Blood, Or .44 Special Ruger GP Snub?

I usually don't recommend this but I would sell the Ruger because it is 44 special. Model 27's are one of my all time favorite wheel guns especially the 27-2.
 
Wouldn't trade or sell either for an 'N' frame Smith, but the Ruger would be the easiest to replace. And you'll only get $20 to $50 for a pint of blood.
Bud's will sell you a 6" 27 for $869. Take you 17.8 pints of blood at $50. snicker.
 
The following price guidance comes from the "Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson" 4th Edition. The price for a Very Good condition Model 27 is $600. The one you mention maybe nicer than very good and closer to the Excellent condition value of $750. The Model 27-2 has a 25 to 50% premium. The 3 1/2" barrel carries a 20% premium on all dashes. There are also premiums for the higher screw counts.

Without knowing all the details and seeing the revolver, a rough guess on my part is a value of between nine hundred to a thousand dollars for the Model 27 you mention.

The trend on both the Model 27 and 28 have been going up over the last few years. The Model 28 is based upon the Model 27 with a less polished and detailed finish. It is stamped and known as the Highway Patrolman. The Model 27 is more valuable.

If you can get a good deal on the Model 27-2, you should obtain it or forever regret it.
 
Yep- good deal or not, it has to become mine. :)
I have not seen a 3.5-inch 27 since 1977 & can't pass this one by.
Denis
 
You can't afford a luxury item like a gun if that's how you are able to purchase.

And you can't expect someone wouldn't say this to you given the framing of the options.
 
Unless you can carry open (or would want to) a 3 1/2" N-frame has too short a barrel to be useful. A gun's desirability would depend on today's terms of usefulness, short of being a safe queen in someone's collection.
 
I have a Model 27-2 with a 8 3/8" barrel. It is in near perfect condition and is one more beautiful piece of art. Your mind will get lost in the beautiful bluing and the long barrel with the detailed hand checking all the way along the top strap. It will reach out to a hundred yards from a bench rest or in the hands of a marksman.


It is not the revolver you want to conceal carry. Since most defensive situation are close in encounters. The 3 1/2 barrel is more suitable for the application. It also brings a premium in value over a longer barrel revolver in the same condition.
 
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It also brings a premium in value over a longer barrel revolver in the same condition.
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It brings a premium from collectors, because they didn't make very many of them. That means its rare, and rare is important to collectors.

They didn't make as many of the short barrel guns, because people who wanted them for shooting wanted longer barrels. A 3.5" .357 N frame isn't useless by any means. Its just not as useful, for what the .357 is best at, as a longer barrel is.
 
The 3.5 Model 27 is a grail gun for me.
When I started out in LE, I envied the guys I worked with who carried them.
I couldn't afford one, started out my police career with a Ruger Security-Six.

It ain't practicality, it's "gotta have". :)
Denis
 
DPris,

True story. When I started the academy to be a deputy sheriff in 1973 we had to purchase our own weapons. We were told we had to have a double-action 38 Special or 357 Magnum with a 4" barrel. I was a fan of the Model 27 and asked if I could carry a 5" M-27. When they said no I asked about a 3.5" and they still said no. I bought a 4" Model 28.

Once I was out of the academy I was told by my shift commander I could carry any revolver I wanted, with any barrel length. Needless to say I was really ticked off about waisting money on the 28 when I actually could have had a 27.

Dave
 
Started as a newly married reserve going to school on The Bill just out of the AF in 76.
Pretty much broke, had to furnish our own .38 or .357, used a final AF payout check to buy a new $150 Ruger, couldn't afford a Smith 19 or 27.

Sure envied those guys with the 3.5 27s. Just seemed the ideal package.
Denis
 
Have gotten to the point where give less serious consideration to the more desirable collector models. Money wise and age wise, not as interested in guns whose value may decrease by shooting it enough to get good with it. 20 years ago would have sold the Ruger and given blood.

Holster worn 4 in model 28s are a lot cheaper, and tough to notice the extra 1/2 in.
 
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