Another Highway Patrolman to the pile, a 28-1

Ditto to all the comments from other good wishers.

Your pictures hint at but don't show barrel length, and you haven't mentioned it that I read. Everyone is so blown away by the Model marking, no one has mentioned the barrel length. Is it 6" or the more common 4"? Inquiring minds (and N-frame fans) want to know, I'm sure.

Dave
 
Dave T said:
Is it 6" or the more common 4"?
Click to expand...
Dave
I'm glad you wrote that. For many years, the 4" HP was everywhere. I've owned my share of them (and loved them all). The 6" version was not that easy to come by - at least in Oregon and Alaska where I've lived since returning from 'Nam. But now I see the 6" version all the time and rarely see them for sale with a 4" barrel.
What gives?
I wonder what the production ratio really was. Since LE agencies usually wanted 4" barrels, I have to believe they are, indeed, more common, but recent experience simply does not bear this out.
Jack
 
azmick---Congrats on such a rare find and thanks for sharing with us.

Doc44 & VM----I'm always wanting to learn something new..will you explain the significance of the "L" stamped on the cylinder??

Thanks,
Don
 
woodsltc

I'm not either of those guys, but the L stamped on the cylinder indicates the threads on the extractor rod were left handed. That is the change that the dash 1 indicates.
On the HP, the dash 2 change came along before very many were made with the LH extractor rod and the change was rolled into the dash 2, along with its redesigned cylinder stop. Hence the rarity of the Model 28-1.
I hope this helps.
Jack
 
JP@AK said:
woodsltc

I'm not either of those guys, but the L stamped on the cylinder indicates the threads on the extractor rod were left handed. That is the change that the dash 1 indicates.
On the HP, the dash 2 change came along before very many were made with the LH extractor rod and the change was rolled into the dash 2, along with its redesigned cylinder stop. Hence the rarity of the Model 28-1.
I hope this helps.
Jack
Click to expand...

Jack...thanks for the info. :)

Don
 
saemetric said:
I'm confused, as usual. My 3 screw HP has a s/n lower than the 28-1 above (S222986) and has an L stamped on cylinder, but is a 28-2. What gives??
Click to expand...

Guns weren't made strictly on engineering change mandates. They were made from parts that had been made and put into bins to be used as needed, and/or until used up. Your gun would be an early -2, so the L on the cylinder is not surprising.

Frames were not used in order of number, but were simply grabbed from a parts bin and used as needed. The OP's could have easily been serialized, then grabbed out of the parts bin, stamped 28-1 and used to build the gun he has before the mandate for the dash two engineering change came down. I'm not sure how that would work exactly with the change to eliminate the hole in front of the trigger guard for the stop screw. Perhaps some 4 screw frames were used up for the very early -2 guns?
 
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It is a 6" gun. The anomalies of everything S&W never ceases to amaze me. The 25-5 is a perfect example, same model can be had with a pinned barrel or without . They made th rules and then broke every one of them. The 625 Mountain Gun with the tapered barrel should be marked a 626 but they stuck with the '25'. Odd bunch in Springfield to be sure.
 
azmick said:
It is a 6" gun. The anomalies of everything S&W never ceases to amaze me. The 25-5 is a perfect example, same model can be had with a pinned barrel or without . They made th rules and then broke every one of them. The 625 Mountain Gun with the tapered barrel should be marked a 626 but they stuck with the '25'. Odd bunch in Springfield to be sure.
Click to expand...

Why? If you mean because the 625 is SS, that's why it was named the 625.
 
The story behind it,,,
I woke up early Thursday (4AM) with a stuffed up head, the dog wanted out, the cat was hungry and my wife had been up, had the coffee going and was back in bed. Not sure why the animals didn't bother her (smart animals I guess) but after them, I sat down with coffee and read the news and such on the computer. After that I looked through the gun sales/auction sites and there it was, a left side and a right side picture and listed as a Model 28. Not having a 6" 28, seeing the target stocks and being able to tell it was a 4 screw frame, I hit the 'buy it now' and sent an e-mail. The gentleman and I exchanged a couple messages and a time was set for Friday after work. We met, exchanged some small talk and I asked him the story with the revolver, he simply said they were moving and could not take it with them (it was obvious to me he didn't care to talk about where or why so I dropped it). In the e-mails, I told him how HPs were my 'thing' and had a few others. That seemed to genuinely please him. I tried to see what the model and serial were then but, my 58 year old eyes and wearing my 7 year old glasses (grabbed the wrong ones), I could not see what it was even with a magnifying glass. We talked some more,, I handed him the amount agreed upon, he wished me a Merry Christmas when he handed it to me (with a big grin on his face, I didn't know what to think of it then). An hour or so later, I was home, hungry and tired. While eating a late supper, I found the magnifying glass and my right glasses and took a look. Got up, walked around the table and looked again. I walked into the living room said "Holy ----" a few times and went back to the revolver to look again. I think I got 2 hours of sleep Friday night. I think the gentleman knew what he gave me, I think his wife knew what he gave me. I was at work at 4:45 AM Saturday walking on cloud 9, I told my boss I would be worthless all day (BTW, it was my last day at that job, start a new one Tuesday). They sent me home early and I took the few pictures you see here. Today was pretty hectic too and I am sorry to say, I didn't have a chance to take more pictures (I do pictures, others here do photographs, much better than my 'pictures').
 
saemetric said:
I'm confused, as usual. My 3 screw HP has a s/n lower than the 28-1 above (S222986) and has an L stamped on cylinder, but is a 28-2. What gives??
Click to expand...
As stated above, serial numbers are not always actually sequential during engineering changes. So anything like this is possible.
Also, as I stated in my previous reply, the dash 1 change was continued in the dash 2 revolvers. But the absence of the cylinder stop retaining screw was an added feature.
Jack

Added: Sorry, but I saw your post and didn't realize this thread had gone on to a second page. Looks like someone already answered your question. I apologize for the duplication!
 
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S&W's manufacturing and shipping records don't include the model variation. For example, a 29-2 would just be invoiced as a Model 29 (at least through the mid-60s), so model variations really cannot be verified in the records. However, this 28-1 meets all the criteria of a -1 revolver and is the only one known at this point in time. Only time will tell if more show up and are reported. We never thought we would find a true Model 29-1 until one showed up on this forum several years ago. Since then, forum member 29-1 has located one more.

The interesting thing about the 28-2 with the serial number in the S222000 range is per Roy's book, the change to the 3-screw frame took place at serial number S227149, but as we all say, nothing is impossible with S&W! Apparently, the 28-2 was ahead of its time so to speak and is unique in its own right.

Bill
 
Doc44 said:
S&W's manufacturing and shipping records don't include the model variation. For example, a 29-2 would just be invoiced as a Model 29 (at least through the mid-60s), so model variations really cannot be verified in the records. However, this 28-1 meets all the criteria of a -1 revolver and is the only one known at this point in time. Only time will tell if more show up and are reported. We never thought we would find a true Model 29-1 until one showed up on this forum several years ago. Since then, forum member 29-1 has located one more.

The interesting thing about the 28-2 with the serial number in the S222000 range is per Roy's book, the change to the 3-screw frame took place at serial number S227149, but as we all say, nothing is impossible with S&W! Apparently, the 28-2 was ahead of its time so to speak and is unique in its own right.

Bill
Click to expand...

Thanks Bill for the above info. As a follow up to the 3 screw change, does anyone here have a 3 screw with a s/n lower than my S222986.
 
S221xxx is on post 110 of Allen's HP thread and two S2227xx's in post 105 and 457.
I also came across S221 862 on gunbroker a ways back.
 
azmick said:
The story behind it,,,
I woke up early Thursday (4AM) with a stuffed up head, the dog wanted out, the cat was hungry and my wife had been up, had the coffee going and was back in bed. Not sure why the animals didn't bother her (smart animals I guess) but after them, I sat down with coffee and read the news and such on the computer. After that I looked through the gun sales/auction sites and there it was, a left side and a right side picture and listed as a Model 28. Not having a 6" 28, seeing the target stocks and being able to tell it was a 4 screw frame, I hit the 'buy it now' and sent an e-mail. The gentleman and I exchanged a couple messages and a time was set for Friday after work. We met, exchanged some small talk and I asked him the story with the revolver, he simply said they were moving and could not take it with them (it was obvious to me he didn't care to talk about where or why so I dropped it). In the e-mails, I told him how HPs were my 'thing' and had a few others. That seemed to genuinely please him. I tried to see what the model and serial were then but, my 58 year old eyes and wearing my 7 year old glasses (grabbed the wrong ones), I could not see what it was even with a magnifying glass. We talked some more,, I handed him the amount agreed upon, he wished me a Merry Christmas when he handed it to me (with a big grin on his face, I didn't know what to think of it then). An hour or so later, I was home, hungry and tired. While eating a late supper, I found the magnifying glass and my right glasses and took a look. Got up, walked around the table and looked again. I walked into the living room said "Holy ----" a few times and went back to the revolver to look again. I think I got 2 hours of sleep Friday night. I think the gentleman knew what he gave me, I think his wife knew what he gave me. I was at work at 4:45 AM Saturday walking on cloud 9, I told my boss I would be worthless all day (BTW, it was my last day at that job, start a new one Tuesday). They sent me home early and I took the few pictures you see here. Today was pretty hectic too and I am sorry to say, I didn't have a chance to take more pictures (I do pictures, others here do photographs, much better than my 'pictures').
Click to expand...

That is one of those "meant to be" scenario's where all of the planets lined up in your favor, and it was more than just "dumb luck".... you must of did something really solid for someone in the past to be rewarded that way. Congratulations !!
 
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