Standing Wolf
September 9, 2003, 09:28 PM
Since it seems the High Road is back up to speed, I'll post some pictures of my recently refurbished Smith & Wesson model 27-2.
It's been through about as many metamorphoses as the average politician. I bought it new in 1978 or 1979 for $350. I'd actually wanted a model 29 .44 magnum, but they were scarce as $12 bills in the boonies of northern Michigan in those days.
The gun shot about five inches to the left even with the rear sight screwed all the way to the right. I sent the gun back to Smith & Wesson. The replacement barrel shot straight, but low. I slicked up the action, worked up target loads, and figured it was a tolerably good plinker, but not a match pistol. In due time, I abandoned target shooting in favor of computing and painting, and let the gun languish in a succession of closets for about twenty years.
The factory replacement 8.375" barrel at the top was never truly accurate, so I had the good folks at Clark Custom Guns (http://www.clarkcustomguns.com) replace it with a 6" bull barrel. (The unreflective blotch about half an inch in front of the ejector rod enclosure, by the way, is a patch of rust left by a careless thumb print.) The Clark barrel proved wonderfully accurate, but far too heavy for what's left of my right wrist.
I sent the gun to Cylinder & Slide (http://www.cylinder-slide.com) for a 5" model 27 barrel; all it could locate, however, was the model 28 barrel shown in the middle. It wasn't a bad shooter, and I liked the gun's new balance, but the Highway Patrolman barrel looked peculiar on the model 27. In due time, I turned over the revolver and Clark barrel to my friendly local gunsmith, who shortened the barrel an inch, milled off a considerable quantity of steel, and had it polished and reblued.
Twenty-odd years after leaving the factory, my model 27 finally lives up to its accuracy promise.
It's been through about as many metamorphoses as the average politician. I bought it new in 1978 or 1979 for $350. I'd actually wanted a model 29 .44 magnum, but they were scarce as $12 bills in the boonies of northern Michigan in those days.
The gun shot about five inches to the left even with the rear sight screwed all the way to the right. I sent the gun back to Smith & Wesson. The replacement barrel shot straight, but low. I slicked up the action, worked up target loads, and figured it was a tolerably good plinker, but not a match pistol. In due time, I abandoned target shooting in favor of computing and painting, and let the gun languish in a succession of closets for about twenty years.
The factory replacement 8.375" barrel at the top was never truly accurate, so I had the good folks at Clark Custom Guns (http://www.clarkcustomguns.com) replace it with a 6" bull barrel. (The unreflective blotch about half an inch in front of the ejector rod enclosure, by the way, is a patch of rust left by a careless thumb print.) The Clark barrel proved wonderfully accurate, but far too heavy for what's left of my right wrist.
I sent the gun to Cylinder & Slide (http://www.cylinder-slide.com) for a 5" model 27 barrel; all it could locate, however, was the model 28 barrel shown in the middle. It wasn't a bad shooter, and I liked the gun's new balance, but the Highway Patrolman barrel looked peculiar on the model 27. In due time, I turned over the revolver and Clark barrel to my friendly local gunsmith, who shortened the barrel an inch, milled off a considerable quantity of steel, and had it polished and reblued.
Twenty-odd years after leaving the factory, my model 27 finally lives up to its accuracy promise.