Old_Grouch
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Lock or no lock I'd have likely sprained my arm trying to get my wallet out of my pocket before someone could beat me to it.
Smith &Wesson 27-9
- Thread starter Elkins45
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aaaaa
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I just want to say thanks for the awesome history lesson on S&W revolvers. That post ought to be sticky noted to the top of the revolver forum. You had to have spent a lot of time putting that together.
halfmoonclip
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Driftwood, a buddy has a First Model Hand Ejector, and the cylinder stop, incorporated in the rear sight, was just something altogether different.
aaaaa, yes, get an education here; sometimes the factory literature tells less than the full story.
The caveats with .357s are centered on firing quite a lot of them; in the J frames especially, your hand will tolerate only a limited number. There's no rule against shooting .38s in them.
The L frame was a response to problems with K frame magnums. Wonder how common the issue truly was.
Moon
aaaaa, yes, get an education here; sometimes the factory literature tells less than the full story.
The caveats with .357s are centered on firing quite a lot of them; in the J frames especially, your hand will tolerate only a limited number. There's no rule against shooting .38s in them.
The L frame was a response to problems with K frame magnums. Wonder how common the issue truly was.
Moon
CajunBass
Member
For $700, I'd have been on it like a hobo on a ham sandwich. I have a "thing" for 4" barrel revolvers you see.
I'd like to think I'd have tried to get it down to $650 or so, but I'm not sure I would have even bothered.
I'd like to think I'd have tried to get it down to $650 or so, but I'm not sure I would have even bothered.
edwardware
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Where can I buy my copy of the @Driftwood Johnson Encyclopedia of the Revolver?
Driftwood Johnson
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Howdy Again
That is correct.
The 32 Hand Ejector 1st Model (Model of 1896) was the first revolver S&W made with a side swinging cylinder. Colt had introduced a double action revolver with a cylinder that swung out to the side in 1889. I suspect S&W felt a little bit rushed, because Colt had beat them to the market with that. So the S&W Model of 1896 was a throw back to the old Tip Up revolvers Smith had been building as early as the 1850s. The cylinder stop (the part that locks into the slots on the cylinder) was above the cylinder, not below the cylinder as with all subsequent revolvers. The firing pin had a rounded wedge on top. The cylinder stop was held in the down position, engaging the cylinder, by a split spring positioned under the cylinder stop. When the hammer was cocked, the rounded portion of the wedge forced the cylinder stop up against its spring, disengaging the cylinder stop from the cylinder. This allowed the cylinder to rotate as the hammer was being cocked, or the trigger pulled in double action firing.
On the left in this photo is a 32 Hand Ejector, 1st Model. On the right is an old Tip Up. I forget right now just which Tip Up that is, probably a Number 1 1/2, 32 Rimfire.
Here is a view of the cylinder stop protruding down through the top strap of the 32 Hand Ejector, 1st Model.
When the hammer fell, the narrow edge of the rounded wedge forced the two halves of the split spring apart, so the split spring continued to hold the cylinder stop down, keeping the revolver in battery, as the hammer fell all the way.
The rear sight was integral with the cylinder stop. The sight was positioned directly over the pin the cylinder stop rotated on, so it had no movement, other than a little bit of rocking as the hammer fell.
Smith and Wesson got it right by 1899 when they introduced the 38 Military and Police 1st Model, with the cylinder stop below the cylinder, where it has been ever since.
This is the inside of a 38 Military and Police,1st Model.The cylinder stop is hidden by the trigger, but it can be seen peeking up through the bottom of the frame. The mechanism of the 38 M&P revolvers went through some major changes, I believe in 1905, with the introduction of the rebound slide.
Smith and Wesson has made many interesting revolvers over the years, some were 'evolutionary dead ends'. We can talk about the 38 Perfected models some other time.
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Palladan44
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I've never actually seen a no-dash 27, or a "Registered Magnum" for that matter around here....not at a gun show, nor in a shop. Ive never seen one in person, however I own a 27-2 8 3/8" I got for a steal about 10 years ago (750$)and a 28-2 6" (500$) The looks of the hot bluing on those originals look really fine to me in every internet picture I've ever seen. They must be really nice in person!!
.38 Special
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Here in California the originals are unobtanium and even the lock guns are very scarce. Despite my objections to the locks, and my generally poor experience with S&W "Classics", a 4" 27-9 has been on my (very) short list for a couple of years. I would buy that one instantly, at the marked price.
Driftwood Johnson
Member
Howdy
I already posted this photo. This one shipped in 1959 and is a true four screw no-dash Model 27. I must have picked it up close to 20 years ago at this point. Sorry, I don't remember what I paid for it. All I know is I saw it at a gun show and grabbed it.
A few more, just to tease you:
Yup, no dash.
One of the fancy features of the Model 27 that was a holdover from the original 357 Magnum revolvers is the checkered (I prefer to say knurled) top strap and barrel rib. They even knurled the rear sight strap. Pictured with a Model 19-3.
Regarding the Registered Magnums: That is just about the only revolver left on my 'wish list'. I have handled a few at a local auction, but they were all going for much more than I wanted to pay. There was one in my price range, but it was so beat up I passed.
Palladan44
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I just can't click the like button on this post...because I Love it.
SwampWolf
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Possibly the finest factory revolver ever made, to include all manners of Colts and Korths.
eddiememphis
Member
Blasphemy!
Everyone needs another .357, or two.
I can think of four that I need, five after looking at the sweet 27-2 DR505 posted.
Here is a nice one; got this 4" 28-2 from an estate collection. Never been fired outside of the factory, but I will change that!
halfmoonclip
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ECVMatt
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Those are some great N Frames! I have two 27-2's 5 inchers and shoot them quite a bit. Glad to see that you are putting that 28 to good use.
Everything that Driftwood Johnson has said is good information. Thanks Driftwood Johnson for your insight.
All that said, if you want a good shooter, any Model 27, even with the "dreaded lock", will give the owner an excellent platform for a 357 Magnum N-frame revolver regardless of the engineering revision.
All that said, if you want a good shooter, any Model 27, even with the "dreaded lock", will give the owner an excellent platform for a 357 Magnum N-frame revolver regardless of the engineering revision.
The 27-2 and 28-2 fit nicely with my first LE duty gun....a 4" 27-3 that has one of the best actions I have used. It is the bottom left....Highway Patrolman is top left.
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