S&W 627 for Action Shooting

[IT-Sniper]

Hello everybody,

i have just registered in this forum. I am a competition shooter from germany and i have a problem:
Without going into details about germany gun laws - in germany it is rather difficult to own to guns of the same type and caliber. You must make it clear that the second gun is for another purpose than the gun you already own.
I already own a Colt Python for precision shooting / paper punching.
I like this gun very much and i don't want to sell it.
So here is the problem:
My local gun dealer has a S&W 627 Target Champion in .357 Magnum , 6-shooter on display. This gun is great. I like the look and feel of S&W N-Frame revolvers ans i like .357 Magnum very much.
My only chance to get one is to start with action shooting like PPC.
But also everybody is telling to stay away from the M627 as basis for a PPC revolver.
There are Speedloaders available for the M627 and i do not want to become World Champion but i do also not want to end up in last place in every local match.

Is the M627 realy such a bad choice for action shooting???

Please i realy need good advice

 

[jaymoore]

The six shot 627 has a fairly heavy cylinder. If you run the revolver hard and fast you may notice a "jarring" of the sight picture when the cylinder stops rotating. It can also be harder on the bolt and locking notches than an L frame or an eight shot N frame. But that's about the only downside. If you are not pulling the trigger at warp speed, it generally isn't an issue.

I ran a 627-0 in IDPA for a short time (long ago) before the rules changed. It did fine, but I ended up using a 686 (4" US Customs variation)most of the time. It won it's share of matches.

 

[williamlayton]

If you re-load you can soften the recoil some.
Blessings

 

[Nightowl]

I'm not sure what your PPC type shooting is, but I have N frames and shoot them in competition. I think that the weight will slow you down moving between targets in fast paced competition, but other than that it should do fine. It already has a a heavy barrel, so I would not change the barrel to a custom heavy barrel. I did that many years ago with a model 27 and it made for a very heavy gun. Is your Target Champion gun a 5 inch barrel?

 

[IT-Sniper]

No it has a 6'' Barrel
The Model is called Target Champion
here a link
627 Target Champion (Kaliber .357 Mag.) von Smith & Wesson - Revolver - Kurzwaffen - Waffen Online Shop - Frankonia.de

and i would like to change it into something like this
http://www.triebel.de/bilder/259501-1.jpg

Such a custom modification costs roughly 2600 EUR. A lot of money so i do not want to make an expensive mistake

 

[IT-Sniper]

If you re-load you can soften the recoil some.
Blessings

I already reload - yes it helps a great deal (and saves money)

 

[jaymoore]

No it has a 6'' Barrel
The Model is called Target Champion
here a link
627 Target Champion (Kaliber .357 Mag.) von Smith & Wesson - Revolver - Kurzwaffen - Waffen Online Shop - Frankonia.de

and i would like to change it into something like this
http://www.triebel.de/bilder/259501-1.jpg

Such a custom modification costs roughly 2600 EUR. A lot of money so i do not want to make an expensive mistake

So your PPC is like the US version- mostly accuracy, not so much raw speed. Targets out to 50m?

No reason why an N-frame can't be as accurate as anything else. And if it fits your hand better than a K- or L-frame then you ought to do better as well.

 

[IT-Sniper]

Here some of the time limits:
7 Meters 12 Rounds in 20 Seconds including reload
50 Meters 24 Rounds 165 Seconds including reloads
25 Meters 12 Rounds in 35 Seconds including Reload
etc.

You think it is possible to do it with an N-Frame?
I was also offered a Highway Patroleman used and far more cheap. Which one is the better gun? I want to buy qality.

 

[IT-Sniper]

The fastest i have had to shoot so far was static target timed fire 5 shots in 5 seconds with .38 Special. Not a pretty thing to do with my Phyton. In DA mode the trigger is realy heavy but it is possible. The S&W is supposed to replace the Phyton also in this kind of matches.

 

[trulyapostolic]

That's a really nice revolver in that link. Are the Target Champions made by Smith and can they be shipped here?

 

[IT-Sniper]

That's a really nice revolver in that link. Are the Target Champions made by Smith and can they be shipped here?

Yes, this realy is a very nice gun but since Frankonia is an importer of S&W guns i thought they were shiped from the US to Germany

 

[jaymoore]

Here some of the time limits:
7 Meters 12 Rounds in 20 Seconds including reload
50 Meters 24 Rounds 165 Seconds including reloads
25 Meters 12 Rounds in 35 Seconds including Reload
etc.

You think it is possible to do it with an N-Frame?
I was also offered a Highway Patroleman used and far more cheap. Which one is the better gun? I want to buy qality.

That's not considered "fast shooting" compared to some competitions, so the 627 ought to be fine.

The Highway Patrolman (Model 28) is just a bare bones (i.e. not as "pretty") Model 27. If you are going to swap barrels anyway, it ought to be less expensive. The frame and cylinder will be just fine if it's in good shape. Might save you several hundred Euros.

 

[Nightowl]

That 627 is a pretty rare gun here in the states. The rear sight looks like Millet, rather than the stock Smith sight. You can compete with it without doing all the custom work. The rib and sights would be helpful for sight adjustments at the different ranges and you might be able to add a rib to the original barrel without drilling it, saving you a bunch of money. If you want to do the whole custom thing, the 627 will do well as well as be very heavy. I have two 627's like the Target Champion that I shoot a modified PPC with that are stock except for the action tuning. We do not shoot 50 yards with it, so do not need the rib, nor is it allowed in our matches.

 

[IT-Sniper]

Thanks for all your hekpfull replies. Think i will go for the 627 if i can get a rib and speedloaders here in good old germany. Would also like to add an additional barrel weight but here you can also get Centra additional weights for 686 :-( Think i will have one custom made....this is going to be a realy expensive project.

By the way. Jerry Miculek uses 627 and 625 revolvers. So speed seems to not to be that much of an issue. That guy is awesome.

 

[IT-Sniper]

The Highway Patrolman (Model 28) is just a bare bones (i.e. not as "pretty") Model 27. If you are going to swap barrels anyway, it ought to be less expensive. The frame and cylinder will be just fine if it's in good shape. Might save you several hundred Euros.

The 627 TC comes at 1100 Euros (new) the M28 at 450 (used) but likes it wasn't used much. Finish ist flawless.
I like the looks of the unflutes drum of the 627 barrel better but thats only cosmetic. Which one is the wiser choice?

 

[Nightowl]

I'd have to go for the 627, but then again, I really like 627s.

 

[riverrat38]

The 627 TC comes at 1100 Euros (new) the M28 at 450 (used) but likes it wasn't used much. Finish ist flawless.
I like the looks of the unflutes drum of the 627 barrel better but thats only cosmetic. Which one is the wiser choice?

Its a small point, and I do not compete, but the fluted cylinder is a little lighter, and, therefor, transfers a little less motion to the gun at lock up. In technical terms, the cylinder has less moment of inertia. Also, a 7 or 8 shot revolver cylinder rotates fewer degrees until lock, so it will not turn as fast. But, when the gun is fully loaded, the total rotating mass will be greater, and the shot to shot difference from fully loaded to the last shot will be greater. I do not know if these differences are practical for guys like Jerry Miculek, but, considering how fast he shoots, I would think that he can tell the difference!

Rick

 

[IT-Sniper]

Its a small point, and I do not compete, but the fluted cylinder is a little lighter, and, therefor, transfers a little less motion to the gun at lock up. In technical terms, the cylinder has less moment of inertia. Also, a 7 or 8 shot revolver cylinder rotates fewer degrees until lock, so it will not turn as fast. But, when the gun is fully loaded, the total rotating mass will be greater, and the shot to shot difference from fully loaded to the last shot will be greater. I do not know if these differences are practical for guys like Jerry Miculek, but, considering how fast he shoots, I would think that he can tell the difference!

Rick

I understand that point. Speaking of quality there are no differences? It is often stated that older revolvers are better than the new ones.

 

[IT-Sniper]

Or simply speaking are the M627 and the M28 equally strong or does one have an edge over the other?

 

[riverrat38]

I understand that point. Speaking of quality there are no differences? It is often stated that older revolvers are better than the new ones.

This is not a universally held truth.
I just bought Jerry Miculek's video "Trigger Job", and it was clear that he prefers the newer S&W revolvers. The video was made in 1998, which was before the internal lock, but it does include MIM and CNC machining. He used close up shots of the cylinder, showing what he considered the superiority of the extractors made with modern CNC equipment. He also preferred flash Chromed triggers and hammers over case hardened ones, and thus stainless steel guns. This is because the flash Chromed parts have less friction when polished. He said that some shooters send case hardened actions out to be flash Chromed when they are working on blue guns.

Rick