Howdy
Perhaps this would be a good time to give a little historical background to the Model 27 and Model 28.
In the 1920s, S&W received requests for a 38 caliber revolver that could fire a more powerful cartridge than the standard 38 Special round. The obvious choice for a platform for such a round was the large N frame. This size frame had largely been reserved for 44, and a few 45 caliber revolvers. Chambering the larger diameter cylinder of the N frame for 38 Special would result in a cylinder with massive chamber walls that could handle the higher pressure generated by this round.
This were born the 38/44 Heavy Duty and 38/44 Outdoorsman revolvers. 38 for the caliber, 44 to signify the larger '44' sized frame. The Heavy Duty model had fixed sights, the Outdoorsman had adjustable sights.
Here is a photo of an early 38/44 Heavy duty, that shipped in September of 1930. Please excuse the incorrect Magna grips.
But the problem with the 38/44 revolvers was the more powerful ammunition could be chambered in a standard K frame S&W, with possible disastrous results.
Colonel Douglas Wesson (grandson of Daniel Wesson) worked with ballistic experts to come up with a new cartridge, still more powerful than the 38-44 S&W Special (also known as 38 Special High Velocity) round. The new round had a case roughly 1/10" longer than a 38 Special, so it could not be loaded into a conventional 38 Special revolver. Legend has it that Douglas Wesson was a wine aficionado, and dubbed the new round the 357 Magnum, because large bottles of wine were called magnums. I cannot verify this story.
And S&W introduced a new N frame revolver, simply called The 357 Magnum, to shoot the new cartridge. The 357 Magnum was available in a bewildering array of options, many barrel lengths, different sights, blued or nickel plated, Service grips or Magna grips, and different hammer styles. These were pretty much custom guns. S&W also offered a program whereas the gun could be registered at the factory to the owner, these became known as the Registered Magnums. Highly sought after by collectors.
In 1957, Smith and Wesson changed over to the still current practice of using Model Numbers instead of names for all their firearms. The 357 Magnum became the Model 27. The Model 27 was not made in quite as much variety as The 357 Magnum had been, but it was still a very fancy gun. Finish was either the standard high polish blue, or nickel plated.
With all due respect to 44 AMP, early Model 27s came with Magna grips. This four screw Model 27 no dash shipped in June of 1959. It is wearing its original Magna grips, and yes, they do bear the gun's serial number inside.
This photo shows the knurling on the top strap and barrel rib of my Model 27. That is a Model 19 beside it.
The Highway Patrolman was first offered in 1954. To quote the Standard Catalog of Smith and Wesson, it was conceived of as a 'utility version' of The 357 Magnum. The Highway Patrolman had a satin blue finish, less expensive to produce than the standard highly polished blue finish. In 1957, the Highway Patrolman was renamed the Model 28. Interestingly enough, the finish on the Highway Patrolman/Model 28 has varied over time, sometimes being almost as highly polished as the stand S&W blue.