27-9 Am I the Only One?

[CajunBass]

Am I the only person who's ever bought one of these? I never seem to see anything about them.

Model 27-9. Nope it's not P&R. It's got "the lock" and MIM parts. But I got it for less than a 27-2, and it's a four screw, "N-frame" 357 with a 4" barrel, target hammer and trigger, and Altamont stocks. I think it looks like a million bucks. The D/A trigger isn't as nice as the old ones I suppose, but it ain't bad. I admit I shoot it S/A most of the time.





I haven't shot it a lot, but a hundred rounds of moderate 357's were fun. They also persuaded me to get a BK adapter for it.

 

[Derosa]

Lookin' good sir.

 

[KalamazooKid]

Awesome guns! What the heck, we wanted a "NIB" 27 and didn't want to pay $4-5,000![emoji14]

Mine with Culina walnut is a blast to shoot!

 

[UncleEd]

Beautiful guns.

I like them.

Regarding pinned and recessed.

Smith guns have gotten along quite well without the pin since 1982---that's a long time.

Ditto for recessed chambers which I've found to be dirt collectors, thus helping jam the gun.

Frankly, I've never noticed the IL hole as I don't sit and stare at it like some do; seems like it hypnotizes some to the point of feeling anxiety attacks.

As for MIM parts; they do seem to work and do hold up. I've got Smiths without them and I could complain about some of them as well for their quirks and shortcomings.

Cajun Bass, enjoy and revel in the fact that you have a very fine gun which a lot of others are denying themselves.
But if you gave them one and told them to shoot a few thousand rounds out one, they wouldn't remember what they
were complaining about.

 

[muddocktor]

Model 27's are great, no matter which revision. I ended up buying myself a 627 Pro instead of a 27 recently because I wanted an 8 round cylinder. But I would have taken an 8 shot 27 over the 627 any day of the week. I just like the looks of a blue or nickel 27 and traditional barrel over that squared off looking barrel of my 627. Not to say that I don't like my 627, but it's looks aren't the same. It does shoot well and 8 rounds in a revolver is a real hoot though.

 

[lawman90]

If I could find one, I'd buy one immediately! I'm not paying $1200+ for a 4" 27, period. Give me the lock and MIM any day. In fact, my 586 from current production with the MIM and lock has a much better trigger than some of my older pre-lock and pre-MIM guns. I've found MIM tends to be much more consistent whereas the older machined parts were often hand fitted, so you might get one really really good one and one really really terrible one.

 

[UncleEd]

If I could find one, I'd buy one immediately! I'm not paying $1200+ for a 4" 27, period. Give me the lock and MIM any day. In fact, my 586 from current production with the MIM and lock has a much better trigger than some of my older pre-lock and pre-MIM guns. I've found MIM tends to be much more consistent whereas the older machined parts were often hand fitted, so you might get one really really good one and one really really terrible one.

This sums up a lot of experiences, I believe.

 

[sodacan]

If I could find one, I'd buy one immediately! I'm not paying $1200+ for a 4" 27, period. Give me the lock and MIM any day. In fact, my 586 from current production with the MIM and lock has a much better trigger than some of my older pre-lock and pre-MIM guns. I've found MIM tends to be much more consistent whereas the older machined parts were often hand fitted, so you might get one really really good one and one really really terrible one.

What is the extent of your experience with the older P&R revolvers? I can't comment on the MIM revolvers with the lock because I've never owned or fired one, but I would be interested in knowing which older models you found to have such terrible inconsistencies.

 

[lawman90]

What is the extent of your experience with the older P&R revolvers? I can't comment on the MIM revolvers with the lock because I've never owned or fired one, but I would be interested in knowing which older models you found to have such terrible inconsistencies.

Well, let's see. My dad's got a couple of pinned model 15's, a P&R model 19 snub, a P&R 29-2, a pre-17, a pinned model 36.

FYI I never said it was an issue specific to P&R, but rather, the guns with the forged parts (of which there are plenty even after P&R stopped when S&W went to crush fit). Such as my 29-3, 629-3, 686 no dash, etc.

My 629-3 had a pretty awful double action before I got some snap caps and did a few hundred dry fires over the course of a week. My 686 no dash has one that's smooth as butter. My dad's 29-2 was gritty when he bought it new, but is now much nicer. My post-lock (and of course, MIM) guns seem to always feel about the same with trigger pull.

Hate it or love it, MIM is a superior manufacturing process and it is here to stay. A lot more consistency with a molded part than a hand fitted and hand filed one. I prefer the look and feel of the older guns, but the MIM guns do not get the credit they deserve.

 

[UncleEd]

What is the extent of your experience with the older P&R revolvers? I can't comment on the MIM revolvers with the lock because I've never owned or fired one, but I would be interested in knowing which older models you found to have such terrible inconsistencies.

It's not terrible inconsistencies, it's that the older guns all had very different personalities, some excellent, some very good and some not so good.

Even one gun artisan does not necessarily produce the exact same machining from part to part nor does another artisan
produce the same fitting exactly from gun to gun and that's just in one of their day's work.

Modern castings in frames, parts, etc. have produced a greater consistency though not necessarily at the top of what was achieved but those top achievements weren't part of every day production either.

 

[GunarSailors]

I have its older brother the 27-8 with a 5 inch barrel and a few other extras. I changed the stocks out for
something more traditional.

 

[colt_saa]

Am I the only person who's ever bought one of these? I never seem to see anything about them.

I am not sure how you missed it, there have been numerous threads about the 8 shot model 27s since they first came out in 2000.

There have been a total of 6 variations of the 8 shot model 27 over the years. Here are all 6.

All 6 revolvers are the same number and remain unfired since leaving the factory. I have other non-matching 27s that I shoot on a regular basis. Infact a 3 1/2" sits in my range bag for tomorrow.

As you already know these fantastic revolvers are superbly accurate.

 

[colt_saa]

There`s an article in Shooting Times, published when the -9 was introduced, that gives a side by side comparison to a 1970`2 vintage 27-2.
The gist was that the -9 was a revolver well made of good materials and the accuracy was as good as, if not slightly better than, the -2.

I also have a set of bookends. A -2 and a -9 manufactured 34 years apart.

There is no doubt that the Performance Center,s air gauged, match grade barrels on these modern 27s produce a revolver that makes tighter groups no matter if shot freehand or in a rest.

 

[caleb4387]

when did they quit making the 8 shot 27? ive been eyeballing the 8 shot 627 for awhile but the 27 could be tempting...problem for me is I can deal with the eyesore lock on a gun that's not a classic bu on a 27 I'm not sure I can overlook it...

 

[RSBH44]

That's one fine looking piece of hardware. I'd be happy to own one. I have several older Smith revolvers as well as a couple of newer revolvers with the IL . I'm not prejudice, I like em all.

 

[CajunBass]

I am not sure how you missed it, there have been numerous threads about the 8 shot model 27s since they first came out in 2000.

You know I sort of vaguely knew they made an eight shot 357, something or other, but I guess it never occurred to me it was a "Model 27." I more or less thought they stopped with the -3's.

I never look at the "new gun" side of the house, and 27's of any kind don't turn up too often on the used side. When they do, they're in the "If you have to ask, you can't afford it" case.

The only reason I found this one was it was in the regular "used gun" case. The diamond Altamont grips caught my eye. The price was so much lower than what I was used to seeing on a Model 27, and the gun looked so nice I just couldn't pass it up.

I even tried to. I told myself there had to be something wrong with it so I bought a 28-2 with a nickel finish they had at the same time. But I kept thinking about that Model 27. A couple of days later it was still there, so I put some money down on it, and sold the 28, unfired by me and got the 27. I just couldn't find anything not to like about that gun except it wasn't P&R.

BTW. REALLY nice guns you got there.

 

[BAM-BAM]

I am not sure how you missed it, there have been numerous threads about the 8 shot model 27s since they first came out in 2000.

There have been a total of 6 variations of the 8 shot model 27 over the years. Here are all 6.

All 6 revolvers are the same number and remain unfired since leaving the factory. I have other non-matching 27s that I shoot on a regular basis. Infact a 3 1/2" sits in my range bag for tomorrow.

As you already know these fantastic revolvers are superbly accurate.

"They are all the same number........."

Serial #???????? how can that be??????

What am I missing???????

 

[Capttjk1]

I bought a 27-9 with the 4" barrel back in January. I am very happy with it. I put Altamont target grips on it for a more comfortable feel. The factory trigger is excellent. I like it so much I am thinking of getting the 6.5" model to go along with it.

 

[CajunBass]

I bought a 27-9 with the 4" barrel back in January. I am very happy with it. I put Altamont target grips on it for a more comfortable feel. The factory trigger is excellent. I like it so much I am thinking of getting the 6.5" model to go along with it.

I thought about some targets for mine because the Magna's beat my knuckles up, but I love the way they look, so I just added a BK adapter to them. I'll have to see how they work next time at the range, but they feel great in my hand.