Hey all.

I was rummaging around looking at pics of beautiful wheel guns when I came upon one that was very unusual to me. It was posted as a model 27-8 Performance Center 8-Shot in .357 with a 3 1/2 inch barrel or so. At least it looks like it’s close to a 4 inch like the old model 27. It’s a beautiful blued revolver.

I instantly wanted one. A 27 with the 3 1/2 inch barrel with the smaller grips is one of my Bucket Guns. Even though this is a new version of the classic beauty, I’d happily take it.
It seems like it would be dang near a perfect carry gun, especially in times of cold weather like we’re in now.

Anyway, I wanted to ask about this model and see what you all thought of it and had to say about it. Would you like to have one? How many were made and how scarce are they?

If anyone has one, you absolutely MUST post pics if it for the rest of us to enjoy and then cuss you under our breath for having one. I would especially love to see this one with a Tyler’s T-grip on it. I’ll bet that would be unbelievably pretty.

What do you all think?

Thank you all.
Larry

The 27 you described sounds nice. My apologies, as close as I can get is 4” -7. Also, I currently don’t have a stand alone pic, only with a 627 and don’t wanna dig it out.
As to production numbers, 100 in 4” and 100 in 6” barrels.

Makes me wonder about the strength of the 8 shot cylinder verses the 6 shot cylinder.

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USMC 1969-1993

Would be curious to see and handle one, maybe even shoot it. But, I think I will stay with my 27-2 3 1/2 inch.

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USMC 1969-1993

Not sure what the cylinder wall thickness specs are for either, but the 8 shot model cylinders are wider, and the frame has been enlarged to accommodate it.
The gap between the barrel and the extractor rod collar clearly shows the difference between 6 and 8 rd. model frames.

i deleted the original post that you have quoted..back up.
Sorry about any confusion

Smith & Wesson has only made 6 different configurations of carbon steel Model 27 with the 8 shot cylinders. Here is one of each configuration ever produced. All have the same serial number but different prefixes.

In regards to the 3 1/2" 8 shot Model 27s. Lew Horton had them produced as Registered Magnums. Each revolver shipped in a Performance Center aluminum case along with it's registration certificate.

The 3 1/2" & 5" Blue steel Model 27 variation was a planned production of 350 pieces each beginning in 2006

The 3 1/2" & 5" Nickel Model 27variation was a planned production of 250 pieces each beginning in 2007

Somewhere I have the actual quantity produced, but I would have to dig it out. I am still not unpacked from my move

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"Acta non verba"

WHY?

Do you worry about the cylinder strength of the Combat Magnum (later known as the Model 19)?

The cylinder walls are no thinner than on those Combat Magnum (Model 19/66) revolvers and there has been 65+ years to improve on metallurgy and machining techniques to enhance the strength above what that first Blue steel Combat Magnum could handle when it was put into Bill Jordan's hand back in 1955

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"Acta non verba"

Yes, read this: American Rifleman | A Look Back at the Smith & Wesson Model 19 In particular the 11 paragraph down.
While I like the Model 19, buying a used one can be a bit of a gamble. You do not know what kind of loads it has been fed over it's lifetime. Some of our fellow shooter like loads that are on the hot side of max. What stresses have been put on it? I will stay with my 27-2 3 1/2" for .357 Magnum.

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USMC 1969-1993

I would respectfully submit that buying ANY used gun can be a bit of a gamble...

Kaaskop49
Shield #5103

Buying any gun is the luck of the draw. Even brand new guns have failed. Some times the owners fault and sometimes a manufacturer's defect. This is why we wear shooting glasses.

What the article says is that yes, the 19 is a .357 Mag., it was built on a .38 Special frame and cylinder. Not really meant for a steady diet of .357. More meant to practice with .38 Specials and use the .357's as duty loads. Years ago that is how it was done, nowadays you practice as if it is real, meaning you should shoot in practice what you use for real life situations. The military has done that for years, we used the same ammo in combat as we used to train and qualify with.

You get some reloaders that like to push the envelope with their handcrafted loads. Just how much stress does that put on the gun? Just how much stress does a steady diet of factory magnum loads does it put on the gun.

S&W had some concerns and that is why the L Frames were produced. Again good guns, but stronger than the K Frames. Never have owned one though.

Have owned 19's and 66's, liked them but they always went bye-bye. Then I got my 29-2 and it is my favorite .357 Magnum/.38 Special.

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USMC 1969-1993

colt_saa that 3 1/2” blued version in your picture above is awesome! I hope to find one like that someday.

They are still out there, you just need to keep your eyes open and hit lots of gun shows.

These are my bookends

A 6 shot Model 27 from 1975 and a 8 shot Model 27 from 2006

The eight shooters have become my favorite examples of the 27/327/627 family of revolvers and among them the 3 1/2" is one that I shoot quite frequently

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"Acta non verba"

Any catastrophic event large enough to cause cylinder failure for a 8 shot (e.g. chain detonation) will have the same effect in a 6 shot, no matter what the wall thickness or distance between chambers is.

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aka "Mooncat"

Sir, I would suspect that you are correct in your statement. So, I will stay with my 27-2. My K-Frames are in .38 Special. If I feel the need for another .357 Magnum, I may go to the L-Frame.

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USMC 1969-1993

All I have is the five inch model 27-8. But I certainly do love the hell out of it. No Magnas, and no Tyler T. But the grips are Culina checkered Coke profile, Exhibition Grade, English Walnut.
I prefer mine over the 3.5" version simply because of the gold (brass) bead on the front sight, the target hammer & target trigger. It does have one of the smoothest triggers I own.
But to answer your question the official production numbers if you were to ask Lew Horton would have been 258 of the 5 inch version.

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USAF AMMO