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

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

I can't see the picture from here, but I would bet its a model 27, or a pre-27.

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ken
SWCA #1959

It appears to be a Post 68 27-2 8 3/8" barrel with a partridge front sight. That sight is fairly common on the 27's. If you can come up with the first few digits of the serial # including the letter prefix, we can date it for you.

29aholic, What about it makes you think it's post '68? Do you know when S&W quit pinning the barrels? I won't have an opportunity to see it (and get the serial #) for at least for another day or so. Thanks, Dave

The barrel is pinned but since the Stocks appear to have been refinished and maybe replaced then from the pictures this could be anything from a 1935 RM to something made in 1982 when the pin was dropped.

Kind of like a common News Story; just not enough information to go on.

The ejector rod housing is more squared off looking on the bottom front edge, which makes it probable that it is from the early/mid '60's on up to '82 period. FWIW

It does appear to be a 27-2, and the front sight, standard hammer, and standard trigger are normal for that gun in the timeframe up through the early- to mid-80s, I believe. The stocks are probably an add-on, preference of the original owner, since the gun likely came with either magnas or checkered targets. My own gun, a mid-70s example, came with checkered targets, and is otherwise similar to the one pictured.

It is a poor picture to make a guess from, but I would bet that gun is mid- to late-70s production. S&W made the -3 engineering change, which dispensed with the pinning of the barrel, sometime in the early-80s.

Dave, the P&R guns ended in 1982 roughly. This one is definitely a 27-2 as there is no screw in the front of the trigger guard ruling out the pre-27's through the early Model stamped guns. The smooth Targets could original and as they appear to have no "flare" (palmswells) it would post date at least 68 if not earlier. Also, in looking at the end of the cylinder flutes it appears most of the chamfer is gone which more than likely means it was made toward then end of the -2 run. When the -3 guns came out the chamfer was done away with altogether until recently.
Here is an example of a mid-70's 27

Not a great pic but you can kinda see the chamg=fering is more pronounced.

Guessing is fun!

+1 on the shroud G4F.

I agree it's a Model 27-2 with an 8-3/8" barrel. It seems to have a narrow ampersand on the left side and I don't see a cylinder stop screw on the front of the trigger guard. It has a standard trigger, so I presume it's pre 1975. Starting about then, the guns were typically shipped in a presentation case with a target trigger, target hammer and target stocks.

Notice the ampersands.
27-2 barrel top, the gun is a mid-1950’s .357 Magnum (pre-model marked).


This one‘s a Model 27 (no dash)

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I'm thinking around late spring 1972-probably right around Easter. South table in the factory, right handed fitter-a smoker, probably with greying hair and marital problems-anything beyond that, I'd have to personally inspect the gun. In any event a very pretty specimen of a "long Tom" 27-2. With te 27's the 6 & 83/8 barrels had the patridge sight like yours does, the shorter barrels came with the ramp sights. We LOVE 27's here I have 3 and am always looking for more.

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After a fight with his wife, he was known to doodle!

He also moved to San Francisco where it's rumored he prospered in dry goods

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Patridge not partridge.

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No life story has happy end.

That hammer is not from a Registered Magnum!

The sight is spelled Patridge, after the name of the developer. It is often mispronounced as "partridge", but that shouldn't happen on THIS forum.

This is true, but what is not widely known is that while there, he met a young, blonde college co-ed who interested him in transcendental meditation. He divorced his wife and went back to school to get his MBA, but he tired of the academic environment when his girlfriend left him, and he subseuqently devoted his life and energies to studying the teachings of the Dali Lama.