Smith & Wesson Model 27

American Handgunner, Nov, 2001 by Mike Cumpston

Many bellwether handgun designs achieve classic status by virtue of a significant advance in firearm technology. More often than not, such an arm takes its place in the public consciousness because of its association with important historic events. The Colt SAA, introduced at the dawn of the cartridge handgun era, won military acceptance during the active years of the Western migration. The Luger and the 1911 introduced the citizen-soldiers of World War I to the practicality of the self-loading pistol.

In contrast, the original Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum, later known as the Model 27, was a linear outgrowth of technology and trends already in place at the time of its introduction. The revolver bore a very close resemblance to the N-Frame .38/.44, an item developed to employ sharply uploaded .38 Special rounds in response to law-enforcement needs.

Aside from being the first "magnum" revolver, innovations were relatively minor. The checkered top strap remained a unique identifying feature as long as the revolver kept its traditional profile. The original .357 was the first modern center-fire to employ individually recessed chambers to enclose the case head.

An overview of the literature suggests that this revolver came into being because of the enthusiasm of Smith & Wesson scion Major Douglas Wesson and a handful of like-minded handgunners. Two significant events accompanied the introduction of the new revolver and cartridge: The company presented the first registered production revolver to FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover; and Major Wesson used an 8 3/8" pre-production revolver to take a wide variety of North American big-game animals, including a grizzly bear.

The .357 Magnum came forth as a premium-grade tool equally suited to law enforcement and sporting applications. The company anticipated that the high per-unit cost of the revolvers and the Depression economy would make them limited-production items.

From the time of introduction in 1935 until 1938, the revolvers bore individual registration numbers and included a certificate of registration. Demand for the premium handgun far outstripped expectations. With the completion of some 5,500 units, it became obvious that a limited production strategy was not practical, and individual registration stopped.

The .357 Magnum had gained a firm foothold among law-enforcement officers and outdoorsmen and had captured the imagination of the shooting public at large. By 1941, wartime caused a cessation of production. Something over 6,600 revolvers had left the factory. In the mid-1950s, the gun took on the numeric designation Model 27. Design changes followed those in the rest of the revolver line.

The Model 27 set the pattern for and retained a place in the growing array of Magnum revolvers. The 8 3/8" variation, in particular, is the archetype of the high-powered handgun.

Jim Stacey of Albuquerque, N.M., maintains a retirement home for vintage Smith & Wessons. While he was busy recruiting a suitable example for a shooting impression, I busied myself developing a load that would approximate the properties and performance of the original Magnum load.

I selected a generic 158 gr. cast bullet and proved out a load of 15.3 grs. of 2400 over a standard primer. This produced 1,409 fps with only 60 fps variation for 10 rounds in my 4" Ruger. There were no signs of excess pressures. Clocked in an 8 3/8" Smith, the load produced 1,516 fps and 806 ft/lbs of energy. This is remarkably close to the original 1935 load that used the same charge over large pistol primers. This load would comprise an important part of my testing scheme.

The selected revolver was of 1974 vintage, retaining the traditional pinned barrel and recessed chambers. It precedes the globalization of the company and retains the bright blue finish that is characteristic of Smith's premium revolvers. It lacks the finely hand-tuned action of earlier revolvers and has a 4 lb., 2 oz. single-action let-off, while the double-action pulls through at exactly 12 lbs. It has target grips, a target hammer and a narrow grooved trigger.

This revolver has one remarkable feature. There is no indication that the side plate has ever been removed or that "gun-smithing" has ever taken place. This is a rare find. It is almost as uncommon as locating a wild turkey or jackrabbit running around Texas without a load of birdshot under its hide.

Many reviewers complain that the long-barrel 27 is not particularly well-balanced. Elmer Keith sent his test sample back to the factory to have the barrel lopped to 6.5". No such deficit was apparent to this shooter, The long but lightweight barrel and the highly desirable Patridge front sight proved to be important pluses in keeping the revolver on target.

The factors that militated against any show of personal virtuosity in the accuracy department were the heavy trigger pulls, the long trigger reach compared to the K-Frames and modern Ruger revolvers, and the tendency of most of my target velocity ammunition to produce 2" to 2.5" bench groups at 25 yards. My original factory approximate load was a 2.5", as were the 900 fps loads put up with plain-based bullets in magnum cases. A five-round group of 1.6" came with the Speer 146 gr. short JHP over 15 grs. of 2400 with a magnum primer. This was a 1,266 fps load.