This was a faceoff between two of the Titans of police duty .357 magnum revolvers of the 1960’s. In one corner is the Colt Trooper 357 with a 4” barrel from 1968, wearing target grips and sporting the wide target hammer. This gun must have spent most of its life in a time capsule with an extremely low round count, as it appears to be practically new. In the other corner is the S&W 28-2, 4” Highway Patrolman from 1965, which is also like new, albeit wearing aftermarket, Magna type grips. Both guns were fed Black Hills 125 grain JHP’s and Appalachian Ammunition 125 grain XTP-HP Emancipator. Both brands of ammo use new Starline brass, and what appears to be the same 125 grain bullet. The Colt’s trigger pull was a little heavier at 10.5/3.5, Vs. the S&W’s 9.75/3. Both triggers were very consistent. The Smith’s trigger felt smoother than the Colt’s, which might be chalked up to the Colt action not being fully broken in. Time and more rounds will tell if the Colt smooths out. As far as accuracy, I must report that it was a virtual tie. That’s a little hard to tell though, as I was shooting without a rest, and my Benign Essential Tremors make for poor marksmanship. Taking that into account I still have to say they shoot about the same. All in all I had a great time shooting these classic 60’s .357 revolvers.
