357 Magnum cartridge, in production from 1954 to 1986. It is a budget version of the S&W Model 27. The Model 28, also known as the Highway Patrolman, traces its heritage back to the Smith & Wesson Registered Magnum. 357 Magnum (first production model completed April 8, 1935). 357 Magnum had been modernized to incorporate the rebound slide operated hammer block and the new short throw hammer.ģ57 Magnum was temporarily discontinued in December 1941 when S&W turned their focus to wartime production, but was reintroduced in December 1948 with the new series beginning at serial number S72000. It was redesignated the Model 27 in 1957. Law enforcement agencies favored the Model 27, but its high-polish finish and labor-intensive topstrap checkering added expense with no added utility for a police carry gun.
In the late 1940s and the first part of the 1950s Smith & Wesson was the only American gun company manufacturing a.
