don't believe it has ever jammed on me.

BTW BTW, there's been a bunch of buzz about the S&W M&P15-22 .22 LR AR clone...while a complete gun in .22 LR is a welcome addition to the market, .22 AR conversion units abound, from the inexpensive CMMG to the workhorse Tactical Solutions version to the premium Bill Wilson product, and all of them are perfect for marksmanship training and teaching AR operations, plus you get to keep your own trigger group. You all know I have a relationship with Tactical Solutions, but my Tac-Sol unit on a Stag lower runs like a top. I strongly recommend you purchase a conversion unit for that AR you bought this year!