Smith & Wesson Model 27

American Handgunner, Nov, 2001 by Mike Cumpston

The gun also liked 17 grs. of 296 and the Sierra 158 gr. JHP, which averaged 1,385. The true standout in the accuracy department proved to be the Lyman 358439 over 12.5 grs. of 2400 with magnum primers in .38 Special cases. A bit lighter than Elmer Keith's favorite .38/.44 load, it produced an average velocity of 1,211 fps.

Two consecutive five-round groups went into 1.3" and 1.4", with eight of the 10 within .5". This bullet is the Lyman version of the basic .38/.44 bullet designed by Keith and Harold Croft between 1929 and 1931. This deeply hollowpointed version was, for decades, the prime choice for shooters wishing to exploit the full destructive potential of magnum and heavy .38 loads.

As usual, my shooting impression was weighted toward attempting to make the bullets hit close together from the standing, one-handed, target-shooter's stance. We set up a Texas police target and I commenced with a 10-round double-action string from 25 yards. I then proceeded back to 40 yards in 5-yard increments, firing five rounds of the 1,500 fps/2400 loads at each distance.

At 40 yards, all but one round was contained well within the 12" five-ring comprising a reasonably tight group. Five additional rounds went downrange from 50 yards. All hits were solidly within the torso, with three rounds out of 30 outside of the central 8" group. My 50-yard group had landed three in the five-ring, with the other two rounds heeled-up into a figure eight on the collarbone.

Recoil was unremarkable and the entire exercise was quite enjoyable. Without exception, the expended cases dropped from the chambers with only a slight touch of the ejector rod.

My initial 25-yard bullseye scores were uninspiring. The long barrelhung steady on target, but my trigger control was sufficiently bad as to cancel out the benefits of the long barrel, Patridge sights and oversize target groups. By day two of the shoot, I had gotten somewhat more into the swing of things and managed a 15-round string with only two dropped out of the black into the 8-ring.

These cast bullet loads at 900 fps produced little felt recoil in the 47 oz. magnum. Stacey and I had a great time knocking down 6" plates and flipping spinner targets at 25 yards.

The original Model 27 has given way to a new generation of N-frames. Heavy-ribbed and under-lugged barrels replace the visually pleasing slender barrels of past decades. Ergonomics have supplanted elegance in the current generation of target grips.

Overall richness of fit and finish has undergone subtle alteration with the transfer to new production technology. While the modern inheritors of the tradition often present significant utilitarian improvement, the visual and tactile impact of the Original Magnum makes us wonder what we have given up in the translation.