I'm used to seeing them with the baughman front sight, I'd have to warm up to the target.
re the grips on the first one, burn with fire:)
The ones on the second, of course, are perfect. I had a few sets for K & N's in a box at the shop but they're probably all gone. I'd hate to give $100 for a set, I guess I'm stuck in the 70's when everyone was putting pachmeyers on everything and they were almost free.
I'd think the NIB one would bring at least a third more than the other.
I didn't think there were any pinned ones made in the 80's but perhaps they had a few drilled frames to use up.
Jim

Those over the frame wide S&W grips are Goncalo Alcov (sp) and are indeed a target grip that was very common to most of the S&W N Frames since the mid 50's. The other S&W wood grips are Service grips.

One thinks that 800 to 1050 is the range for a SW mdl 27-2 with an N sn prefix. The S prefix 27-2 would be at the higher end of the range. A 4 screw mdl 27 would be 1050 to 1600 and the earleir 5 screw 357 Magnums later aka 27's would be 1500 to maybe 2K The shorter Barrel lengths like a 3 1/2 tend to add premiums to the value.

S&W did indeed stop Pinning Barrels and Recessing cylinders in 1982 to cut costs. The P&R guns are NOW collectable especially NIB.

The price on a pre war S&W Registered 357 Mag start at about 4K and goooo up to apx 20K for a long barreled NIB one. Just try and find one of those babys:eek::D

The ones to grab when you find em are the 44 mag 629 P&R's because they were only made for a year or so...

The mdl 19's don't do ANYTHING for one...

With regards to the 686's the earlier production the better (with the letter A as the first letter in the SN #) .. the 686 to look for are the Anodized Blue SS 686's and the ones with the adjustable FRONT sights (8 3/8 and 6 inch B lengths)...those don't come around much anymore.

Prices on all of the earlier S&W's revolvers just keep on climbing.