Model 28

[max4073]

Hey wheelie guys, do any of you have any experience with the Model 28 4"?
I found one locally and it fits my hand really well. Any pros or cons? Thanks

[Cliff731]

Hey wheelie guys, do any of you have any experience with the Model 28 4"?
I found one locally and it fits my hand really well. Any pros or cons? Thanks

I recently let a 4" Model 28 slip away down at my local gunstore... and yes, I"m still smarting over it. After watching it for about a month, I decided one day this jewel of a Smith & Wesson needed to come home with me. As I was walking into the gunstore, there was a guy at the counter handing his money over for "my" Model 28!!! I literally waited one day too long... leaving that one in the display case where it found the fancy of another customer.

The Model 28 is/was Smith & Wesson's "vanilla" version of their "N" frame Model 27... which has been referred to as the "Mona Lisa" of revolvers. That's to say it has terrific DNA and being a "N" frame, it will handle .357 Magnum loads all day long without due cause for concern. Such is not the case with it's smaller "K" frame brothers (Model 13, Model 19, Model 65 and Model 66- the M19 and M66 also referenced as KT frames).

It is a big huge honkin' frame revolver... overbuilt, solid and rugged... same frame as the .44 Magnum Model 29... and the Model 28's "Highway Patrolman" moniker was given since the target sales market was law enforcement. Therein, the somewhat plainer features it offered vs. the Model 27... i.e.- a smooth top strap and smooth rib on the barrel (the Model 27 was engraved there) and the duller bluing which resulted from a lesser degree of polishing (Model 27's have a very deep and rich high polish bluing). This kept the price down, making it more competitive in the LE market against the Colt Trooper (probably it's main competitor... Trooper name is a big hint) and sometimes the Colt Python (Pythons have always been high priced wheel guns).

IMO, most S&W Model 28 Highway Patrolman revolvers will show generous holster wear since most were sold to law enforcement agencies. The beautiful 4" Model 28 that I let slip away was a primo example with hardly any wear showing and evidently seldom fired. You may have found one just as nice... however, don't allow "holster wear" to deter you. LE carry guns are notorious for being seldom fired and having excessive finish wear. If you are looking at this for a "shooter", consider using any obvious "holster wear" to talk their price down a bit... might work or they might toss in a free box of .357 Magnum ammo for you as a deal sweetner.

Prices on these are beginning to ramp up a bit... ditto all of Smith & Wesson's wheelguns. They've been sort of overlooked in the market with most collectors attention on Colt's DA revolvers. As a result the price of a decent Colt wheelgun has soared into nosebleed territory and many of us have been priced out of the "Colt" market. Consequently, astute buyers who desire a nice wheelgun are now looking at a used Smith & Wesson and wondering why we didn't do so sooner. That is not to say that Colt's line of DA revolvers are "better" than the offerings of Smith & Wesson... it's just that a Colt is a Colt... and their firearms have always held such an aura that is difficult to explain but obvious to all. Smith & Wesson is every bit as much a legendary name in American firearm history and their wheeguns are of as high a quality as any others... (you can insert Colt's name in there if desired). Of all the "N" frame Smith & Wesson guns, the Model 28 is likely the real "sleeper" of that branch of the family tree.

I cannot think of a single "con" in this deal... other than price, but most of the time these are attractively marked. As said above, I expect this to start changing. Of course, the typical caveats apply here as always when buying a used wheelgun. Check the timing, cylinder gap, bore... the usual... and here's a "check list" that might come in handy... from Jim March on The Firing Line Forum-

Revolver checkout: how to tell if a particular specimen is any good (http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=57816)

Sometimes you'll find the Model 27, 28 and 29 referenced as a "NT" frame. There are many who will say the "N" or "NT" frame Smith & Wessons (Models 27, 28, 29 and others starting with the Model 20 and ending with the Model 29) are the epitome of American wheelguns. No others offer a better combination of rugged build quality, smooth action and trigger and the ability to handle large magnum loads all day long. I'm not inclined to disagree... even considering the smoothness and glass rod trigger break normally found on Colt's vaunted Python.

Few will argue that the Python is one of the best DA revolvers ever made in America or anywhere else in the world... but what's important to remember is that Colt's Python was virtually a match grade gun from the factory. It's action was unique and required expert polishing and fitting for the Python to work properly. That said, the Smith & Wesson "N" frame revolvers, especially the Model 27, Model 28 and the Model 29 were essentially "regular production" guns. In that context, they are no doubt the best ever produced anywhere and at anytime.

The only other caveat that's worth mentioning is this-
Smith & Wesson wheelguns are extremely addictive. :eek: You've been fairly warned. :nono: ;)

You really hit my "go button" with your question... huh? Thanks for posting and yes, I shall not let the next Model 28 Highway Patrolman I find slip away! I need one to keep company with the Model 27 shown below...

http://i178.photobucket.com/albums/w266/pentaxuser01/SW27-2Box.jpg

[max4073]

Thanks for the reply Cliff. I grew up shooting my dads .357 High Standard and always liked it but I prefered autos. They were just futuristic to me as a kid. But as I grow older I am starting to appreciate wheel guns. I'd like a .357. It's nice to have to option of using .38s at the range and .357 for home defence. Here's a pic of the model I was looking into. I believe its the 4' barrel. They do seem addictive.
http://img183.imageshack.us/img183/7858/sw2865316d1vt1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Cliff731]

Thanks for the reply Cliff. I grew up shooting my dads .357 High Standard and always liked it but I prefered autos. They were just futuristic to me as a kid. But as I grow older I am starting to appreciate wheel guns. I'd like a .357. It's nice to have to option of using .38s at the range and .357 for home defence. Here's a pic of the model I was looking into. I believe its the 4' barrel. They do seem addictive.


and that's a very nice looking Model 28. Hardly looks used at all... has that one ever been fired? Original box too?

So... have you bought it yet? Did you at least throw some money down on that gem of a wheelgun?

Can I ask how much your gunstore is asking for that one? (The one I let slip away was marked at $479 IIRC.)

[Cliff731]

If that one you are showing is as nice as the photo appears to indicate, I wouldn't quibble price very much on her... I would be puttin' some money down or buyin' her outright... one way or the other, that pretty Smith & Wesson would have to come home with me.

[max4073]

They want $520 for it. Kinda steep? I think I'd fare better at a gunshow. Besides I have FFL friends that could find me one if I really needed one. It will have to take the back burner right now though. I'm spending my spare $$ on a 84 Cheetah for my girfriend. It's going to be her 21st Bday gift. After that I'll be looking into getting a .357. Keep the pics coming if you have any more. What about the .44 mag? Have you ever had one of those?

[Cliff731]

That's not too much more than the one I foolishly let "slip away" at the gunstore here... and it sure looks very "mint" to me. Hardly a trace of cylinder ring on that one and couldn't detect any noticeable bluing wear.

I understand you wanting a Cheetah for your girlfriend's BD... those are sweet shooters and she'll not likely object too much about the recoil from a .380 Auto. Now, while I don't have a 84 or 85 Cheetah, I do keep hearing they are difficult to rack back the slide due to being a blowback action. I tried one at my gunstore awhile back... personally I thought it okay. That one being the nickel plated with fancy wood stocks... very pretty and over $600 too. A fine gift it would make for the special woman in your life.

I don't own a .44 Magnum at all... would love to have one. They are a beast of a handgun no doubt. Of course I'm thinking of the S&W Model 29... and had to pass on a very nice example of one just after the first of the year. It was priced very nice... but I had my eye on something else... which was the Model 27 shown earlier. That Model 29 had a 7" or 6.5" barrel... it sure came up to point quickly and I did like that part.

If you can swing that Model 28 Highway Patrolman... maybe they have a generous lay-a-way plan... give it due consideration. I feel it's probably a lot nicer than most you'll run across. It's no doubt an older version from the one I saw... this I'm guessing by the stocks on her, and I see a pinned barrel too. I'll bet this one has recessed cylinder chambers too. Yowzeee... :D

Well... I've rambled enuf and darn near drooled all over my keyboard... ;)