28-2 back from S&W

ExRanger714

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This is a follow on to my "Help--28-2 now pile of parts" thread. Sorry for no pics but I just can't seem to get the how-to down.

I bought (gave too much) for a S prefix M28-2 in really bad shape but I thought I saw a diamond in the rough. It was rusty, pitted, suffering from excessive endshake, had a broken yoke button (missing a 90 degree chunk) and had a MIM trigger in it. I put a forged trigger (for fear of getting it back new MIM or getting a MIM replacement which I did not want) in it before it went back to S&W

Sent it to S&W for rehab and they received it May 9. Got the estimate back June 11 and I got it back today, July 18.

They charged me $396 for the following:

Repair excess cylinder play and correct timing
Turn barrel (barrel eroded)
Reset barrel/cylinder gap to factory spec.
Recut forcing cone and correct timing.
Replace hand and springs as needed
Replace yoke, polish and blend to frame
Polish and reblue
Check function and range test

They noted this is an obsolete model
They had a yoke on hand and it cost $63 and it was included in the second labor charge

The monetary damage: (this is how they itemized it)
Estimate and range test $45
1 hour labor at $90 per hour
Oversize hand $13.55
.7 hour labor and new yoke $63 (yes, it seems I got a little free labor or something)
Polish and reblue $170
Shipping $13.00 and .91 cents sales tax
$395 and change
Came in an appropriately sized unmarked brown corrugated lift top box in a piece of S&W paper packaged in a FEDEX box.

Estimate by Scott Dube, bill by Roz Sousa, smithed by M. Belanger

They threw in gratis a set of current issue diamond target grips with speedloader cuts.

Impressions:

Nice folk to deal with!
Looks great except for a bit of side plate logo lost in polishing.
Address stamp and other numbers/stampings intact.
Finish looks blacker that blue but it is uniform and seems nicely done.
Barrel looks dead on and without cant.
New windage screw installed.
Feels like a new mainspring but I haven't checked.
Timing is spot on.
Came back with my forged trigger.

I am satisfied and by the way S&W annual shutdown 20 July to 6 August this year.
 
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Smith does good work at reasonable prices and with a comparatively quick turn around.

The only thing I wouldn't have had them do is a reblue on any gun with an older blue finish: they don't use that bluing process any longer. The current 'blue' isn't even close to the original bluing.
 
Sounds plenty reasonable to me.

Congrats ..... nice to have a gun re-worked by the same folks who built it new!
 
Is that a dull satin blue or a nicer, brighter blue? They didn't formerly offer a change of finish on Victory or Highway Patrolman guns.
 
This is an outstanding deal. S&W does excellent work and they have reasonable prices. I have rarely seen them charge more than one hour labor. Amazing!

I wish you had pictures.

It is great that you sent it in rather than resort to "half-measures."
 
If you got the gun real cheap you did well grasshopper.

Just FYI: I have a pre-28 that's near new if not and the factory finish is matte BLACK. The idea was to differentiate from the Model 27s.
 
Another happy S&W customer

I had a Model 28 back to Smith a few years ago and am very satisfied with their work and the price I paid which was somewhat less than you paid, but did not have a refinish.

When I called customer service the fellow I talked to asked for the serial number. When I read it off he gave sort of a whistle and said I was very lucky as I was very close to their cut off as to age.
 
Mine's S 289xxx (mid to late '67 interpolating from SCS&W) and they fixed it so I guess I beat the cutoff. Customer Server said "that's an old one" or something similar.
 
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I think that is a heck of a deal. The HP had what I would call a matt finish, though a couple coats of Renaissance Wax does impart a little shine to those guns. My -2 is S 250853.
 
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Yeah S&W charged me $220 for a reblue & polish for my police trade 4" model 10-8 HB. $13.55 for a new hand and another 13.45 for correcting the timing. came back after 3 months looking like a brand new gun. And just like the OP, they threw in a brand new set of s&w wood grips.
 
Sent my model 28 in to S&W for basically same stuff . They did replace the cylinder "new not recessed" . Went thru the summer vacation schedule too. My total cost from Smith & Wesson was believe $365.00
 
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