S&W M28-2 Barrel finish question

[Oneadam12]

Hi,
Im new to this forum and SW revolvers but I recently purchased a Model 28-2 manufactured in 1979 . I noticed with mine and photos of others the barrels on some seem like they have a different finish or brighter blueing on them. Is it just the way the frame wears or is the finish different. Newbie question I know!
Thanks

 

[Oneadam12]

This is the revolver, notice the bluing on the barrel compared to frame.

 

[weatherby]

I've seen it before with the barrel/cylinder being a bit different.
Not an issue that I'd personally worry about.
Fine looking Patrolman in my eyes.

 

[Oneadam12]

Thanks for the reply, was thinking maybe barrel and/or cylinder may have been replaced at some time.

 

[Fishinfool]

Nice model 28. As stated above, I have seen a number of S&W revolvers where the blueing on the barrel / cylinder / frame is not an exact match. Maybe the barrels in that production run were buffed by a different person than the frames? Maybe the frames and barrels were blued in different batches? I have seen model 28's with dull, almost bead blasted blueing, and some that were almost as shiny as a model 27.

Larry

 

[Laketime]

I had a model 28-1 like that once and I lightly used a very small amount of Flitz cream to even it out.Rub a small amount on a clean cloth-then rub a clean surface of metal other than the gun-when the cloth starts to turn light brown gently rub out the frame with minimal pressure-polish firmly with another clean cloth-one step should do it for you. Remember do not apply flitz directly on the gun or it can over polish or remove the bluing.

 

[Jdavis]

My 28-2 has the same situation. In fact, under certain lighting, I can see a slight difference in part of the frame, the cylinder, and the barrel. It is as if the finishing was done at different times by different people. As others have said, it is slight and pretty typical of Highway Patrolman revolvers.
On a side note:
Laketime, if you had a model 28-1 you had best track that gun down and buy it back. A 28-1 is among the rarest S&W revolvers and is worth thousands of dollars!

 

[Laketime]

My 28-2 has the same situation. In fact, under certain lighting, I can see a slight difference in part of the frame, the cylinder, and the barrel. It is as if the finishing was done at different times by different people. As others have said, it is slight and pretty typical of Highway Patrolman revolvers.
On a side note:
Laketime, if you had a model 28-1 you had best track that gun down and buy it back. A 28-1 is among the rarest S&W revolvers and is worth thousands of dollars!

Sold it in 1985 for close to what I paid $225.00.One of many guns I let go that I get depressed thinking about today.

 

[Oneadam12]

Very interesting to find out this is somewhat common, Im not sure if I want to attempt to even the finish out just under certain lighting conditions it looks like a brand new barrel on a worn frame. I would love to see a pic of someone else example of this.
Thanks again for your replys and suggestions!

 

[weatherby]

I had a model 28-1 like that once and I lightly used a very small amount of Flitz cream to even it out.Rub a small amount on a clean cloth-then rub a clean surface of metal other than the gun-when the cloth starts to turn light brown gently rub out the frame with minimal pressure-polish firmly with another clean cloth-one step should do it for you. Remember do not apply flitz directly on the gun or it can over polish or remove the bluing.

If it was indeed a 28-1 you should have definitely kept it.
Thus far only one is known to exist.

 

[Laketime]

If it was indeed a 28-1 you should have definitely kept it.
Thus far only one is known to exist.

I remember the gun was made in 1960 by the serial number,maybe it was a 28 no dash.But I'm almost certain that I had a dash 1 ,dash 2 and a dash 3 at the same time.It did have a 6 inch barrel on it.But this was 32 yrs ago and really no one seemed interested in highway patrolman's in the 1980's.At least in my area of New England.

 

[mhg2tld]

I had Highway Patrolman pre 28 that I think was built in 59 that had the same issue but you could only see it in certain light. I left it like it was and did not try to correct it. It is to me one of the characteristics of the model. I am not sure they all have this issue but I understand it is common on this model.
The HP is basically a cheaper version the model 27 with less refinements, including the amount of time spent on polishing from the factory. I believe this was done in order to make the gun more affordable to the masses including the law enforcement community.

 

[Oneadam12]

Great pics, nice revolver! I see the same difference in coloration of the bluing, I guess Ill just leave mine the way it is and accept it as characteristic of the model
Thanks!

 

[cmansguns]

Here is my 28-2, shipped in 1974. According to SCSW 4th, the finish for the Model 28 (Highway Patrolman) was identified by the factory as "Satin blue" which was actually an almost matte, or flat blue.

I apologize for the poor interior lighting for the photo, but in natural light one can easily see the difference to my other deep, highly polished Smith & Wesson revolvers.

Like another poster above, the M28 HP was intended for utilitarian use by LEO's and offered at a much lower price than the M 27.

 

[Oneadam12]

Thats a beauty ! You can clearly see the difference in color between the barrel and frame but still a fine specimen! Thanks for posting!

 

[Oneadam12]

Here is a almost new model 27-5 where you can see the barrel and frame are different colors and this isnt the utilitarian model 28. Im surprised there isnt more posts or info about these unique finishes. When I purchased my mine, being my first s&w revolver I noticed immediately and was concerned the barrel was a replacement. I bought it online and the photos did not clearly show the colour difference. Seeing how common this is definitely makes me feel better about my purchase.

 

[Alk8944]

The barrel and cylinder are made from a higher Nickel content steel than the frame. As a result they take the bluing slightly differently, and it becomes more evident as the gun ages, tending toward what is usually referred to as "Plum". Perfectly normal.

 

[27 Man]

One of my 29-2 revolvers has the same issue. Barrel is brighter than the frame. My other 29-2 is fine.

 

[Oneadam12]

The barrel and cylinder are made from a higher Nickel content steel than the frame. As a result they take the bluing slightly differently, and it becomes more evident as the gun ages, tending toward what is usually referred to as "Plum". Perfectly normal.

Thank you for that info, exactly what I was looking for. There had to be a reason for this other than quality control. Much appreciated!

 

[daddy bear]

I had first dibs on a 5" 29 a few years ago. I was dumb as to 5" 29s even existing. Pawn shop. I kept looking at the barrel and was unable to see any evidence of a cut down. Then I noticed a slight polish or coloring difference and dragged my feet. There were several other uncommon S&Ws and several nice rifles in a large buy.

After mulling things over for a couple of days, I went back for the 5". As you would guess, some guy with deep pockets came in and bought the entire collection, some two dozen pieces. Snooze and loose.

Jack