Ruger Single Seven .327 Fed Mag HOME!

[Hatchdog]

I’ve been looking for a 32 caliber magnum revolver and a local guy offered me his Lipsey’s Exclusive Single Seven. It’s a .327 Federal Magnum which means of course it will also shoot 32 H&R mag and 32 S&W Long. The Lipsey’s features are the XS Big Dot front sight, V notch rear, black Macarta grips and this particular model from Lipsey’s in only available in the 4 5/8” barrel. It’s a seven shot with an aluminum frame. Lipsey’s designed it to be a light weight but effective trail gun.

The cylinder is non-fluted which is not my first choice but as Shaky Jake mentioned in the weather topic his revolver is non-fluted too and probably all Single Sevens are. I read that Ruger designed the cylinder notches to land in between the chambers in order to retain cylinder strength. This probably explains why it is non-fluted.

It’s currently in background check jail and I should be able to bring it home in 6-10 days. I did take this picture but the shadows hide the sights somewhat. When I get it home I’ll post better pics. I’m starting to accumulate a modest collection of 32 caliber firearms and I’ll post up a family picture when the new baby comes home.

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[North Country Gal]

Congrats. You're going to enjoy that Single Seven. I had the stainless version with the 5 1/2" barrel and it did well with any 32s I fed it and my favs were the 32 H&Rs. It's definitely one gun I wish I had kept when we sold off many of our guns. If I found another one I liked, it would be hard to pass up.

[Travlin]

I think that you will find that the cylinder notches are off set because it is a seven shot. Five shot revolvers are the same.

[Hatchdog]

I think that you will find that the cylinder notches are off set because it is a seven shot. Five shot revolvers are the same.

That makes sense! I’ll take a closer look when I get it home.

[John E Davies]

I quite like the SIngle Seven in .327 but I had no luck with mine. I got one of the very first ones with 6 inch barrel in stainless. It would not run at all, the cylinder pin would work forward, locking up the cylinder. Empty cases would stick in two of the chambers. The timing was off and loading rounds was difficult due to the location of the notches and the too small gate opening. I did check it out before buying but none of these issues were apparent at the gun store. I sent it back to Ruger, said fix this please, they responded that they were “unable to correct the problems” and would I accept a revolver in a different caliber, like an SP101 in .357 Mag? I said no, I want a .327 Federal please. They could not provide an acceptable replacement in that caliber, so I demanded and got a full refund. After a while I bought an SP101 .327 4.2” and have been very pleased with it. All this happened in late 2014, I would be very suspicious of any Single Seven in this serial number range….

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I am sure that whatever the heck was going on with the early Single Sevens was quickly corrected, I am sure yours will be fine, but it does seem to me that Ruger is rushing guns into production without enough real world testing. I had a SRH in .480 that also had some serious issues, like factory ammo cases seizing and variable chamber diameters, and Ruger stopped making guns in that caliber entirely for a couple of years. They eventually replaced the six hole cylinders with five hole ones in that caliber and that corrected the case sticking problem. With these Rugers, you throw the dice and take your chances. I would still buy another, without hesitation, the customer service is stellar.

John Davies
Spokane WA

[North Country Gal]

John, when I was shopping for my Single Seven at various local shops, I saw a lot of examples of Sevens that never should have left the factory. I waited until I found a Seven that passed my personal inspection. That's the only way I will ever buy a Ruger revolver or any brand of revolver, short of Freedom Arms, but especially a Ruger. Hey, I'm a fan of Ruger single actions and when I've found a good one, couldn't be happier. Just have to be patient and wait till you find one.

[Hatchdog]

I have read quite a bit about the early Single Sevens and the problems with the loading gate and timing issues. I believe this Lipsey’s Exclusive was released in 2018 so I’m optimistic the early gremlins have been worked out. The guy I got it from had only fired it three times so was unable to give me any feedback regarding problems.

Thanks to you John and NCG for the info and I hope to report back that all is well in the Single Seven world

[North Country Gal]

Hope you get a good one, Hatch, because a Single Seven is a great single action when you do.

[Travlin]

Interestingly I have read tests on the Single Seven and the 5 1/2" barrel had a higher velocity than the 7 !/2" with all of the loads tested factory and handloads.

[North Country Gal]

Not surprised, given the 327 was designed as a self-defense cartridge and alternative to the 357. It was made with short barrel revolvers in mind.