S&W 27-2 Blued. How are the 27s?

NIGHTLORD40K said:

As nice as the DWs are, the 27 is a step up. I woulddnt hesitate to make the trade.

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Me too, in a heart beat.

Huntolive said:

One big question
Are the model 27 s and model 27 - 2 Accurate?

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Yes, the Model 27-2 will be accurate. It may be a bit particular about the load but it will be accurate.

The Model 27-2 revolvers were made during some of the golden years of Smith and Wesson production.

Accuracy depends. I think my 6" DW 15-2 is more accurate than either my 27 or 28 but those extra two inches might really be the difference. I only had the 6" & 2½" DW barrels. The DA trigger pull on the Smiths was just a hair nicer than on the DW. I gotta admit I did sell the 27 but kept the DW and Highway Patrolman.

Huntolive

I always thought (and still do), that the Model 27 with a 5" barrel was the epitome of S&W .357 revolvers. Nothing against the 4" or 6" barrel versions, just that the 5" barrel was "just right".

If this Model 27 is as nice as you say it is I would be trying to find ways to make it happen.

Mine is a 27-2. It's a fine sixgun, or used to be at least. I picked it up for a song because of the light freckling.

Whether or not a firearm becomes a "safe queen" is purely a personal choice. I don't believe anything is "too nice" to use. I believe a lot of them are too expensive NOT to use. I have guns that cost a hell of a lot more than an nice 27-2 that go in and out of a holster just fine. There are things I do to ensure they stay as nice as possible but I don't "worry" about them. If you don't want it to be a safe queen, don't make it one. Your gun, your rules. Life is short, live a little.

Howdy Again

I am not sure exactly which type of nickel plating S&W was doing at the time period we are talking about. Generally speaking, copper is first plated onto the steel, then nickel is plated on top of the copper. You want to be careful cleaning a nickel plated finish, if there is any ammonia in the cleaning solution it can attack the underlying copper and cause the nickel to flake off. You will notice fouling more on a nickel plated gun than you will on a blued gun, the fouling simply stands out more against the silvery finish. You will notice the carbon rings on the front of the cylinder more with a nickel finish than you will with a blued finish. There is all kinds of advice for how to remove the carbon rings, but I never go to any extra effort to remove them on the few nickel plated (or stainless) revolvers that I own. The rings will always return and it is not worth my time and trouble to try to remove them. I always say if you are concerned about the carbon rings on the front of the cylinder, you don't have enough guns. Do not use steel wool on a nickel finish.

According to the Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson, 3rd Edition, a nickel plated S&W Model 27 will command a 25% premium for original nickel finish.


I can tell you that nickle plating of firearms has been done for a long, long time. In the 19th Century S&W applied nickel plating to their pocket pistols more often than blue, because the blue finishes of the day were not as robust as blued finishes are today. Not a Smith, here is a nickel plated Remington Model 1875 that was made sometime in the 1870s. Other than the cylinder, the plating is still in pretty good shape.

bannockburn said:

I always thought (and still do), that the Model 27 with a 5" barrel was the epitome of S&W .357 revolvers. Nothing against the 4" or 6" barrel versions, just that the 5" barrel was "just right".

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I agree. The perfect "Goldilocks" compromise length barrel.

bannockburn said:

Huntolive

I always thought (and still do), that the Model 27 with a 5" barrel was the epitome of S&W .357 revolvers. Nothing against the 4" or 6" barrel versions, just that the 5" barrel was "just right".

If this Model 27 is as nice as you say it is I would be trying to find ways to make it happen.

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Actually, the five-inch version has a serious flaw--I haven't got one.

I have a 3.5 and a 627-0 with a 5.5. I'd dearly love to have a five-inch. It was a favorite of Skeetor Skelton.

This thread motivated me to take my 27-2 4 inch to the range this evening. It is by far my highest round count revolver. I've been shooting it for 40 years and it is still tight and trouble free.

Huntolive said:

Is the nickel plating on the inside of the barrel too?
Is there any reason it would affect accuracy or is it basically more of a personal preference issue that also adds to the value?

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The reason nickel plating adds value to a Model 27 is because it is a relatively scarce version. Nothing more, nothing less.

I have always wondered myself if plating goes down inside the bore and the chambers. Hard to see down in there. It makes the most sense to me that it does. The plating would be done when the barrel had been attached to the frame. The cylinder would be plated separately as a single part. It makes the most sense to me that the plating will go down into the 'holes'. There would be little sense to masking them off. This would just provide an 'edge' for the plating to start peeling at.

Does it affect accuracy? I doubt it. The plating is not thick enough to make the bore any tighter.

You really need to get off the pot and go ahead and buy a Model 27. They are terrific revolvers, you will not be disappointed.

From your description things look a little like this:



As can be seen the blue felt cracked but the Model 27? Likely one of the best and finest revolvers I own. One of those guns which is just plain enjoyable to shoot. Should you opt for getting one? That's entirely up to you. I can say if another came along for a good price I would be all over it. I have likely had the pictured one for close to 30 years and can't believe what I see them selling for.

Ron

I have a 3.5", 5", 6" and 8 3/8". The long tube is a Pre 27. The 3.5" seems to bring the most money, but for offhand shooting, I prefer the 5". I have a no drill scope mount on my 8 3/8" with a Bushnell Red Dot and it is a hoot to shoot at 100 yards. At 25 yards off a bench, it will shoot wadcutters in one ragged hole all day long. To me the N frames are too large and heavy for carry, but I don't think you will live long enough to wear one out. If you are on a budget, you can get a nice Model 28 several hundred dollars cheaper and it is the same gun, just doesn't have the deep blue and the checkered top strap. Everyone should have at least one N Frame.

I considered myself a strictly Ruger revolver guy for most of my life. However I love to read Skeeter Skelton and was always secretly wanting a 5" model 27. As luck would have it I stumbled onto an almost NIB 5" with the box and all the paperwork. I am a shooter, so off to the desert I went with the 27 and quickly realized why Skeeter loved this gun. It is extremely accurate, has very little recoil, and is quite simply beautiful to behold. I still shoot my Rugers quite a bit, but when it is time to relax, break out the good whiskey and cigars for the end of the day when shooting is done, the 27 always get picked first. Recently, I was able to pick up a second 5" in almost equally good condition from a local retired police officer. it has some wear, but is still very clean. I do feel lucky to be able to field a brace of 5" 27's. Both are P and R guns made in the late 60's and early 70's. This picture does not even come close to doing them justice but here you go because threads like this are worthless without pictures.



So yes I would jump all over a good clean 27. They are truly special sixguns.

Howdy Again

The Model 28 started out in 1954 as the Highway Patrolman. Considered a 'utility version' of The 357 Magnum. It sold for less than The 357 Magnum as an inducement to law enforcement departments to buy it, hence the name. Rather than the high luster polished blue that was standard on all S&W revolvers, including The 357 Magnum, the Highway Patrolman had a satin blue finish. This required less polishing by hand than the standard high luster finish. I have a dealers' circular sent out in 1958 by S&W. It lists The 357 Magnum in bright blue or nickel finish for $120. It lists the Highway Patrolman in blue only for $85. Even though this flyer is dated 1958, the old model names are used rather than the new Model Numbers.

The Model 28 is identical to the Model 27. The only difference is in the finish and the lack of checkering on the top strap and barrel rib, just cosmetics. The internals are identical.

Model 27 from 1959. This one has a Patridge type front sight.






Model 28-2 from 1964. The Baughman 'quick draw' front sight was standard, so it did not snag when being drawn from a holster. You can see the finish on this Model 28 is not so highly polished as the Model 27. In truth, the amount of polish on this model varied over the years, some were more highly polished than others and resembled the standard high polish of other S&W revolvers. This one is pretty typical of the satin polish of the model. Yes, there is a small chip at the front bottom of the right side grip.






Here is the only other difference between the two. The Model 28 at the top of the photo has a bead blasted type of finish on the top strap and barrel rib, and there are no grooves on the rear sight strap. The Model 27 has the fancy checkering on the top strap, barrel rib, and rear sight strap.





You keep asking about accuracy, and frankly I am not expert enough to be able to advise you on that. I do not have a Ransom rest so I could test accuracy by removing the human factor. I have never taken my Model 27 and one of my Model 28s to the range for a comparison accuracy test, perhaps that would be fun to do one of these days. But as I said, the internals of both revolvers are identical, and I suspect other than the type of front sight the barrels are pretty identical too. They are both fine revolvers, and I suspect either one would give anyone a run for his money as far as accuracy is concerned.

People will mostly repeat what they've heard with regards to nickel plating. I like it. I like the high polish and I like that the color is much warmer than hard chrome. I have a pair of model 15's, a 2" and a 4" and while they are not high use guns, their finish is doing quite well.

Huntolive said:

Thanks guys
Question:
Are the cheaper model 28 just as accurate as a model 27?

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Yes. And visually the differences are only apparent when you have a 27 & 28 side by side. I kept the Highway Patrolman and sold the fancy one. I've had it for many decades now and it is still a joy to shoot.

Huntolive said:

Thanks guys
Question:
Are the cheaper model 28 just as accurate as a model 27?
is there a year or model edition after which model 28 like the model 27 are not as well built?
Sadly, the guy I was going to trade with was just a big time-waster and even though I was very flexible on trades and offered $200 cash on top of my Dan Wesson 715 he reneged on the trade. I even offered him a nicer Dan Wesson 715 that I didn't really want to trade plus a hundred bucks but this guy was too picky. he said he'd sell his for a thousand cash so maybe he was jerking me around to get money. Which is weird bc he responded to My listing where I was selling my gun and he's the one who initiated trade offer
None the less you guys got me so excited I actually did buy one online that is nickel plated comes w really nice Smith & Wesson case that includes some knives with stag handles, metal collectable pins and the gun has legit stag grips.
I'll put pics when I get it.
But I still am looking for a blued one now

God and I an addict?

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There is no real answer to which Model is more accurate. The true answer is probably either is more accurate than the majority of us. While some guns are more accurate than others, a handloader can wring the accuracy out of most any gun by finding the right load that each gun "likes" with exceptions of course. I have a bunch of guns that are more accurate with one load over another. Some are more accurate with wadcutters and others with jacketed bullets. Its trial and error. You get a model 27 or 28 and I'm willing to bet that either will be plenty accurate for your needs.

When I decided to get a 357 N frame I haunted Gunbroker for a month or so.

I got a 6" Model 28 for a bid of something like $440. Its finish is a bit worn and it has incorrect grips, but it functions perfectly. The trigger is divine.

I am not a good enough shooter to comment on its accuracy. I know it's WAY more accurate than I am.

I sold an almost perfect Model 28-2 6" blue last year for $650. I would want at least $800 for a 27-2. That said, I would think the accuracy would be identical. It was just cosmetic differences as have been discussed above. ANIB 28-2 4" (considered more appealing) with the box are touching $1100 now.