Year of introduction for 7-Shot and 8-Shot .357 please?

[dwever]

1. What were the year(s) of introduction for 7-Shot and 8-Shot .38/.357 Magnum's please?

2. What were the early weapons that the extra chambers first showed up on?

3. Were certain 7-Shot / 8-Shot weapons originally cut for moon clips? Or did that come later?

4. Were there early issues with the extra chambers such as timing?


Thanks for your help here in answering one or more of these questions!

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

The earliest 7-shot I'e seen was a 2.5-inch M686-4. It had a ship date of Dec. 5, 1995, and was NOT cut for moon clips. Can't say how it worked, since I was just looking at it. I suspect it was fine.

 

[jtcarm]

I remember first seeing the 8-round N-frame at the 1996 NRA convention.

 

[colt_saa]

The original 8 shot, 357 Magnum, Smith and Wesson model 627 was produced by the Performance Center under product code 170089. It was limited to 300 revolvers and never to be run again.This firearm was a Distributor exclusive from Lew Horton and debuted at the 1997 SHOT Show.

I first heard the rumors in 1996 and arranged for my first in a long line of 8 shot 357 Magnum wheelguns.

The revolver in the upper left corner of this photo is the 27th produced and I received it in June of 1997.

The firearm was the fastest selling Distributor Exclusive Lew Horton ever offered so 300 more were produced.

The revolver in the upper right of that photo is the 357th produced and it was received in September of 1997.

Smith and Wesson has continued to produce many variations on the design

I believe that ALL of the 8 shot, 357 Magnum, Smith and Wesson, model 27/327/627, N-frame revolvers produced by the Performance Center over the last two decades have shipped ready to use moon clips.

While any individual mechanical item can experience a failure, there was/is no epidemic of timing problems.

 

[dwever]

Awesome. Thanks!

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

The earliest 8-shot I've seen was a 6-inch M627-1. It had a ship date of December 24, 1997. Product code was 170095, Performance Center gun. It had combat stocks, unfluted cylinder, scope mount on slab-side type barrel, and was Mag-Na-Ported.

 

[BUFF]

The first 7 shot factory .357 I saw, I bought. 6 inch M-686, I didn't note the dash number. Notes show I bought it 11-8-1995. S/N CAF172x. I sold it in 2008. A fellow at the factory told me it was part of the first shipment made. It wasn't cut for moon clips.