Revolver Gun Porn

Smith and Wesson 327PD – an airweight .357 Magnum revolver.  Scandium frame, titanium cylinder, weighs in around 24 ounces.

Comes standard from the factory with the hi-viz fiber optic sight on the front post.  For the really cool part, it’s an eight shot .357 which has had the cylinder cut to take 8 round moon clips for faster and more efficient reloading.

Smith & Wesson’s website has the MSRP set around 1100 dollars, however the general prices that I’ve found seem to be in the 800 dollar range, which is a lot more palatable.  As far as ammo selection goes, you wouldn’t see me shooting a lot of .357 through this revolver if I had one, those flyweight wheelguns are not pleasant to shoot full house magnum loads through.  I’d spend a lot of time shooting lower recoil .38 Specials, and I’d probably carry .38 Special +P rounds in this gun if I ended up buying one.

I have to say though, I do like the looks of the gun.  It’s got nice lines, and the wood grips give it a sort of class that is lacking in some carry guns.

12 Comments

  1. I’d think long and hard before buying a Ti-cylindered revolver for any high-volume shooting. (Speaking as someone who owns two and has owned others in the past.)

  2. Do they break easily? Like I said, I don’t know a whole lot about the wheelguns – I know Jerry Miculek uses titanium cylinders in some of his competition guns, but then again he can also get a new one from the Performance Center by clicking his heels together three times.

  3. Xavier has a recent KABOOM! posted, and it takes you here:

    http://www.ar15.com/forums/topic.html?b=5&f=33&t=66328

    Granted, those weren’t “light target loads”, but still, it gives one pause…

    On thing to add is that 8 x .38 specials on moonclips == big pain in the ass to reload. Those .38’s are longer than they are wides, so it isn’t easy to index ’em… You could always shoot .38 short colt (or trim .38 spc down) for comp…

    Just my $0.02…

  4. They’re just a bear to get clean if they get filthy (and competition guns often wind up shooting a metric butt ton of vile unjacketed ammo.)

    You’re not supposed to use anything abrasive on the cylinder face or charge holes…

  5. I used to have a 327 mountain gun. Spectacular carry gun, but I wouldt want to shoot it as a high volume competitor.

    It was indeed a pain to clean; and though I found it reasonably comfortable to shoot even with full house .357; the light weight is a disadvantage there.

    Oh and if you shoot it with .38s primarily, you’ll end up building up a fouling ring; exacerbating the cleaning problem.

  6. Oh and the reason Jerry uses titanium cylinders, is so that his gun will cycle faster and smoother. Less mass to move per DA trigger pull and all that.

  7. I’d prefer a 327 with a steel cylinder. Still plenty light. The size of an N-Frame is the issue. If only I could have a “Night Guard” with six holes. Yup, that’d be nice. Though it would have to come with a lay-away plan.

    Tam: Have you had any lock seizing problems on your 327s?

  8. Couple of years ago picked up a 329; it was an S&W demo gun, looked like it had fewer than 100 rounds through it, maybe no more than 50 (can’t imagine why….).

    I’ve put about 30 rounds through it – all factory – to re-zero the sights to my eyes. Since then, it’s a “carry it a lot, shoot it a little” gun to replace the all steel 629 in the holster. I’m hard pressed to think of every putting more than 250 rounds through it in its lifetime.

    And, no, the recoil doesn’t bother me. I’ve spent quite a bit of time working up heavy gator loads for my S&W 500, it’s just that I understand a scandium Smith isn’t an IPSC/IDPA revolver.
    The 329 does what I need done: major caliber, light weight, when I need a major caliber within arm’s reach all day long.

  9. So, based on what Tam is saying, S&W has delivered a gun which you shouldn’t really shoot.

    I give up. Clinton won with S&W… Instead of locks, we just get dubious equipment.

  10. I have a S&W M19 4″, a M13 2.5″ and a 2″ M442. I use 148gr LSWCHP from Buffalo bore in all of them. Buffalo bore has a special version for short barreled revolvers, both +P and standard. I use the +P in the M19 & M13 and standard in the 442 airweight. I’d suggest the +P version for you.

    A few +P in the 442 makes my wrist ache. 🙁

  11. I think I’d personally be more partial to a shinier, redder grip with dark striations, but I suppose that’s probably not too hard to manage.

    Do they make major caliber revolvers with interchangeable steel and titanium cylinders for practice and for carry? Surely they must.

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