Am about to purchase a Model 627 Performance Center 5" and the online chatter offers a mixed review on the consistent quality of PC produced firearms these days. So, where else to turn for an objective, fact based assessment of this issue: The S&W Forum.

My only Performance Center gun is a 629-6 that I bought new 10-2017. The action job is on par with a 28-2 $" I bought used in the early 80's. The 28's action was worked over by someone outside the mothership. At S&W sponsored gun cleaning, I let one of the factory revolver guys tear into it. He didn't like my guns springs and replaced them all (free of charge) When he finished we dry fired and used a trigger pull gauge. (No strain screw adjustments were made at any point) My gun was noticeably less smooth and heavier Than the non factory parts. It was returned to the previous condition.

That was to tell you the 28 has a fantastic action! My PC 629 is very much on par with that 28!

Ivan

"Pro" series upgrades are okay.
"Performance Center" upgrades are better, and generally worth the premium in my opinion.

Sent from my motorola one 5G using Tapatalk

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Slava Ukraini!

Be prepared to not complete the transfer if it does not meet your expectations. Do a thorough inspection before the paperwork.

My PC 5"627 is about the slickest gun I currently own. The trigger is very crisp with zero take-up. The pull is smooth and has a very clean break. So, the action is fantastic, period.
However, the thing did have some issues like the recessed crown being an absolute mess, the barrel being slightly over-timed and the ball detent being affected by the barrel timing ussue. I was able to correct the crown issue.
Despite those the gun is a great shooter and is very enjoyable. Ive never thought about selling it.

I have 5 S&W revolvers, 3 of which had to be returned to the Mothership a total of 5 times. The 3 which were returned all grouped well, but shot too far left despite adjusting the rear sight all the way to the right. During my initial revolver checkout procedure, all of the barrels looked straight, although two were Scadium-framed with barrel inserts. Two of the 3 were Performance Center models (386XL and 325 Thunder Ranch) and all 3 had internal locks indicating they were manufactured more recently than the 2 which shot straight.
One comment directly comparing all 5 is that, despite the PC revolvers having smoother and lighter triggers than the non-PC models, all of them needed to, and have had, the internals polished which made all of them better.

627 5" 8 shot PC is a fantastic gun.
you will not regret buying it.The action gets even smoother with lots of use!

I've got an 8-shot PC 627-5 with 2-5/8" bbl...great gun, no issues. I think you'll enjoy it. Mine wears some Crimson Trace laser stocks.

Attached Images

P1000944.jpg (98.7 KB, 54 views)

The Performance Center was originally a specialty offshoot of the gunsmithing operation and did all sorts of special, and occasionally one-off factory specials.

In the current era the PC is how the general gunsmithing operation is named. Guns marketed by them do get more attention than a regular production example, but as noted above do your due diligence before buying/transferring. Please note this is not a criticism of S & W or the PC, it is just good gun buying advice.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

I, too, have a PC 627-5 with a 2 5/8" barrel.

Neat, neat revolver.

My paws are too big for those tiny factory boots so I asked Herrett's Stocks to craft a pair of smooth Jordan Troopers with finger grooves out of bubinga for me. Wonderful.

Based on my experience nearly 40 years ago with a Model 27 with a 5" barrel, I'm betting the 627 5" will be a well-balanced cherry.

Enjoy.

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	627 PC snubbie.jpg (176.7 KB, 57 views)
	atop the choppin' block, Herrett's Jordan Trooper in bubinga.jpg (186.6 KB, 54 views)

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Wrangler of stray Chiefs
Bob

I have 2 627s. One 4" iron sight and one 5" with a red dot. They are 2 of my most used and most liked revolvers.

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protocalldesign.com

Thanks, all. Looks like the Forum is generally pro S&W Performance Center firearms with a few well stated reservations. Just what I had hoped to hear. My 627PC is on order.

I don't see that current production PCs get significantly more attention at the factory than a standard production model gets.

Expect no more than you'd expect from a standard production revolver.

I currently have five PC revolvers & they've been afflicted with some of the same problems my standard production revolvers have had including barrel constrictions at the barrel-frame union, poor muzzle chamfering, poor forcing cone finishing & trigger actions on par with standard production revolvers (which I was all able to fix myself).

My 1990's Performance Center semi-autos are a different story though.

I still like & buy them if I take a liking to one. Just don't set your expectations too high & always look them over closely, no matter which one you buy.

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Waiting for the break of day

Handgunner, just Get it. Chime in when you range it the first time. Call me surprised if it doesnt work.

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Romans5:8

All my PC guns have been of very good quality. Including the 327pc that I received afew months ago

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balin
NRA Life Member

I haven't had any issues with any of my PC or Pro revolvers.

Am delighted with the overwhelming positive responses. Should have my 627PC in hand in 3 days and on the range in 4. Thanks, again.

Smart move!

Bluedot37 has a pretty good handle on the situation. The PC guns are regular guns with cosmetic upgrades, like special barrel, different finish, laser engraving, etc. They are subject to all the problems of the garden variety guns. Thankfully, most of these problems can be easily remedied by a knowledgeable revo smith, or owner. Once any problems are addressed, they are by far, the best special use and competition revos ever made. Most of them don't have any problems.

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protocalldesign.com

I just picked up my 27-9 that I put on layaway last week. I need to get some cleaner rags to wipe it down better, but it sure is shiny. I'll throw some .38Spls through it tomorrow. Maybe some Magnums if the gun shop up there has any. It's got a 4" barrel. Once I shoot it I'll check in with a report for Handgunner00. Maybe I can post a picture; this 4" wood & blue is a nice-looking gun. (Except the wood looks like plastic.) That 5" must be a nice shooter.

PC features (trigger action in particular) are worth it to me, but QA can be inconsistent.

M642PC came with a B/C gap of .012"-.014", rough cut forcing cone and some minor cosmetic defects. Sent it in to S&W and it was returned with .004" B/C gap all the way around, properly cut forcing cone, a refinished frame and a butter smooth factory 8.5 lb. D/A trigger. Great shooting piece.

M637PC came perfect out of the box with (again) a butter smooth trigger with 2.5 lb. S/A and 9.0 lb. D/A trigger pull. It shoots like a laser beam.

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M60 442 642 637 686 686+ 629

I am a long time member of this Forum and after reading about PC Guns for over a decade, I'd stay clear of them! IMHO you are better off buying a vintage version in excellent condition and do your own mods to it if that is what you want. When I say do your own, I mean exactly that! The days of sending guns out and expecting perfection (or anything close to it) are long gone! Lightly used vintage models should satisfy all but serious competitors. To get into competition, little has to be done and the work that is sometimes required is easy and simply to perform for many.

That said, I'd suggest getting Kuhnhausen's S&W shop manual FIRST! Then before even touching a screwdriver - LEARN what you are doing! There are other books, videos and articles on the subject.

Competent Gunsmiths are now few and far between!!! The few that are still around are extremely expensive and have wait times that are unacceptable to me!

I have had two PC revolvers and they have been excellent guns from the start. However, you do have to watch out for potential issues that seem to plague all production guns. If you are careful, you shouldn't have any problems.

Shot my 27-9 today, FYI. Couldn't get any .357 so I used .38 spl. Halfway through the box of 50 FMJ, I noticed a piece of the rear end of the barrel had broken off. Dangit. Looking from the rear of the barrel toward target it's a small sliver from 2:00 to 4:00. Didn't affect the shooting and I kept 5" or so grouping. But it has to go back. Good luck with yours, OP.

Not good, not good at all! So part of the forcing cone went bye-bye?? What in the world?
Dont think I would have kept on shooting but Im glad to see youre able to type, and see.
Had tou been shooting mostly 38's in it or more 357? Really doesnt matter because this should not be happening.
Man, that blows, hard.

From what I gather, the once, elite level of experience the PC had all retired and the place went to shißer for a time. It does seem to be getting back up to speed, but not yet where it was though. I had to get a barrel replaced on my PC cannon for forcing cone erosion (no fault of S&W), and it nearly took 8 months to get it back. At the time I believe they were in the middle of a facility move, not to mention the stupid virus bs. The gun however did arrive up to the standards I hoped.

The PC 3.5” 500 when compared to my standard 4” 500 is superior in all regards to the 4”. Mostly design, but it does have a few manufacturing related flaws though not concerning to me. It shoots better, SA/DA timing exceptional, it’s just a much more fun cannon to shoot. For bonus, it sends perfect fire rings down range (in slow motion I have seen the rings actually hitting target at 25yds man). The only thing preferable with the S&W over the PC is how the hammer and trigger feel on my thumb and finger.

Go for it! Good luck

I'm taking the gun back down to the shop and S&W will receive it from them and do their magic, as needed.

Well...today was showtime at the range and my 627PC proved flawless beyond my wildest expectations. Its finish is NRA Museum quality and it fired a mix of 357 Mag, 38SPL, and 38WC without fail and at an accuracy level I've never before achieved with a revolver to include a 2020 Python.

625 PC. Constantly miss fired with 8 different factory loads right out of the box. Even with reloads with Federal primers. Cylinder was not chamfered at all. Sent it back 5 times each time came back saying nothing wrong with this gun. They did re chamfer the Cylinder. I would clean it in an ultrasonic tank before sending it in. It would come back clean. It was like they fired 6 rounds and said good to go.

On the last time there was a comment saying they were done with it and there was nothing wrong with it. I called and was told it is as good as it gets. I have shot a lot of custom guns. I own 2 Les Baers , a Wilson combat and a Nighthawk. I worked in 2 different gun shops and shot USPSA for over 12 years. I told them that they should be ashamed, they hung up. Finally I fixed it myself by replacing the strain screw. I am not impressed.

When this all happened I posted the story here and was flamed for it. I will not buy a new S&W again, only used older non lock models. This all happened about 5 years ago. Maybe things have changed. Good luck.

Let's hope my 627PC is representative of all S&W firearms coming out of the Performance Center today and that no one will ever again be subject to your experience from five years ago.

I p/u a Pro Series no-lock 442 from a private seller a couple of months ago. While the trigger is better than a stock J Frame I would not have paid extra for it. Not enough of a difference to make me pay extra.

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Old Cop
LEO (Ret.)

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I've fixed way more myself than I've had to send back & that's because those returned needed a new cylinder.

If you can fix it yourself it's just prudent to do so & save the aggravation, time & shipping cost.

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Waiting for the break of day