Had it set up for some faux ivory, but they have a different contour above the frame I didn’t like. This one is actually going to a new home to pay a debt, but I foresee some great stocks on it.
Just a Hairy Special Snowflake supply clerk with no field experience, shooting an Asymetric carbine as a Try Hard. Snarky and easily butt hurt. Favorite animal is the Cape Buffalo....likely indicative of a personality disorder.
"If I had a grandpa, he would look like Delbert Belton".
I've had this nagging, recurrent idea about meloniting an old blued revolver. It occurs to me that the non-high-gloss appearance of the 28 invites such a treatment, and the fact that they are surprisingly plentiful and affordable for a P&R Smith makes it seem like an even better idea.
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Not another dime.
My dad carried a 4" Model 27 for nearly 40 years as a deputy sheriff in northern Arizona. Yes, it was heavier than a Model 10, 15, or 19 K Frame. Yes, it was less easy to conceal than the Model 10, 15, or 19 K Frame.
BUT...it could digest all the hot 357 ammo you wanted to stuff into it and shoot. There was noticeably less felt recoil between the Model 27 and the Model 19.
The Model 27 was a finely finished, deeply blued revolver with checkering on the topstrap. The Model 28 highway Patrolman was more of a journeyman revolver without the checkering. Mechanically, they were the same gun.
You will never be poorly served by an N Frame Magnum.
When everyone around you is running, screaming, and losing their minds...look for the quiet old gray haired cop because he's about to kick down some doors and sort some unruly bastards out.
Spent a few minutes talking with technical sales at Burlington Industries, the SoCal shop that does a lot of meloniting on 1911s.
I don't want to misquote him or sow seeds of confusion regarding his exact statements versus my extension of them based on my knowledge of metallurgy, but I'll just log my conclusion here that as of this writing, I don't regard meloniting a revolver as an "aftermarket" solution to be practically feasible. One would need to consume at least one additional revolver, maybe more, for destructive testing to verify the safety of the process with a reasonable degree of confidence.
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Not another dime.
I didn't scan the whole thread, but when I started police work there were still a lot of "revolver guys" still working although most were about to retire. Most of those guys carried either a 4" 19/66 (although I remember one particular deputy with a 6" 19 in a swivel holster), a 4" 686, or a 4" 45 Colt or 45 ACP N frame. I do not remember seeing a single local guy carrying an N frame, although I know SFPD still had some. You could almost tell when a guy was hired based on the type of gun he carried (since most carried the same guy their entire career).
By the 1980's and 1990's, the 27 and 28 were viewed as "big and heavy classics" at least around here. The impression I got was that after the Combat Magnums (Models 19 and 66) became prevalent (and readily available) in the late 1960's and early 1970's, most guys stopped carrying the N frames in 357 Magnum.
Back in the mid 70's, I was issued a nickel S&W model 19 4" barrel as a duty weapon. We had two auxillary officers that worked mainly weekends who had bought their own revolvers. Model 28's they were! My 19 was a youngster compared to the 28....the adult in the holster...haha. They were matte blue with a 4 " barrel. I was envious.
Later at a different department, we were issued model 66's.
When I started as a reserve on a suburban SoCal PD in ‘78, I carried a personal 5” model 27, but soon went to the lighter K frame guns. I had a 2.5” 19 that I had a 4” barrel installed on with a yellow ramp front. Had Farrant make me a pair of RB to SB conversion grips for it. Wish I still had that one. Still have the 27 and the Farrants. Later while still a reserve I was issued a K-38 that the city had shortened to 4” with the patridge front sight remounted by a local gunsmith. It looked funky but shot great. Hated to give it up when I got hired full time. There might have been one or two other guys carrying M28’s and a Python or two, but most everyone else had a 4” or 6” K frame with adjustable sights. No one had a fixed sight duty gun.
The first indication a bad guy should have that I'm dangerous is when his
disembodied soul is looking down at his own corpse wondering what happened.