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.

 

[Muss Muggins]

$350 is fair enough for a 28-2 in that aesthetic condition, as long as it's mechanically sound. There's another thread about truck guns. This one fits the bill. Enjoy . . .

 

[JP@AK]

The 4" HP is a perennial favorite in my family. I have owned quite a few of them over the years. I have to say that I have never paid more than $300 for one, but that only illustrates how long it has been since I last purchased one!
The first one I bought for myself was brand new, just after I returned from my two year vacation in Viet Nam. I paid about $140 for it at Monkey Wards. Still have the box and tools!

 

[porkchop8u]

Thank you all for the great wealth of info. I don't post here often but my original thought of this forum is correct. This is a great place to be a member

 

[CajunBass]

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 don't know how hard you'd have to work to damage a blue finish using Flitz, but I am WAY to lazy to do it.

You might be be right if it it was a mirror like, factory fresh finish, but in cases like the OP's gun, or a Model 19 I've got, where the finish is already "challenged" shall we say, there really isn't much to lose.

 

[Tom_R]

They are great, great revolvers. Don't be dissuaded by it just because it has a worn finish. That gun is built like a tank and has a lot of great life left in it.

You can always have it refinished, or give it a good cleaning and see how it comes out.

Definitely a great revolver. Someone in this thread said that you need a 28 in your collection, I agree.

 

[DocB]

I'd like to have a pick-up truck full of 28-2's like that one you found at that price. Here in Georgia, they would all be sold within a month for a tidy profit. I manage to find about one N Frame a year around here.

 

[porkchop8u]

Any idea what Smith and Wesson would charge to make this gun like new?

 

[gunny4053]

You did very, very well my friend. Give it a good cleaning, and if you're really concerned about the finish, degrease it and touch it up with some cold blue, I've used Black Magic for such touch up in the past. If the finish isn't a concern, clean it thoroughly, wax and lube it, then go shoot it. Once you pull the trigger, you'll realize why big N frames are so popular. The 28 is a fan favorite, and for good reason. Big, well balanced, and a smooth accurate shooter. Loose the Goodyears and throw some diamond magnas with a BK or TylerT grip on it, you'll be surprised at the difference.

Congrats and good shooting.

As for having S&W refinish it, there's an old thread here, I don't remember which member posted it, but he had his refinished and some other work done as well. You might be able to do a search and find it. At times a gun with honest wear will retain better value than a refinished gun. Just something to consider.

 

[A10]

Any idea what Smith and Wesson would charge to make this gun like new?

Short answer is that they can't. They might be willing to do a reblue and an action job, maybe work on timing if that's an issue, but the blueing system they use is completely different so it will look a lot like the new guns. I don't know of anyone who can do the original matte blue, with the different texture on the underside of the frame and along the sight. I like my guns pretty too, but the wear on your gun is part of its history. Were it mine I'd leave it as is.

Oh, and Welcome to the Forum! In my neck of the woods, any Nframe for less than 5 bills is a steal. Nicely done!

 

[billwill]

Clean this baby up and shoot the flying heck out of it. You will wear out before the 28 even breaths hard! Enjoy it and buy some ammo with that extra money.