The Charter Arms Patriot was a short-lived line of revolvers chambered for the .327 Federal Magnum. In all, three Patriot models were manufactured between 2008 and 2011. The three models were the standard model, the Target Patriot and the Crimson Patriot.
Let’s dig into this line of handguns.
Standard Charter Arms Patriot
The standard model Patriot was a 2.2″ barreled revolver with a cylinder that held six shots. It had a fixed ramp front sight and a foxed notch rear sight.
Due to the relatively short barrel, it appears the gun was designed for concealed carry. Unlike the company’s Off Duty revolver, the Patriot had an exposed hammer, allowing the shooter to work the gun in double-action or single-action modes.
The standard Patriot revolver weighed 21 ounces while unloaded. Rubber grips were standard on the gun. Charter Arms only offered this gun with a satin stainless steel finish.
MSRP on the gun was $536.00.
The Target Patriot
This version of the Charter Arms Patriot features a longer barrel (4″ vs. 2.2″) and has an adjustable rear, target-type sight.
The barrel has a full length underlug, which is likely to help tame the recoil of the little magnum cartridge. The Target Patriot carries a $593.00 MSRP.
The Crimson Patriot
The Crimson Patriot was also chambered in .327 Federal Magnum and had a 2.2″ barrel. The gun shipped from the factory with the Crimson Trace LG-325 Lasergrips.
The Crimson Patriot shares many of the features of the standard Patriot revolver. The Crimson Patriot is a six-shot, exposed hammer revolver made of stainless steel that weighs 21 ounces unloaded. It has fixed sights, using a ramp front and notch rear. The big difference is the addition of the rubber overmold Lasergrips.
The suggested retail on the Charter Arms Crimson Patriot was $768.00. Considering the standard Patriot retailed for $536.00 and the Crimson Trace LG-325 Lasergrips retailed at $299.00, the Crimson Patriot retail price represents a significant savings as compared to adding the grips yourself ($768 vs. $835).
| Patriot | Target Patriot | Crimson Patriot | |
| Caliber | .327 Magnum | .327 Magnum | .327 Magnum |
| Capacity | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Barrel Length | 2.2″ | 4.0″ | 2.2″ |
| Weight (unloaded) | 21 oz | 23 oz | 21 oz |
| Sights | fixed | adjustable rear | fixed with Lasergrips |
| Finish | satin stainless | satin stainless | satin stainless |
| Grips | rubber | rubber | Crimson Trace |
| MSRP | $536 | $593 | $768 |
Charter Arms Discontinues the Patriot Line
The Patriot revolvers were discontinued by fall of 2011. Charter Arms did not make any announcement regarding why the handguns were pulled from production. I can only assume that the line was canceled due to sales.
If the company was selling a boatload of them, I would expect that Charter Arms would have continued the production. It looks like the total time these revolvers were made is about three years.
Alternative to the Patriot
The .327 Magnum is an interesting cartridge and a number of manufacturers launched guns to support the caliber. Some of those gun have also been discontinued.
Here’s the best information I have as of the most recent update:
Taurus 327 – Taurus offers two revolvers chambered for the .327 Magnum. One has a matte black finish while the second has a stainless finish. Both sport exposed hammers, a 2″ barrel and 6-round cylinders.
These Taurus handguns are affordable with MSRPs being less than $400 for each of them.
Ruger LCR – Ruger remains the strongest supporter of the .327 Federal Magnum and offers a wide range of wheelguns chambered for the cartridge. For self-defense, it is tough to beat the LCR series of revolvers.
Currently, Ruger offers the original “hammerless” LCR design and the exposed hammer LCRx models in .327. Both models have 6 round capacities and barrels of 1.87″ long.
Unlike the Taurus revolvers, the LCR uses pinned front sights so you can easily upgrade them. Pricing is more than double the Taurus, however.
Ruger SP101 – Ruger also offers its classic SP101 in .327 Magnum. Compared to the Charter Arms Patriot, the SP101 is much nicer. But, you are also paying for the upgrade.
The 3″ SP101 will set you back $889. For the 4.2″ barrel, the MSRP is $949. The longer barrel also comes with target sights.
Patriot Resources
Here are a few videos of the Charter Arms Patriot being shot:
Updated: March 31, 2022
44 replies on “Charter Arms Patriot Revolvers in .327 Federal Magnum”
I have been thinking about an SP101 in .32 H&R for some time. Then decided I need a .357. I keep waffling on the new .327 as a compromise.
I want stainless and more UMP than my .22 mag. With either I would hand load.
Jerry
Hi Jerry,
A SP1010 in .327 Fed Mag might be a good choice for you as it will shoot the .32 H&R in addition to the .327 Fed Mag (like .38 SPL in .357 Mag). The .327 is less harsh to shoot that a .357, but if it is still too harsh, you can still shoot the .32 H&R.
–Richard
I decided to forget about buying a .327 magnum revolver. Instead, I am sticking with my 357/38 special–wide choice of available loads.
The NEW 327 Magnum Ultra-Shock JHP has been as scarce as hen’s teeth. However. The Ruger SP101 was the first on the market and low demand for the ammo caused mution makers to put it on back burner which meant extremely limited production of rounds. Now that Ruger has added a 6″ revolver to it’s line and with both Taurus and Charter adding 3 more models to the mix, it’s a good bet to say that Federal/Amer. Eagle (same company) will determine that the market is big enough, now, that more ammo production will be forthcoming. There’s truth to the adage “follow the money”.
Incidentally, The Ruger’s are very nice pieces… and the missus is buying a Ruger 101(4″) 6 shot with bull barrel for protection of her and horse from COUGAR attack here in Michigan. A horse and rider attacked in February southwest of Jackson. Girl thrown off… scared horse and cougar ran in different directions. Horse and girl are O.K. Locals out gunning for cat. One more of many such incidents.
Thank god the biggest thing we have bothering horses is the neighbor’s stupid dog! I guess the .327 will kill a cougar. The only one I have ever seen were behind bars.