The first handgun I ever bought was a 4" Model 28. I was about 15 years old, and my Dad had to straw purchase it for me at Frank's Gun Shop in Decatur, Il, with my paper route money. It was 1974 and I think it was 110 bucks. That's a lot of paper flinging.
I took it to college with me a few years later, and would load ammo for it with my Lee Loader and mallet in the basement of the co-op house I lived in. I had to keep it in the school armory, but I shot it every week or so.
When graduation approached, my roommate decided to marry his girlfriend. I was dirt poor, working three jobs, but he made me his best man and I had to have a wedding gift. I gave him the Model 28 and the Lee Loader. We lost touch over the years, and I haven't heard from him in about 35 years.
Smiths have come and gone, but no Model 28s.
Today my son and I made the hour long trip to my favorite cop shop. It is feast or famine there - sometimes they have a pile of guns from PDs in the area, sometimes there is nothing. They only sell to cops, or in my case, used-to-be cops.
It was feast today. They had over 100 guns from a large PD - mostly HKs and Sigs and Berettas. There were some revolvers, too - a Security Six for $275, a beautiful Colt Agent .38, a .44 Mountain Gun, and this: a 4" Model 28.
Oh, buddy. I pitched 5 bills and they took it too quick. Should have tried 400, but I was smitten.
My kid bought a W. German Sig P226 9mm in great shape for 300 bucks. No mag. The owner said the PD had pitched all the mags in a box and sold them to somebody else, so he low-balled them hard and they took it. My son is delighted.
I am, too.
I don't know if this is a seized gun or an old PD gun.
It had a little bit of surface rust, which came right off. There is a little bit of freckling above the trigger on the frame, but the screws are unbuggered and the grips aren't made of old tires.
The lack of holster wear at the muzzle makes me think it wasn't a cop's holster gun.
This barrel marking makes me happy.
The grips are marked 2/82, but I don't know if they are original to the gun. Its a N prefix serial number, but it feels like it should be here rather than the 1980- section.
It has the optional red nail polish front sight. I'll probably clean that off.
It feels good to have this cousin to my first handgun back.
