Fast response please regarding a SW Highway Patrolman

A

Arkhog

New member
I just spotted a Model 28-2 Highway Patrolman in the back of a gun case at a pawn shop. It is marked $549.00, but they will sell it for $450 out the door.

I will tell you what I gathered from a fast check out and you give me any comments that you may have. If it is a good buy I don't want it to get away.


Good:

Pinned and Recessed

Bore looked good, but was dirty. I was trying to check the rifling through the crud.

Thick forcing cone with little or no sign of erosion.

Tight cylinder gap. (No guage, just eyeball)

Rock solid lock-up. It didn't have the play that most Smiths have.


Bad:

Light surface rust all over with darker orange in some crevices around the sight rib and other places.

The front edges of the cylinder look as if someone did a home de-horning job. The sharp corners of each flute had been rounded, in some cases squared, off.

The cylinder notches for each chamber were dinged up and didn't have clean edges.

The side plate had been removed and the front screw and side plate were gouged in that area.

Finally, a large chunk of the original wood grips was missing. I know those can be replaced.

Hit me fast with any random comment, please.

Thanks
 
A

Arkhog

New member
Thanks for the fast reply

I didn't count the screws. I am sure that it was gun only. No box or papers.

I am leaning toward a no on this one. I had several classic Smiths years ago and sold them for reasons that I can't remember. Now, I just happened to have some money set aside for a new gun. When I saw the pinned and recessed gun my heart raced.

Thanks
 
S

Sarge

New member
28's are good revolvers; about the only consistent problem I saw with them was a propensity for the barrel-cylinder gap to disappear over time, requiring that the crane be stretched, of faced off with a headspace shim installed. It takes a lot of shooting to get them to that point, though.

I don't think I'd give $450 for it myself, particularly with ragged stocks on it. I have to qualify that however because I'm regularly astounded at what used guns price at, these days.
 
J

Jart

New member
I purchased a 28-2 a month or so ago for just over 350.00. My "full disclosure" dealer said he'd cleaned some freckling from the rib but I could barely see anything.

The price probably had more to do with it's being from the darkest days of Bangor Punta. It timed well but the hammer and trigger both dragged and needed those little Power shim/washers. The rebound slide looked like it had been blanked from mill sheet complete with scale. It's been good practice for me getting familiar with the Kuhnhausen manual and the Jerry Miculek "trigger job" DVD.

It's turned into a keeper even after parts, manuals and DVDs which I would have wanted eventually anyway. It was also a poster child reminder that "pinned and recessed" is no guarantor of quality and that it is possible for forged parts to out-suck mim when people are in a rush.

450.00 sounds a bit high for one the shape described and P&R does not exempt it from the "check out" sticky thread.
 
C

CraigC

Moderator
No way. It's true that they don't make them any more but it hasn't been so long that they were everywhere for under $300 in good shape. $450 is Highway Robbery unless it is rather minty with box. For some reason, these guns have skyrocketed in price as the speculators try to make their first million.
 
M

Majic

New member
No need to check because if it has a model number then it's not a 5 screw. This revolver is way over priced and if it's that tight mechanically then I would question who worked on it. Rust, ol Mr Bubba de-horning, gouging of screw and sideplate all point to a kitchen table job and neglect. More importantly the dinged cylinder notches indicate that revolver has seen a lot of fast double action shooting and going out of time. Take a close look at the cylinder stop and I bet it's worn also if not then it's been replaced. A good smith would have cleaned up the cylinder notches if the stop looks replaced.
Save your money as too many fine specimens are out there that's worth that kind of money.
 
N

NGIB

New member
I have less than $400 in this one and it's near perfect...

IMG_S28-X.jpg
 
4

44 AMP

Staff
The market varies

I bought a minty 6"28-2 for $450 from a local gunshop a couple of months ago, more than I wanted to spend, but they let me take 3 months to pay for it. Two weeks ago I let one go at a gun show that I could have had for $300, but it was well used, and while recessed, the barrel was not pinned.

For a rusted up gun, $450 is too much, even if, like here they tend to go high. If the gun was in great shape, I would say spendy, but not completely unreasonable. All the old(er) Smiths have gone up lately. Dirty, a little banged up, and rusted? no way I'd go over $350, and probably not over $300, and then only if I didn't have a 28 and wanted one bad. There's better deals still out there, at least for now.
 
M

Mike Irwin

Staff
Absolute 100% pass.

Orange surface rust all over?

$459 out the door?

That's a good $200 more than it's worth at that point, in my opinion.

Glad to hear you passed.
 
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