S&w 627 pro

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motorcycle-charlie

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i am looking to get a new gun in a few weeks with my tax return . i had it narrowed down to a Kimber Custom II and a S&W 686. that was untill i held a 627 pro. that felt great. nice trigger, good sights, and 8 round .357 capacity. i perfer revolvers to autos these days so i am looking for some feedback from 627 pro owners. how do you like them?, how does the bead blast finish hold up? is it worth the $780.00?...ect... maybee some pictures if you have them.thanks in advance
 
You rang? I do believe the 627 Pro is still a great value in a new S&W .38/.357M. It is an N-frame, so expect a bit more trigger reach (~3/16") than an L-frame, like the 686 series. It's a bit lighter out at the muzzle, making it point like the old K-frame 65/66 family, even if decidedly heftier. That heft gives you a few strength enhancements, too, as well as the eight rounds.

The 627 Pro has some extras worthy of mention. The cylinder is dished for moonclips, which, like the Ranch Products blued steel ones, are reasonable in cost (They were 50/$50 or 100/$75 delivered from Ranch Products.). Not all .38/.357M cases fit the moonclips well. 5 Star Firearms also makes a nice machined aluminum speedloader for ~$25 that works great, too, with all .38/.357M cases I've tried. The spring-loaded front sight can be changed without tools, enabling it's original ramp to be easily changed to a HiViz. The included rubber Hogue monogrips are okay - but I prefer wood. Mine sports the Ahrends retro combats in cocobolo or a Jerry Miculek style like my 625JM, shown below with my 627 Pro.

IMG_3511.jpg

Value is subjective. Is the 627 Pro a good value at $780? I haven't checked lately, but at $30-$50 over a 4" 686+ cost new, yeah, it's a value... actually, it's a bargain! Compared to what my new 3" 63 cost me, yeah, that's a great deal at that price. Just don't ask me about 'real' .357 Magnum recoil... I'm a '.38 in a .357M case' shooter. I have never bought - or made - a real .357M. As a plinker, it is fantastic - and accurate to a fault. The trigger came in a decent state - and did improve. It is as accurate as both my 5" 686+, a half lug special from '04, and my '03-made 6" 66-6, despite their longer sight radii. I guess the 'custom barrel and crown' are effective. Below is the 5" h-l 686+ and 627 Pro for size comparison. The 5" h-l 686+ came as shown - with HiViz and Ahrends grips - from S&W.

IMG_3369.jpg

Good luck!

Stainz
 
thanks for the input Stainz. around here i can get a new 686+ for around $700, maybee even $680. the 627 will run about $80-$100 more. it does have some nice features and points well in my hand. i will use it for target shooting and friendly combat shoots at my club. with 8 rounds, probablly swap it out for my HD weapon too. ever since i shot my dads model 19, i have been wanting a nice target gun. i have been lookind for a nice K frame around here but have not had much luck. i check Gunbroker and Guns America often but have reservations on buying something like that without being able to handle it. especially at the ever inflating prices, so i am looking at the buy new route. if i find a great K frame locally at a reasonable price, i will grab it up. i'm not that good at waiting though, especially with money in hand.
 
My favorite handgun of all time is the S&W 27-2. I don't know if you can take a look at one, but they are really nice!
 
osage48 said:
My favorite handgun of all time is the S&W 27-2. I don't know if you can take a look at one, but they are really nice!
Click to expand...
the 27-2 is another option but they seem to be commanding really high price tags. i want a 4 inch gun. the 27s seem to start around $700 with some wear and go over $1200 in great shape. a little high for me but will keep my eyes peeled for a deal on one locally. thanks osage48.
 
It funny that this thread was just started because I just won an auction for a 627 Pro on GB. I paid 739.00, but after shipping and FFL transfer I will still be paying 790. I was looking for the non pro, non pc model, but those have pretty much disappeared from the marketplace. So I have been watching several 627 pro auctions and won this one. I have yet to recieve the gun, but I have handled one often at a LGS and like the feel. I am not a fan of the slab sided barrel and I have a used 627 round barrel that I will be inquiring about swaping out with the local gunsmith.

I too like the idea of 8 shots of .357 magnum. I am a bit dismayed that revolvers in general seem to have become the sole domain of target shooters and hunters and the tactical community seems to have abandoned the "wheel gun" as a viable option. As an LEO I can carry a revolver if I want so if I practice enough that I can shoot this gun, and reload it as fast as my G35 then I may go "old school" and carry it for work.

I have a great love for S&W N-frames of any caliber I just wish their were more carry options from the big holster companies. For my 610 I had to have a custom holster made from a guy in Texas that should work for the 627, dont know if the moonclip holder circumfrence is the same from the 610 to the 627, but I will soon find out.

As to the OP I think you have a good deal on your hands if you factor in the cost of some of the options the pro series includes. I hope your decision is and easy one.

Tom
 
ahpd1992, let me know how you like it ehen it arrives. it really seems like a nice piece and i keep comming back to it after looking at different options. i didnt like the look of the slabside either at first, perferring the 686 full lug instead, but it is growing on me. for about $80 more than the 686+, i think the extras on the 627 pro are well worth it. especially the 8 rounds.
 
I am going through the FFL and money order process now, it probably wont even ship until next week so I wont have it until after valentines day. I will report when I get it. I too am looking forward to shooting this gun. Ive been looking at these guns for awhile and I will see if the slab sided barrel grows on me. As a side note I did speak with a S&W rep at the SHOT show and asked about the barrel and he said is was designed that way to save weight. Its purely a looks thing with me. Il let you know when it arrives

Tom
 
There is a 4" blue 27-2 for $800 buy-it-now on Gunbroker. the starting price is $750.

There is also a really nice 3 1/2" bbl blue at $555 now.

Hope you find what you want!
 
i own a 627 pro and it's my favorite revolver 8 rounds all the extras stainz mentioned and a 4" barrel is the perfect length in my opinion.
 
Don't know if it is of any consequence but I was reading the Handloader magazine a few issues back that covered the 627 Pro I believe with a five inch barrel and the velocities achieved were less than that in a Ruger GP100 with a four inch barrel when using .357 magnum. I'm a magnum dweeb so that means something to me where I want all the power wrung from a round that can be wrung from a round. I can see the value of a .38 special eight shot pistol if one is really into revolvers and such as I am. Also having the option of tossing in .357 magnum when one needs it for whatever reason. Granted I also believe it's just not a magnum unless it achieves 1400 fps, part of the reason Buffalo Bore is a favorite shopping site of mine for my Ruger Sp 101 3" and GP 100 6".
 
Of course, the problem with testing a 5" 627 Pro is simple - it doesn't exist in anything but a 4" barrel. Sure, there are >4" and <4" 627's - but they are PC Shop productions. Even comparing same model revolvers with same batch ammo will likely yield a wide variance. Such perturbations can be a result of different bore ID's, leading, forcing cone condition, b/c gap, and cylinder exit bore ID, not to mention statistical variances in even same batch commercial ammo.

I love articles that imply a given make/model will take ammo above the standard SAAMI spec's. The inference taken that it thus will handle more standard commercial ammo is all wet. Believe me, if you buy commercial .357 Magnum ammo - which doesn't exceed the commercial SAAMI spec - any S&W sold as a .357 Magnum will yield a long life. BTW, a 6-shot S&W 4" 686, SKU # 164222, weighs 39.7 oz - the similar Ruger KGP-141 weighs 40 oz. The S&W is hammer forged and heat treated - the Ruger is cast steel. The 627 Pro, SKU #178014, weighs 41.2 oz. Believe me, an N-frame .357 Magnum is plenty stout. If you want more, talk Ruger into making more Redhawks in .357 Magnum - those are rare.

Sorry - I like the 627 Pro. I once liked Rugers... then I discovered S&W's.

Stainz
 
Thanks for clearing that up Stainz, guess I'm a bit of slave to the magazines sometimes. Honestly thought it was a 5" they were talking about but that was like three or four issues ago and I don't own any of them to check to be sure.

Again it's what floats your boat I guess. If I could get a S&W 627 with a 4" barrel that pushed a good 158 grain JHP at 1400+ fps reliably and safely for the long life of the gun I'd sure get it, maybe some folks out there know from experience. I think if you go by ballisticsbytheinch.com there are a some 130 grain and lighter loads that break 1400fps and I guess at day's end how much more do you really need than that for two-legged predators, and if four legged bother you there at 158 grain Hard Cast rounds that'll still break 1300 fps and I would wager that ought normally be plenty with good placement.

Oh Stainz, mayhaps I've got this wrong but at http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/357mag.html, they've got test data on a S&W 627-3 without a break, don't know if that means anything, it's not a PRO I presume so that probably makes a difference.
 
Do you have other S&W 6 or 7 shot 357's?

I own 6, 7 & 8 round models and one thing you should be aware of if you're trigger sensitive is that all 3 have different trigger pulls due to the shorter distance required to rotate the cylinder. It's especially noticeable when you go from a 6 shot L frame to a 7 shot L frame, but still noticeable on the 8 shot N frame's despite the larger diameter cylinder. Not necessarily a deal breaker and I'm not trying to talk you out of it by any means, just passing info.

I have the snub nose PC 327 with the Lothar Walther barrel and cary it almost daily, soon the be alternated with a 325 NG. A 627 Pro is on my short list for a range gun with the same trigger as the 327, occasional IDPA pistol and also because my 60 Pro needs a friend ;)
 
Stainz said:
You rang? I do believe the 627 Pro is still a great value in a new S&W .38/.357M. It is an N-frame, so expect a bit more trigger reach (~3/16") than an L-frame, like the 686 series. It's a bit lighter out at the muzzle, making it point like the old K-frame 65/66 family, even if decidedly heftier. That heft gives you a few strength enhancements, too, as well as the eight rounds.

The 627 Pro has some extras worthy of mention. The cylinder is dished for moonclips, which, like the Ranch Products blued steel ones, are reasonable in cost (They were 50/$50 or 100/$75 delivered from Ranch Products.). Not all .38/.357M cases fit the moonclips well. 5 Star Firearms also makes a nice machined aluminum speedloader for ~$25 that works great, too, with all .38/.357M cases I've tried. The spring-loaded front sight can be changed without tools, enabling it's original ramp to be easily changed to a HiViz. The included rubber Hogue monogrips are okay - but I prefer wood. Mine sports the Ahrends retro combats in cocobolo or a Jerry Miculek style like my 625JM, shown below with my 627 Pro.

IMG_3511.jpg

Value is subjective. Is the 627 Pro a good value at $780? I haven't checked lately, but at $30-$50 over a 4" 686+ cost new, yeah, it's a value... actually, it's a bargain! Compared to what my new 3" 63 cost me, yeah, that's a great deal at that price. Just don't ask me about 'real' .357 Magnum recoil... I'm a '.38 in a .357M case' shooter. I have never bought - or made - a real .357M. As a plinker, it is fantastic - and accurate to a fault. The trigger came in a decent state - and did improve. It is as accurate as both my 5" 686+, a half lug special from '04, and my '03-made 6" 66-6, despite their longer sight radii. I guess the 'custom barrel and crown' are effective. Below is the 5" h-l 686+ and 627 Pro for size comparison. The 5" h-l 686+ came as shown - with HiViz and Ahrends grips - from S&W.

IMG_3369.jpg

Good luck!

Stainz
Click to expand...
Great review and guns...I just bought a S&W 627 Perf Center...a little bit more dough...looking forward to shooting it....my addiction to these moon clip wheel guns began with a recent purchase of a S&W 625 5"
 
i found what i really wanted. i got a model 28-2 Highway patrolman. i wanted a 4 inch L or N frame but couldnt find a used one around here, that is why i was looking new. a little more scouring and patience and i landed a 28-2 with origional target stocks for a fraction of the cost of new. i am a happy camper. i would still like to get a 627 some day but am very content for now with my 40 year old piece of American Craftsmanship.
 
Ah, the classic 28. I read an article years ago where the author suggested that N Frames have such huge cylinders that a sort of momentum is achieved when the cylinder turns. I dont recall the author but he felt that this "momentum" actually assisted in firing double action. motorcycle-charlie, hows the forcing cone on that huge revolver ? I remember the forcing cones on those as huge and heavy duty. As a side note, the Illinois State Police issued the 6" Model 28 prior to the 9mm Model 39 back in the mid 1960s. Enjoy that classic wheelgun.
 
Last edited:
joe security, the forcing cone is nice and beefy and heavy duty as is the rest of the gun. it just seems to be such a well made piece, i am thrilled to have it.
 
Joe_security:
That momentum also lead to peening of the cylinder notches, as the heavy weight of the cylinder transmitted all its momentum to one small spot. so really fast double action shooting or dryfire is not a great idea with the early N frames. The latest 8 shot guns have less steel and therefore less momentum.

I one passed on a .38 Special N frame Model 23 as it had peening of the cylinder notches. A pity, I later found there were only 50 to 100 made with Model 23 markings. It would have been a collectors piece regardless of condition.
 
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