During a recient discussion with a gentleman he shared with me that he had the opportunity to glance at a 3” Highway Patrolman at a gun show I am unsure what he told me as to its model number a 28 no dash or a dash 1 as he was spitting out information before I could wrap my mind around it.

Long ago I was told that when it comes to a Smith & Wesson never say never

I quizzed him concerning the centering of the totem and Highway Patrolman on the barrel to witch he claimed it was centered. Since I didn’t see it I chose not to argue rather I would post a query here and see what the all of you might suggest. What say ye? Did Smith build em?

Thanks,

terry

Getting the popcorn.
Far from knowing all things S&W, I’ve only heard of 4 and 6 inch 28s.

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213th FBINA

could be he's not measuring right. If you start measuring at the frame instead of the front of the cylinder, you could get around 3".

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Charlie

Could it be a specially ordered gun from S&W?

A "never heard of or seen one before" special order; a gunsmith chop; an unreliable narrator.

Those are your options.

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Pickpocket

I'll bet he just measured it wrong. Or it was a 27 or pre-27. Or somebody installed a 3.5" barrel on it(?)

I believe I have read on this forum that a few M28s were factory made with 8-3/8" barrels. Someone correct me if this is wrong. We all know of course that some were made with 5" barrels.

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You're shy a few manners.

There are always uninformed individuals posts that believe in abnormal barrel lengths that weren't made, guns they swear are stainless that aren't and other such nonsense that is not worth the bandwidth... but will get more comments then a barn find registered magnum!

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S&W factory revolver armorer

Think: a three-inch M-28 would have been cut into the extractor rod housing. That's probably over three inches

Most likely, a jerk who can't measure barrels right or a rebarreling with a 3.5 inch M-27 bbl. But it can't be that if he says he saw the usual M-28 lettering properly centered.

Could be done up like a Javino at some point too. Who know's without all the information.

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Paul
S&WCA #2726

Lets just say back in the 1960s, an eng in the R&D shop wanted to see how a 3" Mod-28 would perform? I would say an easy task. Pull a 4" barrel
in the white, and un-stamped. Have the guys in the shop cut the barrel, and install a front sight. Have stamps done and blue the barrel and install.
Maybe a days work for all that talent. Could have happened.

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Mike 2796
SoFo Bunch member

Find a beater/lizzard and turn it into a
short barrel.

I dug this one out of the safe. Tapes don't lie!

In all seriousness if there were such an animal, especially a -1, who wants to put a value on that?

Attached Images

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I am sure this was just someone that didn't know how to properly measure the barrel.

Now, if it is the rare SS version (the 628), well, all bets are off.

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

A Highway Patrolman with a 3" barrel AND it's a dash 1! Wow. I'd be about as ready to believe that as I would be likely to listen to a guy tell me that Noah rode a unicorn every day to the shop where he was building his ark.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Dealing with the public in a few LGS's and instructing - I've found it surprising how many people don't know how to measure a revolver barrel.

Most of us here take it for granted, but their are many, many who just don't get it.

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Ret'd LEO
SWCA #2275

What I have always wondered about is, why is the barrel of a semi automatic measured including the chamber and a revolver barrel measures only the actual rifled portion?

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

Because the chamber and barrel are one piece with a semi-auto? It would be pretty hard to measure the barrel minus the chamber using a tape measure.

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Send lawyers, guns & money...

Cause. Cause why? Just cause. Larry

A barrel is one piece of steel. Revolver, bolt action, auto pistol, single shot, etc. I think revolvers are the only ones that have a separate chamber(the cylinder). All are measured from one end of the steel barrel to the other.

Measuring the piece of steel that includes the rifling or bore from one end to the other does not work for some Savage bolt actions. Their Models 23 A, B, C & D and Super Sporter have the barrel and receiver machined out of one piece of steel.

I too recall that there were a few (very few) 8 3/8" barreled HPs. I would love to find one for sale.

I would guess that there were no 3" - too tight at the front end. But it would not surprise me to find a factory 3.5"er or two somewhere out there.

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Richard
Engraved S&W fan

"Much ado over nothing." In Shakespeare's day " the play official title: ...over noting" But yet same context: Centered upon "gossip, rumor & overhearing".
Twenty First Century parlance, adding "rumor, innuendo..." fostering colorful speculation!!! I found it 'entertaining'!
Best!
John