New to me 28-2. Looks like logo area of side plate got scratched up and someone got aggressive trying to polish it out. Left a gloss difference on the plate that stands out pretty clearly. Rest of the finish is nice. Scratches are still visible despite all the effort.
Its been approved for some service work at S&W. Question is can just the side plate be refinished to match rest of revolver? Or, is it all or nothing if I want a good job of it. Not even sure S&W would do it if I asked but thought I'd start here. Thanks
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Hit or miss on a finish match I think. Even if S&W will do it I doubt they could guarantee a finish match. I'd leave it as it is.

Jeff
SWCA #1457

Imho, you have several choices....leave it alone and shoot the h*** out of it. I would not have the entire revolver refinished!..try a touch up job yourself with Vans blue ect......replace the side plate and screws with a used one, or, have the plate refinished...let us know what you do!!

My guess too.
I wonder if it could be improved upon by a practiced hand and some very careful polishing/blending. Don't want to go overboard on this but it's just the rest of it is so damn nice.

While I'm not convinced that your side plate is not the way it originally left S&W, the answer is S&W has not done real bluing since the early 2000s. The substitute finish they sell as "bluing" is blacker. The color difference is obvious from across the room. Also, while real bluing was not even effected by the old version of Hoppie's #9 that contained benzine, S&W's new "bluing" is gradually removed by rubbing with a soft rag and any solvent that contains ammonia. The current Hoppie's #9 solution still contains ammonium hydroxide which is ammonia diluted with water. There are approved cleaning solvents. The point is the old and new finishes are not the same.

28s were finish 'em fast and get them out the door economy guns. Their finishes varied quite a bit. The rumor from local LEOs that were issued them is that those with cosmetic issues were put in large deliveries to government agencies rather than shipments to stores that had to display them to get them sold. All the 28s I've owned have been very accurate revolvers. That's what I buy them for. I do not expect their appearance to be as consistent as the finish on Model 27s.

Edit to add:
While I typed replacing the side plate was suggested. Getting the tight factory seam around a side plate is not easy. S&W does it by swagging new side plates into rough frames with a large press. The frame and plate are made level by sanding and polishing them together afterward. That's why frames and side plates are stamped with an assembly number to be sure they stay together during manufacture.

If you want to get rid of the blue finish, CCR does great work with their CPII finish.
Cummings Custom Refinishing

Yes, and while I appreciate any and all suggestions I don't want to engage in anything this involved. My pics aren't the best but I'm pretty sure this was the result of an owner and not a factory original finish blip. I expect it's one of the things you accept and get used to. Was never destined to be a wall hangar but you can still try to make good a little better. Thanks

M28 was a utilitarian gun and dash-2's were made for 20 years, so IMO not worth the price to refinish them. Sounds like buyer's remorse to me, you liked it enough to buy it, so why isn't it good enough now? if the finish bothers you, sell it and look for a nicer one. From what I can see in the pictures (poor lighting), it doesn't look all that bad. If it's mechanically sound, shoot it with your eyes closed.

Not an over the counter purchase so, as I'm sure you know, you sometimes see things on arrival that are different from the way they appeared. Way it is. Was looking for an idea for a simple improvement. Appreciate the input.

I would put target stocks on it & take it to the range. Bob

This:
Target stocks will hide most of that. You could try a little touchup, with Oxpho (Brownell's). Heat the area with a hair dryer, paint it on. Good to go. Eventually, it'll need a re-do. Easy to remove if you don't like the way it turns out.

Caustic bluing varies by manufacturer and even batch to batch. The industry standard back in the day was DuLite. Of course, Smith might have used a proprietary formula. Bluing also ages with time and bluing appearance changes according to the polishing media and technique. I believe to match the finish you will be on for a strip off and superficial polish of the whole gun.

Which is why I will never buy a gun without a personal inspection first. I hope you get yours looking like you want. As I said earlier, it doesn't look all that bad, but apparently it looks worse than you expected and reality was a letdown. Unfortunately, it seems that appearance issues are rarely a simple fix, unlike replacing a damaged part. You try to polish or reblue the offending area, and all of a sudden it looks great and the rest of the gun, which was fine earlier, now looks terrible. Rebluing the entire gun so it matches would be the way to go, I'd think, but finding someone who does it correctly can be difficult and/or expensive, and by then you have more in the gun moneywise than you could have spent on a better one to begin with. I don't know what you paid, but maybe it's better to embrace its flaws as-is and enjoy shooting it. I like my M28-2, doesn't pound my hand like the K-frame magnums do.

I would leave it as-is. Take it to the range, shoot it clean it, repeat. Just enjoy it.

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Pine_Worker
Ex-LEO, NRA Life

Rebluing one part to match the rest of the firearm is a real challenge and not something that many shops nor S&W can successfully accomplish. As previously mentioned, somewhere in the early 2000's, S&W changed their bluing process to a more environmentally friendly procedure, the result is a very dark, almost black, finish that is reportedly less resistant to some gun cleaning solvents.

I would either leave it as-is or spend a lot of money at a shop that can restore it.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

Advice confirms what I expected especially regarding the matching of bluing. Pleased with the rest of it so well enough alone. Thanks everybody.

I think you've chosen the right road. The 28s were marketed as a "utilitarian" revolver, not a beauty queen like the 27. Sort of one where scratches are war wounds, not cause for a heart attack.
I hope you enjoy yours for many years to come.