I haven't seen this pistol but a coworker (that doesn't know S&W's) has. He only knows it's a 357 but didn't know the model or serial # no doubt because he didn't know where to look! It's being sold by a friend of his. A friend of mine suggested that it's a M27 but from what is visible can anyone hazard a guess as to date of manufacture? Looking at a closeup I see the barrel in pinned and there is no turn line. My coworkers friend inherited it from his father (now gone) and says he "has the box somewhere.......". It appears to be a 8 3/8" barrel but the front sight throws me for some reason. Does the style of the grips suggest a build date? Thanks in advance, Dave