Sorry to enter the forbidden zone with a question regarding things post '45, but regards the finish indicated on the label on the two piece blue boxes, what does 'BH' mean? The 'B' means blue but what is the 'H' about. This was common on Model 28-2's. Also what would 'BT' denote on a Model 27-2? Blue again but what does the 'T' denote. Is it a factory finish code or does it stand for a particular word?

I have never seen the BH on anything but the Highway Patrolman, so I assume it denotes the satin finish that was always offered on that gun. An H was often stamped on the rear of the cyl, and the theory has been put forth that it was there so polishers would know they were not Mod 27 cylinders which needed the high polish.
Why they felt the need to denote the HP had the HP finish on the label escapes me. There were points in time when no other model had as dull a finish as the HP, so perhaps they felt it was just good business to differentiate that finish in some way from the brighter ones standard on other models.


The BT, I believe, stands for "Bright". By the time blue boxes had end labels written by hand, several models were being phased into bright blue finishes. However, there was an earlier time when the 357 Mag (Pre-27) was the ONLY gun offered with the super high polish "Bright" blue as standard.
Again, why they felt the need to mark the label to denote that the Pre-27's had the STANDARD "Bright" blue escapes me. Perhaps it was just carried over respect for what was the first truly "Premium" Hand Ejector, perhaps it was to point out what a premium gun it was. Perhaps both.

Thanks Lee. That answers the 'H' on the Highway Patrolman cylinder question too.

It has been explained to me that the BH indicated Blue Highway Patrolman because; even though they only made a very few, there were some Satin Nickel finished Highway Patrolman made over the years.