I can only have the 627 or 327 - Which one?

So at our big gun store they have the Perf Ctr 327 TRR8 and the Perf Ctr 627, both guns with the 5" Barrel. Problem is, I'm only buying one of them. They are only $40 apart in price.

WHICH ONE?

627
- Heavier Stainless Steel Frame, likely longer life than scandium, can handle virtually any .357 round.
- Already has wood grips (as well as rubber Hogues), so won't have to buy wood grips.
- More weight, more recoil management.
- $40 cheaper plus no grips to buy, $120 total savings.
- Gun is a little bit old school, not sure if that's a negative or a positive.
- 43.6 oz.

TRR8
- Scandium frame is lighter - great balance between carry weight and recoil management but would avoid 800 ft. lbs. hunting loads for sure.
- Like the black finish - subtle more modern coolness if that matters
- forged steel hammer and trigger not MIM
- Comes with removable rails
- Grips are too small, so that's a purchase.
- Have no need for included detachable lower light rail or upper optics base.
- Thinking about the FTF issues reported on this web site, and the occasional problems with too short firing pins.
- 35.2 oz.

Since in competition I fire mere 190 ft. lbs. Federal White Box or slightly stronger American Eagle, recoil management of either weapon is fine in that context if I use it for competition.

After listing towards the 627, I am slightly leaning back towards the TRR8 at this point.

I'd base the decision on what you intend to do with them - or what the potential is for their use down the road. While the Sc framed revolvers are nice - I see their use as carry a lot, shoot a little. I'd rather have the recoil mitigation of the heavier stainless frame. If you are thinking of competing at some point in the future the 627 is your better bet.

JMHO

Adios,

Pizza Bob

I have the 627 Performance Center. I had the Pro Series 627, also. They're great guns. Hard to beat 8 rounds of 357 Magnum. Recoil is light. It's highly accurate, and it's fun to shoot.

The happiest moments of a Scandium buyer is when they get it, and when they get rid of it. It is not a pleasant gun to shoot.


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I have both a TRR8 and 627Pro (4" barrel). Both are very nice shooting revolvers. The TRR8 being a PC model, has a nicer DA, but the difference is slight.

The TRR8 weighs about 36 oz dry, which is more than enough to handle .357 Magnum recoil. The 5" barrel is arguably harder to carry than 4", so in both respects the "carry much, shoot little" doesn't wash with me.

The two-piece barrel of the TRR8 seems to be exceptionally accurate. It may require periodic maintenance, but time will tell.

I like the nimble balance of both revolvers, not barrel-heavy like the full-lug of a 686. The front blade is spring-loaded and easy to change. I put a fiber optic blade in both.

Both are real nice guns.
I haven't found recoil to be an issue at all in my TRR8.
To my eye the TRR8 is prettier especially with the rails removed as you stated you will use it.
Since you said you want to use it for competition, I would say the 627 PC is the conventional choice but the TRR8 will work fine too.
In the end you can't go wrong with either so just pick the one which floats your boat the most.

I have the 627pro, so I'm partial to the 627. Not to mention you won't have to purchase another set of grips, that lets you have said funds for the holster since you plan on competing with it. That leads into the 627 being a little more in tune towards that.


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I also have the 627 Pro (4" barrel) and I really like the way it handles. The inch shorter barrel handles quickly but still gives a long enough sight radius to be accurate at longer ranges. And the Pro model also comes with the spring loaded front sight, so you can buy you a gold bead patridge sight like the 5" PC gun and the TRR8 come with for around $25 shipped (I did this) and save a few hundred bucks. It doesn't come with wood stocks, but you can get a nice set of Ahrends for replacement and still be money ahead.

I have both. I got the 627PC first because I had a burning desire for an eight shot N-frame. Honestly I'm not gaga about the barrel style but I look past it.

Got the TRR8 just last month after realizing the Sc framed 8-shot was right up my alley, after initially ignoring it.

The 627PC has the old style broached rifling & the TRR8 has the EDM/ECM rifling. I need to shoot them side by side one day but they shoot pretty much the same (best) groups, which for me is 10 shots inside a 2" bullseye at 13yds off-hand. (My 686-6 TALO 5" bbl. can easily match them.)

I don't find the lightweight (35oz.) TRR8 to be a hindrance, recoil wise & I shoot mainly 158gr. full loads. I boxed up the wooden grips & prefer the factory rubber grips on both. It has a square (.200") notch black rear sight, not the V-notch listed on the S&W website. I added a Hi-Viz front sight to it.

The 627PC had a .497" firing pin while the TRR8 came with a .486" firing pin (luck of the draw on which one you get, IMO) which exhibited some light strikes right away (using primer-only rounds before I took it to the range) so I installed a C&S extended firing pin (.510") & that works great. I have ~500 rounds thru it so far, more for the 627PC, with no FTFs.

Both guns now have good SA trigger pulls after adding Wolff's reduce strength rebound slide springs & a little TLC.
From the factory they both were ~4.5# & the TRR8 was the roughest.
Now, 627PC=2.5#, & TRR8=3.0#

I cleaned up the crown on both muzzles.

If I had to have only one it would be the TRR8.

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Stainless steel is awesome... but Sc rocks!
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Crown before chamfering
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Crown after chamfering
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I own both and use them frequently as range guns (only). My guess is you would be perfectly happy with either.

Still, if I had to choose a favorite, it would be the 627PC. It is near the perfect revolver IMHO. I believe the action to be a bit smoother and I like the extra ( but not excessive) weight. The ability to touch up the finish is a plus too.

I have a R-8 and 627 V- comp If I had to choose just one it would be a very tough decision. Recoil is not a problem for me in the scandium frames but I load mid range .357's You can't go wrong with either one and will probably end up with both so which do you want first?

What you plan to do with it would probably be the determining factor for me. Shoot a little, carry a lot... I'd think the 327 but for all-around use, I'd choose the 627 hands down.

Groo here
The TRR8 is just fine with hunting loads.
We used "Groo Monster Maulers" 180g to 200gr hard cast
at low warp speeds.

I would suggest an earlier production m-27 or 627-almost anything pre lock. There are usually some 27-2's on auction sites.

I am not too sure where this idea that the TRR8 is so terrible to shoot because it is SCANDIUM framed. Who started this dialog that they are to be "carry a lot, shoot a little." We are not talking about 11 ounce J-frame 357 Magnums here

The TRR8 weighs in slighty more than an ounce heavier than the 4" Model 19/66 and back in the day folks were not complaining about them being too light to shoot.

I think that SCANDIUM is the greatest thing to happen to N-frames since stainless steel.

I own several of the 8 shot model 627s and model 327s. I even have some of the model 27s. I love them all.
The 327s tensioned multi-piece barrel design makes them among the most accurate revolvers Smith and Wesson has ever produced. This is the reason that the Dan Wessons were so sought after in the Metallic Silhouette days. Fortunately those patents have expired and we can all now benefit from it.

If I were looking for one and only one, hands down it would be the TRR8 . . . then I would probably put the 627 on Lay-A-Way

I have an M&P R8 and fairly sensitive to recoil. I've no problems even with .357 loads and I actually enjoy shooting this round on the R8. Just today, I did a mix of .38spl, .38spl +P, and .357 magnum and even after 12 moon clips, I don't mind shooting more. One thing I like is the weight as gun doesn't feel too heavy despite the size.

In comparison, can't say the same for my Ruger LCR as even with .38's, I feel like giving up only after 20 rounds due to the recoil discomfort.

Anyway, since I like the R8, I've decided to order a 627 PC 2.625" for potential car gun / bag concealed carry.

I'd go with the TRR8. 8 shots with a 5" barrel and 2 lbs. 4 oz. empty weight. That is an awesome weapon!

627

The 627 can handle hotter loads than the 327 without worrying about cylinder erosion. In my opinion, this fact makes the 627 the obvious choice. I don't like self damaging guns haha

Supreme said:

The 627 can handle hotter loads than the 327 without worrying about cylinder erosion. In my opinion, this fact makes the 627 the obvious choice. I don't like self damaging guns haha

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That statement is not a fact.

Both the 627 and 327 TRR8 use the exact same stainless steel cylinder.

The only difference is that one is left bare stainless and the other is treated with a DLC to make it black.
EVERY Smith and Wesson revolver that is chambered for and marked 357 Magnum is capable of safely chambering and firing any and ALL 357 Magnum ammunition that conforms to SAAMI standards.

I think 'Supreme' thought the TRR8 has a titanium cylinder which it does not, as 'Colt saa' vociferously noted, the TRR8 and 627 are the same stainless steel cylinder so no cylinder erosion to be concerned about.

colt_saa said:

That statement is not a fact. Both the 627 and 327 TRR8 use the exact same stainless steel cylinder. The only difference is that one is left bare stainless and the other is treated with a DLC to make it black.

EVERY Smith and Wesson revolver that is chambered for and marked 357 Magnum is capable of safely chambering and firing any and ALL 357 Magnum ammunition that conforms to SAAMI standards.

Click to expand...

Going to disagree with the second paragraph unless SAMMI requires >119 grains for .357 Magnum bullets: A warning marking on the right side of the .357 Magnum Titanium cylindered 340 PD frame reminds the shooter of what is stated in the manual: “not less than 120-grain”. Also the .357 Magnum 327 Pug also having the titanium cylinder, it's manual says: “Warning: Do Not Use Magnum Loadings With Bullet Weights Of Less Than 120 Gr. This Will Reduce The Possibility Of Premature Cylinder Erosion”. "Premature Cylinder Erosion" is a disturbing little phrase. S&W isn't saying you can prevent it, they're just saying you can mitigate the onset. Yikes.

All4Shooters.com has an excellent discussion of titanium cylinder erosion even with a picture of a bullet actually igniting a titanium cylinder. While alloys may not corrode they are much less resistant to erosion than steel, because they have a more porous structure, and upon shooting, the high temperature gases that carry fragments at very high speed, represent a phenomenal erosive agent, able to creep into the open structure of the material and literally ablate small particles. To mitigate these problems, the engineers have perfected systems to make the front surface of the cylinder less porous and more resistant. The most popular system involves the “filling” of the interstices of the alloy with carbon atoms.

Numerous S&W alloy revolvers have inserted a steel plate to delay the damage caused by “flame cutting”, the frame erosion done by gas and particles escaping from the cylinder gap. This is also an issue for the alloy cylinder accounting for easy-to-find erosion at the side walls of the cylinder.

To me, .357 Magnum in a titanium cylinder is still a work in progress, I don't know if the 9mm 929 and 986 S&W revolvers have less of an issue with this, but they are higher pressure yet. At any rate, both the barrel and cylinder of the TRR8 are steel, so that is good; and, I have had a .45 Scandium S&W Gun Site 1911 since 2008 and it is going strong.

dwever said:

I think 'Supreme' thought the TRR8 has a titanium cylinder which it does not, as 'Colt saa' vociferously noted, the TRR8 and 627 are the same stainless steel cylinder so no cylinder erosion to be concerned about.

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I was commenting on what 'Supreme' typed, not what he might have been thinking. Sorry that you interpreted that to be vociferous.

dwever said:

Going to disagree with the second paragraph unless SAMMI requires >119 grains for .357 Magnum bullets: A warning marking on the right side of the .357 Magnum Titanium cylindered 340 PD frame reminds the shooter of what is stated in the manual: “not less than 120-grain”. Also the .357 Magnum 327 Pug also having the titanium cylinder, it's manual says: “Warning: Do Not Use Magnum Loadings With Bullet Weights Of Less Than 120 Gr. This Will Reduce The Possibility Of Premature Cylinder Erosion”..

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Unfortunatly, I have to disagree with you. A SAAMI specification 357 Magnum cartridge can still be safely chambered and fired in a model 340 or 2" model 327 even if the projectile weighs less than 120 grains.