Smith Wesson Model 27 Classic 357 Magnum – Superb Blued Revolver

Description

The Smith Wesson Model 27 Classic 357 Magnum is the revolver that introduced 357 Magnum to the world in 1935, revived in the Classics line with a four inch blued barrel and checkered walnut grips. The Model 27 was the most finely finished production revolver Smith and Wesson had ever built when it launched, and it has never lost that reputation.

Smith Wesson Model 27 Classic 357 Magnum The Original 357

When Smith and Wesson developed 357 Magnum, they built a gun worthy of it. The Registered Magnum, which became the Model 27, was hand-finished to a standard no production revolver had reached before, with each one individually registered to its owner. Everything since has been measured against it.

The N-frame is the largest of the traditional Smith and Wesson double action frames, and it is the reason the Smith Wesson Model 27 Classic 357 Magnum handles magnum ammunition so comfortably. Weight absorbs recoil, and full-power 357 from a four inch N-frame is a firm push rather than the sharp snap it produces from a lighter gun.

It also chambers 38 Special, which is the practical answer to shooting a magnum a great deal. Cheap, mild 38 Special for practice and full-power 357 when it matters, from the same revolver, with no adjustment required.

Finish, Grips and Barrel Length

The barrel and frame are blued carbon steel. Bluing is a traditional finish rather than a modern coating: it looks right on a revolver of this design, it develops character with use, and it requires more care against corrosion than stainless does. On a Classics revolver that trade is the entire point.

Grips are checkered walnut. Grip shape matters more on a revolver than on almost any other handgun, because the way the gun rolls under recoil is determined almost entirely by how the grip meets your palm, and hand-checkered wood on an N-frame is both functional and handsome.

Four inches is the most practical barrel length the Model 27 has ever been offered in. It is long enough for 357 Magnum to reach useful velocity and for a genuinely usable sight radius, short enough to holster comfortably, and it balances the large frame better than a longer tube does.

Six rounds, a smooth double action pull and the option of single action for a deliberate shot make this as capable on a range as it is desirable on a shelf.

Shooting the Smith Wesson Model 27 Classic 357 Magnum

With 38 Special this is one of the most pleasant revolvers made. N-frame weight, a four inch barrel and a well-shaped wooden grip mean recoil is negligible and the sights barely move. It is an excellent gun for teaching double action fundamentals and for shooting a great deal without spending a great deal.

With full-power 357 Magnum it changes character, but far less than a lighter revolver would. The frame weight soaks up a great deal of the impulse, and most shooters find magnum loads entirely manageable here in a way they are not from a J-frame or a scandium gun. That was the whole point of building the cartridge on this frame in the first place.

Running it double action is the skill worth building. A smooth double action stroke on a quality N-frame is one of the more satisfying things in shooting, and the single action option is there for a deliberate long shot rather than as the default.

Maintenance Notes

Bluing needs attention that stainless does not. Wipe the revolver down with an oiled cloth after handling, particularly after shooting or if your hands sweat, and store it somewhere dry. Neglected bluing pits, and pitting on a gun like this is both permanent and avoidable.

Magnum ammunition fouls a revolver considerably more than 38 Special does. The ring of carbon that builds at the front of the chambers is what eventually prevents longer 357 cases from seating, so if you practise with 38 Special, scrub the chambers properly rather than assuming a quick pass is enough.

Keep the cylinder face and forcing cone clean, and check that the ejector rod stays tight, as it can back out under recoil and lock the cylinder closed at exactly the wrong moment. Walnut grips benefit from a light coat of an appropriate finish every year or two.

Smith Wesson Model 27 Classic 357 Magnum Specifications

• Manufacturer part number: 150339
• UPC: 022188134360
• Caliber: 357 Magnum, also fires 38 Special
• Capacity: 6 rounds
• Barrel: 4 inches
• Finish: blued carbon steel
• Grips: checkered walnut
• Frame: N-frame
• Action: double action and single action

Why Buyers Choose the Smith Wesson Model 27 Classic 357 Magnum

A blued steel N-frame with walnut grips is bought as much for what it is as for what it does. That is a perfectly good reason, and this one is also a genuinely accurate revolver that will reward range time.

The N-frame handles a steady diet of full-power 357 Magnum far better than a smaller frame does. If you intend to shoot magnum ammunition regularly rather than occasionally, this is the size of gun to do it with.

Bluing is not stainless. It resists corrosion far less well, and a blued revolver will show neglect. A wipe with an oiled cloth after handling is not optional maintenance on a gun like this.

Who Should Buy It

The Smith Wesson Model 27 Classic 357 Magnum suits revolver enthusiasts, collectors and magnum shooters: anyone who wants the original 357 without hunting for a good used example, shooters who intend to fire magnum ammunition regularly, and buyers who appreciate a blued steel revolver with wood grips.

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