Happy to see this thread back. As a collector trying to focus on 627 variations I appreciate the pictures of 627s with their correct boxes that show end labels with serial numbers and special order (SO) numbers. I have been chasing these 6 and 8 shot revolvers for over 15 years and I still discover variations I have not seen before. As a member of the Smith & Wesson Collectors Association I published a pretty extensive summary in the Fall 2012 SWCA Journal about all the 627 variations that I knew about to that date. While new information has since come to light, I thought I might share what I wrote back then about the 627-2s.
627-2 (1998-2001)
Concurrent with the Performance Center’s 627-3, the S&W 627-2 marked a very significant engineering change, introducing the new and now standard CNC machined frame, most easily identified by the elongated cylinder stop that replaced the cylinder stop pin S&W used on their conventional machined frames for more then 100 years. This frame incorporates the new floating firing pin and the flat hammer face that now resides fully within the frame. SCSW notes this change to an 8-shot, but every model marked 627-2 I have seen are non-Performance Center 6-shot models with .500-inch MIM hammers and .400-inch MIM hollow back smooth triggers. All of the guns have a new squared extractor star that no longer uses the two alignment pins, a change shared with the Model 27-6. All of the printing on these revolvers is laser applied and not stamped. The top straps are drilled and tapped with a smooth matt surface and the barrel rib is grooved from the frame forward to include the front sight ramp. The front sights are pinned gold bead patridge. Rear sights are similarly grooved with a black blade. This model has a round butt frame shipped with black Hogue mono-grips with the S&W logo. The Performance Center 8-shot versions of this frame are marked 627-3 (See below.)
148327 5-inch full lug barrel with a 6-shot fluted cylinder. Large S&W logo on the side plate. Lasered on the left side of the barrel in script is “Smith & Wesson.” On the right side it reads “.357 Magnum,” also in script. SCSW states 148327 is reportedly a short run made from parts.) CCZXXXX, shipped in blue plastic case.
Photo 12 CCZ6780, shipped October 1998
148218 5-inch full lug barrel with a 6-shot unfluted cylinder. Large S&W logo on the side plate. Lasered on the left side of the barrel in script is “Smith & Wesson.” On the right side it reads “.357 Magnum,” also in script. This Product Code is not listed in SCSW. CCUXXXX shipped in blue plastic case.
Photo 13 CCU2353, shipped June 1998
149193 6-inch full lug barrel and a 6-shot unfluted cylinder. A small S&W logo appears under the thumb cylinder release. The right side of the barrel is completely blank, while the left side reads on two lines,” SMITH & WESSON .357 MAGNUM.” SCSW list a similar description as 149140 introduced in 2000. CETXXXX shipped in blue plastic case.
Photo 14 CET2713, shipped March 2001
Other 627-2 variations not encountered to date:
101030 SCSW listed as 5-inch “627 Target Champion,” Export
(WISCHO Germany)
149140 SCSW listed as 6-inch six shot unfluted
Subsequent to publishing the above, in August 2015 I learned about a PC 6-shot in Europe, possibly a 149140. A unicorn gun and this confirmed they exist. The gun was in Sweden. It took the buyer in Austria 5 months to get. He was kind enough to get back to me and shared the following. It is a 6-shot, clearly marked "Performance Center," and is in the contoured slab-sided profile found on 627-3s and now widely available as 627-5s. Check out the last picture below. I begged him for this gun. But importing a firearm is far beyond my area of comfort.
As a final note, while I do not have production figures for the 627-2 5" variants, I do know that the 6" CETXXXX variation production was only 47 units.
I hope some of you find all this as interesting as I do.
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