Impulse buy 28-2, score or fail?

[porkchop8u]

Hey Everyone,
so yesterday I saw a 28-2 on a local board for $350 and before I could even think I emailed saying i'd take it. I don't know if I did good or bad but you all be the judge below. It has finish wear, small flecks of rust and some nicks & scratches but it locks up tight and the single action trigger is the best I have felt ( I am a glock guy so what do I know ). I really wanted a nice model 10, 64, or even a model 30/31 so I'm not even sure what i'm going to do with this huge honking hog leg but I figured it would hold me over till a found what I really wanted. Would anyone have a born on date range on this ser # S2275xx
what can you all tell me about this pistola?

 

[Bat Guano]

Well, I like the old warhorse!

But dang, lose the Goodyears.

 

[ibewbull]

I think you fell into a great buy.
An S range too boot.
I suggest buying a lottery ticket before luck changes.

My 28-2 ivory faux and 27-2 Grasshorn Stags below.
The 28-2 was my 1st center fire revolver in 1974.
A good Pancake holster and you can conceal it easily.

[URL=http://s1247.photobucket.com/user/Bull_Parrott/media/Smith%20and%20Wesson/27-228-2.jpg.html] [/URL]

 

[Pondoro]

I got one in similar shape, a bit cheaper but it was a six inch barrel. I wish it was a four inch. I predict you'll like shooting it a lot.

 

[CajunBass]

I'd say you did just fine.

Now, what I'd do if it was mine, take the grips off, then take some Flitz polish to it and lightly go over it a couple/three times with the Flitz and a soft cloth. Then I'd put a couple of coats of wax on it. It'll look like a different gun.

Personally, I'd just keep the Pach's.

 

[porkchop8u]

Thanks for the replies everyone. What is the deal with a serial # starting with a S?

 

[oldman10mm]

yours 1961/1962

S prefixed numbers ran to 1970,N prefixed numbers started in 1970.

 

[steelslaver]

Every true S&W lover needs to have a 28. I will buy any I find at that price.

 

[epj]

If you decide you don't like it, you can get your money back very quickly by listing it on the forum here.

 

[OLDSTER]

HP required

Nice buy ! There is no such thing as a "bad" decision when it comes to buying an HP. FYI, it is REQUIRED that every S&W revolver lover own at least one HP

 

[MiGS]

I'd say you did just fine.

Now, what I'd do if it was mine, take the grips off, then take some Flitz polish to it and lightly go over it a couple/three times with the Flitz and a soft cloth. Then I'd put a couple of coats of wax on it. It'll look like a different gun.

Personally, I'd just keep the Pach's.

+1

And its fun to clean up an old workhorse, just take your time. Bronze wool + lube is a magic on light surface rust.

 

[john629]

You'll love it.Shooting .38 specials is like shooting .22s.Here's mine

 

[05CarbonDRZ]

Flitz polish contains an abrasive substance.

Abrasive substances remove bluing when rubbed on the bluing.

Thus, I suggest that you NOT use any Flitz polish (or any other polish) on your fine revolver.

My regime includes a deep cleaning with Eezox, followed by waxing it with Renaissance Wax.

I have used Flitz on $4,000+ Guns and NEVER removed any bluing.If You apply it only with your finger and lightly rub it off with an old White T-Shirt it's hard to screw it up.If You go Ham Handed and start polishing with it You will remove bluing.It just needs to be used with care,That's all.

 

[MiGS]

Forgot to add

Prediction:

In ten years you'll still have this very HP, plus a minimum 2 additional N-frames.

Aka Hog Legs

 

[Chukar60]

Great gun, great deal.
I used to think that an N frame was a ridiculous platform for a 357. Now that I have my mandatory HP, I have become a big fan of the "huge honking hog leg"
Enjoy it.

 

[Ross3914]

You did well.

I wouldn't have batted an eye to fork over $350 for that. Sure, it has finish wear, but it's honest wear and not from some guy trying to remove huge rust spots, or anything else other than normal usage. The screws aren't all buggered up, which is a good thing.

Shoot it, you'll probably like it. If you don't, you won't have any trouble getting your money out of it or trading for a Model 10/64.

 

[jtcarm]

Nah, you got took!

Since you're new I'll take it off your hands for what you paid.

 

[Nightowl]

Buy a box of 357 Magnums, and a box of 130 grain .38 Specials and shoot the Magnums and then the .38s. Now you know the ends of the spectrum and you can load your own ammo to anything in between.
N frames absorb a lot of the magnum recoil, much easier on you than the K and J frame Smiths.

 

[john629]

Looks like 1961-1962,according to The Book.

 

[JP@AK]

What is the deal with a serial # starting with a S?

After the war, S&W assigned S prefix serial numbers to the N frame revolvers, to signify that they were equipped with the new type of hammer safety.
At the same time, the K frame .38 Military & Police revolvers also got an S prefix, albeit in much higher numbers (above 811000).
The K frame S numbers stopped in 1948, but the prefix continued in use on the N frames.
Then, in 1968, Congress passed a law that required each manufacturer to provide a discreet serial number for every gun they produced. If S&W continued using the S numbers on the N frames, eventually they would begin duplicating the numbers previously used on the K frame M&P. So, the decision was made to transition to a new number system, a process that began in 1969. The last S number was S333454 and it seems to have been assigned to an N frame revolver in either late 1969 or early 1970. The N numbers were already being phased in during 1969, but by early 1970, the N frames were exclusively marked using the N series of numbers.

Your HP, with serial number S2275xx was made in 1962.

And, btw, you got it for a great price. I'd have bought it for $350 without a nanosecond's hesitation.