I just picked up a 6" model 28-2 H.P. and a local gun shop. I'm trying to figure out exactly what I have. The barrel and cylinder have a purplish bluing on them. The frame is black. The whole thing has a satin finish. The hammer has sharp checkering and a color case hardened finish. The trigger is a .40" smooth stainless trigger. The rib on the barrel is slightly off center with the corresponding groove in the top strap.

I think it might be a gun built from a bunch of takeoff parts. It is well built. I got bored at the indoor range shooting the x out of the target at 15 yards, so I shot the staples out that held up the target, if that gives you an idea of the accuracy. The cylinder gap is abnormally tight.

At the very least it has been refinished and has a replacement trainer. I hope you got a good price on it.

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No life story has happy end.

If he is shooting staples at 15 yards, the replacement trainer has really taught him well.

I think he meant "replacement trigger". I worked a trade on it. I probably took a hit, but I wound up with a much better gun. (BTW, if you want a Sig 226, get an old German one, not a US made one. That's all I'll say on that). In the end, I guess it comes down to what it's worth to you. In all my years of frequenting gun shops, this is only the second one I've seen. I wanted one, and this one was there. Now I just need to come across a model 57.

Maybe it's not a collector's heartthrob, but if you are pleased with it, that is all that matters. It may not be as much of a "mix master" as you think.

The .400" smooth trigger was used on HPs. I have one on a 4" M28. Others on this forum have stated that S&W just used what was on hand at any particular time, the .265" serrated trigger or the .400" smooth trigger. Are you sure it's stainless?

I don't know about the difference in color on the barrel and cylinder as opposed to the frame. It was the "economy grade" finish, so there was no guarantee that all parts would age alike.

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You're shy a few manners.

Jack Flash, I'm a shooter, not a collector, and this thing drives tacks (well, staples). That makes me extremely pleased with it. Good handguns are hard to come by around here. Gun shops are a sea of cobras, Jimenez, and Hi points. To most people, a handgun is something you buy, stick in the nightstand, and forget about it. I really lucked out finding this one.

The trigger is stainless. Someone has been on the inside too, polishing things up. Could be that someone got a police trade in and spruced it up.

It sounds like someone made a highly capable handgun FOR SHOOTING out of it, without any concern about keeping it original or its future collectability.

He wanted his revolver to shoot as accurately as possible. Imagine that!

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You're shy a few manners.

I'm just glad I was able to snatch it up before someone got a hold of it and stuffed it under a truck seat.

I will say this. I have a 28-3 that I bought new. I have noticed recently that the barrel and cylinder are a slightly different (darker) blue than the frame is. I know for a fact that this gun is unmolested. And it is only recently that I have noticed any difference at all.

Staples at fifteen yards? Do you geld gnats with it too?

I wouldn't care if it was Day-Glo pink paisley if it shoots like that.

Not that I could shoot like that, of course.

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Oh well, what the hell.

I'm virtually certain I could shoot staples at 15 yards. I'm pretty good. Just draw a great big black circle around the so I know where they are, and I'll hit them.

I have seen some 28s where the cylinder means blue mismatched the frame. Kind of a purple hue. Either an effect it the cylinders alloy on the blue or occurs over time for some reason.

Sounds like you really lucked out. I wouldn't have given a gun in that condition a second look. Glad it worked out for you.

I have a 28-2 s prefix with a plumb barrel and cylinder it is from the factory as is, the one I have is a Texas D.P.S. and the factory shipped it in bulk to Texas and to use up parts that they can't sell to the public. You can find my thread named, cool find.

I'm not gonna lie and say I could see the staples at 15 yards in the dim light of the range. I just knew about where they were and used the corners of the paper for reference points.

When are going to see some pic's of this laser beam accurate Model 28?

Well, a 1/2" wide staple (1/32" thick) + .357 bullet gives you a rectangle that 3/4" thick X 1-3/16" wide to shoot to tear a staple out of the paper. Now being able to see the staple at 15 yards is another problem.

Good shooting no matter what. I have a 27-2 with 5" barrel and Patridge front sight that is very nicely blued from 6 feet away. Nice trigger, tight lockup, and very accurate with my old eyes. The less than $500 price tag was not bad either, but it ain't no collector piece. I bought it for a shooter.

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S&WHF 366

If I must. Here is my ugly duckling. Note the purplish tint on the cylinder and barrel and the stainless trigger.

Well, you be sure to tell me where they are so I can pick them up. My best shooting guns are also my ugliest. Funny how it always seems to work out that way.

I am looking at this on my iPad so the pictures are not big, but I am having a heck of a time finding all the ugly that was described here. Don't think it will win many beauty contests, but if you shoot it that well, it is a beauty.

The mismatched trigger and lack of original wood grips kinda throws it off. The grips do feel quite nice though.

Beauty is as Beauty does.

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You're shy a few manners.

Could be the lighting, but the finish almost looks like a bead blast rather than the normal satin.

Nice shooter either way though. That thing will outlive all of us

According to the serial number, it's already older than me, and it's still, as 824tsv put it, "laserbeam accurate".

Did you say that in your head with a Forrest Gump voice while you were typing? I know I read it in his voice.

Here's a little update. I think I've figured out part of the story with this gun. From the time I got it, I've noticed these little, round peen marks right on the line where the points of the extractor meet the cylinder. They're irregularly spaced, but they're all perfectly round and centered on the line. They've had me puzzled this whole time as to what they are and what purpose they served. The answer hit me today.They're firing pin marks! At some point, either the hand or the bolt broke, causing the cylinder to stop between chambers, at which time the owner attempted to fire, causing the firing pin to hit on that line. At that point, either that person or someone he sold it to replaced the internals. Perhaps it had the narrow trigger, and the new owner wanted a wide one. Perhaps they happened to have a stainless one laying around, hence the stainless trigger.

I doubt the trigger is stainless. Maybe polished steel or flash chromed. I have heard S&W gave up on SS hammers and triggers in a short time. None of my stainless guns have stainless triggers or hammers.

Tough to tell from the photo but could the trigger simply be a standard steel trigger that was POLISHED? I knew two pistol Smiths who after slicking up an action would polish the sides of the H&T.

It also appears to have been matte finished. I just had my old MHP issue HP done in matte. Looks the same as yours. Unless the digital is lying to me.

The trigger appears to be "Flash Chrome" as is used on most Stainless Steel S&Ws of all frame sizes.

The "Plum" coloring of the barrel and cylinder are extremely common, especially on the H.P./M-28. The cause is the higher Nickel content in the steel used for the barrels and cylinders. It tends to get more toward purple as the finish ages although it was seen on brand new guns to some extent if you look close enough.

You want to see a purple gun? Go find a refinished "Nickel Steel" Springfield that has been hot blued! That or an Iron framed H&R or other "Saturday Night Special" or single-barrel shotgun that has been hot blued. Frame will be purple and other parts nicely blue! It always will come out purple in both these situations, even when all parts are blued at the same time. There is no way to avoid it! This wouldn't be the case if it was the result of improper bath temperature or contamination as many so often assert! Anyone who has done hot bluing of guns knows this!

Correct. My engraved Springfield shows purple, rose, blue, green and perhaps others.

I also have any minty Winchester 42 that is showing a tinge of purple.

Jack