Picked this up today - serial number N418XX.

My first N frame and my first P&R revolver of any frame size.

I'm lead to believe a 1976 date. Can anyone confirm?

Thanks

The N400000 range was '76-77, so yours would fall into the '76 time frame most likely.

N418XX which is a 5 digit serial number would be a littler earlier...70-72...depending if you left out a digit..

Nice Revolver

Yep, that's correct. I miss counted your X's. However, if you did leave off a digit, then what I posted above is correct.

Definitely N418XX (5 digits total). So 70-72 is probable?

Thanks !

Yes, that would be the right time frame for the serial number range. It may have shipped right away, but it may not have shipped from the factory until '73 or even '74. No way to know for positive without asking Roy Jinks for a ship date. Less popular models could sit around for a while until they were needed to fill an order. There's certainly nothing unpopular about the 28-2 now.

No indeed. There was a time when they were plentiful and cheap. But those days are over.

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Those are truly 'Hand Cannons'. An old friend of mine back in the early 70's had one of those with a 6" barrel. I could never get over how huge it was in my 17 year old hands.

I have one that is N421xx. Not too far off. I love it. It absolutely takes the .357, and mine with a 6" barrel is very accurate. It has one of the sweetest actions of any of my Smiths.

Well, they are large. But I started shooting the Highway Patrolman when I was about 14 (early 1960s) and I fell in love with it right away. Over the years I've had several with both 4" and 6" barrels and I've burned thousands of rounds in them. My love has never diminished. I still shoot them often and they are exceptional shooters, whether you feed them mid-range .38 Specials or full power .357 ammo. Absolutely wonderful guns.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318

Owned a couple, had one as an issued duty gun for awhile and would love to pick up another. Maybe at the gun show tomorrow.

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Yes. I remember back in the mid-1990s, you could hardly walk into a gun store here in Alaska without finding at least one for sale. Very nice shooter grade 4" examples were selling for around $250-$275. I wish I had purchased a few more! Now if you see them, most have the 6" barrel and are at least twice that much. I almost never see the 4" HPs for sale these days. At the last gun show, I saw 3 of them; all 6" and the cheapest one was $550 with no box.

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Jack
SWCA #2475, SWHF #318