If you weren’t aware, Smith & Wesson recently moved from its historic and century-old factory in Massachusetts. The company is now in a larger, modernized facility in the gun-friendly state of Tennessee. To celebrate the move and christen the new facility, Smith & Wesson brought in its professional shooter, Jerry Miculek, in October 2023 to set a new world record with the new JM 327 WR.
The Smith & Wesson JM 327 WR Wheelgun
Miculek shot six steel plates at 7 yards from the draw in 1.88 seconds using a prototype S&W 327 revolver chambered in 9mm.
Corey Beaudreau, S&W’s product manager, said it best, “Crafted from the blueprint of shooting excellence, the new Model 327 WR is more than just a high-performance firearm-it’s a legacy! With modern upgrades to an already trusted platform, Jerry’s new signature revolver is a tribute to the mastery of precision and the art of sports shooting perfected by Jerry himself.”
That’s right, the prototype revolver that Jerry used to set the new world record is now in production and available to the shooting public. S&W has dubbed the new gun the JM 327 WR. I’m just guessing they included Jerry’s initials and WR for World Record.
The JM 327 WR is built entirely in the S&W Performance Center shop. It includes all of the shooter enhancement features that Miculek spec’d out on his record-setting gun.
The Devil is in the Details
The JM 327 WR is S&W’s new double-action-only 8-shot, 9mm revolver. It is a wonderful blend of Scandium, Titanium, and stainless steel. Likewise, it uses a proven design and is assembled by a dedicated team of experienced craftsmen. It boasts a healthy degree of mechanical accuracy and plenty of nuances that experienced shooters understand will help them shoot this revolver quicker and more accurately.
S&W uses the large N frame on the 327 revolver. It is machined from Scandium to keep weight down and give the gun good balance. Titanium is used for the 8-shot, 9mm cylinder, and its lighter weight helps achieve a lighter trigger pull.
The lighter weight is especially helpful in transitioning between targets. This is in contrast to heavier steel-frame guns that develop too much momentum, making them unwieldy for multiple targets.
The 5-inch stainless-steel barrel has a 1:10-inch twist, perfect for projectile weights from 115 to 150 grains. S&W ports the barrel with two oblong ports on each side of the barrel shroud to help minimize muzzle rise.
The stainless steel barrel shroud is blackened, and the flats on both sides are polished bright. Additionally, the legend “Performance Center” is laser-engraved on the left side and 9mm Luger on the other side.
The JM 327 WR’s Fire Control System
S&W’s JM 327 WR possesses a double-action-only fire control system. I tried to manually cock the hammer back to single-action mode, and it was a no-go. This is truly a double-action-only gun.
The good news is that it possesses an amazingly light 5.75-pound trigger pull—smooth and predictable without any stacking. The trigger return is strong enough that it is doubtful anyone could short-stroke it. Cylinder lock-up occurs just before the hammer starts its forward movement, and there is almost zero cylinder play when the stop is engaged.
S&W hard chromes the stainless-steel trigger and spurless hammer to ensure a long life despite the rigors of competition use. The trigger is just .325-inches wide and has a smooth face without serrations. Likewise, the edges have been broken, making for painless double-action pulls, and an overtravel stop has been added to its rear.
Not Like the Other Revolvers
Unlike most S&W revolvers, the JM 327 WR does not lock up at the front of the ejector rod. Instead, S&W engineers have designed a spring-loaded detent at the front of the gun’s crane. It engages a cut-out at the bottom of the ejector rod shroud. The rear of the cylinder locks up in the usual manner with the ejector rod’s center pin.
Performance Center technicians chamfer each of the eight chambers along with the star extractor for speedy reloads. S&W includes 5, 8-shot moon clips with the JM 327 WR. The company also included a handy loading device that easily pushes the loaded cartridges into the moon clips. Once you’re used to using the tool, you’ll be able to load a moon clip in just a couple of seconds.
It’s very difficult to remove empty cases from the moon clip by hand. So, S&W provides owners of the JM 327 WR with another tool designed for this purpose. Users simply slide the tube over the empty casing and rotate the tool until the lip at its tip engages the moon clip. Then, the empty case will rotate out of the spring steel star and fall into the tube.
After a little practice, it is easy and quick. And it’s handy to be able to dump all of your empties neatly in one place.
Red Dot Delight
The JM 327 WR comes with an adjustable rear sight and a pinned, brass-bead front sight. But S&W also includes a Vortex® Compdot™ with an 8 MOA red dot along with the C.O.R.E. mounting system.
Besides the Vortex®, this mounting system will work with a number of other popular micro red dot optics. It took about 5 minutes for me to figure out the system and get the Compdot™ mounted. Then, I was ready for some range work.
Because the JM 327 WR is a double-action-only gun, I decided to perform my accuracy testing at 15 yards. All of my 5-shot groups were fired from a seated position using a DOA Tactical portable shooting bench for support. Likewise, I rested the barrel on Ransom Rest’s Multi Cal Steady Rest.
At 15 yards, the Compdot’s 8 MOA dot neatly covered the 2-inch diameter Shoot N C pasters I used. I was able to maintain the dot on the target as I slowly pulled the trigger. I hesitated briefly just before the hammer fell to verify it was still on target before adding the final few ounces to complete the pull.
The Pistol Produced Impressive Results
The results were better than I would have guessed, with one ammunition breaking the one-inch mark at 15 yards. Actually, I am certain any of these ammunitions are capable of providing sub-1-inch groups. Especially if I had more time to practice with the gun.
By the way, one of my contacts inside S&W told me that Miculek’s world record-breaking load consisted of a 115-grain bullet traveling at 1050 feet per second.
Normally, I test a 9mm with a number of defense loads. However, since this is really a match gun, I brought along a bunch of range ammo. I used as many different bullet weights as possible to see if the 327’s 1:10 barrel had a preference.
It did seem to prefer the 115- and 124-grain bullets in comparison to the heavier bullets. All of the loads tested used FMJ projectiles.
I normally include Energy, listed in Foot Pounds of Energy, in my accuracy charts (below). However, since this is a competition gun, I listed the loads’ Power Factors instead. By the way, Miculek’s preferred load has a Power Factor of 120.
Breaking Records
If you’ve read this far to see if I was able to match Miculek’s amazing world record, you’ll be disappointed. Why embarrass myself? Miculek is a machine—an absolute machine! Even if I had the same fast twitch muscles and hand-eye coordination, I’d still lack the hours of practice that he devotes daily.
Nah, anything I’d list here regarding time would be demonstrative of my skill—or lack thereof—and ability. It has nothing to do with the gun’s potential. If you’d like to see what the JM 327 WR is capable of, check it out:
You don’t have to be a world champion to own the new S&W JM 327 WR. But if you have your heart set on becoming one, this revolver would be a great place to start. To commemorate Miculek’s 1.88 second world record S&W’s Performance Center will limit this revolver to only 1880 units.
To protect this precision shooting machine, S&W includes a foam-lined Pelican 1450 hard case. It is TSA-approved, which will be helpful when you fly to out-of-town matches.
Also included in the case are the Vortex® Compdot™, C.O.R.E. mounting system, moon clip loading and unloading tools, and moon clips. In fact, the only thing that you’d need outside of this tremendous package is a belt and holster!
Priced at $3,499, the S&W JM 327 WR sounds expensive, but it’s a gun that will take you from D class to Master class and from local matches to World shoots. The one thing this revolver won’t do is inhibit your shooting potential.
For more information, please visit Smith-Wesson.com.
Smith & Wesson JM 327 WR Specs
| Action | Revolver, Double-Action-Only |
| Caliber/Capacity | 9mm Luger/ 8-Shots |
| Overall Length | 10.5” |
| Overall Height | 7.75” ( Without Optic) |
| Width | 1.712” |
| Weight | 2.2 Pounds |
| Barrel | 5” Stainless-Steel, 1:10” Twist, 4 Ports |
| Frame | N Frame Scandium |
| Cylinder | Titanium 8-Shot |
| Sights | Brass Bead Front, Adjustable Rear |
| Optics | Vortex® Red Dot on C.O.R.E.™ mounting system |
| Trigger/Hammer | Chromed Stainless-Steel |
| Grips | Glossy Laminated Jerry Miculek Signature Grip |
| Accessories | Pelican Case, Loading and Unloading Tools, Vortex® Compdot™, C.O.R.E. Mounting System, 5 Moon Clips |
| MSRP | $3499 |
Performance
| Ammo | Velocity | Power Factor | Group Size |
| American Eagle 115-grain TSJ Syntech | 1038 | 119 | 1.19” |
| Aguila 124-grain FMJ | 1012 | 125 | 1.34” |
| Doubletap 124 Grain FMJ-RN Match | 1026 | 127 | 1.14” |
| Federal Syntech 150-grain Action Pistol | 814 | 122 | 1.51” |
| Fiocchi Range 115-grain FMJ | 1092 | 125 | .89” |
| Wilson Combat Remanufactured 135-grain HBFN | 865 | 116 | 1.45” |
| Winchester Target & Practice 115-grain FMJ | 1099 | 126 | 1.58” |
| Average | 1.30” |
