A while back, I posted about “grail guns,” items collectors have a particular yen for. Mine was the full-size Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum revolver in the iconic 3.5” barrel configuration. We got lots of good, nostalgic comments from readers about their particular “grails.”

Well, after a lot of false starts, I can quote Hagar the Horrible and happily say, “I got mine!” I just had one of those landmark birthdays with a “0” at the end, and my sweetie and some friends chipped in and got me one from an Internet gun auction source.

Marked with a little bit of honest wear that just gives it more character, this sculpture of finely finished blue steel and well-worn checkered walnut is a five-screw (read: “Old World detail and craftsmanship) revolver whose serial number indicates it was produced in late 1954 or early 1955. In the name of production economy, Smith & Wesson eliminated the upper sideplate screw about a year after this one left the factory, and decided it could do without the one in front of the trigger guard circa 1961-62. Smith & Wesson introduced this gun and its cartridge in 1935, calling both simply “.357 Magnum.” Along about 1957, S&W went with numeric model designations, dubbing this one the Model 27. Thus, earlier specimens such as this one are known to collectors as “pre-27s.”

This one is as tight and functional as the day it left the factory. This deluxe series was always famous for its smooth action, but this one is particularly slick and light of pull, in both double action and single action modes.

As I sit here fondling this long awaited masterpiece of the gunmaker’s art, my significant other sighs and mutters, “Men…they’re so easily satisfied.”

I don’t understand why she says it as if it was a bad thing…

Below, the “birthday gun,” a pre-Model 27 with 3 .5″ barrel. Gorgeous finish has wear that “shows character.”

“5th screw,” below rear sight on sideplate, and “4th screw,” at front of trigger guard, have long been gone from modern Smith & Wessons.

The barrel configuration of this particular model is unique and distinctive.

I was out on the range today with Master shooter Steve Sager, and pistol champ and photographer Gail Pepin, to get some pictures of Savage Model 110-series rifles for the upcoming Backwoods Home story commemorating that popular firearm’s 50^th Anniversary. So it shouldn’t be a total waste, Steve took the opportunity to verify the zero of his Model 10 heavy barrel .308.

All that was handy to use as a bench was an old, weathered picnic table that was ready for the fire pit. Accustomed to shooting from a proper concrete shooting bench, Steve centered himself on the table and proceeded to squeeze three shots into the target 100 yards away. The group measured 0.95” center to center. Minute of angle with the first group out of the gate: the sort of precision we’ve both come to expect from the 110 family of Savage bolt rifles.

As he stood up from the table, Steve commented on how wobbly it was. The table was also sagging enough in the center that he couldn’t get the rear sandbag rest under the stock, so he just put the fore-end on the front bag. For the circumstances, it was damn fine shooting.

My turn was next. Observing the inhospitable conditions Steve had found at the center of the table, I moved to the far end and set up directly over the wooden crossbeam legs. This proved much more solid.Because the end was higher than the center of the sagging table, I was able to align with the target in such a way that I could put the V-shaped rear rest under the toe (lower rear edge) of the stock, and still use the front sandbag so long as I put it atop a plastic cartridge box. With my support hand on the forward bag to help it keep its relationship to the fore-end, I fired my three.

They went into 3/8ths of an inch.

Now, this doesn’t mean I out-shot Steve. Quite the reverse, I think. With the rifle wobbling on the weak mid-section of the old table, Steve had needed much more finesse and timing and trigger control to put three shots under an inch. With the gun in a much more stable position when my turn came, shooting a group twice as tight was actually easier. I’ve shot a lot with Steve, and I’ve come to believe he’s actually the better marksman.

Mas, left, & Steve retrieve the 100-yd target.

Steve takes the usual center bench position, but bench is swaying and wobbling. His left hand tucks butt into right shoulder for best stability under the circumstances, and…

…he still ends up with a sub-one inch group. Ammo is his own handloads, with 147 grain full metal jacket boat-tail bullet. All photos by Gail Pepin.

Mas is on far right edge of bench; X-beam support directly below rifle is more stable. This location also puts him higher, at an angle where he can use additional sandbag under buttstock, while support hand is free to stabilize fore-end against forward sandbag…

…and the result is this 3/8″ group at 100 yards, same Savage Model 10 rifle with Leupold 3-9X scope and same ammo, with 2 bullets in same (larger) hole. Getting the most solid rest makes a world of difference!