Nickel HP?

[rab]

Good Evening.
Can anyone give me a lead on why this is nickel (?) plated?
2. N32329
3. .357 CTG
4. 4" BBL
Pachmayr black rubber grips.

Also the trigger and hammer have swirled work on them.
Thanks for any info you can provide!

 

[Aircrewman]

Sounds like someone had it refinished with a Nickel finish and also had a polish job done on the hammer and trigger. The swirled look is from the polishing of the metal.

 

[KEN L]

Good Evening.
Can anyone give me a lead on why this is nickel (?) plated?
2. N32329
3. .357 CTG
4. 4" BBL
Pachmayr black rubber grips.

Also the trigger and hammer have swirled work on them.
Thanks for any info you can provide!

Probably shipped around Aug 1971. Hammer & trigger have been "jeweled" and gun re-nickeled. Sounds like a nice shooter!

 

[Retired W4]

I agree with Aircrewman, as nickel HP's are VERY rare The gun you have has been highly modified with no collector value. Just have fun shooting it.

Hey Ken, you beat me to it.

 

[KEN L]

I agree with Aircrewman, as nickel HP's are VERY rare The gun you have has been highly modified with no collector value. Just have fun shooting it.

Hey Ken, you beat me to it.

Slowing down in your old age Tom!

 

[rab]

Thanks for the replies, Gents!
It *is* a nice shooter KEN_L.
Wondering why anyone would go through the trouble of modifying a model which, I've read, is a discount model of the 27? Is this common? Is it worth pursuing with S&W?
Thank you all for your generous info!

 

[Jack Flash]

...
Wondering why anyone would go through the trouble of modifying a model which, I've read, is a discount model of the 27? Is this common? ...

People used to do that all the time. Back in the day (1950s and 1960s) outdoor / hunting / gun magazines were full of articles about "Home Gunsmithing" to dress up a mil-surp or police trade-in, which were both available in abundance at rock-bottom prices.

... Is it worth pursuing with S&W?
...

I really doubt that S&W had anything to do with the mods, nor would they know anything about them.

 

[Muley Gil]

I have known several police officers who have had their blue M28s nickeled.

 

[Jtown]

It would be nice to see a photo of this gun
Walt

 

[rab]

Muley_Gil, That's the best possible explanation I've heard!
Jtown, Here's a couple photos. Not sure if I mentioned the porting. Note the hand ID etching. Looks to me like a Drivers License Number. Here in MI and other states we use the Soundex method of assigning DL#. My redneck decoding shows:
Last Name: "V...m/n" Possible Vincent, Van something, etc.
First Name: William
Middle Name: John
DOB: 3/7.
Thanks to all for your input! I'm enjoying this 28-2!

 

[Pisgah]

That's all work that could have been -- maybe, most likely was -- done by Mag-na-port. The porting certainly looks like theirs, and they offer the trigger/hammer jeweling and the SS Mag-Na-Life finish.

 

[Green Frog]

That's all work that could have been -- maybe, most likely was -- done by Mag-na-port. The porting certainly looks like theirs, and they offer the trigger/hammer jeweling and the SS Mag-Na-Life finish.

That was my take on it. Somebody had a gun they liked a lot and decided to have it customized to be the gun they thought it should be. Oddly, this is the second personalized Model 28 that has showed up in the last few days. In each case somebody came on and commented on affecting the collectibility. It's a Model 28 folks, and was made to be the utility version to be banged around by the likes of Highway Patrolmen on motorcycles and in and out of police cruisers. Think Chevrolet, not Cadillac. I can't believe the mystique that has suddenly grown up around them and bemoan their loss of station as the perfect donor for one's N-frame project (like the one in this thread!)

Rant over,
Green Frog