Ok, flame me. I really dont know didly about triggers. Heck, I bought a Tavor SAR. While the 28-2 has a heavy, but smooth pull. No big deal until I compared it to my 610-no dash, which almost feels mechanically assited. My 66-2 also has a lighter trigger. I thought there would be more consistency? I got the N frame cylinder weight until I played with, but yet to shoot 610.

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Just hanging with my dogs

I assume you have fired the M28 and it works fine?
In single action, how does the trigger feel?

It's just possible that your M28-2 has never been shot much and needs some breaking in. (I'm assuming you don't know a lot about its history, or the history of the other revolvers you mentioned. Let us know if this is wrong.)

I thought there would be more consistency?
The M28-2 had a long run (1961 - 1982, two decades) and the M610 debuted eight years later. A lot of changes occurred in all those years. Add to that the possibility that one gun may have been worked on by a competent gunsmith and the other by someone less talented.

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You're shy a few manners.

like I said: needs a good deep cleaning with solvent and brushes, a hose down w Ballistol, blow out access, a 13 or 14 lbs trigger return spring and a Wolff type 2 hammer spring, then she will likely run as smooth as anything. If that not enough, back the strain screw out a bit and secure w a tiny dab of blue loctite. You can also buy a shorter set screw and replace the stock strain screw w that.

You didn't say whether it was near unfired or well worn.
Either way, I'd suggest you remove the side plate (search the forum for the proper way to do that) and have a look. Even if near unfired, as oysterer said, on a gun that old, the lube may have dried into a waxy crud, or it may be filthy from use. Clean like he said, then have a close look for anything rubbing. My old Mod 28 had a pin backing out of the double action sear on the hammer, binding the action against the frame. I could easily see the arcing gouge in the frame the pin had made over the years. Deal with anything where it shouldn't be, relube with a good gun lube (I prefer a synthetic lube), then try the trigger both single and double action.
My well-used 28 went from near inoperable to a 3.5 lb. single action, ~7.8 lb. double action pull doing the above.
Good luck to you, and enjoy a fine revolver.

Have you ever opened up the side plate and examined and cleaned it?

I've got the same situation with my Mod 28-2. Pretty heavy trigger pull in double action. Single action is nice. To be honest I compare all my S&W revolvers to my Mod 686 which has the sweetest trigger I've ever seen and the 28 is just not like that. Mine, if I looked it up correctly, was made in 1979. Of course, as somebody said. I don't know the history behind the gun. I know it's in excellent shape and I love it but I'd like a lighter trigger also. Here's a pic I took at the range a few days ago. I'd like to say this was shot double action but I'd be telling a big one. Still not too awfully bad. Just need more practice. This was with my reloads-158gr Berry's RN, 4gr Win231. Makes for a nice and easy load, I think. Would love to try the suggested fix for a stiff trigger. I'm not much of a gunsmith (read, not any) however.

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That's not "too awful bad" at all

The best trigger of any S&W I have is on the HP (pre-28) shown below. I suspect someone had a trigger job done on it, but maybe it came that way from the factory.

I don't know the OP's skill level, but speaking for myself, I would start with the easiest remedies and work up from there. There's a lot you can do before you take the sideplate off. Of course, if he's an old hand at disassembling a S&W, forget I said anything ...

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You're shy a few manners.

Lighter trigger return spring, stone return slide surfaces and frame/side plate areas it slides on, check to make sure trigger returns solid every time. Stone high spots on pivot bosses, if you have dry fired or fired it much look at area around pivot hole in trigger, hammer for little arc scratches from little high fine burrs. Thats what you want to get rid of. Your not polishing glass. If you hammer or trigger body is getting skuffed by frame try a shim on the skuff side. Check and set endshake to .001-.002. Check barrel to cylinder gap for .004 min.

Load a bunch of rounds using CCI primers. Go to range. Unscrew mainspring screw 3 turns. Does it function? If so load 6 and see if the fire. Iff you have a missfire turn in 1/2 turn. When it never miss fires, turn screw in tight, counting the 1/4 turns to tight tight. Each 1/4 turn is .0078. Take that times number of 1/4 turns. Example 6 1/4 turns 6x.0078=.0468. Remove that much or less from end of screw leaving it slightly domed. Install tight.

Don't touch the sears. But, smooth beats light, reliable beats anything. When I was younger I spend a bunch of time chasing the perfect trigger pull, then figured out it helped a lot more to be a perfect trigger puller. I did stuff like coat every slide part, pivot point with fie valve grinding compound and pulling trigger 50 times and then cleaning well etc etc. Now if they are smooth I leave them alone. If a pound or 2 of trigger pull makes me miss, its on me, not the gun.

Steelslaver, you sound as if you've been a master gunsmith for years and years. I'd not even attempt trying to do all that. Never have heard it described step by step that way. Very interesting. Bet there's not a whole lot of people around that can do that. Anyway, thanks for the education. I'm really satisfied with the trigger shooting single action. It's just the double action that is really stiff. I'm sure it's not possible to make one easier and not effect the other. Anyway, it's a great shooter and I wanted one a long time before I found one if real good shape. Thanks for the education.

Hardly. Blessed with a stepfather who taught me how mechanical things work. Although they are relatively precision fit the parts inside a revolver are not doing anything magic. Pivots, levers, cams and a pawl and ratchet. All very cleverly done so that one action creates several movements all timed together.

Everyone worries about the sears, 99% of S&W sears are fine the way they are. Most of the friction comes from little machine marks on the trigger and hammer bosses and the area the trigger return slide rides. Sometimes a trigger or hammer riding on the frame a bit. Resistance is from trigger return spring and main spring. A bunch or resistance right before full cock is usually from a ratchet tooth being to big. Bolt drops and locks cylinder in place, pawl is still pressing on tooth, trying to turn cylinder and pawl gets pressed to side of window. Plus, a straight ejector rod and alighted yoke tube with minimal endshake on cylinder allowing it to turn easily, with clearance between barrel and cylinder.

Get a Jerry Kuhnhausen shop manual, read it, get some good screw drivers and enjoy. An old beater model 10 or the like is a great learning tool. I bought a 10-2 with a messed up barrel. Over the years it has gotten a recessed model 19 357 cylinder, a 2 1/2 barrel, been milled for adjustable sights, a different yoke, round butted. I learned all kinds of things on that gun and it still shoots.

Take off the side plate, remove the main spring. Use your thumb to put light pressure on the hammer to be the spring, work the trigger slowly and SEE all the things happen. You want the main spring out to keep a bunch of force off pivot studs because side plate end isn't supported with plate off.

Oh, and an N frame 357 has a very heavy cylinder compared to K or L frames. It will always take a bit more force to turn. But, N frames are the KING.

The 28 was intended for law enforcement, out of the box 15# trigger was the norm for DA.

Buy a Bullseye or Wolf spring kit for about 14 bucks (takes about 5 minutes to install). Please use a good screw driver and don't booger up the screws and then dry fire or shoot it about 500 times

Do NOT follow this advice. Leave the strain screw alone. Messing with it is one of the easiest ways to mess up the guns reliability.

Thank you all for sharing your knowledge. I had a gunsmith switch the original 6” barrel with a 4” I bought from another member here several years ago. I am going to order a spring kit and remove the side plate, I have not removed the side plate.

I have never really looked it over to gauge its use. Probably not a lot - but when I finally get a day off of work I will give it a thorough examination and update this thread with my observations and photos.

My history of mechanical aptitude - I tend to further break rather than fix.

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Just hanging with my dogs

Just go slow use good screwdrivers and don't force anything.Popping the trigger return slide back in and getting the spring over the post is the most difficult part, that and lining up the hammer block in its groove in side plate and back on might take you a shot or 2 before you figure it out. Don't pop the pawl arm of the trigger, getting the spring over the pin on arm where it goes in trigger is a bit tricky. You need to hold pawl arm back a bit to work trigger off its stud. Patience. Might have the guy who changed your barrel run you through it once or twice.

Whew!! Think I'll just live with mine the way it is or just shoot my 686.