I’m a history guy and I like a good history story. As with many people, I also enjoy a pistol that shoots well especially a revolver. Smith & Wesson manages to combine all of that in the 327 TRR8 revolver. But WHY, you ask, why should I care about a revolver in this day and age? What use is a revolver today? For those answers and more we must look to the past, and the reason the 327 was designed and built.
Long ago, 1911s were almost the only semi-auto’s in the land and many Law Enforcement personnel were carrying 6 shot revolvers. As the story goes, a police SWAT team reportedly contacted Smith & Wesson to discuss the need to arm the lead penetrator who carries the ballistic shield during tactical operations with a revolver instead of a semi-automatic pistol. The rationale behind this request was to provide a handgun to certain SWAT personnel that would not jam or malfunction, especially if the firearm made contact with the ballistic shield or any other obstruction when it was fired. In response, the Smith & Wesson Performance Center developed the Model 327 Tactical Rail Revolver in .357 Magnum with an eight-shot capacity.
Based on the Smith N frame, their largest at the time, it gave superior reliability, firepower, and the same round count. What LEO wouldn’t want one of these?! As it turns out, they were popular with more than just the Law Enforcement community, certain groups in the Military appreciated them as well for the same reasons. I first shot a 327 when I was tagging along with a group of Operators in South America, “hey try this one and see how you like it” they said, which I did, and then never got to touch it again!
It did make an impression though and many years later when I had the opportunity to add a pistol to my collection this was the one I chose.
The TRR8 version includes some impressive tweaks from the original 327 model.
PC Trigger with Trigger Stop
PC Tuned Action
Scandium Frame
Equipment rails included
Cylinder cut for moon clips (Moon Clips Included)
The original model 27 weighed 48ozs, the 327 with a stainless steel barrel and cylinder weighs a mere 34ozs thanks to the Scandium frame. Combine that with the Performance Center trigger and tuned action this is a very fast handling and faster shooting gun.
The revolver also comes with two rails which adds a serious level of customization and ability to this pistol. Light, Laser, Optics, whatever you happen to want for tactical use or hunting. Even hunting at night is easy to accessorize for with the TRR8 and the Crimson Trace grips are supposedly a phenomenal option too.
Shooting the TRR8 is where this gun shines, the large N frame and included grip absorb the recoil and make follow-up shots easy even with full strength .357 magnum ammo. Hammer placement is lower than most making it easy to pull it back without shifting your grip, and then there’s the trigger. To quote Grandson number 2, “Wow, it’s right there. It’s sweet, can you get all your triggers like that?”. I wish I could Vincent. The trigger has no travel, no slack, just a wall that breaks clean. Everyone that’s shot it so far agrees with Vincent, “it’s sweet”.
Reloading this revolver is a little more difficult than swapping magazines in a semi-auto. With practice reloading moon clips is under a second longer in time. Two come with the revolver, more are readily available, and of course loading/unloading moon clips is more difficult than loading magazines and requires tools.
Should you go out and invest in this awesome revolver? I wouldn’t recommend it if you have a tight budget as the retail price is around $1500.00. However, if you need one of the finest American made paramilitary-style tactical service revolvers in current production, this is your baby.
