The revolver or wheel gun is that classic cowboy gun that everyone wants; it’s reliable, powerful, and is just plain cool.
Smith & Wesson brings a new modern take on the revolver with the 327 TRR8, a .357 blacked out showstopper designed with SWAT use in mind.
Is it the best new revolver in town, or does it lose the wheel gun showdown?
Let’s take a closer look in my review of the Smith & Wesson 327 TRR8 just below.
Accuracy
Visions of cowboys tagging bad guys from the hip are what I see when I think of revolvers, and with the right load, the 327 TRR8 isn’t too far off from that.
Now you won’t be able to nail shots off the hip, but you can expect tight groups at ten yards if you’re a decent enough shot.
My results with the TRR8 were superb with groups just a hair over one inch; however, as the barrel heated up my groups deteriorated quickly.
As I kept shooting, my one-inch groups began to slip to two and three inches.
I don’t really see this as too much of an issue because I’m usually not shredding through ammo unless I’m putting it through its paces for a review.
Construction
The 327 measures a not-insignificant 10 ½ inches with 5 of those inches being the barrel.
It also has a hefty weight of a bit over two pounds.
I’d argue that the long length and dense weight are some of my favorite features.
In my humble opinion, revolvers shouldn’t be dinky pieces of metal; they should be beefy and some gnarly power behind them.
The 327 certainly lives up to that, and that’s one of the reasons I love it.
Additionally, the body is built with a sturdy scandium alloy N frame and an eye-catching black glass-bead finish.
Trigger
Held within the frame is a single-action/double-action trigger.
My overall opinion of the trigger is “it’s okay I guess.” It’s nothing to write home about.
When the hammer is cocked back, the trigger is considerably lighter and not bad at all, but I’m too fond of the single-action as shooting with the hammer forward is heavy and makes me prone to pulling shots to the right.
Reliability and Comfort
Revolvers are well-known for their reliability and their 327 doesn’t break tradition which a rugged system that hasn’t failed me yet, but if you’re into revolvers I’m sure you figured that out.
The TRR8 ate up any round I tossed into the cylinders no matter the pressure.
The comfort is pretty good, but I’m much more familiar with magazine-fed pistols so it felt a little bit unnatural and foreign to me initially.
I quickly adjusted and it feels just fine now.
Recoil
The recoil is about what you’d expect, hard and snappy. You’ll definitely want to train with this one.
Is the Smith & Wesson 327 TRR8 Worth It?
My take is that if you like revolvers and have some cash to burn, buy that gun.
Overall the 327 is great and worth it if you have the cash.
Here’s why:
-Solid Accuracy
-Reliability, no matter the round
-Power
-It just looks plain cool
Richard Douglas is a long-time shooter, outdoor enthusiast, and technologist. He is the founder and editor of Scopes Field, and a columnist at Cheaper Than Dirt, Daily Caller, and other publications.
