Advice wanted on Pre 27

[Hill536]

Just acquired a pre 27 and want to do some work on it. Numbers all match. It is a 3-1/2" and shoots all in the black in a std bullseye target at 25 yards

1st what trigger kit do you recommend! Wilson or Wolff. The stock mainspring and rebound spring could use something lighter. The primer strikes in my used brass are really strong. DA is 11#. SA 3-1/2#

2nd What kind of front sight base will I find when replacing the ramp with a Patridge. A or B Photos below.

 

[Protocall_Design]

I prefer the Wilson spring kit, because of the mainspring. Wolff makes high quality products, I use them a lot, mostly the rebound springs.

I like the original S&W mainsprings the best, but you have to do more gunsmithing to get the max performance out of them. I'm not up on all the details of the older guns, I think the ramp is pinned on the barrel with 2 pins. Someone else will know for sure how it's made. Great gun, by the way.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

Just acquired a pre 27 and want to do some work on it. Numbers all match. It is a 3-1/2" and shoots all in the black in a std bullseye target at 25 yards

1st what trigger kit do you recommend! Wilson or Wolff. The stock mainspring and rebound spring could use something lighter. The primer strikes in my used brass are really strong. DA is 11#. SA 3-1/2#

2nd What kind of front sight base will I find when replacing the ramp with a Patridge. A or B Photos below.

If it works great I would not do anything to it.

When I was a cop we carried revolvers and we always had somebody whose revolver could not fire on Qualification Day. So no trigger kit JMHO.

Again JMHO but a partridge looks out of place on a 3 1/2 inch barrel.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

Just acquired a pre 27 and want to do some work on it. Numbers all match. It is a 3-1/2" and shoots all in the black in a std bullseye target at 25 yards

Bad habits from our cop days. Remember? When we get a new revolver the first question was; what grips are you getting?

Now as a collector we want our S&W revolvers to be original.

 

[Green Frog]

Yep, it sure is a purdy sight! As for jumping in and changing stuff... if it ain't broke, don't fix it! That Baughman rib was designed for 4" and shorter barrels and it really works well there. A Patridge blade may work better on the target range, but on that short barrel it will stand up like a sail and drag on everything.
As for springs, if you have reliable function and trigger pulls in that range, you probably won't gain much without paying for it in reliability. But then again, this is JMO, it's your gun and your money.
Froggie

 

[austintexas]

trigger job

About a month ago I picked up a Pre Model 10 that had been turned in to a target gun. It had a 2 lb single action and a 6 lb double action. It had a modified main spring, different trigger return spring and all the innards polished. Really sweet gun to shoot, Accurate too.
SWCA 892

 

[Hill536]

I can recall the days when unmodified duty weapons were the norm. The pre 27 needs fun at the range time hence the trigger and sight advice. Would like to get DA to a smooth 9# and SA to 3# plus get rid of that awful ramp front.

FWIW I am a Colt guy and have time in grade building 1911s as well as fixing them, plus most D, E, & I frames. I like the SW 27 for fun shooting. I carry a 38S Cmdr length.

 

[Hill536]

Back to the question. Sight A or B to order for this pre 27? I would like to order one.

 

[ameridaddy]

I could be wrong on a gun as old as yours, but on my 70's N frames if you drift out the sight pin(s), you'll find a semicircular slot on the front sight base that matches sight type A.

I'd leave the stock Smith mainspring, try a 13lb Wolff rebound spring. That should leave your SA pull the same, but lighten the DA pull by maybe 2 lb. After you install the 13 lb, be sure to check that the trigger resets reliably and repeatedly under rapid double action pulls. If not, move up to a 14 lb, 15 lb, etc. until your trigger reset on rapid DA pulls is absolutely repeatable. I believe the stock rebound spring is 18 lb.

 

[Gunhohulk]

I'm going to probably jinx myself and have a bunch of light strikes on my next range outing but I have 5 or 6 smiths with the Wilson kit in them and have yet to have any reliability issues with them. I usually use the middle or strongest rebound spring as the lightest one definately feels slow. But no experience with a wolf kit yet.

 

[Hill536]

Here is today's effort at the range. Distance 25 yds with Norma 158 gr. The rear sight is down all the way. It measures ,243 above the ramp.

 

[ken158]

Sight A is what you want - be sure you get the correct height. Your pin(s) may be proud or flush. Be extremely careful to not scratch your sight driving out the pin(s). When you install the new sight, give it a few dry runs and be sure sight is seated forward in the slot before you drill. It takes a steady hand to pull this off… I have done a few on my guns but would not perform this on someone else's.

 

[Shotguncoach]

Unless you really have your heart set on the Patridge front sight, you might try swapping out the rear blade for a shorter one. Yes it's a finicky operation but you have a much smaller chance of permanently damaging the gun...

 

[Doug M.]

I have a gold bead Patridge on my 66 4" and like it well. Not every person's eyes work well with the same sights. As for grips, when I started shooting, virtually every serious shooter dumped the factory grips and went with Pachmyer or similar.

 

[Nightowl]

You want the A front sight. They come without the hole and you have to drill it after you seat the front sight in place. Use a #54 drill bit, buy several they are very small and break easily. I would suggest a drill press and a fixture to hold the barrel. Drill half way from one side and halfway from the other, to meet in the middle. With a drill press, you can avoid hogging out the barrel holes.
I did a 617 by hand and it really turned ok, I was actually lucky it turned out. I needed three hands to hold the gun, drill, and sight at the same time, and I broke at least two drill bits. You gotta go real easy with the pressure.
I think the Patridge sight looks neat on the 3 1/2 27s, just not holster friendly. Finding the right height is the trick. Good luck!

 

[Hill536]

I flat filed my sight base and found out I cannot use either A or B. The base is pinned to the barrel. It is one piece with the sight. See the pics attached of what I have (you can barely see the pin) and what I need.

I think i am going to have to weld up a Patridge sight. Also I ordered a Wilson spring kit and at least I will have a better trigger.

 

[Nightowl]

Well, I was curious and so I checked some of my inventory. Perhaps everybody but knows, but I found that on my 3 1/2 and 5 inch pre 27s, that the sight and base are one piece and pinned to the barrel with the two pins. The longer barrel guns have the sight pinned to the ramp with the "A" type sight you mentioned.

If I understand, you filed the sight off of the base. You could probably install an A type sight by milling the base and drilling a pin hole. Another option would be to find a replacement base with a Patridge sight. I'm interested in how this turns out!

 

[KAC]

As I recall a 1/2" diameter X 1/8" wide keyway cutter is used to cut the slot for the front sight, after milling or filing off the current front sight. Then drill with a #54 drill bit with the new sight in place and pin. A friend would superglue the sights in place before drilling, just to be sure the height was correct.
KAC

 

[H Richard]

Keep in mind that as soon as you change the front sight, springs etc, you have reduced the value of the gun about 25%. I have yet to handle a Pre 27 that the action needed any work at all other than maybe a good cleaning and lube.

 

[Green Frog]

Just to add a bit more of my experience, when I had my 327 Fed Mag built using a rebored 617 barrel… it has a Baughman rib from the factory. I have two original K frame masterpiece revolvers, both with 6" barrels and Patridge front sights, but when my NOS barrel for a Model 16/K-32 showed up, it came to me with a factory installed Baughman rib as the front sight, even though it is also a 6" barrel. Those ramp sights have their place and yours might work better than you think. It will certainly be more versatile if you decide to holster carry!
But as I've already said many times, "You've gotta do you" and if a Patridge (or even a partridge front sight make you happy, go for it!
Froggie